{"id":252896,"date":"2026-04-05T12:57:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T12:57:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/252896\/"},"modified":"2026-04-05T12:57:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T12:57:10","slug":"a-sacramento-pig-won-a-guinness-world-record-heres-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/252896\/","title":{"rendered":"A Sacramento pig won a Guinness World Record. Here\u2019s why"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cYou don\u2019t see a pig on a leash every day with a hat on,\u201d Mina Alali said as her potbelly pig wearing a colorful propeller hat tugged at her skirt, hoping to receive a handful of oats.<\/p>\n

The propeller hat has become a signature look for the pig \u2014 a 4-year-old Vietnamese potbelly named Merlin<\/a> \u2014 who has more than 1 million followers on Instagram, a surprisingly hefty vocabulary and a Guinness World Record.<\/p>\n

For four years, Alali has been posting photos and videos of Merlin on Instagram. The pet pig quickly went viral with videos of him learning how to speak using buttons<\/a> that, when pressed, play a recording of a word or phrase. He now has over 30 buttons he presses to ask for treats, to go outside and to share his thoughts.<\/p>\n

Alali said adopting the pig was one of the best decisions she has ever made. Merlin has not only provided companionship and allowed his mom the opportunity to be self-employed through social media \u2014 but he also brought his family together.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s pretty much the best thing that\u2019s ever happened to me,\u201d Alali said. \u201cNext to my fianc\u00e9.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Mina Mina Alali poses with Merlin, a miniature potbellied pig, at home in Sacramento on Thursday, April 2, 2026. The Instagram-famous pig recently earned a Guinness World Record for having the most Instagram followers of any pig. PAUL KITAGAKI JR. pkitagaki@sacbee.com A wild path to wildlife<\/p>\n

Alali grew up in Davis in a half-Iranian household, notably without any non-standard pets.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had two dogs and a fish,\u201d she said. However, it was a longtime dream of hers to adopt a pig.<\/p>\n

Growing up, Alali\u2019s career aspirations had nothing to do with animals; she hoped to become a singer-songwriter. She spent time in her native Iran studying classical Persian music and taking voice lessons before attending Berklee College of Music in Boston for music business management.<\/p>\n

Alali came back to the West Coast and signed with a small Sacramento-based music label. But after producing four albums, she made the decision to walk away.<\/p>\n

\u201cI quickly realized that I did not want to be an artist full-time,\u201d she said. \u201cI just thought that the industry itself was not morally aligned with myself. So it was quite a crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n

Soon after in late 2019, Alali adopted her first pet as an adult: A bearded dragon named Mochi.<\/p>\n

\u201cI spent a lot of time with him, I became obsessed with him very quickly,\u201d she said. \u201cWe spent all our time together, and I decided to try and train him.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the COVID-19 pandemic loomed and TikTok became a form of escape and connection, Alali started posting her experience training Mochi to come to her, high five and shake hands.<\/p>\n

One of the first videos she posted of the reptile \u201cblew up overnight,\u201d she said, earning around 5 million views. She continued posting videos of Mochi for fun, and accrued nearly 1 million followers on her TikTok account<\/a> with the playful reptile videos.<\/p>\n

In 2022, while working a day job in influencer management, an opportunity for Alali to fulfill her lifelong dream of having a pig came true.<\/p>\n

\"Merlin, Merlin, a miniature potbellied pig, stands at home in Sacramento on Thursday, April 2, 2026. Merlin recently earned a Guinness World Record for having the most Instagram followers of any pig. PAUL KITAGAKI JR. pkitagaki@sacbee.com <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was an impromptu decision,\u201d Alali said. \u201cI remember coming across a TikTok video of someone with a pig, and I just turned to my coworker, and I was like, \u2018Oh, I want a pig so bad,\u2019 and she was like, \u2018What\u2019s stopping you?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Alali came across baby Merlin in her search for a pet pig and instantly knew he was the one for her.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was older and bigger than some of the other pigs that were being adopted quite fast,\u201d she said. \u201cSo I was like, I\u2019ll be there in two days to pick him up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mochi has since died, but the legacy he began with Alali lives on through Merlin and his other animal siblings.<\/p>\n

A record-breaking pig<\/p>\n

Four months after adopting Merlin, Alali started a dedicated Instagram page for him after he became popular in videos with Mochi.<\/p>\n

As Merlin learned how to use the pre-recorded buttons, audiences fell in love with the then-tiny pig\u2019s big attitude. Some of his first buttons included, \u201cI want a kiss, b—-,\u201d and \u201cI\u2019m hungry, b—-,\u201c the latter of which Alali turned into merchandise.<\/p>\n

The small family\u2019s newest addition helped push Alali\u2019s TikTok account over the 1 million follower threshold.<\/a> Nearly four years later, she has more than 2.5 million TikTok followers and works on her social media accounts full-time while volunteering at the Wildlife Care Association of Sacramento<\/a>, an animal rehabilitation organization.<\/p>\n

As of February, the now-180-pound Merlin is \u201cOfficially Amazing,\u201d according to Guinness World Records.<\/p>\n

With more than 1.1 million Instagram followers, Merlin is officially the most followed pig on social media<\/a>, certified by Guinness\u2019s records team.<\/p>\n

According to Alali, when she looked into securing the record, it already existed, having been set by a different Insta-famous swine with slightly fewer followers than Merlin.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I saw that, I was like, I hate to take your spot, but I really want this plaque,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s just cool to have a Guinness World Record.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Merlin, Merlin, a miniature potbellied pig, poses at home in Sacramento on Thursday, April 2, 2026. Merlin recently earned a Guinness World Record for having the most Instagram followers of any pig and uses buttons to communicate with his owner, Mina Alali, to request food or express his feelings. PAUL KITAGAKI JR. pkitagaki@sacbee.com Sacramento\u2019s smallest zoo<\/p>\n

Alali now lives in Natomas with her fianc\u00e9, Alex Saraceno, along with Merlin; a girl group of rats named Monica, Moira and Amy; a former prison pigeon named Al Capone; a bearded dragon named Muffy; and a dog named Maverick.<\/p>\n

\u201c(The animals) used to be all M-names, and then when Alex came in, I was like you know what? He deserves some A-names too,\u201d Alali said.<\/p>\n

The couple met and fell in love in 2023 all thanks to Merlin, according to Alali.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe saw a Reel of Merlin and I on Instagram and DM\u2019ed me,\u201d Alali said. \u201cHis message was, \u2018I want to marry you.\u2019 I said back, \u2018Wow, what an introduction.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Alali and Saraceno began messaging long distance, as he lived on the East Coast. They started formally dating shortly after. Within a year, the couple was engaged. Saraceno moved to Sacramento and they are now planning their wedding for September.<\/p>\n

\u201cMerlin\u2019s gonna be the ring boarer,\u201d Alali said.<\/p>\n

In addition to the posse of pets at home, Alali and Saraceno also adopted two cows who were rescued from an unethically managed petting zoo. The steers reside on a pasture in Davis, and one day the family hopes to have enough space to keep them at home.<\/p>\n

Alali still works on writing and recording music on her own. A song she wrote for Saraceno shortly after they started dating will play as she walks down the aisle on their wedding day, and another song features Merlin\u2019s beloved grunts and oinks.<\/p>\n

Through her volunteering at the wildlife rehab center and her social media work, Alali said she found a passion for supporting rescue animals. Her ultimate goal is to one day get licensed to become an at-home rehabilitator and eventually open an animal sanctuary on a large plot of land.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll these animals deserve love and affection, and they just want to be cared for, just like us humans,\u201d she said. \u201cI think I\u2019ve been able to open up people\u2019s minds and hearts to we should maybe treat pigs more kindly, or cows, extending that to reptiles or wildlife.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Mina Mina Alali feeds Merlin, a miniature potbellied pig, a carrot at home in Sacramento on Thursday, April 2, 2026. The Instagram-famous pig recently earned a Guinness World Record for having the most Instagram followers of any pig. PAUL KITAGAKI JR. pkitagaki@sacbee.com <\/p>\n

Loading\u2026<\/p>\n

Related Stories from Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Camila Pedrosa<\/a><\/p>\n

The Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n

Camila Pedrosa is a service journalism reporter at The Sacramento Bee. She previously worked as a summer reporting intern for The Bee and reported in Phoenix and Washington, D.C. She graduated from Arizona State University with a master\u2019s degree in mass communication.\n <\/p>\n