Algie, the most famous pig in the history of music, will not be going to the auction block. The surviving members of Pink Floyd, which the famous inflatable pig on the cover of their Animals album, have stopped it from going to auction.
The inflatable pig was supposed to be auctioned off by Durrants and it was listed in their catalogue, reports Reuters. It was supposed to be part of the British auction house’s sale of inflatable props by Air Artists, which decided to offer the pig to Pink Floyd. The members of the group decided that they wanted it back.
“We made a list of all the inflatables that we weren't going to store anymore ... and the auctioneers jumped the gun a bit and started publicizing the most iconic one,” Rom Harries, owner of Air Artists, told Reuters. “I felt I'd better talk to Pink Floyd, which I duly did and they duly wanted it back, unsurprisingly.”
As The New York Daily News notes, Roger Waters designed the pig for 1977’s Animals and it floated above the Battersea Power Station. However, it broke free and even stopped traffic at Heathrow Airport.
Don’t expect the return of the pig to inspire the group to record again. David Gilmour said earlier this month that the group is officially no more.