Beloved son of Fred and Doris Ziffel, Arnold Ziffel is one pampered pig. The Ziffels let Arnold do pretty much anything he wants, and he can do some amazing things, including play the piano, drink with a straw, deliver letters from the mail box, turn the channels on the television (he loves Westerns and THE CBS EVENING NEWS with Walter Cronkite), predict weather with his curly tail, and play cricket with his own miniature cricket bat.

Like any boy, Arnold goes to school (where he plays practical jokes on the other students.) Arnold delivers newspapers, enjoys sending away for various mail-order products, and can write his name. He also speaks an impressive array of languages - English, French, a touch of Japanese, (and subtitles!)

The only person in Hooterville who can't make sense of Arnold's grunting is, of course, Oliver. While Oliver seems to truly dislike the little porker, he eventually warms up to the anthropomorphic piggy, going so far as to represent Arnold in court. While Arnold's actual age is never specified, he exists in a perpetual childhood somewhere between third grade and puberty.