Flying Pig by frankcanfly
Why is the pig such an icon for Cincinnati?Once the nation's largest pork-packing center the city earned the name "Porkopolis" and hogged it for the first half of the 19th Century. Cincinnati slaughterhouses supplied the tables of the British Navy and even Queen Victoria's royal table.
The was no garbage collection in the 1800s because of the swine that freely roamed the downtown City blocks, eating as they waddled.
The impact if felt today: Candlemaker James Gamble and entrepreneur William Procter discovered that a byproduct, pork fat, could be used to develop a high-quality soap, which they cut into small blocks. Ivory soap is still advertised as 99 & 44/100 percent pure!
In the late 1980's, a sculptor placed some whimsical 'flying pig' statues at the entrance to Sawyer Park on the river. It was a tribute to the steamboats that dominated the Ohio river and transported sausage.
Eventually, other 'tongue in cheek' statues emerged, such as: Hamlet, Pigaletto, Pigasso, Porkemon, Dr. Frankenswine, Pag-mailion and Road Hog.
There is also an annual "Flying Pig" marathon every May in Cincinnati.