Breadpig
Breadpig is a geek-oriented publishing and merchandise venture known for producing xkcd: volume 0 and directing profits toward charitable causes.
Last updated August 25, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Breadpig, stylized as breadpig, is a small publishing and merchandise venture associated with internet culture and geek-oriented products. It became best known for publishing xkcd: volume 0, a collection of comics from Randall Munroe's xkcd webcomic. Rather than presenting itself as a conventional profit-maximizing company, Breadpig describes its operating model as an “uncorporation”: it uses commercial products to generate funds and gives substantial proceeds or profits to charitable organizations. The concept originated with Alexis Ohanian and Steve Huffman, who were searching for domain names containing the word “read” while developing the project that would become Reddit. They purchased breadpig.com because of its comic value. Huffman imagined a bread-winged pig, and Ohanian created an early doodle of the character. The name and visual identity subsequently became the basis for a venture focused on unusual products, publishing, and charitable fundraising. Breadpig's activities have included products aimed at online communities and fans of internet humor. In 2008, it raised more than $30,000 through LOLmagnetz, magnetic poetry based on lolspeak, an internet language associated with deliberately misspelled and humorous phrases. Its most prominent publishing project followed through a collaboration with Randall Munroe. xkcd: volume 0 collected selected xkcd comics and became a vehicle for both publishing and fundraising. Sales of the book generated approximately $52,700 for charitable work administered through Room to Read. The venture's charitable activity has included a $15,000 donation to the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in February 2009 and a further $32,000 raised in October 2009 for Room to Read. The latter fundraising supported construction of a primary school in Laos. Proceeds associated with xkcd: volume 0 supported the development of a school room, a reading room, and a local-language publishing room. By December 2010, Breadpig reported that it had raised more than $150,000 for charity, counting both funds raised and profits donated. Breadpig's significance lies less in scale than in its hybrid model. It combines internet-native branding, fan-oriented publishing, novelty merchandise, and philanthropy. Its association with Reddit's early founders and xkcd gave it visibility within the web-comics and technology communities, while its charitable commitments distinguished it from a conventional merchandise label. Publicly available reference material does not establish a current headquarters, ownership structure, executive roster, financial condition, or continuing operating status.
History
Breadpig emerged from the early internet-entrepreneurial circle around Alexis Ohanian and Steve Huffman, who later co-founded Reddit. While looking for an available domain containing the word “read” for an unnamed web project, the pair encountered breadpig.com and purchased it because they found the name amusing. Huffman imagined the titular creature as a pig with wings made of bread, while Ohanian drew an initial version of the character. The name eventually developed into a separate venture rather than being used solely as an informal project label. The venture's identity centered on products for online communities, especially audiences interested in technology, web humor, comics, and internet subcultures. Breadpig used the language of an “uncorporation” to describe an approach that rejected the conventional emphasis on maximizing shareholder wealth. In practice, this meant that the venture sought to turn merchandise and publishing projects into sources of charitable donations or charitable fundraising. One early project was LOLmagnetz, magnetic poetry built around lolspeak, a humorous internet vernacular. In 2008, the product raised more than $30,000. Breadpig later made a $15,000 donation to the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in February 2009. In October of the same year, it raised $32,000 for Room to Read, with the funds designated for construction of a primary school in Laos. Breadpig's most visible publishing project was its collaboration with Randall Munroe, creator of the xkcd webcomic. The venture published xkcd: volume 0, a book containing selected xkcd comics. The publication connected Breadpig's publishing role with its charitable model: sales raised $52,700 for Room to Read. The money supported the development of a school room, a reading room, and a local-language publishing room. By December 2010, Breadpig stated that it had raised more than $150,000 for charitable purposes, including both money raised for nonprofit initiatives and profits donated by the venture. The available historical record presents Breadpig primarily as a mission-driven internet brand rather than a large conventional publisher. It does not provide reliable information about later product releases, current management, corporate ownership, headquarters, financial performance, or whether the venture remains active. Those aspects therefore remain unconfirmed.
- 2010
Reported charitable total exceeds $150,000
[1]By December 2010, Breadpig reported that it had raised more than $150,000 for charity through fundraising and donated profits.
- 2009
Donation to the San Francisco SPCA
[1]Breadpig donated $15,000 to the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
- 2009
Room to Read school fundraising
[1]Breadpig raised $32,000 for Room to Read to help construct a primary school in Laos.
- 2008
LOLmagnetz fundraising
[1]The sale of LOLmagnetz raised more than $30,000 for Breadpig's charitable activities.
Breadpig domain acquired
[1]Alexis Ohanian and Steve Huffman acquired the breadpig.com domain while searching for names containing “read” for an early web project.
Publication of xkcd: volume 0
[1]Breadpig collaborated with Randall Munroe to publish a collection of selected xkcd comics, with sales supporting Room to Read.
Products and positioning
An internet-culture publishing and merchandise venture that combines geek-oriented products with charitable fundraising and donations.
Book publishing
xkcd: volume 0
A collection of selected comics from Randall Munroe's xkcd webcomic. The book was Breadpig's best-known publishing project and also served as a fundraising vehicle, generating $52,700 for Room to Read projects, including educational and local-language publishing facilities.
Novelty merchandise · 2008
LOLmagnetz
Magnetic poetry based on lolspeak, an internet language associated with playful spelling and online humor. Breadpig used the product to connect internet-culture merchandise with charitable fundraising; sales raised more than $30,000 in 2008.
Marketing campaigns
- 2009San Francisco SPCA donation
United States
Breadpig made a direct charitable contribution to the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Outcome. A $15,000 donation was made in February 2009.
- 2009Room to Read Laos school campaign
Online · Laos
Breadpig raised money for Room to Read to support educational infrastructure in Laos.
Outcome. The campaign raised $32,000 for construction of a primary school in Laos.
- 2008LOLmagnetz charity fundraising
United States · Online
Breadpig sold LOLmagnetz, a lolspeak-themed magnetic-poetry product, and directed the resulting proceeds toward its charitable mission.
Outcome. The campaign raised more than $30,000.
- xkcd: volume 0 charitable publishing campaign
Online · International
Breadpig used the publication of xkcd: volume 0 to combine comic-book publishing with support for Room to Read.
Outcome. Book sales raised $52,700 for a school room, reading room, and local-language publishing room.
Brand decisions
- Adoption of the “uncorporation” modelStrategy
Background
Breadpig positioned itself as an alternative to a conventional company focused primarily on maximizing shareholder wealth.
Action taken
It used product sales and publishing projects to generate charitable donations and fundraising proceeds.
Aftermath
The model became a defining part of Breadpig's public identity and was reflected in its reported charitable contributions.
Recent events
- 2009
Breadpig donates $15,000 to the San Francisco SPCA[1]
Campaign
Breadpig donated $15,000 to the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
- 2009
Breadpig raises funds for a school project in Laos[1]
Campaign
Breadpig raised $32,000 for Room to Read to support construction of a primary school in Laos.
- 2008
Breadpig raises more than $30,000 through LOLmagnetz[1]
Campaign
Breadpig generated more than $30,000 from the sale of LOLmagnetz, a magnetic-poetry product based on lolspeak.
xkcd: volume 0 raises funds for Room to Read[1]
Product launch · Campaign
Sales of the xkcd comic collection generated $52,700 for Room to Read projects, including educational and local-language publishing facilities.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/breadpig · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled