This little pig went to market

“Five little pigs, one for each toe”

EnglishToe rhymePublic domain

A rhyme for tiny toes. The adult holds the baby's foot and wiggles one toe for each little pig: one goes to market, one stays at home, one has roast beef, one has none, and the last squeals all the way home.

The rhyme

This little pig went to market;

This little pig stayed at home;

This little pig had roast beef;

This little pig had none;

This little pig said, "Wee, wee!

I can't find my way home."

Good to know

What it means

The first little pig goes to the market, the second stays at home, the third has roast beef, and the fourth has none. The last little pig squeals, "Wee, wee! I can't find my way home."

How to play

Hold the baby's foot and wiggle one toe for each line, starting with the big toe. On the last line, run your fingers up the foot to tickle.

History

About this rhyme

English-speaking families play this game with a baby's toes, and sometimes with the fingers. The first line is printed in 1728 and a full version in a small book of about 1760, according to reference works that we could not see ourselves. In the nineteenth century it was written down in Scotland and in Dorset with different words: in one Scottish version the last pig cries "Weeick, weeick, weeick". The ending still changes from book to book. We show the wording of 1916.

Sources & rights

The rhyme is anonymous and traditional. We show the wording of The Real Mother Goose (1916); the Scottish wording is from Walter Gregor in the Folk-Lore Journal (1886), and a Dorset version was printed by J. S. Udal in 1889. The 1728 and about 1760 dates come from reference works that we have not seen ourselves.
The meaning, the game instructions and the background text are written by us in our own words.
There is no recording or tune on this page: we do not claim any.

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