Melissa Nicholson remembers the moment she began falling for pigs, silly as she knows that may sound.
This was years ago. She was a student at the University of Alabama on a weekend outing to a farm, where she was able to hold some of the “cute little baby piglets.”
“That started my love for pigs a really long time ago,” she tells PEOPLE.
And how. Nicholson, a 52-year-old pre-K teacher and the owner of Prissy & Pop’s Helping Hooves animal sanctuary in Taylor, Fla., has built a major social media following (1.2 million and counting) for her “mini” pigs Prissy, Pop, Posey, Pink and Penn.
The group has charmed so many online thanks to their costumed and themed adventures, including on the road. See Posey and Pink dolled up as Barbie and Ken — with coordinating wigs, of course; or the fivesome catching up over coffee the friends of Friends.
The pigs have been sea creatures and ice cream, bumblebees and pop stars.
“We travel all over the place,” Nicholson says: as far south as the Keys; as far north as Washington, D.C.; as far was as New Orleans.
Even stars have taken notice: Nicholson says she and her pets have hung out backstage with Miranda Lambert.
What started with one pet pig, Prissy, 11 years ago, has since grown into something of a multi-media franchise, including a book and toys. A year after Prissy, Nicholson adopted Pop. The others followed.
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Initially, it was just Nicholson’s students who enjoyed the pigs when they would come to her classroom. But Nicholson noticed that people were responding to photos of them online, too.
“I was like, you know what, if 500 people seem interested in it, I’ll keep doing it … I was not thinking of social media stardom back then,” Nicholson says.
Over the years, the pigs’ following has grown.
Nicholson says they “don’t mind” all the fuss for photos, since “they’re always getting snacks.” She takes heart in how much the fandom enjoys the burst of positivity the photos and videos bring.
“I get comments a lot that it’s just … something to make you smile, scrolling through not so good news a lot of times,” she says.
With all the attention — and the money that some of it has brought — Nicholson is giving back: While she still teaches, she also largely operates an animal sanctuary by herself.
“I want to do something good with this,” she says.
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