In the last issue, we talked about Skinny Guinea Pigs, including why they’re hairless and what their personality is like. This time, let’s talk about famous Skinny Pigs!
LUDWIK THE INSTAGRAM SKINNY PIG
It would never have occurred to some people that Skinny Guinea Pigs would become famous on social media, but here we have it: in 2015, an account was made on Instagram for a skinny Guinea pig named Ludwik, and they took the world by storm. As of the latest look at the account, it has 224,000 followers.
However, it seems that the social presence for Ludwik is not just for Ludwik themself, but also for two or three other Skinny Pigs in the family. But it all started when Agata Norwaska from Poland found the abandoned Guinea Pig in a pet store. After rescuing Ludwik, she nursed him back to health until he became the Ludwik whom we all know.
After Ludwik passed on, other Skinny Guinea Pigs replaced him. It should be noted, though, that the social media accounts for Ludwik (and his friends) have been radio-silent since the latter part of 2022.
OTHER HAIRLESS CELEBRITIES
You’ve already read about Ludwik, Instagram’s famous Skinny Guinea Pig. But did you know that there are two very famous fictional – and, well, mostly hairless – furry heroes in pop culture?
RUFUS, THE NAKED MOLE RAT
Rufus is a Naked Mole Rat who appears as the sidekick to Ron Stoppable, from the Kim Possible animated series.
Supposedly, Ron decided to adopt Rufus because he was allergic to animal hair — but as the series progresses, it becomes obvious that Ron wouldn’t be as effective in fighting the bad guys without Rufus being his secret weapon, as this hairless hero is more than able to disrupt many an evil plan.
Fun fact: Rufus is voiced by none other than Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart Simpson!
THE LYING CAT
Lying Cat is a gigantic talking feline companion in the Saga comic book series, and she just happens to look like a Tiger-sized, hairless blue Sphynx Cat.
Her main superpower is that she can read minds and find out if someone is deliberately lying, hence her name. She then usually says “lying” when she catches someone in a lie.
Lying Cat has arguably become the face of the series, with merchandising devoted to her.
THE SKINNY ON YET ANOTHER HAIRLESS GUINEA PIG
With the world always throwing up surprises, it’s no surprise that there is another kind of bald Guinea Pig. Unlike Fred from the last issue, who was born mostly hairless, this kind of Guinea Pig is born with hair but begins to lose them after three to five days. These Guinea Pigs have been named Baldwin Guinea Pigs.
Baldwin Guinea Pigs are a form of mutation of the standard Guinea Pig, just like Skinny Pigs, However, in their case, there are no tufts of hair remaining in various parts of the body – they tend to be even more hairless!
Now, here’s where it gets even more interesting: Should a Baldwin Guinea Pig marry a Skinny Guinea Pig, their children would actually have hair, since different genes are involved!
