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His death was both a filicide and a mercy killing. His creator Matt Furie, having seen the rudderless, soulless troll meme Pepe had become, illustrated him in an open casket in a one-page comic strip released in conjunction with Free Comic Book Day. Pepe was 12. Born as an innocent comics character in 2005, Pepe led a troubled life. He emerged as a favorite -- and mostly harmless -- meme of message boards and Internet wastrels in the 2010s, but his legacy took a hard downturn when he became an unholy experiment for far-right trolls during the 2016 election.

While it's nearly impossible to pin down a singular message from the political Pepes, the general feeling was one of trolling sadism and mischief. Remorseless social media users appropriated his image as Adolf Hitler, a Klansman and racist caricatures. Pepe was deployed again and again to represent beliefs that sometimes upset others, and he was often used to ridicule overly sensitive "snowflakes" or those with liberal or "social justice" views.

He also became closely tied with the self-identified "Deplorables," Donald Trump supporters who saw no reason to apologize for their views and in fact seemed to gain energy from others' hatred of them.

Even Trump himself re-tweeted a depiction of Pepe in 2015, though it was before the meme became closely associated with blatant nativism and xenophobia.

Isolated sections of message boards like 4chan and Reddit became hot crucibles of Pepe memery, bubbling forth with depictions both obscenely bigoted and benignly irritating.

Furie even launched a campaign to reclaim Pepe from hate groups. But it was too late.

Le Pen's image had been insinuated into countless Pepe memes, an extension of the creeping, unapologetic far-right ideology that Pepe had come to embody. In fact, many noted that "Pepe Le Pen" had a convenient cadence to it.

Hence, the problem with trolls. They're less like the monsters under a bridge and more like a hydra: One you lop off one head three more appear, and all of them look like something you once loved.

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Pepe, the sometimes-racist Internet frog, is dead - CNN.com

Andrew Knight holds a sign of Pepe the Frog, a conservative icon, during a rally in Berkeley, California, on April 27, 2017.

Getty

The cartoonist who created Pepe the Frog has killed off the character in a rebuke to far-right extremists who transformed a benevolent internet meme into a racist, anti-Semitic symbol.

A Pepe cartoon released Saturday in comic book stores shows Matt Furie's creation in an open casket. Furie didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment Monday.

In a Time magazine essay last year, Furie described Pepe as "chill frog-dude" who debuted in a 2006 comic book called "Boy's Club" and became a popular online subject for user-generated mutations.

But internet trolls hijacked the character and began flooding social media with hateful Pepe memes more than a year before the 2016 presidential election. Pepe became a tongue-in-cheek symbol of the "alt-right" fringe movement and its loosely connected brand of white nationalism, neo-Nazism and anti-immigration.

Pepe memes promoting Donald Trump's presidential campaign became so ubiquitous that Trump himself tweeted an image blending his likeness with the cartoon frog in October 2015.

Pepe the Frog also took off after pop singer Katy Perry tweeted the following as a "sad frog" meme:

The Anti-Defamation League branded Pepe as a hate symbol in September 2016 and promoted Furie's efforts to reclaim the character, with a social media campaign using the "#SavePepe" hashtag.

"That's a huge challenge," said Oren Segal, director of the ADL's Center on Extremism. "It just didn't pick up."

Segal said he doubts Pepe's cartoon death will erode his iconic status with the "alt-right" movement.

Richard Spencer, a white nationalist who popularized the term "alt-right," said it could have the opposite effect.

"The artist isn't in control of his work once it enters the culture in the way it has," Spencer said.

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"Pepe the Frog," a cartoon character turned internet meme, has been added to the Anti-Defamation League's database of hate symbols. To see why, w...

Kyle Bristow, a Michigan attorney who founded a self-described "alt-right" nonprofit educational group called the Foundation for the Marketplace of Ideas, said he already has seen a meme depicting Pepe as Jesus rising from the dead.

"The Republicans have an elephant. The Democrats have a donkey. The alt-right has a cartoon frog," Bristow said with a laugh.

Furie wasn't amused by how his creation became an "icon of hate," calling it a "nightmare" in his Time essay.

"Before he got wrapped up in politics, Pepe was an inside-joke and a symbol for feeling sad or feeling good and many things in between," 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."

Fantagraphics, which published "Boy's Club," also published the one-page strip in which Furie killed off Pepe. Fantagraphics spokeswoman Jacq Cohen said she would be surprised if Furie never draws Pepe again but she hadn't discussed his plans for the character with him.

"This whole Pepe co-opting experience has been pretty rough on Matt as an independent artist," Cohen said.

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Cartoonist kills off Pepe the Frog after character linked to ...

Pepe the Frog, whose likeness becamea troll meme, has croakedat the age of12.

His spirit may live on in bigoted corners of the internet, but creator Matt Furie confirmed the frogs death Saturday with an illustration of his funeral.

It is not clear how Pepe passed.

Furie shared the news on his Tumblr along with a link to an Comic Book Resources article eulogizing Pepe.

While its unlikely Pepes official death will stop extremists from co-opting his image, this was, perhaps, the most effective way for Furie to reclaim his character; Pepes soul has returned to his creator. Rest in Peace, CBR author Shaun Manning said.

Pepe the Frogs life started innocently as a cartoon in Furies Boys Club comic, but somewhere along the way, he ended up falling into a bad crowd.

On social media, Pepestarted to become associated with white supremacists, neo-Nazis and the alt-right, particularly during the 2016 election.

Eric Reynolds, an associate publisher at Fantagraphics, which published the funeral illustration in an anthology, said that Furie had become troubled by the turn the cartoon had taken.

I think the strip was less about saying Pepe the Frog is dead because Pepe is a fictional cartoon character and more about him just sort of processing everything thats going on Reynolds told the New York Times.

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Pepe the Frog dies at age 12 | New York Post - nypost.com

The cartoonist who created Pepe the Frog has killed off the character in a rebuke to far-right extremists who transformed a benevolent internet meme into a racist, anti-Semitic symbol.

A Pepe cartoon released Saturday in comic book stores shows Matt Furie's creation in an open casket. Furie didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment Monday.

In a Time magazine essay last year, Furie described Pepe as "chill frog-dude" who debuted in a 2006 comic book called "Boy's Club" and became a popular online subject for user-generated mutations.

But internet trolls hijacked the character and began flooding social media with hateful Pepe memes more than a year before the 2016 presidential election. Pepe became a tongue-in-cheek symbol of the "alt-right" fringe movement and its loosely connected brand of white nationalism, neo-Nazism and anti-immigration.

Pepe memes promoting Donald Trump's presidential campaign became so ubiquitous that Trump himself tweeted an image blending his likeness with the cartoon frog in October 2015.

The Anti-Defamation League branded Pepe as a hate symbol in September 2016 and promoted Furie's efforts to reclaim the character, with a social media campaign using the "#SavePepe" hashtag.

"That's a huge challenge," said Oren Segal, director of the ADL's Center on Extremism. "It just didn't pick up."

Segal said he doubts Pepe's cartoon death will erode his iconic status with the "alt-right" movement. Richard Spencer, a white nationalist who popularized the term "alt-right," said it could have the opposite effect.

"The artist isn't in control of his work once it enters the culture in the way it has," Spencer said.

Kyle Bristow, a Michigan attorney who founded a self-described "alt-right" nonprofit educational group called the Foundation for the Marketplace of Ideas, said he already has seen a meme depicting Pepe as Jesus rising from the dead.

"The Republicans have an elephant. The Democrats have a donkey. The alt-right has a cartoon frog," Bristow said with a laugh.

Furie wasn't amused by how his creation became an "icon of hate," calling it a "nightmare" in his Time essay.

"Before he got wrapped up in politics, Pepe was an inside-joke and a symbol for feeling sad or feeling good and many things in between," 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."

Fantagraphics, which published "Boy's Club," also published the one-page strip in which Furie killed off Pepe. Fantagraphics spokeswoman Jacq Cohen said she would be surprised if Furie never draws Pepe again, but she hadn't discussed his plans for the character with him.

"This whole Pepe co-opting experience has been pretty rough on Matt as an independent artist," Cohen said.

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Pepe the Frog Killed Off After Becoming Hate Symbol | Time.com

Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press 4:45 a.m. ET May 9, 2017

Pepe the Frog, a cartoon character turned Internet meme, has been added to the Anti-Defamation League's database of hate symbols. USA TODAY

Andrew Knight holds a sign of Pepe the frog, a conservative icon, during a rally in Berkeley, California on April 27, 2017.(Photo: JOSH EDELSON, AFP/Getty Images)

The cartoonist who created Pepe the Frog has killed off the character in a rebuke to far-right extremists who transformed a benevolent internet meme into a racist, anti-Semitic symbol.

A Pepe cartoon released Saturday in comic book stores shows Matt Furies creation in an open casket. Furie didnt immediately respond to an email seeking comment Monday.

In a Time magazine essay last year, Furie described Pepe as chill frog-dude who debuted in a 2006 comic book called Boys Club and became a popular online subject for user-generated mutations.

But internet trolls hijacked the character and began flooding social media with hateful Pepe memes more than a year before the 2016 presidential election. Pepe became a tongue-in-cheek symbol of the alt-right fringe movement and its loosely connected brand of white nationalism, neo-Nazism and anti-immigration.

Pepe memes promoting Donald Trumps presidential campaign became so ubiquitous that Trump himself tweeted an image blending his likeness with the cartoon frog in October 2015.

The Anti-Defamation League branded Pepe as a hate symbol in September 2016 and promoted Furies efforts to reclaim the character, with a social media campaign using the #SavePepe hashtag.

Thats a huge challenge, said Oren Segal, director of the ADLs Center on Extremism. It just didnt pick up.

Segal said he doubts Pepes cartoon death will erode his iconic status with the alt-right movement.

READ MORE:

Pepe the Frog declared a hate symbol by Anti-Defamation League

Richard Spencer, a white nationalist who popularized the term alt-right, said it could have the opposite effect.

The artist isnt in control of his work once it enters the culture in the way it has, Spencer said.

Kyle Bristow, a Michigan attorney who founded a self-described alt-right nonprofit educational group called the Foundation for the Marketplace of Ideas, said he already has seen a meme depicting Pepe as Jesus rising from the dead.

The Republicans have an elephant. The Democrats have a donkey. The alt-right has a cartoon frog, Bristow said with a laugh.

Furie wasnt amused by how his creation became an icon of hate, calling it a nightmare in his Time essay.

Before he got wrapped up in politics, Pepe was an inside-joke and a symbol for feeling sad or feeling good and many things in between, Furie wrote. I understand that its out of my control, but in the end, Pepe is whatever you say he is, and I, the creator, say that Pepe is love.

Fantagraphics, which published Boys Club, also published the one-page strip in which Furie killed off Pepe. Fantagraphics spokeswoman Jacq Cohen said she would be surprised if Furie never draws Pepe again but she hadnt discussed his plans for the character with him.

This whole Pepe co-opting experience has been pretty rough on Matt as an independent artist, Cohen said.

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Pepe the Frog croaks: Cartoonist kills off character that ...