Introducing the ToughPigs Pride Month 2026 Charity Fundraiser!

Published: May 25, 2026

Categories: Feature

Hello everybody!!! It’s your pal, lovable ol’ Becca Petunia. You know what time it is? It’s ToughPigs’ fourth annual ToughPigs Pride Month!

This June, ToughPigs will be pulling out all the stops to help LGBTQ+ people through some special fundraising activities. Get ready for special articles, prizes, merch, and livestreams to celebrate and draw attention to some important people in your neighborhood who really need help right now.

It feels like every year, I start our festivities by saying that this has been a bad year for LGBTQ+ people, and sadly 2026 has been no different. The US government keeps trying to limit the rights of queer people across the country, and other countries are also experiencing some dangerous backswings in terms of rights. But you know what else I’m seeing? I see, time and time again, LGBTQ+ people and allies getting out there, protecting each other when our most vulnerable have been threatened. I’m also seeing victories on the local level and across the world. It all makes me feel very proud.

We at ToughPigs are ready to step up and help out, and we can’t wait for you to join us.

Last year, we raised over $5,000. Can we top that? Here’s what you need to know.

1. Our Charities

We’re supporting the following three charities:
True Colors United, which works with homeless LGBTQ+ youth
The Trevor Project, which provides mental health resources to LGBTQ+ youth
Advocates for Trans Equality, which helps trans folks fight legal battles against unfair policies

How can you help those charities? And look, I know you also want to know what you can get for supporting them! We know money is tight this year, so we’re pulling out all the stops to incentivize you to help out.

2. TeePublic Merch

Firstly, we are restocking our ToughPigs TeePublic with pride-themed designs. This includes many of the old favorites and one brand new design. From now until noon Eastern on June 28, 2026, all proceeds from the sale of our pride merch will be donated (as evenly as we can) to these charities.

So what designs do we have? Well, firstly, we have our new design, QUITE REMARKABLE, created by ToughPigs’ own amazing Meagan Barbeau. Pride is about feeling great about yourself, and this classic Prairie Dawn quote reminds everyone who sees you that you’re proud of who you’ve grown up to be. Perfect for fans of our podcast, A Prairie Dawn Companion, or anyone who likes the pink-blue-and-white color scheme as much as Prairie does.

Plus, the following old designs:

Kermit Pride
A Person In Your Neighborhood
Whatever
Whatever (Nonbinary colors) (Back from the vault!)
Whatever (Rainbow colors) (Back from the vault!)

Alphabet Character pronouns shirts (available in he/him, she/her, and they/them) (Back from the vault!)

ToughPigs: Out and Proud Since 2001 (Back from the vault, just in time for our 25th anniversary!)

Every one of these designs is available on shirts, tanktops, stickers, mugs, hats, and more! And all proceeds help people in need.

3. Plus Pins!

We are also bringing back a limited supply of our Kermit Pride enamel pins! These can be found on our ToughPigs Etsy page. (Gladys and Little Bird not included.) Again, all proceeds will be donated to the charities!

4. Prize Giveaway

Here’s what you want to know. Every year, we do a charity raffle. For donating to one or more of these charities, you’re entered to win one of these fabulous prizes.

If you’ve donated before, you know how this works… but this year, there’s an extra incentive to donate! Keep reading to find that!

Here are the prizes you can win by donating to charity:

“LOVE WINS” Bert & Ernie wreath by Emily Engel!

One of two Robin the Frog replica plushes from Kristi O.!

A set of six finger puppets by Muppet Finger Puppets!

One of two Muppet pride canvas art pieces from Annika Abel!

One of three Muppet art prints from Jamie Carroll: “Amphibi-Zen,” “Fuzzy Harmony,” and “Keep Believing!”

A Gonzo pride print from Dave Hulteen Jr.!

A set of five pride stickers from The Singularly Named Mel!

One of five rainbow Kermit prints from RevFlooper!

A custom, signed Paul Williams poster from Eric Pahl!

A bundle of books and prints from Luke Flowers!

Plus: one of ten magnets made by me, Becca Petunia! Here’s one of them…obviously more to come!

Watch ToughPigs or our social media… we may be adding more prizes later….

5. Bonus Incentive!

If you donate at least $70 and request a bonus gift, you will get a free “The Ballad of Rodeo Rosie” cassette tape in addition to your regular raffle entries.

That’s right, you could own a cassette tape, designed to look like the Golden Music Sesame Street releases of the 1980s, that has Rachel Garrett Steele’s adaptation of Rodeo Rosie’s song from Tales from Sesame Gulch! As featured on A Prairie Dawn Companion! Plus: a surprise Sesame B-side from Rachel! All this and you still have a chance to win one of the above prizes! Don’t have a cassette player at home? It’s still a gorgeous collectible with new art from Becca Petunia that will look great alongside old school Muppet stuff. You can’t get one of these anywhere else!

6. How to Win

So, how do you get tickets to win these prizes?

Well, first, you need to donate to one (or more!) of this year’s organizations:

After that, forward the original donation email(s) to [email protected]. Along with your email, please tell us the top three prizes you are interested in. If you do win, we will do our best to get you a choice, but there is no guarantee that everyone will get their top pick.

For every $10 you donate, you will earn one raffle ticket – no matter how your donations are split! For example, donating $5 to one cause and $15 to another would get you two total entries. There’s no limit to the number of raffle tickets you can earn!

On top of all of this, if you donate a total of $70 or more – alongside your entries into the raffle – you can also receive a Rodeo Rosie cassette, free of charge! Just inform us in your email that you are interested in receiving one! And receiving a Rodeo Rosie cassette does NOT prevent you from winning any prizes in the raffle. We’ll announce the winners in a special livestream, described below. If you win and can’t attend, you will be emailed the details!

7. Streams

On Thursday, July 2 at 6:30 PM Eastern, ToughPigs will be doing a special pride month livestream with games, art, trivia, special guests, and more. Follow us on social media for updates regarding that! We will also email the winners, in case they are unable to attend the stream. (Hey, here’s a screenshot from last year’s!)

This year, we’re also doing a special bonus stream earlier in the month. On Wednesday June 10 at 8 PM Eastern, the ToughPigs gang will be teaming up with WeirdPuppetGirl and Muppetologee, as well as some surprise guests, for a special game of Muppet Fan Family Feud. Come cheer on your favorite Muppet fans and get updates on pride month festivities! For more info on that, check ToughPigs as well as @weirdpuppetgirl and @muppetologee on Instagram!

8. Fine Print

Only one prize will be awarded per winner, not counting the bonus Rodeo Rosie cassette gift. Only one Rodeo Rosie cassette is available per donor. Donations must be dated from May 25, 2026 to July 2, 2026 at 8:00 PM Eastern. Only US-based entrants will be able to win a plush, wreath, or large poster or print. Only US-based donors will be able to receive a Rodeo Rosie cassette. All entrants will be able to win a magnet. Non-US entries may receive alternate prizes. We will attempt to give everyone a prize from their list, but there is no guarantee that you will receive the prize you want. Prizes and Rodeo Rosie cassettes may be mailed any time over the weeks following the contest.

9. What Else?

Keep it tuned to ToughPigs.com all month long, the ToughPigs Discord, as well as our various social media accounts (Instagram, Facebook, BlueSky, TikTok). We’ll be sharing some fun pride stuff throughout. I’m so excited to see how much good Muppet fans can do this year. Spread the word, and let’s make a difference!