Saving Pepe From Hate (Archive)

**Carlyn Hill**February 7, 2017

The last thing you’d ever expect to become a symbol of hate would be a cartoon frog meme. But for Pepe the frog, a “peaceful cartoon frog-dude” created by Matt Furie, that’s exactly what happened. A reaction meme known for saying, “feels good/bad, man”, Pepe’s image was adopted by the alt-right during the 2016 presidential election. And while reaction memes more or less ‘belong’ to the internet and can be used to react to anything, creator Matt Furie, who created Pepe as a symbol of love, peace, and chillness, wasn’t about to stand for it.

Artist Matt Furie combated the hate by spreading the love with the hashtag **#SavePepe, where people have been creating their own positive Pepe art to help reclaim Pepe’s image. And recently, Matt Furie teamed up with[ SAVE THE FROGS!](http://www.savethefrogs.com/) on [an Artist Shop](https://savepepe.threadless.com/)** that donates all proceeds to help save both cartoon and real frogs alike.

We talked to Pepe creator Matt Furie and to Michael Starkey of SAVE THE FROGS! about their combined causes, the Pepe ordeal, and about how their Artist Shop is bringing good vibes to humankind and frogkind alike. Check out the interview below and find out more about how you can #savepepe and #savethefrogs!

First things first. Matt, what is Pepe’s origin story?

Matt: Pepe began as an artwork titled “Flight of the Peacefrog” that I made in 2004. It featured Pepe — an anthropomorphic frog in a colorful tracksuit — riding on the back of a bird. He came from my continued interest in drawing animal/human hybrids. People can relate to the frog because frogs are for everybody. They are a unique and beautiful cosmic wonder.

“Flight of the Peacefrog”

Matt, you said in an interview with The Guardian that Pepe, along with your other characters, is an extension of yourself — did Pepe’s use in hate groups feel more personal than the use of a meme typically might?

Matt: It’s a great reminder that we have a lot of work to do. I, along with many others, was living in a reality that celebrates American diversity and creates peace and love in our day to day lives. Pepe is a symbolic reminder that we still have a long way to go to help others along the path.

I just want to make some sweet shirts with cool art and help tip the scales in a positive way for both symbolic and actual frogs.

– Pepe creator, Matt Furie

Tell me about the SAVE THE FROGS! / Save Pepe Artist Shop. How did you choose which designs to feature in the Shop?

Matt: This is just the tip of the iceberg, I chose more bold and graphic images that were simple and looked good on the shape of a t-shirt. I will add more as they come along.

Top row: Calef Brown’s Pepe art on a beach towel, Peter Steineck’s Pepe art on a baseball triblend, and Michael Worful’s Pepe art on a weekender bag | Bottom row: Matt Leines’ Pepe art on a women’s muscle tank, Aiden Jimeno’s Pepe art on a zip pouch, and Devin Flynn’s Pepe art on a white tee.

How do you hope #SavePepe and this Artist Shop will change things, for people, Pepe, and frogs alike?

Matt: I just want to make some sweet shirts with cool art and help tip the scales in a positive way for both symbolic and actual frogs.

Calef Brown’s Pepe design.

Michael: Just as SAVE THE FROGS! stands up for amphibians, it is our hope that the #savepepe campaign can inspire individuals to stand up to hate. SAVETHEFROGS! works with people around the world to protect amphibian populations and we celebrate diversity; in fact, we love it. It will take a global movement to save the frogs, and hateful/divisive rhetoric will only make our mission that much harder to accomplish. Also, this shop will put Pepe — and all frogs — back into the public’s eye as a positive force for amphibian conservation!

Michael Worful’s Pepe design.

Matt: It’s just the latest thing. The internet has so many unintended consequences. I never imagined people would listen to albums on Youtube. It has not changed the way I work as an artist. Art, for me, is therapeutic and meditative. It’s a way to enjoy the moment and be in a happy place. As long as I can draw I’ll always have that happy place, no matter what nonsense is going on on the internet. It’s important to detach from all of this information and just enjoy drawing like I used to as a kid. That said, my art isn’t just flowers and rainbows. I’m working on a series at the moment about factory farming that features Miss Piggies being mutilated on industrial levels by terminators. A Hell on Earth.

Anything else you’d like to share?

Matt: You can follow me on twitter (@bigfroggreasy) to see the amazing #savepepe peace-frogs that I’ve collected so far. I’m looking forward to creating an “Official Peace Pepe Database of Love” that will feature all of the great art and credit the individual artists involved. Please send original peaceful Pepe’s to: hashtagsavepepe@gmail.com And shoutout to my #1 gal and best friend Aiyana Udesen for helping me through all of this and helping me pick out the t-shirt designs! #savepepe