Title:
Pepe the Frog
Meme Creator:
4chan users
Media Creator:
Matt Furie
Meme Creation Year:
2008
Media Year:
2005
Height of Popularity:
2014-2016
Era:
Golden Age of Memes
Platform:
4chan
Image Macro
Type:
Tags:
pepe, frog, feels good man, feels bad man, matt furie, boys club, rare pepe
History:
Pepe the Frog stands as one of the most significant and controversial characters in internet meme history, evolving from a peaceful cartoon character into a global cultural phenomenon. Created by American cartoonist Matt Furie in 2005 for his webcomic "Boy's Club," Pepe was originally designed as a laid-back, anthropomorphic frog who embodied a carefree, "bro" lifestyle alongside his roommates Andy, Brett, and Landwolf (Wikipedia Contributors, 2025).
The character first appeared in Furie's zine "Playtime," created using Microsoft Paint around 2004, before being featured in Boy's Club #1, which was posted as a series of blog entries on MySpace in 2005 (Matt Furie - Wikipedia, 2025). In the original comic, Pepe appears urinating with his pants pulled down to his ankles, responding to a friend's question about his unusual bathroom habits with the now-iconic phrase "feels good man" (Wikipedia Contributors, 2025).
The transformation from webcomic character to internet meme began in 2008 when a page containing Pepe and his catchphrase was scanned and uploaded to 4chan's /b/ board, which became described as the meme's "permanent home" (Know Your Meme, 2015). 4chan users quickly adopted and adapted Pepe's expressive face to represent various emotions and scenarios, creating variations like "Sad Frog" (featuring "feels bad man"), "Smug Frog," "Angry Pepe," and countless others.
By 2014-2015, Pepe had become one of the most popular memes on platforms like 4chan and Tumblr, with the emergence of "Rare Pepes" - unique or limited variations of the character that users would collect and trade like digital cards (Wikipedia Contributors, 2025). The character's mainstream popularity reached its peak when celebrities like Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj posted Pepe memes on social media platforms.
However, Pepe's story took a darker turn in 2015-2016 when the character was co-opted by alt-right groups and white nationalists as a symbol for their movements. This appropriation culminated in September 2016 when the Anti-Defamation League added Pepe to its hate symbol database, though they noted that most uses of the character remained non-hateful (Wikipedia Contributors, 2025). Creator Matt Furie expressed dismay at this development and launched the #SavePepe campaign in partnership with the ADL to reclaim the character's positive image.
Notes about the Creator/s:
Creator (Media):
Matt Furie, born August 14, 1979, in Columbus, Ohio, is an American comics artist and illustrator who graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University with a BFA in 2001. Furie created Pepe as part of his exploration of slacker culture and millennial ennui, intending the character to represent a peaceful, chill personality. When his creation was appropriated for hateful purposes, Furie actively fought back through legal means, successfully pursuing copyright infringement cases against various organizations including InfoWars, which settled for $15,000 in 2018 (Wikipedia Contributors, 2025).
Creator (Meme):
The transformation of Pepe from webcomic character to internet meme was accomplished by the collective efforts of 4chan users beginning in 2008. These anonymous contributors adapted Furie's character into various emotional expressions and scenarios, creating the foundation for what would become one of the internet's most recognizable memes.
Notes about the years:
Media Creation Year (2005):
Matt Furie first created Pepe the Frog for his webcomic Boy's Club, which debuted through MySpace blog posts in 2005, with the printed edition published in 2006.
Meme Creation Year (2008):
The transition from webcomic character to internet meme occurred in 2008 when Pepe first appeared on 4chan's /b/ board, marking the beginning of his viral spread across internet culture.
Height of Popularity (2014-2016):
Pepe reached peak mainstream popularity during 2014-2016, becoming one of the most recognized memes worldwide before the controversy surrounding his appropriation by extremist groups.
Sources and additional information:
Know Your Meme. (2015, March 26). Pepe the Frog. Retrieved May 30, 2025, from https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/pepe-the-frog
Matt Furie - Wikipedia. (2025, May 29). Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved May 30, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Furie
Wikipedia Contributors. (2025, May 27). Pepe the Frog. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved May 30, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepe_the_Frog