Once again…the evil works of Cicero Pig.
Porky Pig #28 (May/June 1953)
I’ve written about the many and varied crimes (under March 10th) of Porky Pig’s nephew Cicero before, but I came across this cover over the weekend and…well, there seems to be a fatal flaw in Cicero’s plan.
It appears that Cicero is attempted to embarrass his uncle by having his swim trunks unravel when he dives, thus causing Porky to be exposed in front of his longtime girlfriend Petunia Pig…except we’re talking about a pig who’s normally pantsless.
Now there are several possible explanations behind this cover:
1. The object of Cicero’s prank is not embarrassing his uncle, but simply the destruction of his uncle’s property.
2. Porky, Cicero, and other pigs in the Warner Brothers-verse are not nude from the waist down, but are in fact wearing skin-tight pigflesh-colored leotards which of course they would doff while at the pool. Thus the cover gag is as it appears…Cicero embarrassing Porky with forced public exposure.
3. There is some elaborate set of cultural taboos and social mores for the Warner Brothers-verse cartoon animals (or perhaps just specifically for the pigs) which we are not privy to, involving in what situations that below-the-waist nudity is and is not permitted.
Regardless of the reason…that Cicero is still an evil little monster. Don’t turn your back on him, Porky…DON’T TURN YOUR BACK!
