Terry F. Goins

“Mr. Pig has never been redesigned into something sleek and corporate. He looks like he looked. In a category where most logos get sanded down every eight years, that consistency is rare, and people respond to it.”

Terry F. Goins · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-31

Goins noted that the Mr. Pig mascot has remained visually consistent over the years, which customers appreciate.

“We had people lined up for over an hour — in August, at a state fair, with a thousand other things to do — for a temporary Mr. Pig tattoo,”

Terry F. Goins · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-31

Goins described long lines at the Wisconsin State Fair for temporary Mr. Pig tattoos.

“That's a big part of what makes this fun,”

Terry F. Goins · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-31

Goins discussed how individual store locations create their own merchandise designs.

“The retro self-service design does very well, and honestly, anything involving the pig butt tends to move.”

Terry F. Goins · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-31

Goins said T-shirts featuring the pig's face and backside are the best-selling merchandise.

“Piggly Wiggly Midwest is a mix of franchise and corporate-owned stores across Wisconsin and Illinois, and our independent operators know their communities better than anyone at a corporate office does.”

Terry F. Goins · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-31

Goins described the mix of franchise and corporate-owned Piggly Wiggly stores in Wisconsin and Illinois.

“They'll pick up a shirt from a store they haven't been to before,”

Terry F. Goins · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-31

Goins compared some Piggly Wiggly merchandise collectors to ballpark or brewery souvenir collectors.

“People aren't buying a shirt because a grocery store put its logo on one. They're buying it because Mr. Pig means something to them, and wearing it is a way of saying where they're from.”

Terry F. Goins · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-31

Goins said customers buy Piggly Wiggly shirts because the Mr. Pig mascot holds personal meaning for them.

“That's people wanting to be associated with something.”

Terry F. Goins · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-31

Goins said the demand reflects people's desire to associate themselves with the Piggly Wiggly brand.

“resonates across all ages and demographics,”

Terry F. Goins · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-31

Goins told Fox News Digital that the Piggly Wiggly brand appeals broadly across age groups.

“It's always personal and always tied to a specific place and a specific memory.”

Terry F. Goins · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-31

Goins said every Piggly Wiggly story people share is personal and tied to a specific place and memory.

“What we see instead are lifts tied to moments: a new design drop, a seasonal item, a tie-in with something happening in the community,”

Terry F. Goins · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-31

Goins described how merchandise demand spikes around specific events and product releases.

“There are brand standards around how Mr. Pig and the logo are used — that mark is 110 years old, and we protect it — but within that, stores have latitude to [make] designs that speak to their town, their high school colors, their local events. That's why you'll find shirts in one store you won't find anywhere else.”

Terry F. Goins · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-31

Goins explained that while the company protects the Mr. Pig mark, stores have latitude to create locally relevant designs.

“Younger shoppers are drawn to exactly the qualities that make it retro: the hand-drawn feel, the humor, the fact that it's unmistakably regional and not from a national chain,”

Terry F. Goins · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-31

Goins explained what draws younger shoppers to the retro Piggly Wiggly brand.

“For a lot of younger customers, it's less, 'I remember this' and more, 'This is where I'm from.'”

Terry F. Goins · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-31

Goins described how younger customers relate to the brand as a marker of local identity rather than nostalgia.

“That's not a merchandise transaction,”

Terry F. Goins · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-31

Goins said the enthusiasm for Piggly Wiggly reusable bags at the state fair went beyond a simple purchase.

“doesn't take itself too seriously,”

Terry F. Goins · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-31

Goins said the Piggly Wiggly branding is warm and lighthearted.

“Nobody has ever told us they own too many Pig shirts.”

Terry F. Goins · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-31

Goins noted that no one has complained about owning too many Piggly Wiggly shirts.