Wikipedia
Pigasus may refer to:
- Pigasus (literature), John Steinbeck's personal stamp and a character in the Oz books
- Pigasus (politics), the Yippies' candidate for the U.S. presidency in 1968
- Pigasus Award, an award given out by James Randi which recognizes paranormal frauds
- Pigasus, a fictional character created by Mark Kistler
- Pigasus III, a special interest magazine for members of Mensa International in the United Kingdom
Pigasus was a 145-pound (66-kg) domestic pig that was nominated for President of the United States as a theatrical gesture by the Youth International Party (Yippies) On August 23, 1968, just before the opening of the Democratic National Convention. At a rally announcing his candidacy, Pigasus was seized by Chicago policemen and several of his Yippie backers were arrested for disorderly conduct.
The Pigasus was used by John Steinbeck as a personal stamp with the Latin motto Ad astra per alas porci (to the stars on the wings of a pig). The pigasus was supposed to symbolize Steinbeck as "earthbound but aspiring...not enough wingspread but plenty of intention."
Coincidentally, Pigasus was a character in the Oz books written by Ruth Plumly Thompson in the 1930s. Her Pigasus was also a winged pig. As with Pegasus, his riders gained the gift of poesy, speaking in rhyme while on his back. The character first appeared in Pirates in Oz.
John Steinbeck occasionally drew this on books that he signed at book signings.