Keller Breland often said that there were few animals as talented as the pig when it came to fine-motor tasks (at least involving its lips).  Therefore, the pig was used in a great many ABE exhibits, stage-shows, on film, at the IQ-Zoo, and at fairs.  These pigs often advertised Larro® Feed for General Mills.  Particularly interesting were the pig acts of Larro Bessie, the Pig Miner, Pricilla the Fastidious Pig, and the Supermarket Pig.  The supermarket-pig photograph has appeared in many textbooks that describe the work of the Brelands and the Baileys.  It indicates a key factor in making animal exhibits entertaining -- put the animal in a "human-appearing" situation. Marian Bailey liked to describe this as putting the animal in an anthropomorphic situation.  Other persons who have capitalized upon this idea are Walt Disney and Gary Larson.

Documents

Training Larro Bessie