Hogettes The Hogettes are a group of twelve male Washington Redskins fans who wear women ' s dress es , garden party hats , and pig snout s for two purposes : to cheer on their favorite NFL team and to raise money for charity . The group was founded in 1983 by Michael Torbert and has become a regular fixture at Washington Redskins games . The group has twelve active and fifteen former members , including three who have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the VISA Hall of Fans . The group retains a high profile largely because of their outrageous costumes , but also because of their frequent work for charitable organizations . The Hogettes have appeared in a national advertising campaign for VISA , and they provide support for many charities , including Children ' s Miracle Network , Ronald McDonald House , and March of Dimes . They have raised over US $ 100 million for these and other charitable causes . Despite their philanthropic work , the Hogettes are disliked by some and have even been attacked by fans of opposing teams . History . The origin of the Hogettes can be traced to October 1983 when Michael Torbert ( Mikey T . ) , founder of the group , went to a Halloween party at his grandmother ' s retirement home wearing one of her old dresses as a costume . The costume was such a hit that he gathered a group of men who he " thought were tough enough to go out in public in a dress . " The group would go to children ' s hospital s to cheer up sick children . On November 27 , 1983 , the group attended their first Washington Redskins football game in full drag , but with the addition of pig snout masks , in reference to The Hogs , the nickname of the Redskins offensive line players . Led by Mikey T . , now known as " Boss Hogette " , the group became regular fixtures at Redskins home games , both at their old home of RFK Stadium and their new home of FedExField . The group makes more than 100 appearances each year for charitable events , and Mikey T . and two other Hogettes have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as " ultimate " Redskins fans . There have been a total of twenty - seven members of the group since 1983 , but there are only twelve active members today . Though they have considerable notoriety , they receive no special treatment or official recognition from the Redskins . Origin of the name . In the 1980s , the Washington Redskins ' Offensive Line coach , Joe Bugel , began to refer to his lineman as " Hogs " . The Hogs were credited for much of the Redskins success in the decade , including two Super Bowl wins . The group began wearing pig noses and named themselves " The Hogettes " in reference to the Hogs and to the Washington Redskins ' official cheerleaders , originally known as the " Redskinettes . " Philanthropy . The Hogettes have been organizing and attending charitable events in the Washington , D . C . , area for over twenty years . In that time , they have helped raise more than US $ 100 million for various charities , including Children ' s Miracle Network , Ronald McDonald House , and March of Dimes . Upon reaching this landmark value , Howard " Howiette " Churchill remarked , " That ' s a lot of money for a bunch of fat old grandpas in pig noses and dresses . " Among these events are golf tournaments , including the Hogette ' s annual charity golf tournament , walk - a - thon s , truck rallies , galas , and other charity benefits . While some of their charitable efforts go toward helping their local community , most of the money they raise goes toward helping children . An annual fund raiser is their " Hogette for a Game " . In 1995 , Nick " Nickette " Nerangis ' wife bought him this package . He subsequently became a substitute Hogette for several years before becoming an official member in 2002 . One female fan has , for several years , served as " Hogette for a Game " through winning annual auctions . In 2000 , she raised more than $ 11 , 000 for children ' s charities in order to attend one game with the Hogettes that season . In an online interview with fans , Torbert stated " You . . . have to have a sense of humor for many things from day to day . It is tough to be humorous when the [ Redskins ] lose , but it ' s even tougher to face a sick child in a hospital room , and cheer them up with our humorous looks . That ' s tough . " National exposure . In addition to gaining national exposure through their outrageous costumes and continuous work with charitable organizations , the Hogettes have been guests on " The Tonight Show with Jay Leno " , and were featured in a VISA television commercial . Despite their generous philanthropy and positive attitude in the stands , not everyone appreciates the Hogettes . Longtime Washington Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke and Daniel Snyder — the current owner — both failed to embrace the Hogettes . The group has been called " incredibly obnoxious " and " annoying " , and were attacked in the infamous 700 Level at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia by angry Philadelphia Eagles fans . Members . In addition to the twelve current members , there have been fifteen other " official " Hogettes — now retired from the group — as well as numerous temporary and substitute members . The group also holds an annual charity auction where fans can bid to be a " Hogette for a Game " . One current member , Nick " Nickette " Nerangis , was introduced to the group as a " Hogette for a Game " .