Buffalo Grove Goes Hog Wild Over Norbert The Skateboarding Pig

BUFFALO GROVE, IL — Alicen Baran smiles when posed with the question of how much of a sales job was required the first time her new husband floated the notion of expanding their family.

Oh, given the years she and Vince Baran had dated before they tied the knot seven years ago, she always knew it was only a matter of time before the request came. But still, the first time Vince actually spoke his longtime dream of owning a pet pig into reality, Alicen wasn’t immediately ready to commit. At least not without some sort of compromise.

Now, almost four years later, the fact the Buffalo Grove couple shares their home with a 150-pound, full-muscle miniature Juliana pig named Norbert has become old hat. There are other animals in the house as well, including a rescue rabbit, Moo, and Oliver — the dog that helped Vincent close the deal of making the couple pig parents when a potbelly pig, Ralph, joined the family in 2019 before he died of a ruptured urethra.

But no one in the household is as popular as Norbert, the strong-willed house hog that forced the couple to baby-proof their home despite the fact they have no, well, actual children. But Norbert, who happens to know how to skateboard, makes up for some of his toddler tendencies with his popularity, that has grown thanks to his TikTok account and an Instagram following that boasts more than 6,100 fans.

Norbert, who came to Buffalo Grove from a farm in southern Michigan on Super Bowl Sunday in 2020, has already become a bit of a local celebrity, becoming actual front-page news and the subject of two TV news stories that have introduced the Chicago area to a household pet Alicen and Vince’s neighborhood has come to embrace.

School children and other visitors make regular stops to bring apples and other treats to Norbert, who takes up residence inside the Baran’s home. Norbert can be temperamental as to when he picks and chooses to venture outdoors, largely dependent on the weather. While he doesn’t like the rain or wind, Norbert doesn’t mind the snow, Alicen said, because he eats it — along with a host of other dietary staples that have grown him to his current size.

Vince surmises that Norbert has the intelligence of a 3- to-4-year-old toddler, which has forced him and his wife to put locks on the cabinets and the refrigerator, both of which their curious housemate can find his way into by finding his favorite fruits and vegetables and "having himself a little field day," Vince Baran said.

Yet, Alicen and Vince kind of knew what they were getting themselves into by adding a pig to their family, and realized the idea might not sit so well with their neighbors. While other residents have their own pets, Vince said despite his lifelong infatuation with pigs, which started after a family vacation to Pigeon Forge, Tenn., where he encountered Arnold The Pig at The Comedy Barn, Norbert has a way of standing out.

But so far, all the interactions have been positive.

“I knew we’d get some looks because we live in the suburbs and have a pig,” Vince matter-of-factly told Patch on Tuesday.

“But I’ve just loved seeing people’s faces light up, and it’s just been a positive experience all around just being able to share Norbert’s happiness and positive vibes with everybody.”

Norbert is litter box trained and, like other pets, has taken over ownership of the house, taking up space wherever he chooses. He loves to snuggle up with his parents while they are watching television, and will often hop into bed with the couple when the urge strikes.

Alicen refers to Norbert as a “total mama’s boy” who will often sidle up to Alicen on the couch rather than Vince, perhaps trying to win the love of the woman who is in the trenches with on a daily basis while Vince works outside the home.

Because, despite public opinion, pigs are naturally clean, there wasn’t a lot of house-training that needed to take place with Norbert. The couple works with zoologists in Florida to work on Norbert’s temperament and behaviors, which Alicen said is done for Norbert’s benefit as a way of keeping his mind active.

Nobert has his own Little Tikes Playhouse to call home, which is where he is sent at times when Vince and Alicen bring groceries into the house or when his meals are being prepared. Like with any child, Norbert has his moments which, Alicen says, has created its own growing pains and adjustments that are needed to keep everyone happy.

Alicen, who works full time from home, said that Norbert’s presence has created some awkward Zoom meeting moments. If he hears Alicen talking on a call, he immediately needs to know who she is talking to and doesn’t like it when her office door is closed.

Visitors wanting to see Norbert during working hours have sometimes led Alicen to pretend like no one’s home just to allow her to maintain a normal work schedule.

“It can be a lot,” Alicen told Patch. “People are like, ‘I want a pig’ and I’m like, ‘No – you don’t.’ I think it takes special people and commitment for the growing pains. Temperaments change, and he’s like a 3-year-old. He has temper tantrums, and you have to learn to curb that. A bored pig or a frustrated pig gets destructive, and so we’ve been really intentional to curb all of that. … We really accommodate him.”

She added: “There can be a lot of growing pains, but it’s totally rewarding.”

With Norbert settled, Vince – a longtime skateboarding enthusiast – figured it was time to add to the pet pig’s skills. Hearkening back to the farm comedy show he saw at age 11 in Tennessee, where Arnold did tricks and danced for audiences for show, Vince began training Norbert on a miniature skateboard when the pig was just less than a year old.

Norbert needs 15 to 20 minutes to pick up verbal commands, Vince said, which led to a week’s worth of 30-minute skating lessons when Vince would use his foot to guide the skateboard as Norbert followed behind. Once Norbert learned to put one of his hoofs on the board, it wasn’t long before he got onto the board and used his back legs to propel him forward.

Now when Vince tells Norbert to get on his board, the skateboarding pig obliges, which has led to the creation of videos and numerous photo sessions. Norbert has a customized skateboard similar to those used by pro skaters, complete with his social media handle @HiMynameisNorbert painted on the top to complete the look.

Vince has tagged skating legend Tony Hawk in videos and social media posts in which Norbert becomes "Tony Hog." Other videos have gotten shared by fans of various follower levels, which has grown Norbert’s fan base and garnered a fair share of media attention.

While Norbert merchandise is limited to stickers that Vince and Alicen have had printed up and sent to adoring fans (even internationally), Vince secretly hopes that Norbert’s skateboarding skills may lead to a one-off endorsement deal with a skateboarding manufacturer that provides the pig with his own pro-model board.

“I mean, what other pig skaters are out there that you know exist?” Vince said. “There’s none, right?”

Norbert's social media following includes professional musicians and pro wrestlers alike, along with a beverage company that became enamored with the pet pig when Vince taught Norbert to open canned water with his tusks and down the liquid contents like a champ.

As word spreads about Norbert's talents, the local couple remains happy to share Norbert with the world as the attention comes, but is also happy to maintain some semblance of normalcy around the house. While Alicen has come around the idea of the pig’s popularity, Vince is the one who generates all the social media posts and who is happy to share Norbert’s life story with anyone who will listen.

Of course, the fact they have a pig in the house still stirs curiosity, which, like pig ownership, comes with its ups and downs. Norbert is fully vaccinated and neutered according to Cook County standards, and is better mannered than any dog that Vince said he has ever owned. Norbert, social media accounts and all, has his own fan club — especially in Buffalo Grove, the community that has come to embrace the unique pet in their own way.

“He’s become our little celebrity and our little mascot,” Alicen Baran said.

"We hear all these comments, and they're great, but it’s like people think we haven’t heard a bacon joke. People think they’re being cheeky. We’ve heard them all. But this 15 minutes of fame for Norbert and Vincent, I’m eternally grateful for.”