Pearls Before Swine

By Stephan Pastis

At its heart, "Pearls Before Swine" is the comic strip tale of two friends: an arrogant Rat who thinks he knows it all and a slow-witted Pig who doesn't know any better. Together, this pair offers caustic commentary on humanity's quest for the unattainable.

Don't miss the newest "Pearls Before Swine" collection, "Pearls Gets Put in the Pokey: A Pearls Before Swine Treasury," featuring 18 months of daily comic strips from 2021-2022, along with reflections and strip-by-strip commentary by creator, Stephan Pastis.

Daily

Sunday

Daily & Sunday

Digital

Strip

Available in Color

Animals

Men

Pets

Women

Editor's Picks

Comic strip featuring a goat and a mouse discussing a missing pig and car keys stuck between panels. The goat expresses frustration about the situation, while the mouse is confused. The final panel humorously suggests moving on to another comic strip,

Two cartoon characters engage in a conversation about job loss and corporate influence. One character, a bald man, expresses concern over jobs moving overseas, while the other, a mouse, discusses the power dynamics involving judges and politicians. The comic highlights themes of economic inequality and political power struggles.

A cartoon featuring a pig and a woman discussing personal baggage in relationships. The woman expresses her preferences, while the pig humorously mentions having so much baggage that he requires a handler. The scene combines humor and relationship themes.

Cartoon featuring a pig character and a woman with curly hair engaged in a humorous conversation about birds and women, highlighting a playful exchange of stereotypes.

Illustration depicting a two-step process: Step One instructs to wait for a tragedy to occur in America, while Step Two shows a drawing of the Statue of Liberty weeping. The image highlights a commentary on societal reactions to tragedies.

Cartoon illustration featuring a mouse speaking to a character about cartoonist Stephan Pastis being unable to write jokes while serving on jury duty. The second panel displays the word

Cartoon depicting a pig and a mouse discussing the injustices of life, with the pig expressing confusion about why bad things happen to good people and vice versa, concluding with a humorous remark about missed memos.

Cartoon depicting a pig character discussing the side effects of a medication, including increased heart rate, mood swings, and nausea, while a mouse character humorously questions if it's a drug commercial. The scene satirizes political campaigns by suggesting viewers consult their doctor about watching them.

A humorous comic strip featuring a pink character wishing for healthier ice cream, interacting with a whimsical genie in a colorful outdoor setting. The comic captures a playful exchange about food and health.

Crossword puzzle featuring clues and answers, with a mix of horizontal and vertical entries. The puzzle includes themed clues related to popular culture and general knowledge.

More Samples

About Stephan Pastis

An unusual rat and pig take center stage in "Pearls Before Swine," a quirky daily and Sunday comic strip by erstwhile litigator Stephan Pastis. Launched in 2002, the strip appears in 850 newspapers worldwide, including The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Chicago Sun-Times, and Seattle Times.

Pastis never had any formal training, but he did draw cartoons for each of his school newspapers as he grew up. He holds a degree in political science from the University of California at Berkeley. Although he always wanted to be a cartoonist, Pastis realized the odds of syndication were slim, so he went to UCLA Law School and became an attorney instead. While at UCLA, he drew a popular strip called “Rosen.” It was while was hopelessly bored in a class on the European Economic Community that Pastis first drew Rat, a character that would reappear in every comic strip he created thereafter—including "Pearls Before Swine."

Smiling man wearing a maroon baseball cap and gray jacket, standing outdoors near a fence with a body of water in the background.

Cast

Cartoon-style pink pig character with large eyes and a surprised expression, standing with arms raised in excitement against a white circular background.

Pig

A gentle, sweet, and naïve soul, Pig is a living rebuttal to those people who say that swine are intelligent animals. As Rat's roommate, Pig's enthusiastic, amiable nature makes him a valuable (and in Rat's case, only) friend—even as his gullibility makes him an exasperating conversation partner. Pig likes cheese.

Cartoon mouse character with a worried expression, running with its tail behind, set against a circular white background. Ideal for illustrating themes of anxiety or urgency in animated content.

Rat

If beer, fame, and himself didn't exist, Rat would hate everything. Rat is cynical, selfish, vain, quick to anger, and prone to bouts of violence. Without Pig, the world would have given up on him long ago. He sometimes writes children's books.

Goat

Goat is a long-suffering philosopher—a thoughtful type who spends his days trying to comprehend the perplexities of existence and plumb the splendid mysteries of the world. His blog is not popular, as Rat enjoys reminding him.

Zebra

Zebra spends most of his waking hours helping himself and others avoid being eaten by the Crocs and other neighborhood predators. It really cuts into his TV time.

Cartoon duck wearing a green helmet, holding a cigarette in its beak, standing on two legs with a playful expression.

Guard Duck

Pig's loyal but violent and unstable duck. He sits in a bunker on Pig's front lawn, defending the property against mailmen, Girl Scouts, and offensive neighbors.

Cartoon crocodile character with a green body and yellow belly, excitedly holding a smartphone, set against a white circular background.

The Crocs

The Crocs are obsessed with eating their neighbors, especially Zebra. They make Wile E. Coyote look like Moriarty.

Cartoon illustration of a pig character with glasses and a distinctive hairstyle, wearing a fur-lined collar, sitting in a relaxed pose against a circular background.

Wise Ass

Wise Ass is a sage donkey who offers advice to those who seek it. An older, anthropomorphic ass with glasses, he can sometimes be grumpy, even kicking people off his hill. Rat and Pig frequently visit him for counsel.

Cartoon character walking and singing, wearing a blue cap and white t-shirt, with a musical note in a speech bubble.

Stephan

The strip's creator deals with the shabby emptiness of his life by devising intricately fiendish puns and inflicting them upon his appalled creations. Drinking helps, too.