Make a Pig-Bladder Ball

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Leave enough of the
Leave enough of the "neck" of the bladder to be able to tie it off.
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These two resourceful youngsters combined a leftover from hog-slaughtering day with a bit of pioneer lore (learned from Little House in the Big Woods), to create a toy ball from a pig bladder!
These two resourceful youngsters combined a leftover from hog-slaughtering day with a bit of pioneer lore (learned from Little House in the Big Woods), to create a toy ball from a pig bladder!

MOTHER feels strongly that youths can be creative “doers,” working toward more ecological and self-reliant lifestyles, whether their tasks be raising chickens on a farm or maintaining rooftop container gardens in the city. To support the endeavors of our often overlooked “underage” citizens, we’re glad to publish well-written articles from younger children and teenagers concerning projects they’ve undertaken.

On our farm we make our own toys or do without. And last fall, when our parents slaughtered a hog, we turned its bladder into a ball! Now, making a toy from a pig’s bladder may sound weird to you, but don’t forget that real footballs are made from pigskin and baseballs from calfskin. Besides, we’ve been taught that it’s important to never waste anything raised on the farm. And a pig-bladder ball really does make for great fun!

We got the idea from the book Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Our mother once read us all the books in the “Little House” series by reading a bit of one volume each evening at bedtime. (It took her a year to finish the set!) If you don’t know the story, Laura lived with her parents, in the Big Woods of Wisconsin, a long time ago. She always looked forward to pig-butchering time because then she and her sister Mary would get to make a ball from the pig’s bladder. They’d also be able to roast and eat the hog’s tail. These were great treats for the homestead children, who couldn’t buy commercial toys or go to movies.

We’ve always looked forward to pig-butchering day, too, just for the excitement of all the goings-on (and because we know all that good food will be on our plates come winter). And, since last fall, we’ve also looked forward to that autumn event for another reason, because we’ll get to play with a pig-bladder ball.

To make one of your own, you’ll first need a pig bladder. It’s a part of the innards that most people throw away when they butcher an animal. The bladder looks like a pink sack and lies just under the skin of the hog’s belly, between its back legs.

  • Published on Sep 1, 1983
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