A man dressed as Peppa Pig’s dad pig completed the London Marathon in 5 hours, 51 minutes and 53 seconds, raising money for the National Deaf Children’s Society in memory of a real-life son named George, who is partially deaf.
Man runs 26.2 miles in daddy pig suit to raise money for deaf children
The participant wore a full Daddy Pig costume throughout the 26.2 mile course, a move that drew loud cheers from fans, families and media crews on the streets of London. Its run was part of a wider campaign linked to the popular children’s cartoon, which recently revealed that Daddy Pig’s son George is mildly to moderately deaf, a story that reflects the challenges many deaf and hard of hearing children face in real life.
The marathon effort was organized in collaboration between the TCS London Marathon, the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS) and the Hasbro-owned Peppa Pig franchise. The charity said around 54,000 children in the UK are affected by hearing loss and Daddy Pig’s marathon mission aimed to raise awareness and collect donations to support services such as helpline advice, local support groups and policy work for deaf young people and their families.
Organizers said Daddy Pig had a fundraising target of tens of thousands of pounds, with the money being raised through an online donation page linked to the official London Marathon platform. The NDCS chief executive said every pound raised can help provide guidance to parents, run specialist community programs and drive long-term change in how schools, health and public services support deaf children.
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Hasbro and the Peppa Pig team added that the character’s run was to take the show’s inclusive message off the screen and into real-world events, so families could see it reflected in both the story and the marathon crowd.
Ahead of the main race, Daddy Pig has been spotted taking part in training runs and appearing at the TCS Mini London Marathon earlier in the week where children and parents took part in short distance runs around schools and local routes. NDCS also released special character-themed school packs aimed at teachers who wanted to use the marathon to talk to students about hearing loss, inclusion and physical activity.
On the day, Daddy Pig’s progress was visible on the London Marathon tracker app alongside other runners, and his vibrant costume made him easy to spot on TV and live broadcasts, including segments broadcast by the BBC. Organizers of the event said they were delighted that a character loved by very young children is also helping to raise awareness of less visible disabilities, showing how popular culture can support serious health and social causes without losing its lighthearted tone.
