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May 24, 2022

The Giggling Pig eyes global expansion

PHOTO | Jean Falbo-Sosnovich Left to right, The Giggling Pig Founder and Owner Hannah Perry and Seymour franchise owner Pia Migani.
By Jean Falbo-Sosnovich

The Giggling Pig, a children’s art studio that opened in Shelton in 2011, recently expanded with new franchises opening across Connecticut this month.

The latest franchise at 38 Columbus St. in Seymour held its grand opening May 20. Earlier this month, another franchise opened in Milford at 44 Naugatuck Ave. 

Owner and Founder Hannah Perry said two more Giggling Pig franchises are slated to open later this year at locations yet to be named.

Perry isn’t stopping in Connecticut, and hopes to make The Giggling Pig a household name nationally and internationally, as well.

“I’m planning on two more Connecticut locations, then after that, it’s about moving across country,” she said. “I also have talks in place now for one in Bangkok, and the U.K. So fingers crossed that The Giggling Pig is able to spread art, love and teach about kindness and compassion to many, many more children.”

The award-winning studio offers art classes, after-school enrichment programs, birthday parties, special events and seasonal camps for kids ages 2-16, and is named after Perry’s children’s book, “The Giggling Pig and Friends.”

Perry, a transplant from England, earned a degree in childhood education and development from Beverley College in Yorkshire. She came to the U.S. in 1999 where she became an au pair that enabled her to follow her passion of working with children. As a single mother, Perry had trouble finding places to take her own kids to express their creativity. That inspired her to ultimately open her own studio.

The studios are bright and colorful, with wooden shelves brimming with jars of glitter, finger paints, sequins, paintbrushes, blank canvases, construction paper and tables flanked by rainbow-colored chairs. Kids ages 2-16 are encouraged to “dress for a mess” when they visit The Giggling Pig to channel their inner Picassos.

Perry is no stranger to racking up awards, having won three Stevie Awards, been named Female Entrepreneur of the Year and been recognized by the Fairfield County Business Journal as one of the 40 Under Forty winners in 2018 as a rising star.

Valley Chamber of Commerce President Bill Purcell was on hand at the recent Seymour studio grand opening and was impressed by what he saw.

“The joyful voices of children will be filling this space and we couldn’t be more excited,” said Purcell.

State Rep. Nicole Klarides-Ditria encouraged all to take advantage of the joyful vibe flowing from the new space.

“I can’t wait to see it bustling with kids, and we all need to get in here and get back to that giggling part and remember that we always have that inner child in ourselves,” she said.

Pia Migani, whose family owns and renovated several of the historic buildings in downtown Seymour, is the new franchise owner of the Seymour studio. She’s excited to bring The Giggling Pig to more families.

“My children are currently 5 and 8, and as a parent, I can say that I am always looking for fun, inclusive and age-appropriate activities that they can enjoy with their friends,” Migani said. “We’re excited to be able to do this within the incredible format of The Giggling Pig.”

Perry said the studios also offer programs and classes for adults, corporate clients, assisted living, private parties, hospital, home school groups and schools.

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