Piggy Banks.

I love piggy banks. But they confuse me.
What are the origins of the piggy bank?Who created them?
Why the piggy?
To ease my mind, I did a Google Search, and my dear friend Wikipedia answered my cries for help:

'In Middle English, "pygg" referred to a type of clay used for making various household objects such as jars. People often saved money in kitchen pots and jars made of pygg, called "pygg jars". By the 18th century, the spelling of "pygg" had changed and the term "pygg jar" had evolved to "pig bank."'

Huh. Interesting. But I'm still a bit perplexed.

You see, I grew up using a piggy bank that was not, in fact, a piggy. It was a hippo. As it was not a pig, I never knew what to call my poor, ceramic friend.

My "piggy" bank.

He was so charming, his smooth, pink mouth always open, allowing me to slip my spare change down the slot in his throat. But what did I call him?

I fear that I am not alone. Apparently, some sick bastard thought it would be fun to make "piggy" banks in the form of numerous other animals (other than pigs) so he could screw with our minds, laughing at our anguish over what we refer to these strange, mutant banks as.

Brace yourself, for the following images of banks are, though ridiculously adorable, the work of a twisted mind:

So elegant!
$29.99 here.



This one reminds me of talavera.
$12.00 here.



It...has...a...mustache!!!
$19.95 here.

And this is perhaps the cutest thing I've seen in my life:

The picture's kind of small, but click here for an adorable video of this bank in action!
$33.00 here.

I'll conclude my post there. Nothing can top cute Japanese cat banks.