# This little piggy...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-little-piggy/437795>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 15, 2008, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-little-piggy/437795 "2008-02-15T20:33:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\
**Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-little-piggy/437795/1 "2008-02-15T20:33:08Z")

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A while ago, I hurt one of my toes. When my coworker asked which one, I said, “The little piggy that got none.” She knew exactly which one from that.

So where did the “This little piggy…” rhyme about one’s toes originate?

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**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-little-piggy/437795/2 "2008-02-15T20:44:27Z")

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In or about 1728-1740 in England. A common finger/toe rhyme for the kiddies.

Sorry to not give a cite. _The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes_, by the experts, Iona and Peter Opie.

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**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\
**Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-little-piggy/437795/3 "2008-02-15T21:44:46Z")

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[This Little Piggy.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Little_Piggy)

> [@](#):
>
> “This Little Piggy” is a nursery rhyme, first published in 1728.[1]
> 
> ```
> This little piggy went to market.
> This little piggy stayed at home.
> This little piggy had roast beef,
> This little piggy had none.
> And this little piggy went "Wee! Wee! Wee!" all the way home.
> 
> ```
> 
> The rhyme is usually counted out on a child’s toes, each line corresponding to a different toe, starting with the big toe. Thus, folk culture has given the individual digits the personae given in the rhyme. The middle toe can be said to be the piggy who “had roast beef,” for example. A foot tickle is usually added during the “Wee…all the way home” section of the last line.[1]