Percy Pig
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Percy Pig is a British brand of
pig The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus '' Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus s ...
-shaped gummy raspberry, strawberry, cherry and grape-flavoured
confectionery Confectionery is the art of making confections, which are food items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates. Exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confectionery is divided into two broad and somewhat overlapping categories ...
products made under licence in Germany by Katjes for
Marks & Spencer Marks and Spencer Group plc (commonly abbreviated to M&S and colloquially known as Marks's or Marks & Sparks) is a major British multinational retailer with headquarters in Paddington, London that specialises in selling clothing, beauty, home ...
which first appeared in stores in 1992. More than £10 million was grossed between June 2009 and 2010 in Percy Pig sales in Marks & Spencer's UK branches alone. They contain just under 3.5% fruit juice and since May 2022 have been suitable for vegans. Percy Pig sweets are available in 100g, 170g and 400g.


History

Percy Pig was created in 1992 and was sold in
strawberry The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown hybrid species of the genus '' Fragaria'', collectively known as the strawberries, which are cultivated worldwide for their fruit. The fruit is widely ap ...
,
blackcurrant The blackcurrant (''Ribes nigrum''), also known as black currant or cassis, is a deciduous shrub in the family Grossulariaceae grown for its edible berries. It is native to temperate parts of central and northern Europe and northern Asia, whe ...
and
raspberry The raspberry is the edible fruit of a multitude of plant species in the genus ''Rubus'' of the rose family, most of which are in the subgenus '' Idaeobatus''. The name also applies to these plants themselves. Raspberries are perennial with w ...
flavours. After a brief hiatus from the shelves in 1997, the brand returned, and in 2008 the sweets made UK British ''Vogues 2008 hot list at number 11 on the top style bible's 40 hottest people and trends to watch over the coming months. The Percy Pig character appeared in M&S's 2021 Christmas advert voiced by
Tom Holland Thomas Stanley Holland (born 1 June 1996) is an English actor. His accolades include a British Academy Film Award, three Saturn Awards, a Guinness World Record and an appearance on the ''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 Europe list. Some publications h ...
in his first speaking appearance. In April 2022, a large fibreglass Percy Pig statue was installed on the roof of a newly-opened Marks and Spencer store in
Stevenage Stevenage ( ) is a large town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevena ...
, Hertfordshire, to remain there for a year.


Ingredients

Marks & Spencer Percy Pig sweets originally contained real
pig The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus '' Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus s ...
in the form of pork
gelatin Gelatin or gelatine (from la, gelatus meaning "stiff" or "frozen") is a translucent, colorless, flavorless food ingredient, commonly derived from collagen taken from animal body parts. It is brittle when dry and rubbery when moist. It may also ...
. In 2011 a "Veggie Percy" range was launched, a
vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetarianism m ...
variety of Percy Pig sweets replacing the gelatin with
beeswax Beeswax (''cera alba'') is a natural wax produced by honey bees of the genus ''Apis''. The wax is formed into scales by eight wax-producing glands in the abdominal segments of worker bees, which discard it in or at the hive. The hive workers ...
and pea protein, with green ears to indicate they were vegetarian. In 2016 M&S began using a new gelatine-free recipe for some other varieties of Percy Pig sweets, and from May 2019 all Percy Pig sweets were 100 per cent gelatin-free, instead using
pectin Pectin ( grc, πηκτικός ': "congealed" and "curdled") is a heteropolysaccharide, a structural acid contained in the primary lamella, in the middle lamella, and in the cell walls of terrestrial plants. The principal, chemical component of ...
. This relaunch of the range also saw a new logo and packaging designs across the range. In 2022, beeswax was removed from the recipe, making the product vegan.


Variations

Following on from the success of the original Percy Pig sweets, new varieties, flavours and characters were introduced. Amongst the first were "Percy Pig & Pals", which besides Percy also contained a cow (cola flavour) and sheep (orange and strawberry flavour) and "Percy Piglets", which are smaller versions of the main sweets. Percy gained a girlfriend in Penny Pig in 2010, with her sweets being lemon flavoured. Besides the sweet range itself, Percy Pig has expanded to fruit juices, fizzy drinks, chocolates, popcorn, biscuits, cakes, muffins, ice cream, dessert sauces and mince pies, amongst others. In 2020, Marks and Spencer relaunched a Percy Pig
advent calendar An Advent calendar is used to count the days of Advent in anticipation of Christmas. Since the date of the First Sunday of Advent varies, falling between November 27 and December 3 inclusive, many reusable Advent calendars made of paper or wood b ...
after being discontinued in 2018 and 2019. Toys, books, socks, party equipment, bed linen and piggy banks are amongst the non-food items with the Percy Pig branding.


List of Percy Pig sweets

* Percy Pig * Percy Pig Original Veggie (previously called "Veggie Percy") * Reduced Sugar Percy Pig * Percy Pig Piglets * Phizzy Pig Tails * Percy Pig and Pals * Percy Pig Loves Penny (previously known as "Percy and Penny") * Percy Pig Goes Globetrotting (previously known as "Globetrotting Percy") * Percy Pig Fruity Chews * Percy Pig Phizzy Chews * Percy Pig Party Time


Seasonal variations

* Percy Pig Gets Spooky (previously known as "Pumpkin Percy"; Halloween themed sweets) * Merry Percymas! (Christmas themed sweets) * Percy Pig & His Festive Friends * Easter Party Percy Pig (previously known as "Percy Meets the Easter Bunny"; Easter themed sweets)


Discontinued variations

* Rosy Noses * Reversy Percy (foam ears and jelly faces) * Percy's Pig Pen (Percy Pig sweets with household object-shaped sweets) * Percy in a Twist (fizzy laces in a twist – vegetarian) * Percy in the Pink (Percy Pig chocolate) * Percy's Pig Sty * Percy's Percynalities (Percy Pig sweets with differing faces) * Percy's Family Mix (a mixture of Percy Pig, Penny Pig and the piglets) * Percy's Parents


Other retailers

Similar sweets are available from other retailers. One variation is "Eric the Elephant" produced by
Sainsbury's J Sainsbury plc, trading as Sainsbury's, is the second largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, with a 14.6% share of UK supermarket sales. Founded in 1869 by John James Sainsbury with a shop in Drury Lane, London, the company wa ...
.
Tesco Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, England. In 2011 it was the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues and the ninth-largest in th ...
's line sports the "Cool Cats" name, while
Asda Asda Stores Ltd. () (often styled as ASDA) is a British supermarket chain. It is headquartered in Leeds, England. The company was founded in 1949 when the Asquith family merged their retail business with the Associated Dairies company of York ...
has other similar products called "Stanley Snail" and "Fredrick Frog".
Lidl Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG (; ) is a German international discount retailer chain that operates over 11,000 stores across Europe and the United States. Headquartered in Neckarsulm, Baden-Württemberg, the company belongs to the Schwarz Group, whi ...
has "Henry Hippo" sweets which are vegan.
Poundland Poundland is a British variety store chain founded in 1990. It once sold most items at the single price of £1, including Closeout (sale), clearance items and proprietary brands. The first Pilot (experiment), pilot store opened in December 19 ...
, a discount retailer, released their own version in 2019 called "Dinky Dogs", although these are not vegetarian. Outside of the United Kingdom, similar products in other countries are the Canadian "Juiced Up" (introduced 2009), the German "Fred Ferkel", the Dutch "Katja Biggetjes", the French "Petit Cochon" (launched 2007) and the Australian "Peggy Pig and Pals" introduced in
Coles Supermarkets Coles Supermarkets Australia Pty Ltd, trading as Coles, is an Australian supermarket, retail and consumer services chain, headquartered in Melbourne as part of the Coles Group. Founded in 1914 in Collingwood by George Coles, Coles operates ...
in 2009.


See also

*
Colin the Caterpillar "Colin the Caterpillar" is a chocolate roll cake sold by the British retailer Marks & Spencer. More than 15 million Colin the Caterpillar cakes have been sold since it was introduced in 1990. Overview Colin the Caterpillar is a chocolate sponge ...
*
List of Marks & Spencer brands The following list of Marks & Spencer brands details the various brand names under which retailer Marks & Spencer sells or has sold its present and former product lines over the years. Product line history St. Michael St Michael is a brand ...


References

{{Reflist


External links


Percy Pig Gift Set from Marks and Spencer
Marks & Spencer Brand name confectionery Products introduced in 1992 Fictional pigs