[Photograph: Amazon]

The kid's game Pop the Pig* ($19.68 from Amazon) has been out in the US since 2009, but I only came across it yesterday, so ... better late than never. The game features a fat, anthropomorphized pig in a chef's outfit, sitting down with mouth agape and tongue hanging out. Players take turns rolling a die and picking up the associated colored burger piece that tells you how many times to pump the pig's head. Stick burger in pig's mouth and pump his head to expand his belly. Continue playing until his belly pops.

Considering the name, I expected his belly to explode, but it turns out it's just his belt that pops open. You bet I'm disappointed.

According to the toy company's press release [PDF] from last year, they've sold millions of units, the game is "one of the top games if not the very top game in Holland, Germany and France," and it's become a blockbuster in every country it's sold in.

How do kids interpret eating a bunch of burgers leading to getting belt-poppingly fat? Or perhaps being hit on the head repeatedly leading to getting belt-poppingly fat? After playing this game, will kids attempt to feed burgers to pigs to see what happens? Not being a kid, I couldn't tell you. Maybe kids don't get any meaning out of the game and just have fun playing it.

Have any of you bought this game for your kids?

* Just because I was curious, I looked up what the game is called in some other languages:

French: Cuisto Dingo
Dutch: Holle Bolle Big
German: Schwein Schwarte
Spanish: Anton Zampon

About the author: Robyn Lee is the editor of A Hamburger Today and takes many of the photos for Serious Eats. She'll also doodle cute stuff when necessary. Read more from Robyn at her personal food blog, The Girl Who Ate Everything.