Percy Pig
A Marks & Spencer confectionery brand built around pig-shaped gummy sweets and an expanding Percy Pig character universe.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Percy Pig is a British confectionery brand owned by Marks & Spencer (M&S). It is best known for chewy, pig-shaped gummy sweets associated with raspberry, strawberry, cherry, grape and other fruit flavours. The products are made under licence in Germany by Katjes for Marks & Spencer and are primarily sold through M&S stores and related retail channels. The brand first appeared in M&S stores in 1992. Its initial sweets used strawberry, blackcurrant and raspberry flavours and contained pork-derived gelatine. After a short withdrawal from shelves in 1997, Percy Pig returned and gradually developed from a single novelty sweet into one of M&S's most recognisable food brands. Its appeal rests on the combination of a distinctive pig shape, playful product naming, bright packaging and a character that can be extended across seasonal, food and non-food merchandise. Percy Pig's range has included the original sweets, smaller Percy Piglets, Percy Pig & Pals, fruit chews, fizzy chews, reduced-sugar products and seasonal formats for Halloween, Christmas and Easter. Related products have expanded beyond gummy confectionery into fruit juices, fizzy drinks, chocolate, popcorn, biscuits, cakes, muffins, ice cream, dessert sauces, mince pies and advent calendars. M&S has also used the Percy Pig name on toys, books, socks, party products, bed linen and piggy banks, giving the brand a broader family and gifting role within the retailer's private-label portfolio. Ingredient reformulation has been an important part of the brand's development. In 2011, M&S introduced a vegetarian product called Veggie Percy, using beeswax and pea protein in place of gelatine and marking the sweets with green ears. Some further gelatine-free varieties followed in 2016. In May 2019, the entire Percy Pig range was reformulated to remove gelatine and use pectin instead, alongside a refreshed logo and packaging. Beeswax was subsequently removed, and from May 2022 the sweets were suitable for vegans. These changes broadened the potential customer base while responding to changing expectations around vegetarian and vegan products. The Percy Pig character has also become a marketing asset for M&S. In 2008, the sweets appeared on British Vogue's list of notable people and trends to watch. Percy later appeared in M&S's 2021 Christmas advertising, voiced by actor Tom Holland; this was the character's first speaking appearance. In April 2022, M&S installed a large fibreglass Percy Pig statue on the roof of its newly opened Stevenage store, where it was intended to remain for a year. The brand's retail presence was reported to have expanded to Target stores in the United States in March 2026. Percy Pig is positioned as a premium supermarket-retailer confectionery brand: accessible and impulse-oriented, but differentiated through M&S's quality cues, character branding and seasonal merchandising. It competes indirectly with other retailer-owned novelty gummy products, including Lidl's Henry Hippo and Aldi's Leo the Lion. The brand remains active and is closely tied to Marks & Spencer's food business rather than operating as an independent confectionery company.
History
Percy Pig was created for Marks & Spencer and first appeared in the retailer's stores in 1992. The original product consisted of pig-shaped gummy sweets sold in strawberry, blackcurrant and raspberry flavours. The novelty shape and character-based presentation distinguished the sweets from conventional bags of fruit gums, while the association with M&S placed them within the retailer's broader food and private-label offer. The brand experienced a short interruption in 1997 before returning to M&S shelves. During the following years it developed from a single product into a family of related sweets. Early extensions included Percy Pig & Pals, which added other animal shapes and flavours, Percy Piglets in a smaller format, and Penny Pig, a lemon-and-orange product introduced in 1998 and later withdrawn. Further variations used fizzy textures, different shapes, seasonal themes and character combinations. The product family came to include formats such as Phizzy Pig Tails, Percy Pig Goes Globetrotting, Percy Pig Party Time and Percy Pig Reversy Percy. Percy Pig's profile grew beyond the confectionery aisle. In 2008, British Vogue placed the sweets on its hot list of people and trends to watch, an unusual form of cultural recognition for a retailer-owned product. M&S subsequently extended the name into drinks, chocolate, popcorn, biscuits, cakes, muffins, ice cream, dessert sauces and mince pies. It also applied the branding to advent calendars and a range of non-food merchandise, including toys, books, socks, party equipment, bed linen and piggy banks. These extensions helped turn Percy Pig into a character-led retail brand rather than simply a gummy sweet. Recipe changes became a major part of the brand's later history. The original sweets used pork gelatine. In 2011, M&S introduced Veggie Percy, replacing gelatine with beeswax and pea protein and using green ears to signal the vegetarian recipe. From 2016, some other varieties also adopted gelatine-free formulations. In May 2019, M&S relaunched the entire Percy Pig sweets range with pectin in place of gelatine, accompanied by a new logo and redesigned packaging. The removal of beeswax in 2022 made the sweets suitable for vegans. This sequence of changes allowed M&S to retain the recognisable product while adapting its ingredients to changing dietary preferences. The character became increasingly prominent in M&S marketing. Percy Pig appeared in the retailer's 2021 Christmas campaign, voiced by Tom Holland, which gave the previously non-speaking character a speaking role. In April 2022, a large fibreglass Percy Pig statue was installed on the roof of a newly opened M&S store in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, as a year-long retail spectacle. The brand has also been part of competitive and legal attention within the UK confectionery market. Other retailers have sold animal-shaped alternatives, while in 2023 Swizzels agreed to redesign its Pigs Mugs sweets after an approach by M&S lawyers. Percy Pig remained primarily associated with the United Kingdom and the Marks & Spencer store network, but the brand was reported to have entered Target stores in the United States in March 2026. Its continuing development illustrates how a retailer's signature food product can become a multi-format character brand, with product reformulation, seasonal releases, advertising and merchandise all reinforcing the same identity.
- 2026
Reported United States retail expansion
[1]Percy Pig sweets begin being sold in Target stores in the United States.
- 2023
Swizzels redesigns Pigs Mugs
[1]Swizzels agrees to redesign its Pigs Mugs sweets following an approach from M&S lawyers.
- 2022
Vegan formulation completed
[1]Beeswax is removed, making the sweets suitable for vegans.
- 2022
Stevenage Percy Pig statue installed
[1]A large fibreglass Percy Pig is placed on the roof of a new M&S store in Stevenage.
- 2021
Percy appears in an M&S Christmas advertisement
[1]Tom Holland voices Percy Pig in the character's first speaking appearance.
- 2020
Advent calendar relaunched
[1]M&S restores the Percy Pig advent calendar after a two-year absence.
- 2019
Full range becomes gelatine-free
[1]Pectin replaces gelatine throughout the Percy Pig sweets range, alongside refreshed packaging.
- 2011
Vegetarian recipe launched
[1]M&S launches Veggie Percy with beeswax and pea protein replacing gelatine.
- 2008
British Vogue recognition
[1]Percy Pig appears at number 11 on British Vogue's list of 40 people and trends to watch.
- 1998
Penny Pig is introduced
[1]M&S adds a lemon-and-orange Penny Pig sweet, which is later discontinued.
Products and positioning
A playful, premium-retailer private-label confectionery brand combining novelty pig-shaped sweets, character-led merchandising, seasonal innovation and reformulated vegetarian and vegan recipes.
gummy confectionery · 1992
Percy Pig Original
The core Percy Pig product consists of chewy, pig-shaped gummy sweets associated with fruit flavours including raspberry, strawberry, cherry and grape. It is the foundation of the brand and the format most closely linked with Marks & Spencer.
vegetarian gummy confectionery · 2011
Percy Pig Original Veggie
Originally marketed as Veggie Percy, this version replaced pork gelatine with beeswax and pea protein and used green ears to distinguish the vegetarian recipe. The range later moved toward fully vegan ingredients.
gummy confectionery
Percy Piglets
Percy Piglets are smaller versions of the main pig-shaped sweets. The format extends the core character into a bite-sized product suitable for sharing, smaller portions and mixed confectionery selections.
assorted gummy confectionery
Percy Pig & Pals
This assortment combines Percy with other animal-shaped sweets, including a cow and a sheep, allowing M&S to vary the shapes and flavours while retaining the Percy Pig identity.
reduced-sugar gummy confectionery
Reduced Sugar Percy Pig
A reduced-sugar extension of the core range intended for shoppers seeking a different nutritional profile while retaining the brand's pig-shaped format and fruit-confectionery positioning.
fizzy confectionery
Phizzy Pig Tails
A fizzy Percy Pig variation using a tail-inspired format and a more effervescent confectionery experience than the standard gummy sweets.
themed gummy confectionery
Percy Pig Goes Globetrotting
Previously known as Globetrotting Percy, this themed variation uses travel as its product concept and extends the character into a narrative or occasion-based assortment.
seasonal confectionery
Seasonal Percy Pig range
Seasonal products include Percy Pig Gets Spooky for Halloween, Merry Percymas! and Percy Pig & His Festive Friends for Christmas, and Easter Party Percy Pig for Easter. These releases support calendar-based merchandising and gifting.
branded food and beverages
Percy Pig drinks and desserts
The brand has been extended into fruit juices, fizzy drinks, ice cream and dessert sauces, broadening Percy Pig from a bagged sweet into a wider family-oriented food proposition.
seasonal gift confectionery · 2020
Percy Pig advent calendar
The advent calendar packages Percy Pig confectionery as a seasonal countdown product. M&S relaunched it in 2020 after it had not been offered in 2018 or 2019.
Marketing campaigns
- 2022Stevenage rooftop Percy Pig installation
United Kingdom
M&S installed a large fibreglass Percy Pig on the roof of its newly opened Stevenage store as a prominent physical brand landmark.
Outcome. The statue was planned to remain in place for one year and provided a high-visibility local retail installation.
- 2021M&S Christmas advertising appearance
United Kingdom
Percy Pig was incorporated into Marks & Spencer's Christmas advertising and voiced by Tom Holland, giving the character its first speaking role.
Outcome. The campaign increased the character's role in M&S's broader seasonal brand storytelling.
Brand decisions
2023
Challenge to the design of Swizzels Pigs MugsOtherBackground
Swizzels had sold Pigs Mugs sweets since 1996, creating a product-design issue within the market for pig-themed confectionery.
Action taken
Following a request from Marks & Spencer's lawyers, Swizzels agreed to redesign the Pigs Mugs sweets.
Aftermath
The product was redesigned; the available reference does not establish that court proceedings or a financial settlement occurred.
- Swizzels — Swizzels agreed to redesign Pigs Mugs after the approach from M&S lawyers.
2022
Removal of beeswaxGeneration changeBackground
Although the sweets had become gelatine-free, beeswax remained in the recipe after the earlier vegetarian reformulation.
Action taken
Beeswax was removed from the recipe.
Aftermath
The sweets became suitable for vegans from May 2022.
2019
Gelatine-free reformulation of the full rangeGeneration changeBackground
M&S had already introduced gelatine-free variants, but the wider range still required a consistent recipe and branding approach.
Action taken
M&S replaced gelatine with pectin across the Percy Pig sweets range and refreshed the logo and packaging.
Aftermath
The reformulation made the full sweets range gelatine-free and supported the brand's transition toward vegan suitability.
2011
Launch of Veggie PercyProduct launchBackground
The original Percy Pig sweets used pork gelatine, creating a barrier for vegetarian consumers.
Action taken
Marks & Spencer launched a vegetarian version using beeswax and pea protein instead of gelatine and marked it with green ears.
Aftermath
The launch established a route toward broader dietary inclusivity within the Percy Pig range.
Sources1 sources
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