PEORIA – Thought to be dead or in retreat in the deep wilderness, the mysterious Pigman resurfaced this week, to great fanfare from parts of the crypto community as well as competitive eating circles. A far cry from the Kansas Pig Man, previously reported on by The Reality Register, this porcine biped, once described as, “a handsomer and less touchy-feely Gérard Depardieu,” is perhaps most well known as the inspiration for George Orwell’s Animal Farm, the essential 20th century parable of what happens when the government does not monitor or regulate the farming industry to make sure that stupid animals are not running farms.
Pigman had another zeitgeist moment in 1977, when he was prominently featured in Pink Floyd’s classic album Animals. The centerpiece song, “Pigs (Three Different Ones)”, characterized him as greedy, foolish and ultimately immoral. The album’s reception was one of the catalyst’s for Pigman’s retreat over the following decade. Speaking about that song in a 1982 interview with Nina Blackwood, he stated, “It wasn’t even the lyrics…that much. I mean…they hurt, but Rog and I, we spoke after. Really it was the beginning of the song, with that synthesizer and the oinking. I thought it was very scary. That’s not me, by the way, that was Dave Gilmour doing the oinking.” Despite going on the record as not enjoying the song, Pigman’s fans (and detractors) would chant lyrics like ‘Pig stain on your fat chin!’ when he made his increasingly infrequent public appearances.
Despite being, in many ways, the ideal poster child for the glamorized culture of 1980’s greed, Pigman sightings became rare as the decade went on. He terminated his spokesmanship with Piggly Wiggly supermarkets in 1984, citing contractual differences, and ended his line of
PIGMAN by Bill Blass cufflinks the following year. Pigman’s last recorded appearance was as a staged studio audience member in a 1986 Ronco infomercial, where he looked thinner and unhappy. An enduring image of a teary-eyed Pigman with Ron Popeil’s hand on his shoulder has been memorialized in countless internet memes.
Despite being in hiding, the legend of Pigman lived on. Without an estate manager or legal team, numerous restaurants unlawfully used his likeness on logos and menus, most commonly a recreation of the famous 1972 Ron Galella candid photograph of Pigman in full morning dress
eating a six-foot submarine sandwich in a row boat. More recently, Pigman’s image was revived for the Porcoin cryptocurrency (PORK), which had a small market rally following the news of Pigman’s return.
The great reveal itself was made on TikTok, where an account named @dark420gannon_og, originally created in the summer of 2020, posted its first video. Sitting behind the wheel of his vehicle (internet sleuths say it’s a Nissan Altima), an older and very healthy looking Pigman
greets his fans and the world, and proceeds to deliver a play-by-play review of several of the breakfast offerings from Wendy’s. He finishes his meal with a Dreamsicle Frosty, in what appears to be deliberate product placement. During the nearly eight minute video, Pigman doesn’t directly speak to his lengthy absence from the public eye, but does reference getting burned out on diet culture and generally feeling like he’s in a better place today with his physical and mental health.
The Reality Register will continue to monitor TikTok for the latest news on Pigman.
Ronald Sampson
