Pepe the Frog: A Short Explainer

If you’ve wondered how a friendly cartoon frog suddenly became a white supremacist symbol, here is a quick explainer.

Pepe the frog wasn’t always a Nazi sympathizer. The friendly amphibian started off as as a comic drawing by Matt Furie, which took off in the MySpace era, becoming one of the most popular memes on Tumblr in 2015.

The symbol was then co-opted by former Ku Klux Klan imperial wizard David Duke.

Also Read: Anti-Defamation League Blasts Donald Trump Jr.'s 'Out of Line' Holocaust Joke

After Hillary Clinton’s campaign called Pepe “a symbol associated with white supremacy, Duke lashed out, saying it was the “#LyingPress and #LyingCrookedHillary” who turned “an innocent frog into a symbol of hate, shameful.” (Yes… Because that’s what’s shameful).

But it was Donald Trump’s son who made Pepe a Nazi star when he posted a Photoshopped image to Instagram featuring Pepe earlier this month. Junior later claimed he had no idea what the frog meant. But critics say Trump Jr. knew exactly what he was doing, pointing to the fact that Junior has had a long history of playing footsie with white supremacists.

Pepe was even mentioned by Richard Spencer, president of the National Policy Institute — a white nationalist think-tank — as a way to wink at fellow white supremacists.

Asked to explain how the cartoon became a neo-Nazi mascot, Spencer told a reporter that Pepe was simply a “smug frog” who’s “willing to speak the truth.”

Also Read: Are Hitler-Trump Comparisons Fair? A Holocaust Survivor Tells His Son

But the truth is, the frog’s creator is hoping Pepe might outgrow his Neo-Nazi rebellious stage, telling the Washington Post recently, “I think he’s on a weird manifestation right now… It’s unfortunate that he’s peaking nationally in the news in this really negative way, but I think it’s just a phase.”

The more you know… *cue shooting rainbow and star.

Related stories from TheWrap:

Donald Trump's Anti-Hillary Clinton Image Previously Shared on White Supremacist Site

Why Do White Supremacists Love Donald Trump? Ex-KKK Grand Wizard Explains

Trump Gives White Supremacist Radio Show Full Press Credentials, Interview With Son