Piggy bank (sometimes
penny bank or
money box) is the traditional name of a
coinA coin is a piece of hard material, usually metal or a metallic material and sometimes made of synthetic materials, usually in the shape of a disc, and most often issued by a government. Coins are used as a form of money in transactions of various kinds, from the everyday circulation coins to the...
accumulation and storage receptacle; it is most often, but not exclusively, used by
childA child is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority...
ren. The piggy bank is known to collectors as a "still bank" as opposed to the "
mechanical bankCast iron mechanical banks have been a collectors item since the mid-1800s. They were originally designed to promote saving among children. To make these banks appealing to kids, they were cleverly designed, often depicting historical, legendary or everyday events. Each bank performs a stunt or an...
s" popular in the early 20th century. These items are also often used by corporations for promotional purposes. Their shape is most often that of a little pig.
Piggy banks are typically made of
ceramicA ceramic is an inorganic, non-metallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous...
or
porcelainPorcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
, and serve as a pedagogical device to teach the rudiments of thrift and savings to children; money can be easily inserted, but in the traditional type of bank the pig must be broken open for it to be retrieved.
Piggy bank (sometimes
penny bank or
money box) is the traditional name of a
coinA coin is a piece of hard material, usually metal or a metallic material and sometimes made of synthetic materials, usually in the shape of a disc, and most often issued by a government. Coins are used as a form of money in transactions of various kinds, from the everyday circulation coins to the...
accumulation and storage receptacle; it is most often, but not exclusively, used by
childA child is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority...
ren. The piggy bank is known to collectors as a "still bank" as opposed to the "
mechanical bankCast iron mechanical banks have been a collectors item since the mid-1800s. They were originally designed to promote saving among children. To make these banks appealing to kids, they were cleverly designed, often depicting historical, legendary or everyday events. Each bank performs a stunt or an...
s" popular in the early 20th century. These items are also often used by corporations for promotional purposes. Their shape is most often that of a little pig.
Piggy banks are typically made of
ceramicA ceramic is an inorganic, non-metallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous...
or
porcelainPorcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
, and serve as a pedagogical device to teach the rudiments of thrift and savings to children; money can be easily inserted, but in the traditional type of bank the pig must be broken open for it to be retrieved. Most modern piggy banks, however, have a rubber
plugPlug may refer to:* a Plug for the plughole in the bathtub, washbasin and sink* Plug * Plug , a family of fishing lures* Plug , a planting technique* an earplug for ear protection...
located on the underside; others are made of vinyl and have a removable nose for easy coin access. Some piggy banks incorporate
electronicElectronics is a branch of science and technology that deals with the controlled flow of electrons. The ability to control electron flow is usually applied to information handling or device control. Electronics is distinct from electrical science and technology, which deals with the generation,...
systems which calculate the amount of money deposited.
Etymology
In
Middle EnglishMiddle English is the name given by historical linguists to the diverse forms of the English language in use between the late 11th century and about 1470, when the Chancery Standard, a form of London-based English, began to become widespread, a process aided by the introduction of the printing...
, "
pyggPygg is a type of orange clay, once widely used for making pottery in the form of jars, cookware, and other household items due to its economical characteristics....
" referred to a type of clay used for making various household objects such as
jarA jar is a large, approximately cylindrical container made of glass or clay, or plastic. Jar or JAR can also mean:* Containers:** Mason jar, a jar used to preserve various foods...
s. People often saved
moneyMoney is anything that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts. The main functions of money are distinguished as: a medium of exchange, a unit of account, a store of value, and occasionally, a standard of deferred payment...
in
kitchenA kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation.In the West, a modern kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a refrigerator and kitchen cabinets. Many households have a microwave oven, a dishwasher and other electric appliances...
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."
Once the meaning had transferred from the substance to the shape, piggy banks began to be made from other substances, including
glassIn general Glass refers to a solid, brittle, transparent material, commonly used for windows, bottles, or eyewear. Examples of glassy materials include, but are not limited to, soda-lime glass, borosilicate glass, acrylic glass, sugar glass, Muscovy-glass, or aluminium oxynitride. The term glass...
,
plasterThe term plaster can refer to plaster of Paris , lime plaster, or cement plaster. This article deals mainly with plaster of Paris / gypsum plaster....
, and
plasticPlastic is the general common term for a wide range of synthetic or semisynthetic organic amorphous solid materials suitable for the manufacture of industrial products...
.
The oldest find of a money box dates from 2nd century BC Greek colony
PrienePriene was an ancient Greek city of Ionia at the base of an escarpment of Mycale, about north of the then course of the Maeander River, from today's Aydin, from today's Söke and from ancient Miletus...
, Asia Minor, and features the shape of a little
Greek templeGreek temples were structures built to house deity statues within Greek sanctuaries in Greek paganism. The temples themselves did usually not directly serve a cult purpose, since the sacrifices and rituals dedicated to the respective deity took place outside them...
with a slit in the
pedimentThis article is about the architectural element. For the landform, see Pediment .A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice...
. Money boxes of various forms were also excavated in
PompeiiPompeii is a ruined and partially buried Roman town-city near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania, in the territory of the comune of Pompei...
and
Herculaneumthumb|240px|The towns and villages under the likely pyroclastic cloud of the [[Mt Vesuvius]] 79 AD eruption. Herculaneum is visible along the northwestern edge of the shadowed area...
, and appear quite frequently on
late ancientLate Antiquity is a periodization used by historians to describe the transitional centuries from Classical Antiquity to the Middle Ages, in both mainland Europe and the Mediterranean world. Precise boundaries for the period are a matter of debate, but noted historian of the period Peter Brown...
provincialIn Ancient Rome, a province was the basic, and until the Tetrarchy , largest territorial and administrative unit of the empire's territorial possessions outside of the Italian peninsula...
sites, particularly in
Roman BritainRoman Britain was those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between AD 43 and about 410. The Romans referred to their province as Britannia...
and along the
RhineThe Rhine is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe, at , with an average discharge of more than ....
.
In a curious case of
parallel evolutionParallel evolution is the development of a similar trait in different not closely related species , but descending from the same ancestor.-Parallel vs...
, the Indonesian term
celengan (a
celeng is a wild boar, with the "an" affix used to denote a likeness) was also used in the context of domestic banks. The etymology of the word is obscure, but evident in a Majapahit piggy bank from the 15 century A.D.
An alternative theory of the etymology of the Piggy Bank is that in ancient times, scraps of food, and food that would otherwise spoil, could be "saved" and/or "invested" (and to an extent "recycled") by being fed to the domestic pig and in doing so fattening the pig for subsequent eating or sale. As pigs eat such a variety of foods in so many conditions, the strategy paid off for peoples in all continents and the strategy was passed on from generation to generation. Then when money was introduced into society, the already firmly established cultural habit of saving food scraps by depositing them in the pig was then supplemented, and in more developed/urban societies was supplanted, by the saving of scraps of money rather than food in the piggy bank.
Uses
The general use of piggy banks is to store loose change in a quaint, decorative manner. Modern piggy banks are not limited to the likeness of pigs, and may come in a range of animal shapes, sizes and colours. Some collect piggy banks as a hobby.
Famous piggy banks
Rachel, the official mascot of
Pike Place MarketPike Place Market is a public market overlooking the Elliott Bay waterfront in Seattle, Washington, United States. The Market opened August 17, 1907, and is one of the oldest continually operated public farmers' markets in the United States. It is a place of business for many small farmers,...
in Seattle,
WashingtonWashington is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Washington was carved out of the western part of Washington Territory which had been ceded by Britain in 1846 by the Oregon Treaty as settlement of the Oregon Boundary Dispute. It was admitted to the Union as the...
, is a bronze cast piggy bank that weighs nearly 600 pounds, located at the corner of Pike Place under the "Public Market Center" sign.
Rachel was designed by local artist Georgia Gerber and modeled after a pig (also named Rachel) that lived on
Whidbey IslandWhidbey Island is one of nine islands located in Island County, Washington, in the United States. Whidbey is located about north of Seattle, and lies between the Olympic Peninsula and the I-5 corridor of western Washington...
and was the 1977 Island County prize-winner. Rachel receives roughly $9,000USD annually in just about every type of
world currencyIn the foreign exchange market and international finance, a world currency, supranational currency, or global currency refers to a currency in which the vast majority of international transactions take place and which serves as the world's primary reserve currency...
, which is collected by the Market Foundation to fund the Market's social services.
In the 1995 Disney/Pixar movie
Toy StoryToy Story is a 1995 American computer-animated family/buddy film, directed by John Lasseter and featuring the voices of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen. The film was co-produced by Ralph Guggenheim and Bonnie Arnold and was distributed by Buena Vista Distribution. It was written by Joss Whedon, Andrew...
, One of the Main characters is Hamm. A Wise cracking Piggy bank.
External links