Piggy Banks

Cuddly and adorable. Who would forget our chubby little piggy banks standing cute around the corner and smiling warm and friendly to receive our spare coins of the day? Almost every one of us got to keep a piggy bank when we were kids either teaching us to save for the rainy day or keep our future fat by feeding our little pigs with coins and make them really heavy. Breaking our ceramic piggy banks enabled some of us got to buy his or first bike, doll, or anything that mom and dad refuse to get us. But the most important treasure piggy banks really imparted with us is the lesson of saving, which no amount of money can match.

Why were the pigs of all animal creatures have been chosen to serve as a symbolic inspiration of saving money? Why not the ants, the squirrels, the camels or other creatures that are really known for storing food for the rainy and dry season? Some really wonder why piggy banks were named after an animal that only waits to be fed. The answer is pigs just got lucky.

Historically, piggy banks are not named after the farm animal pig but rather from clay material from which it was made. In around 15th century household wares are usually made of clay since metal was very expensive during that time. So dishes, pots, and jars were molded from economical clay called pygg. Housewives of this era have a habit of dropping their extra coin in one of their pygg jars, which was later called as pygg banks, which are ball-like ware with a slot intended to insert the coins inside.

Two hundred years later, people forgot that pygg refers to earthenware materials that when English potters received a request for pygg banks they shaped it like pigs with a coin slot instead of ball-like ware. This is how pygg banks eventually became or called piggy banks.

The pigs immediately appealed to the taste of customers especially kids, who wish to have one. Creatively and colorfully painted in different pig animal designs, piggy banks immediately become an instant favorite. Aside from the fact that piggy banks are nice figurine display at home, it also allow one especially kids to save money sparingly. Unlike in formal banks, piggy banks do not need a minimum hefty amount of money to open a bank account. Most kids who want to open a bank account, on the other hand, keep a piggy bank until such time that it’s already full and the money accumulated inside is enough to open an account in the bank.

Ceramic piggy banks are the first kind of piggy banks that were popularly made maybe because piggy banks are meant to be shattered into pieces. Piggy banks, however, come in different materials today. It has also grown larger and even more intricate designs are produced to match the dynamically changing taste of the market. Piggy banks are no longer limited to ceramic ones but now come in plastic and even metal. Most of them are no longer shammed into pieces but are open with a plug, which is commonly made in the underside of piggy banks today. Some are even digitally made that an electronic display is attached to the piggy bank to show how many coins have been dropped inside.

No matter how different piggy banks may look today, the lessons and values it instills to every child and even adults remain a priceless treasure that one can carry through his or her lifetime.

Why not? Piggy banks taught us not just the value of working hard for our keep but also the value of patience as to when we really have to break open our piggy banks and use the money we have dearly saved.