I just looked back at the history of Pepe the Frog and found that it’s actually much more complex than most people realize.

The story begins in 2005 when Matt Furie, an American artist, created this character in the comic Boy's Club. At that time, it was just an ordinary frog, but there was one detail that caught attention — in some strips, Pepe says "Feels good, man" while doing something quite natural. That phrase later became its first meme.

By 2008, this image appeared on 4chan and everything started to change. The community there began to get creative — adding different expressions, changing the catchphrases, creating Sad Pepe, Smug Pepe, Feels Bad Man, and many other versions. Pepe the Frog gradually became a universal symbol to express various emotional states — sadness, loneliness, anger, or happiness.

But then things got more complicated. Around 2015–2016, some right-wing political groups in the U.S. started using Pepe the Frog in their campaigns, even linking it to specific political support. This sparked major controversy — even the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) included some versions in their hate symbol list. Matt Furie had to speak out against this because he never intended for his character to be misused in such ways.

But interestingly, Pepe the Frog didn’t die out. On 4chan, the concept of "Rare Pepe" emerged — limited edition, unique versions of the meme, even traded like digital collectibles. And as the crypto community grew, Pepe the Frog was reborn again — this time as NFTs and tokens. There are projects built entirely around Pepe, using Counterparty and other blockchains.

I think this is a fascinating example of how a simple image can become part of internet culture, undergo unexpected transformations, and ultimately find a new community in the crypto space. If someone wants to create their own version of Pepe the Frog for their community — maybe a blockchain-themed version or something unique — it’s completely feasible in today’s era.