How Pepe the Frog went from a symbol of idleness to a symbol of hate

Originally published on October 31, 2016

"The fact that I created Pepe is just a sidenote," artist and illustrator Matt Furie says. "I was pretty much obsolete — until now." 

Furie is the man behind the green frog meme that you've probably seen someone you know share online in recent years. But for Furie, Pepe was simply a character in a comic he drew to entertain his friends at work. 

The frog is "all eyes and lips," admits its creator. "You can make him emote into whatever kind of expression you want: sad, excited, totally stoned."

That's exactly what the Internet did with it, use its blank canvas ("He's a symbol for idleness, he doesn't do anything," Furie explains) to convey a number of different moods and meanings. That, though, led to a dark turn for Pepe. 

Thanks to the U.S. presidential election and Pepe's image linked to republican candidate Donald Trump, Pepe was recently added to the Anti-Defamation League's list of hate symbols...next to the swastika. 

"I thought it was just him trying to appeal to a younger voting demographic," Furie says. "But it's actually some kind of mascot for these fringe and supremacist groups.

"The fact that people were using him to channel hate is devastating to me on a spiritual level, on a philosophical level."

So, to combat the negative connotations, Furie is attempting to take Pepe back by putting out positive images of the beloved frog. As Furie puts it, "to infiltrate the Internet with positive Pepe memes."

"If you're in a dark room, the only way to make it light is to flip the switch and add light," Furie continues. "If someone's going to speak on Pepe's behalf, it's got to be his creator."