1/After 3 weeks (80 hours) of research I am happy to begin sharing my Pepe findings in a new 🧵series:
"The #Pepe Principles"
Part 1 - The Birth of Pepe the Frog
"The #Pepe Principles"
Part 1 - The Birth of Pepe the Frog
2/Boy's Club
Pepe the Frog is a cartoon green anthropomorphic frog with a humanoid body
@Matt_Furie’s imagination gave birth to the iconic character in the 2005 comic Boy's Club
Pepe the Frog is a cartoon green anthropomorphic frog with a humanoid body
@Matt_Furie’s imagination gave birth to the iconic character in the 2005 comic Boy's Club
3/Feels Good Man
During the comic
Pepe urinates with his pants pulled down to his ankles, and in the last panel says [it] "feels good man”
Fun Fact: Pepe was named as such because it reminded Furie of “pee pee”
During the comic
Pepe urinates with his pants pulled down to his ankles, and in the last panel says [it] "feels good man”
Fun Fact: Pepe was named as such because it reminded Furie of “pee pee”
4/4chan
In 2008, this last panel would lead to Pepe's internet fame when it was posted as a reaction on 4chan
4chan is a hotbed for meme creativity and propagation
with the site being described as a
"Darwinian competition for attention"
In 2008, this last panel would lead to Pepe's internet fame when it was posted as a reaction on 4chan
4chan is a hotbed for meme creativity and propagation
with the site being described as a
"Darwinian competition for attention"
5/Virality
Pepe's convey a range of emotions through their expressions
making them relatable to people of all backgrounds across the globe
Pepe's convey a range of emotions through their expressions
making them relatable to people of all backgrounds across the globe
6/Conveying Ideas
Pepe was so versatile it was drawn to express and convey difficult concepts in a simple way
Slowly becoming the internet's visual medium of choice
Pepe was so versatile it was drawn to express and convey difficult concepts in a simple way
Slowly becoming the internet's visual medium of choice
7/Social Media
With the creation of social media, Pepe quickly evolved into an internet meme
Gaining popularity amongst influencers and celebrities
With the creation of social media, Pepe quickly evolved into an internet meme
Gaining popularity amongst influencers and celebrities
8/4chan Fights Back
Due to the mainstream popularity 4chan members began to feel the symbol of their culture had been stolen
In response, they began efforts to turn Pepe into a hate symbol
Due to the mainstream popularity 4chan members began to feel the symbol of their culture had been stolen
In response, they began efforts to turn Pepe into a hate symbol
9/Offensive Imagery
They created tons of Pepe imagery linking it to racism, nazis, bigotry and other highly offensive meanings
With the goal of making Pepe too distasteful to use for anyone outside the 4chan community
They created tons of Pepe imagery linking it to racism, nazis, bigotry and other highly offensive meanings
With the goal of making Pepe too distasteful to use for anyone outside the 4chan community
10/Politics
Things escalated in 2015 when Pepe became linked with Donald Trump's presedential campaign
Trump Jr posted a parody of "The Expendables" on Instagram
In response to Hilary Clinton's comments that Trump supporters belonged in a "basket of deplorables"
Things escalated in 2015 when Pepe became linked with Donald Trump's presedential campaign
Trump Jr posted a parody of "The Expendables" on Instagram
In response to Hilary Clinton's comments that Trump supporters belonged in a "basket of deplorables"
11/Alt-right
A blog post on Hillary's website criticised the use of the cartoon, calling it a "symbol associated with white supremacy"
Although Trump Jr. denied any knowledge of this
The media ran with it, seemingly sealing Pepe's fate as a symbol of the alt-right
A blog post on Hillary's website criticised the use of the cartoon, calling it a "symbol associated with white supremacy"
Although Trump Jr. denied any knowledge of this
The media ran with it, seemingly sealing Pepe's fate as a symbol of the alt-right
12/Hate Symbol
Pepe was officially labeled a hate symbol by the @ADL in 2016
although the league stated most instances of Pepe were not used in a hate-related context
mic.com/articles/15531…
Pepe was officially labeled a hate symbol by the @ADL in 2016
although the league stated most instances of Pepe were not used in a hate-related context
mic.com/articles/15531…
13/Esquire
In a Sep 2016 interview with Esquire, Furie responded to Pepe's usage as a hate symbol:
"It sucks, but I can't control it more than anyone can control frogs on the Internet”
His publisher, Fantagraphics also condemned the "illegal and repulsive appropriations"
In a Sep 2016 interview with Esquire, Furie responded to Pepe's usage as a hate symbol:
"It sucks, but I can't control it more than anyone can control frogs on the Internet”
His publisher, Fantagraphics also condemned the "illegal and repulsive appropriations"
14/Time Op-ed
In a Time op-ed later that year Furie wrote,
"I understand that it's out of my control, but in the end, Pepe is whatever you say he is, and I, the creator, say that Pepe is love"
time.com/4530128/pepe-t…
In a Time op-ed later that year Furie wrote,
"I understand that it's out of my control, but in the end, Pepe is whatever you say he is, and I, the creator, say that Pepe is love"
time.com/4530128/pepe-t…
15/#SavePepe
Soon after Matt decided to team up with the ADL in an effort to reclaim Pepe
Furie called on other artists to support the cause starting the SavePepe social media campaign
Soon after Matt decided to team up with the ADL in an effort to reclaim Pepe
Furie called on other artists to support the cause starting the SavePepe social media campaign
16/What's next
In Part 2 of this series we will look at the salvation of Pepe and the creation of #Rarepepes
Part 3 will go into detail on the lessons #CC0 projects can learn from the Pepe story so far and how we can use the Pepe Principles to spot successful NFT projects early
In Part 2 of this series we will look at the salvation of Pepe and the creation of #Rarepepes
Part 3 will go into detail on the lessons #CC0 projects can learn from the Pepe story so far and how we can use the Pepe Principles to spot successful NFT projects early
17/Prominent Pepe Collectors/Artists
@CozomoMedici @batzdu @Vince_Van_Dough @MattKaneArtist @CryptoAM17 @devonfigures @punk6529 @iamDCinvestor @a_marrast @MannayWorld @BasqKek @TurboNerd5 @seelawrie @btcking90 @GmLmty @Darkfarms1 @PepeSamboo @parvizmayelzade @olliesblog @OhhFkn
@CozomoMedici @batzdu @Vince_Van_Dough @MattKaneArtist @CryptoAM17 @devonfigures @punk6529 @iamDCinvestor @a_marrast @MannayWorld @BasqKek @TurboNerd5 @seelawrie @btcking90 @GmLmty @Darkfarms1 @PepeSamboo @parvizmayelzade @olliesblog @OhhFkn
18/Collectors/Artists cont
@krybharat @Debussy100 @ScrillaVentura @pepe @pepeintern @0xlilPepe @ovsupermanvo @age_6_pepe @TBB2710 @C4RDlNAL @Jono61145535 @mikekarnj @cyph3rpunk5 @rarepangolin @0xBaba23 @financenewsguy @CryptoPidgey @RoaringAuctions @DavinciNine @ROCCOmeta01
@krybharat @Debussy100 @ScrillaVentura @pepe @pepeintern @0xlilPepe @ovsupermanvo @age_6_pepe @TBB2710 @C4RDlNAL @Jono61145535 @mikekarnj @cyph3rpunk5 @rarepangolin @0xBaba23 @financenewsguy @CryptoPidgey @RoaringAuctions @DavinciNine @ROCCOmeta01
19/TL;DR
1. Boy's Club
2. Feels Good Man
3. 4chan
4. Virality
5. Conveying Ideas
6. Social Media
7. 4chan Fights Back
8. Offensive Imagery
9. Politics
10. Alt-right
11. Hate Symbol
12. Esquire
13. Time Op-ed
14. SavePepe
15. What's next
1. Boy's Club
2. Feels Good Man
3. 4chan
4. Virality
5. Conveying Ideas
6. Social Media
7. 4chan Fights Back
8. Offensive Imagery
9. Politics
10. Alt-right
11. Hate Symbol
12. Esquire
13. Time Op-ed
14. SavePepe
15. What's next
20/Thanks for reading❤❤❤
If you enjoyed this thread:
▪︎Follow me @davincithreads for more
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