Hearing Melissa Nicholson describe her five pigs is like hearing a mother describe her children.

Priscilla is the sassy one. Poppleton is the silly one. Pinkerton is the mellow one. Pennington is the affectionate one. And, "taking after her aunt" Priscilla, Primrose has spunk.

"Having five pigs is like having any pets; they are all so different," said Nicholson, a teacher who lives outside Jacksonville, Florida, and is a 1994 alumna of the University of Alabama. "For me, it’s been fun getting to know each of them."

Since 2013, hundreds of thousands of people from around the world have been getting to know Nicholson’s pigs as well through their Instagram account, books, toys and even a smartphone game.

It all started …

Nicholson found her love for pigs, especially miniature ones, at the University of Alabama. While going to school in the early 1990s, Nicholson and some of her friends visited a farm outside Tuscaloosa. An animal lover, Nicholson was able to meet and hold a pig that had just been born that week.

"That’s where it all started," she said.

Some years later, Nicholson decided to get a pig of her own. Priscilla, or "Prissy," was the first to arrive in 2013 from a farm in Miami at 6 weeks old. The next year, Prissy would get a companion, Poppleton ("Pop"). Primrose ("Posey"), Pinkerton ("Pink) and Pennington ("Penn") soon would follow.

Like many pet owners, Nicholson began sharing pictures of her pigs on her Facebook page, often dressing them up or taking them to different places for pictures. Everything changed when her niece told her about Instagram.

"I had no idea about people doing things on Instagram at the time," she said. "From there, I just started putting them in different pictures."

Since first starting on Instagram in late 2013, the account has grown to include nearly 700,000 followers. The account, https://www.instagram.com/prissy_pig/?hl=en, includes daily photos and videos of the pigs in different costumes, doing different activities.

"I do try and not do the same thing over and over again," she said. "It’s become a fun hobby for me."

What has been the key ingredient to the pigs’ online fame? Don’t ask Nicholson.

"It just kind of took off," she said.

In fact, the popularity of the Instagram account resulted in Nicholson getting a deal from publishing house Harper Collins to publish two children’s books, "Prissy & Pop: Big Day Out" and "Prissy & Pop Deck the Halls." The pigs even have their own smartphone game app, "Prissy and Pop," and different toys available online.

Celebrities like Academy Award-winning actress Reese Witherspoon and country singer Miranda Lambert are also fans, having either shared pictures of them online and, in Lambert’s case, actually having met them. However, Nicholson gets the most satisfaction out of messages she receives from people from around the world, from people going through chemotherapy to those looking to find something uplifting online.

"There is just a lot of negativity in the world right now and they can always depend on them to bring a smile to their faces," she said.

Cheering on the Tide

It is not uncommon for Nicholson to dress up her pigs in her alma mater’s colors, putting on cheerleader costumes for the girls and football jerseys for the boys. The day before the 2017 College Football Playoff national championship, Nicholson took "Prissy," "Pop," "Posey" and "Pink" to a Crimson Tide pep rally in Clearwater, Florida, decked out in crimson and white in a baby stroller.

Jennifer Thrasher, director of UA’s spirit programs that involve the Crimson Tide cheerleaders, was there when the pigs met the squad in Florida during one of the rallies.

"First of all, (the cheerleaders) thought it was the coolest thing," Thrasher said. "They were so cracked up because they looked at the pigs like ‘Who are you?’ "

Thrasher said the pigs were one of the main attractions at the beach pep rally.

"They obviously loved it," she said. "Some of them started following them on social media right afterward."

Despite the branding opportunities and revenue that have come with online stardom, Nicholson said she won’t be quitting her day job as a first-grade teacher at The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida. If anything, the success of the pigs has enabled Nicholson to spread her love to other animals in an impactful way.

"It’s fulfilled my dream of rescuing other animals," said Nicholson, who has a farm with other rescue animals.

This season, Nicholson hopes to take the pigs to their first Alabama tailgate, either in Tuscaloosa or at one of the away games.

"It’s on my bucket list to get them to Alabama, so maybe it will happen this fall," she said.

Until then, Nicholson is happy with what the pigs have been able to bring to other people.

"I’m sharing the joy they bring to me," she said. "They mean a lot to me."

Reach Drew Taylor at drew.taylor@tuscaloosanews.com or 205-722-0204.