Porky and fellow Pigs

[Leviathan]

Porky is the only major WB cartoon animal to be completely homanized and exhibit absoultley no animal traits (i.e. the tail and pig head are the extent of his porcine distinctions). So there are some gags with disturbing subtexts in some of his cartoons.

In Paying the Piper (1949); Porky mentions this his sibling (brother or sister) is a butcher that smokes hams.

In Often an Orphan (also 1949); Charlie Dog offers to make Porky a meal of ham and eggs (and is holding a REALISTIC pig in one arm). Yet Porky is merely annoyed by Charlie's repeated intrusions.

Can anyone think of any others?

[Chow Hound]

I think running around without any pants on may qualify as "disturbing".

[Marty26]

Not really disturbing, but Porky celebrating "Be Kind To Animals Week" in Dog Collared (1950 - the CORRECT release year!!!) could make you wonder about his own sanity since he himself is an animal.

[The Spectre]

In Often an Orphan (also 1949); Charlie Dog offers to make Porky a meal of ham and eggs (and is holding a REALISTIC pig in one arm). Yet Porky is merely annoyed by Charlie's repeated intrusions.


Jones could have played this like the Charlie's innapropriate Northern references in "Dog Gone South". I'm not saying he did and you didn't notice, but that he *could* have done.

[Duck Dodgers]

Not really disturbing, but Porky celebrating "Be Kind To Animals Week" in Dog Collared (1950 - the CORRECT release year!!!) could make you wonder about his own sanity since he himself is an animal.

While Bugs and Daffy consider themselves a rabbit and a duck (I call these kind of characters as a trait d'union between animals tout court a là Pluto and characters like Goofy or Mickey), Porky is on the same level of Mickey or Donald.

[J. J. Hunsecker]

Porky does acknowledge that he is a pig in Duck Soup to Nuts -- that is until Daffy convinces Porky that Porky is really an eagle.

[Cartman]

P
In Paying the Piper (1949); Porky mentions this his sibling (brother or sister) is a butcher that smokes hams.

In Often an Orphan (also 1949); Charlie Dog offers to make Porky a meal of ham and eggs (and is holding a REALISTIC pig in one arm). Yet Porky is merely annoyed by Charlie's repeated intrusions.

Can anyone think of any others?
Porky also eats sausages in BYE BYE BLUEBEARD and GOLD DIGGERS OF '49.:ham:

[larriva9/11]

I suppose that, being pink and fleshy (as opposed to furry or feathery), a pig is as close as "funny animals" get to seeming human without actually being human. (Thus, also, Porky's frequent interchangeability w/Elmer in later years.)

[Jack]

While Bugs and Daffy consider themselves a rabbit and a duck (I call these kind of characters as a trait d'union between animals tout court a là Pluto and characters like Goofy or Mickey), Porky is on the same level of Mickey or Donald.
And this seems to have a lot to do with when they were created. Animals who were Human for all intents and purposes seem to have been way more common before the late 30's. Wally Walrus and Buzz Buzzard are about the only characters I can think of from after that off the top of my head who aren't really dependent upon their animal characteristics.

[larriva9/11]

And, like Porky, Wally Walrus could pass as fur/featherless, ergo "human enough".

[Marty26]

And this seems to have a lot to do with when they were created. Animals who were Human for all intents and purposes seem to have been way more common before the late 30's. Wally Walrus and Buzz Buzzard are about the only characters I can think of from after that off the top of my head who aren't really dependent upon their animal characteristics.

I think a big part of the reason why is because humans in general were rarely used in cartoons until the late-30's. I guess people, at the time, were just afraid of using human beings because they diminished the surrealism of the cartoons at the time. Porky The Gob, in particular, seems to showcase this since every character in that cartoon is either a dog or a cat (with Porky being, of course, a pig). But they still act like human beings.

[J. J. Hunsecker]

Porky also eats sausages in BYE BYE BLUEBEARD and GOLD DIGGERS OF '49.:ham:
Well, those could have been beef sausages, right?

[larriva9/11]

I think a big part of the reason why is because humans in general were rarely used in cartoons until the late-30's. I guess people, at the time, were just afraid of using human beings because they diminished the surrealism of the cartoons at the time.

And of course, it helped when the humans which were used (eg. Betty Boop, Popeye--and I guess even Egghead) themselves carried a surrealist flavour...