Feels Good Man — The Movie
In 2020, Matt Furie starred in a documentary about Pepe the Frog. The documentary took a look at Pepe's journey on the internet and he ended up becoming a political image. The film also touched on the life of Matt Furie, the comic artist who seemed unprepared to regain control of his own creation. Check out the trailer below to learn more!
Back to His Roots
In modern internet culture, Pepe can be found on the popular streaming website Twitch as an unofficial emote. These Pepe emotes can only be found in third party plugins, such as Better TTV. There are also many versions of Pepe such as Monka (the closest variation to Pepe) and Peepo (a badly drawn rendition of Pepe). Just like the original meme, these Pepe emotes also have been drawn in many different expressions.
With that being said, these Pepe emotes were not embraced by everybody. Blizzard (the creators of Overwatch) has banned the Pepe emotes from use during their tournaments and Valve Corp have banned the emotes from being used on their website, Steam, after a DMCA takedown from Furie. Some streamers have spoken out about their are decision to ban Pepe from their streams. Streamer Steph "FerociouslySteph" Loehr summarized the issue by stating: “The crux of the issue to me is that not everyone who uses Pepe is toxic, but every alt-right or intolerant space uses Pepe. This dynamic means that we can’t judge people who use Pepe as bad or intolerant, but by banning Pepe from our spaces, we can make them a lot safer.” Streamer FrazleyS said: "I chose to ban it from my stream because I want to show we are inclusive. That we see it’s a hate symbol. That we don’t stand for racism or white supremacy in my stream.” [7] For that reason, streamers have banned the use of Pepe to respect and curate their Twitch community. Regardless, many big streamers still allow Pepe to used in their chat as they are more scared to alienate their audience than to educate them. [7]
Life in Hong Kong
Across the world, Pepe found himself on a new journey; this time, a journey of hope. Many images of Pepe has been seen graffitied on the walls of Hong Kong; pictures of Hong Kong youth holding plushies of Pepe as they protest against their government. Hong Kongers were not initially aware of Pepe's alt-right past and see him more as a recognizable character similar to Hello Kitty or Mickey Mouse. An anonymous user on the website LIHKG posted: “It just looks funny and captures the hearts of so many youngsters. It is a symbol of youth participation in this movement.” [8]
In the eyes of Hong Kongers, Pepe is one of them. On WhatsApp and Telegram, there is a sticker pack of Pepe wearing the protester's signature yellow helmet along with depictions of other occupations such a nurse or the police. |
Prior to being used in the protest, the green frog was well known in Mainland China as "sad frog." Now Pepe is seen as a defiant expression for the youth expression their frustration being under China's rule and its Beijing loyalist leaders. Hong Kongers are now aware of Pepe's past but pay it no mind. The Hong Kong Free Press wrote: "A consensus appeared to emerge. Hong Kong’s Pepe was a distinctly local meme. And if his notoriety in the West would help keep international attention focused on the protest movement, so be it." [9] Matt Furie seemed to have supported this new development for Pepe. He replied to an email of one of the protesters, writing: “This is great news! Pepe for the People!” [9]
Where to Now?
Over the years, Pepe has seen himself in numerous of unexpected situations. Creator Matt Furie was certainly surprised to see how much power the green frog can hold. Pepe has proven to be a powerful meme thanks to his versatility and support from fans. Even if Pepe truly dies out one day, there's one thing for sure. Pepe will go down in history for years to come.
Check out the slideshow below for more Pepe!
Check out the slideshow below for more Pepe!