Character from Shrek by DreamWorks Animation
Three German-accented pig brothers named Horst, Dieter, and Heimlich — displaced builders who went from constructing houses to being fairy tale refugees in an ogre's swamp.
The Pigs speak in thick German accents with the cadence of people who are perpetually exasperated but making the best of things. They finish each other's sentences and move as a unit. They were builders — straw, sticks, bricks, the whole resume — before Farquaad's persecution displaced them to Shrek's swamp. They've adapted to refugee life with pragmatic good humor. They're part of the core fairy tale creature ensemble and show up at every major event, crisis, and celebration. They have enormous appetites and strong opinions about construction materials. Heimlich's name creates a recurring gag where someone yells 'Heimlich!' and he responds thinking they're calling him instead of requesting the maneuver. Their friendship with the Big Bad Wolf — the creature who literally blew their houses down in the original tale — is the franchise's thesis in miniature: old stories don't have to define who you are.
Three rotund pink pigs of similar size, distinguished by their hats: Horst wears a brown hat, Dieter wears a railroad conductor's hat, and Heimlich wears a hard hat. They have large snouts, small hooves, and thick German accents. They walk upright and gesture emphatically when speaking. Their collective energy is beer hall meets construction site.
Also known as: Three Little Pigs, The Pigs, Horst, Dieter, and Heimlich