New Baby Pigs Make Debut at Fairytale Town

"I'll huff and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house down!" said the Big Bad Wolf in the children's story "The Three Little Pigs."  Beginning Wednesday, September 28,  that story will become even more popular as Fairytale Town debuts the latest addition to their barnyard family - three little piglets!

The 10-week old baby pigs, are Vietnamese Potbellied Pigs and are affectionately known as Wynken', Blynken', and Nod. The baby pigs will be on display at the pigs' straw, wood, and brick homes inside Fairytale Town. On Tuesdays through Saturdays, the trio will be brought onto grassy areas to be introduced and acquainted with their new fans under supervision from Fairytale Town staff.

The new baby pigs are a complement to the 19 other barnyard animals living at Fairytale Town. Fairytale Town farm animals teach children how domestic animals contribute to society. It also gives children a chance to see and interact with live animals and see their favorite animal characters from children's literature come to life.

Fairytale Town is open daily from 9AM to 4PM. Admission is $4 on weekdays, $4.50  on weekends, and children 1 and under are free. For more information about Fairytale Town visit www.fairytaletown.org or call 916.808.7462.

What happened to the other pigs? The previous pigs have retired from the limelight to enjoy several years of relaxation and green pastures at the private ranch of a Fairytale Town supporter.  The pigs' daily job of entertaining and educating children brought millions of visitors joy and delight. After six years of service to Fairytale Town, it was time for the pigs to retire from the stage. Vietnamese Potbellied pigs have a life span of 12-16 years.  

 FUN PIG FACTS

    * Vietnamese Potbellied pigs generally grow to be 50-150 pounds.

·         Pigs have an excellent sense of smell. Their sense of smell is better than that of dogs. Pigs are often used to seek out truffles growing in the wild.

    * Pigs are omnivores; they consume both plants and animals. Wild pigs primarily eat leaves, grasses, roots, fruits, and flowers.

    * Pigs are very clean animals and can even be house trained.

    * Pigs are intelligent animals and can be trained to perform numerous tasks and tricks (Just like another famous pig, Wilbur, from "Charlotte's Web").

    * Famous pig stories in literature: "The Three Little Pigs", "Charlotte's Web", "Dream Big, Little Pig".

    * Famous pig roles in film: Miss Piggy from The Muppets; Babe in the movie "Babe", Homer's Spider Pig from "The Simpson's, The Movie";  Porky Pig from "Looney Tunes"; Hammy the piggy bank from "Toy Story"; Pumbaa the Warthog from "The Lion King."