#PEPE
Pepe the Frog began as a lovable, laid-back character in Matt Furie's 2005 comic series Boy’s Club. Originally, Pepe was a symbol of youthful apathy and simple humor, his most famous line being, “feels good man.” At first glance, he was just a cartoon frog with relatable expressions—no different from any other meme that surfaces online for a few months and disappears.
However, what sets Pepe apart is how drastically and unpredictably he evolved. His image was co-opted by internet communities across platforms like 4chan, Reddit, and Tumblr. Over time, the meme took on various forms—some humorous, some absurd, and eventually, some deeply controversial. In the mid-2010s, Pepe became a symbol used by extremist groups, prompting even the Anti-Defamation League to label some of his iterations as hate symbols. This shift sparked public concern and highlighted the unpredictable life of digital content.
Interestingly, Matt Furie fought to reclaim Pepe's image. Through the documentary Feels Good Man and his own creative campaigns, he attempted to restore Pepe to his original purpose: a symbol of peace, emotion, and artistic expression. His struggle highlights a deeper issue in internet culture—once content is released online, it often escapes the creator’s control, becoming part of a decentralized collective consciousness.
Pepe, then, is more than a meme. He represents the internet's ability to mutate ideas, for better or worse. He's a symbol of cultural power, of how something pure can become politicized, and how creators must now consider not just what they release, but how it can be reinterpreted in countless, unpredictable ways
