Pepe the Frog

Pepe[Note 1] the Frog, emojified as 🐸 and formerly known as "Feels Good Man", is a green anthropomorphic frog used as an Internet meme. The character was created by artist Matt Furie in his comic Boy's Club.[1] In 2008 its popularity steadily grew across Myspace and Gaia Online,File:Wikipedia's W.svg being popularised by 4chan in the same period.[2] By 2015, it had even become one of the most popular memes used on Tumblr, the residence of its current nemesis, the SJW.[3]

Frogs, clowns and swastikas
Alt-right
Chuds
Rebuilding the Reich, one meme at a time
Buzzwords and dogwhistles
v - t - e

While originally without political associations, in 2015 he became associated with the alt-right, white nationalism, and Donald Trump (though it doesn't mean everyone using or liking this meme is a nationalist).[4] Hillary Clinton's campaign condemned both Donald Trump and his son for posting images of Pepe on Twitter.[5]

The Anti-Defamation League has listed Pepe as a hate symbol, but noted that most instances of Pepe were not used in a hate-related context.[6] Matt Furie tried getting his frog back,[7] but with little success. In May 2017, he killed off the character,[8] but Pepe could not be so easily and permanently slain, and has returned to us.[9] Matt Furie later launched his #SavePepe campaign on Kickstarter and social media to fund a new Boy's Club issue and to reclaim the character.[10] Furie has since taken legal action against various websites as well as prominent alt-right figures such as Richard Spencer, Mike Cernovich and Baked Alaska for appropriating Pepe.[11] In 2019, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones settled a copyright violation lawsuit with Furie, after Jones used Pepe without permission on a promotional poster.[12]

Some claim that Pepe is the incarnation of the ancient Egyptian god Kek (also known as Kuk[Note 2] or Keku), and worship him as such as part of another 4chan in-joke called the "Cult of Kek",[13] which has been defined by the "experts" at Wikipedia as a parody religion.[14] The connection between Pepe and Kek has been endorsed by the neoreactionary philosopher Nick Land,[15] and by Davis Aurini.[16]

As a result of widespread Digital Millennium Copyright Act take-downs instigated by Furie's attorneys in 2017 (including against The Daily Stormer),[17][18] the alt-right appear to have a newer fascist frog mascot named Groyper. The character is derived from Pepe but is fatter and more grotesque in appearance.[19]

Re-cooptation

Since 2019, Pepe was repurposed by the certain sections of the progressive, anti-authoritarian protests in Hong Kong as a symbol of their struggle to maintain the one country, two systems that had been agreed upon when Britain return Hong Kong to China,[20] although this was not supported by all protesters due to its prior association with the alt right.[21]

Take a peep at these Pepes

Alt-right and pro-Trump Pepes
  • Border wall Pepe.
  • Example meme portraying Pepe as the Egyptian god Kek.
  • Concentration camp guard Pepe.

By Matt Furie
  • The original drawing of Pepe, by Matt Furie
  • Pepe's Funeral, by Matt Furie, 2017
gollark: By CBness anyway.
gollark: Then prizes would be more common than, say, xenowyrms.
gollark: One raffle per day.
gollark: Again, not that it would help the core issue.
gollark: I'd favour some sort of logarithmic dropoff there.

See also

Notes
  1. For completeness, a pet form of the Spanish name JosĂŠ ("Joseph")
  2. Useful travel fact — the word "kuk" literally means rooster "cock" in Swedish.

References
  1. Khan, Imad (April 12, 2015). "4chan's Pepe the Frog is bigger than ever—and his creator feels good, man". The Daily Dot.
  2. Kiberd, Roisin (April 9, 2015). "4chan's Frog Meme Went Mainstream, So They Tried to Kill It". Motherboard. Vice Media.
  3. Hathaway, Jay (December 9, 2015). "Tumblr's Biggest Meme of 2015 Was Pepe the Frog". New York Magazine. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  4. Olivia Nuzzi, How Pepe the Frog Became a Nazi Trump Supporter and Alt-Right Symbol, The Daily Beast, 26 May 2016
  5. Elizabeth Chan, Donald Trump, Pepe the frog, and white supremacists: an explainer, Hillary for America, September 12, 2016
  6. Anti-Defamation League, Pepe the Frog, Hate on Display™ HATE SYMBOLS DATABASE
  7. #SavePepe: Campaign aims to reclaim Internet frog from hate groups CNN, 18 October 2016.
  8. Pepe the Frog creator kills off internet meme co-opted by white supremacists
  9. Pepe the frog rises from the dead, creator says
  10. Pepe the Frog's creator can't save him from the alt-right, but he keeps trying anyway
  11. Pepe the Frog’s Creator Goes Legally Nuclear Against the Alt-Right
  12. Scott Newman, Alex Jones To Pay $15,000 In Pepe The Frog Copyright Infringement Case. NPR, 11 June 2019.
  13. Cult of Kek, Know Your Meme
  14. See the Wikipedia article on Parody religion. Archive.
  15. Kek, xenosystems.net.
  16. Pepe, Kek, and the Rise of an Elder God
  17. To save Pepe the Frog from the alt-right, his creator has invoked copyright law’s darker side: Matt Furie has issued DMCA takedowns against alt-right websites using Pepe’s likeness. The fair use implications are troubling by Aja Romano (Sep 21, 2017, 11:40am EDT ) Vox.
  18. Neo-Nazi Site Daily Stormer Takes Down Pepe Images After Getting Copyright Claims From Its Creator: The Daily Stormer has removed all images and references of the famously chill frog after getting DMCA notices from Matt Furie. by Matthew Gault (Jul 10 2018, 7:24am) Vice.
  19. The Far Right's New Toad Mascot Is a Fatter, More Racist Pepe the Frog by Aaron Mak (Dec. 4 2017 5:48 PM) Slate.
  20. Pepe the Frog Means Something Different in Hong Kong—Right? Pepe is popping up all over Hong Kong—on walls, in forums, in sticker packs for apps—as a symbol of resistance against an authoritarian state. by Emma Grey Ellis (08.23.2019 03:22 PM) Wired (archived from December 2, 2019).
  21. Facing down the Hong Kong protests’ right-wing turn Zoe Zhao. Lausan, March 28, 2020.
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