![Coachella pigstage](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/Coachella_pigstage.jpg)
Inflatable flying pigs were one of the staple
prop
A prop, formally known as (theatrical) property, is an object used on stage or screen by actors during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinc ...
s of
Pink Floyd's live shows. The first balloon was a sow, with a male pig balloon later introduced in their 1987 tour. Pigs appeared numerous times in
concert
A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variet ...
s by the band, promoting concerts and record releases, and on the cover of their 1977 album ''
Animals
Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and go through an ontogenetic stage in ...
''.
The image rights for the pigs passed to
Roger Waters when he split from the rest of the group,
though the pigs continued to be used by both Pink Floyd and Roger Waters in their gigs after his departure.
''Animals''
![Battersea Power Station pig 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Battersea_Power_Station_pig_2.jpg)
The original Pink Floyd pig, a ,
helium
Helium (from el, ἥλιος, helios, lit=sun) is a chemical element with the symbol He and atomic number 2. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas and the first in the noble gas group in the periodic table. ...
-filled balloon, was designed by Roger Waters and built in December 1976 by the artist
Jeffrey Shaw with help of design team
Hipgnosis
Hipgnosis were an English art design group based in London, that specialised in creating album cover artwork for rock musicians and bands. Their commissions included work for Pink Floyd, T. Rex, the Pretty Things, Black Sabbath, UFO, 10c ...
,
in preparation for shooting the cover of the ''
Animals
Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and go through an ontogenetic stage in ...
'' album. Plans were made to fly it over
Battersea Power Station
Battersea Power Station is a decommissioned Grade II* listed coal-fired power station, located on the south bank of the River Thames, in Nine Elms, Battersea, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It was built by the London Power Company (LPC) ...
for a three-day photo-shoot, with a
marksman
A marksman is a person who is skilled in precision shooting using projectile weapons (in modern days most commonly an accurized scoped long gun such as designated marksman rifle or a sniper rifle) to shoot at high-value targets at longer-than- ...
standing by to shoot the pig down if it broke free. On the first day, poor weather and delays meant the pig was not launched, and the marksman was told he was not needed.
On the second day, 3 December 1976, the marksman was again not present because no one had told him to return. A gust of wind tore the pig loose. It disappeared from sight within five minutes, and was spotted by airline pilots at thirty thousand feet in the air.
Flights at
Heathrow Airport were cancelled as the huge inflatable pig continued eastwards across flight lanes and out over the
English Channel
The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
, finally landing that night on a farm in
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
, where it frightened a herd of cows.
[
The pig was recovered and repaired for the resumption of photography for the album cover, but the sky was cloudless and blue, thus "boring". However, the pictures of the sky from the first day were suitable; the album cover was created using a composite of photos from the first and third days.]
The pig that was originally floated above Battersea Power Station was called "Algie".
In the Flesh
After the album ''Animals
Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and go through an ontogenetic stage in ...
'' was released in 1977
Events January
* January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrat ...
, Pink Floyd began their "In the Flesh" tour. During concerts, the pig appeared around the PA stacks in a cloud of black smoke during performances of " Pigs (Three Different Ones)".
''The Wall''
The pig also appeared during each of Pink Floyd's ''The Wall
''The Wall'' is the eleventh studio album by the English progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released on 30 November 1979 by Harvest/EMI and Columbia/ CBS Records. It is a rock opera that explores Pink, a jaded rock star whose eventual self-imp ...
'' concerts, black instead of pink, with a crossed hammers logo on its side. Waters would occasionally refer to it directly before "Run Like Hell
"Run Like Hell" is a song by the English progressive rock band Pink Floyd, written by David Gilmour and Roger Waters. It appears on the album '' The Wall''. It was released as a single in 1980, reaching #15 in the Canadian singles chart as well as ...
" (the pig appeared during the end of the previous song, "In the Flesh In the Flesh may refer to:
Books
* ''In the Flesh'' (2009 graphic novel), a collection of stories by Koren Shadmi
Film and TV
* ''In the Flesh'' (1998 film), an American gay-themed murder mystery film
* ''In the Flesh'' (2003 film), an Indian ...
"). A short speech in reference to either the pig or the song was given in every show, with each speech being different; this oddity has been used by bootleggers
Bootleg or bootlegging most often refers to:
* Bootleg recording, an audio or video recording released unofficially
* Rum-running, the illegal business of transporting and trading in alcoholic beverages, hence:
** Moonshine, or illicitly made ...
to identify which date a recording of the Wall tour was made. At the Berlin concert, it was only the head and it had fangs and red eyes.
Pink Floyd's use of the pig post-Roger Waters
For the 1987–1989 tour, the band added testicles to the pig, which David Gilmour has said was an attempt to get around Roger Waters having the image rights for the pig.
The pig briefly appeared on 10 June 1988 at Beaujoire stadium in Nantes, France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
; it flew above the crowd for a very short time, after which it was seen to deflate.
The pig is shown to be flown over the audience during the performance of One of These Days in the Delicate Sound of Thunder
''Delicate Sound of Thunder'' is a live album by English progressive rock band Pink Floyd. It was recorded over five nights at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, in August 1988 and mixed at Abbey Road Studios in September 1988. It was ...
concert video, where it appears black with illuminated eyes.
Pink Floyd added a 'deflated' pig to Roger Waters' auction of animation art from the film ''The Wall
''The Wall'' is the eleventh studio album by the English progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released on 30 November 1979 by Harvest/EMI and Columbia/ CBS Records. It is a rock opera that explores Pink, a jaded rock star whose eventual self-imp ...
'' at Christie's London, on 21 September 1990, but the lot was withdrawn before the auction started.
During the 1994 tour, two warthog
''Phacochoerus'' is a genus in the family Suidae, commonly known as warthogs (pronounced ''wart-hog''). They are pigs who live in open and semi-open habitats, even in quite arid regions, in sub-Saharan Africa. The two species were formerly co ...
-like pigs with protruding tongues were shown at the top of the stage side's speaker towers, sometimes just deflated, sometimes dropped on the ground after " One of These Days". This was also during Pulse, but for the VHS, Laserdisc, DVD and Blu-Ray releases, footage of the pigs falling was edited out.
The pig made another appearance before the release of '' Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd'', when Capitol Records flew a replica of the original pig from ''Animals'' over the Capitol Records Tower
The Capitol Records Building, also known as the Capitol Records Tower, is a 13-story tower building in Hollywood, Los Angeles. Designed by Louis Naidorf of Welton Becket Associates, it is one of the city's landmarks. Construction began soon after ...
in Hollywood, California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
.
One damaged inflatable pig, believed to be from the 1988 Pink Floyd tour, was repaired by Nga Keith and flown again over a concert by the band The String Cheese Incident
The String Cheese Incident (SCI) is an American jam band from Crested Butte and Telluride, Colorado, formed in 1993. The band is composed of Michael Kang (acoustic/electric mandolin, electric guitar, and violin), Michael Travis (drums and percus ...
in Austin, Texas on 20 September 2003. Reportedly purchased by The String Cheese Incident manager Mike Luba from a former Pink Floyd stagehand, the 40-foot pig flew again over the Austin City Limits Music Festival
The Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival is an annual music festival held in Zilker Park in Austin, Texas on two consecutive three-day weekends. Inspired by the KLRU/PBS music series of the same name, the festival is produced by Austin-base ...
audience during a cover of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall
"Another Brick in the Wall" is a three-part composition on Pink Floyd's 1979 rock opera '' The Wall,'' written by bassist Roger Waters. "Part 2", a protest song against corporal punishment, and rigid and abusive schooling, features a chil ...
(Part II)".
During their Live 8
Live 8 was a string of benefit concerts that took place on 2 July 2005, in the G8 states and in South Africa. They were timed to precede the G8 conference and summit held at the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, Scotland, from 6–8 July 200 ...
reunion with Waters, footage of Algie, over Battersea Power Station, was shown on a giant video screen behind the band.
A replica of Algie was tethered above Battersea Power Station on 26 September 2011 to promote the Why Pink Floyd...? campaign, involving the reissue of the band's first 14 studio albums.
Roger Waters solo tours
* During a concert in Summerfest 2006, the pig had a message printed on it reading "Impeach Bush
Bush commonly refers to:
* Shrub, a small or medium woody plant
Bush, Bushes, or the bush may also refer to:
People
* Bush (surname), including any of several people with that name
**Bush family, a prominent American family that includes:
*** ...
"
* In a concert in Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
on 2007, a pig flew and ended up on the Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata (, "river of silver"), also called the River Plate or La Plata River in English, is the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean and fo ...
.
* At Argentina tour dates in 2007, the pig had the "Nunca Más" (Never again) inscription on its chest, referring to the famous slogan with which the Argentine people referred to the 1976-1983 military dictatorship during which 30,000 people were forcibly disappeared and later assassinated.
* During Waters' performance at the 2008 Coachella Festival
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert ...
, one of the giant inflatable pigs being used as a prop became untethered and floated away into the California desert. Organizers of the festival had offered a $10,000 reward plus free lifetime tickets to the festival in return for the pig's recovery. The pig was found three days later at a nearby country club.
* Likewise, during the concert in Dallas, TX on 2 May 2008, and Houston, TX on 4 May, the pig floated away.
* During a concert in Chicago on 8 June 2012 at Wrigley Field, the pig crashed into the crowd behind home plate and was ripped to pieces by the crowd.
* During his Us + Them tour in 2017, the pig had a message printed on it reading "PIGGY BANK OF WAR" and underneath printed "BOMBS AND DEATH COME FROM HERE" with an arrow pointed toward the pig's rear.
* During Waters' This is Not a Drill
This Is Not a Drill is the seventh concert tour by English songwriter Roger Waters. The tour, originally scheduled to take place between July and October 2020, was suspended after the COVID-19 pandemic advance, and rescheduled to take place in ...
tour in 2022, the pig was printed with "FUCK THE POOR" on one side and "STEAL FROM THE POOR GIVE TO THE RICH" on the other side and was decorated with various images such as drones, coffins, and fighter-jets. The pig was flown during the intermission and the first few numbers of the second set; its eyes were illuminated red during the performances of "In the Flesh In the Flesh may refer to:
Books
* ''In the Flesh'' (2009 graphic novel), a collection of stories by Koren Shadmi
Film and TV
* ''In the Flesh'' (1998 film), an American gay-themed murder mystery film
* ''In the Flesh'' (2003 film), an Indian ...
" and "Run like Hell
"Run Like Hell" is a song by the English progressive rock band Pink Floyd, written by David Gilmour and Roger Waters. It appears on the album '' The Wall''. It was released as a single in 1980, reaching #15 in the Canadian singles chart as well as ...
."
Other media
*An inflatable pig can be seen floating above Battersea Power Station
Battersea Power Station is a decommissioned Grade II* listed coal-fired power station, located on the south bank of the River Thames, in Nine Elms, Battersea, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It was built by the London Power Company (LPC) ...
in the 2010 movie ''Nanny McPhee Returns
''Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang'' (released in the United States and Canada as ''Nanny McPhee Returns'') is a 2010 period fantasy comedy film directed by Susanna White, produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner and Lindsay Doran with music by James Ne ...
'' as the nanny and children make a motorcycle trip to London to locate the children's father.
*An inflatable pig can also be seen floating outside Battersea Power Station
Battersea Power Station is a decommissioned Grade II* listed coal-fired power station, located on the south bank of the River Thames, in Nine Elms, Battersea, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It was built by the London Power Company (LPC) ...
in the 2006 movie '' Children of Men''.
*During the "Isles of Wonder" short film shot by Danny Boyle
Daniel Francis Boyle (born 20 October 1956) is an English director and producer. He is known for his work on films including '' Shallow Grave'', '' Trainspotting'' and its sequel '' T2 Trainspotting'', '' The Beach'', ''28 Days Later'', '' S ...
and shown as part of the Opening Ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, the camera zooms down the length of the Thames River, from a small spring in the countryside all the way to the Olympic venue. During the fly-by, a pig can be seen floating above the Battersea Power Station
Battersea Power Station is a decommissioned Grade II* listed coal-fired power station, located on the south bank of the River Thames, in Nine Elms, Battersea, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It was built by the London Power Company (LPC) ...
.
*The pig can be seen floating about the neighbourhood in the video game ''The Sims 2
''The Sims 2'' is a 2004 strategic life simulation video game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. It is the second major title in ''The Sims'' series, and is the sequel to ''The Sims.'' The game was released for Microsoft Windo ...
''.
*An inflatable pig can be seen floating above Battersea Power Station
Battersea Power Station is a decommissioned Grade II* listed coal-fired power station, located on the south bank of the River Thames, in Nine Elms, Battersea, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It was built by the London Power Company (LPC) ...
in the Zwift cycling app.
*A large toy sheep above a power plant reminiscent of the Battersea Power Station
Battersea Power Station is a decommissioned Grade II* listed coal-fired power station, located on the south bank of the River Thames, in Nine Elms, Battersea, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It was built by the London Power Company (LPC) ...
is shown on the cover of The Orb
The Orb are an English electronic music group founded in 1988 by Alex Paterson and Jimmy Cauty. Known for their psychedelic sound, the Orb developed a cult following among clubbers "coming down" from drug-induced highs. Their influential 19 ...
album Evil 39.
*A floating pig can be seen in the "Roger Waters - Comfortably Numb 2022" video, released 18 November 2022.
References
External links
*"The Work of Hipgnosis: Walk Away Rene" by Storm Thorgerson
Storm Elvin Thorgerson (28 February 1944 – 18 April 2013) was an English graphic designer and music video director. He is best known for closely working with the group Pink Floyd through most of their career, and also created album or other ar ...
, (New York: A & W Visual Library, 1978), .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pink Floyd Pigs
Pink Floyd
Mascots introduced in 1976
Fictional pigs
Inflatable manufactured goods
Balloons (entertainment)
Music mascots
Animal mascots