Guinea pig

Cavia porcellus

Guinea pigs in the popular imagination

Guinea pigs have received much less attention from writers, artists, or the popular media than other similar animals. Recently there have been more appearances of guinea pigs in books, film, television and other media.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Literature

• Olga da Polga, a guinea pig with a wild imagination and adventurous spirit, is the main character in a number of books written by Michael Bond.
• Fluffy The Classroom Guinea Pig stars in a series of early reader books written by Kate McMullan and illustrated by Mavis Smith.
• The picture book "John Willy and Freddy McGee" by Holly Meade tells of the adventures of two bored guinea pigs who escape from their cage and explore their house.
• The short story Pigs is Pigs by Ellis Parker Butler is a tale of beauracratic incompetence as two guinea pigs held at a train station breed unchecked. (This story was the inspiration for Robert Heinlein's flatcats, which possibly inspired the infamous tribbles of Star Trek. )

Film and television

• Rodney (voiced by Chris Rock) was a prominent character in the Dr. Dolittle movie starring Eddie Murphy.
• Ray along with his rabbit buddy Carl were spokesmammals for Blockbuster Video in an ad campaign during 2002.

(In both instances the animals were computer generated.)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• G.P. the Guinea Pig is a major character in the children's show Tales of the Riverbank.
• In the movie Sky High the sidekick in training Magenta can transform into a black guinea pig with purple stripes. This ability helps her and her friends save the school.
• In 2000 a male guinea pig named Sooty made news around the world because of his daring romantic adventures. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/1048327.stm

Other media

• Guinea pigs have recently had their own calendars similar to the kitten, puppy, and other cute animal calendars.

Language

In English, the term guinea pig is often used to refer to an object of experimentation (see #In scientific research). This usage extends beyond scientific bounds and can be used if an item, object, or person is used to test out an idea, plan, or device.

Related Topics:
English - Guinea pig - #In scientific research

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~