March 19, 2024

IPTV to air Joy the pig’s episode Friday, Saturday

Newton’s most famous four-legged citizen will be making her public TV debut Friday.

Joy, the American mini-pig and mascot of Capitol II Theatre, will be on the upcoming episode of "IPTV KIDS Clubhouse" airing Friday and Saturday. The show, which is hosted by former Newton resident Dan Wardell, will air at 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. Friday and again at 7 a.m. Saturday on IPTV. For those unable to catch the episode on TV, the show will be online at http://iptv.org/Clubhouse beginning Friday afternoon.

“I’m extremely excited to see the episode coming out this weekend on ‘IPTV KIDS Clubhouse,’” said Dawn Bleeker, who along with her husband Paul and their daughters, own Joy. “Since we got Joy in April 2012, I’ve been actively reaching out to groups to help educate them on miniature pigs as pets. By Joy being on the pet episode for ‘IPTV KIDS Clubhouse’ I will be reaching out to a greater audience. I hope the message comes across that even though miniature pigs are incredible pets, they are not for everyone. We researched for two years so we didn’t take getting Joy as a pet lightly.”

Footage for the show was filmed in Newton on March 30 at Capitol II, SHARE Preschool and other local sites. While at SHARE Preschool, Joy showed off her best tricks including sitting, giving kisses, honking a horn, pushing balls on the floor, bowling, going through a tunnel and even playing the piano with her snout.

For those wanting to get a peek at the popular pig in person, Joy will be at Capitol II on Friday and will be appearing in Newton’s Fourth of July parade on Monday. Joy will be wearing a special outfit for the parade and instead of candy they will be handing out Joy tattoos. Bleeker said it is just one more way for people to enjoy Joy.

“Since Joy’s article in the Newton Daily News and The Des Moines Register back in April, she has become pretty popular. In fact, she’s had weekly engagements and is now booked through July,” Bleeker said.

And if seeing Joy in person isn’t enough, Joy fans can soon take home a memento. Due to the pig’s popularity,  the Bleekers are adding one more item to their mini pig’s bag of tricks – stuffed animal model. Beginning Friday, people can pre-order their very own plush mini Joys. Cost is $20 each (a 10 percent pre-order discount will be applied at time of purchase) and they will arrive in mid-October.

“With the guidance and help of Cathy Rickers, anyone that would like a mini Joy in their life can get one,” Bleeker said. “It will also give me the opportunity to leave behind some joy when I go on visits to schools or nursing homes.”