A regional US grocery chain, Piggly Wiggly, has developed an unexpectedly devoted following for its branded merchandise, particularly T-shirts featuring its cheerful "Mr Pig" mascot. Fans, including British collector Nicola Miller from Suffolk, travel considerable distances to buy items when visiting America, drawn by the retro design's nostalgic appeal. The company's marketing director says the brand resonates across generations because it has deliberately avoided modernising its logo, retaining a hand-drawn, distinctly regional look that younger shoppers now associate with authenticity rather than corporate polish.

Piggly Wiggly was founded in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1916 by Clarence Saunders and pioneered self-service grocery shopping, growing to over 1,200 stores by 1923; today more than 500 stores operate across 18 states. Individual, often independently run, stores are permitted to design their own localised merchandise within brand guidelines, resulting in region-specific items unavailable elsewhere, with pig-themed and retro self-service designs proving especially popular. Demand remains steady overall, with sales spikes tied to new releases, seasonal items or community tie-ins, and some enthusiasts collect shirts from different stores much as others collect ballpark or brewery memorabilia.