Pearls Before Swine/Heartwarming

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


  • After Rat tells Pig that he can fly by jumping off of the house, Pig does just that, landing himself in the hospital. When Rat visits, a delirious Pig asks if he flew far. Rat responds in his usual rude, biting manner saying "You dumb pig, you..." before pausing and relenting, telling him that he flew all the way to the Moon.
  • Another one has Stephan mourning the death of his father-in-law. Since just describing it would do little to get the heartwarmingness of the moment across, here's the dialogue.

Stephen: And now he's gone. And I sit here and wonder... where did he go? Where is all that love? Where is all that acceptance? ... Where is Rick?
Pig hugs Stephen.
Stephen: There he is.
Pig: Hey, I've got more where that came from.

Junior: Dad, you haven't wasted every moment of your life just because you haven't caught all the zebras you thought you'd catch. I can think of a million of those moments you didn't waste.
Larry: Oh yeah? Like wheech ones?
[Panel of both laughing, as Larry pushes his son on a swing.]

  • A strip from around Memorial Day 2003 starts with Zebra and Rat discussing Pig, who Rat dropped off at the bus station for a trip. Rat speculates that Pig may have gone to the beach as that's "what everyone does on these long weekends." The wide shot shows Pig alone at the Vietnam War Memorial, reading the names.
  • After Larry gets kicked out of the "Li'l Tykes Kid's Club", when he tries to form Club One Guy. [dead link]
  • This one [1],for once Pig is smarter than Rat
  • The creator's tribute to Bil Keane (creator of Family Circus) in his blog, especially after he constantly made fun of him in the comic.
  • A recent Sunday strip about Neighbor Willy has such a heartwarming moment. See May 6,2012