Meme Pepe — from a simple drawing to the biggest internet cultural icon.

What makes Pepe images so special? It’s not because they’re pretty, but because they’re tied to emotions. When people look at Pepe images, they understand right away—sadness, anger, loneliness, or happiness.

Everything began in 2005. American artist Matt Furie drew Pepe in the comic Boy’s Club. At first, it was just a normal character, but then there was a scene where Pepe says “Feels good, man”—and that’s when the first meme was born.

In 2008, Pepe images appeared on 4chan. The community started editing, remixing, and creating countless versions—Sad Pepe, Smug Pepe, Feels Bad Man... Each variation carried a different emotion. That’s when Pepe became the shared language of the internet.

But not everything that happened with Pepe was positive. In 2015-2016, some right-wing political groups in Mỹ began using it in campaigns, even linking it to certain supporters. This sparked major controversy—even organizations that fight defamation put some Pepe versions on their lists of hate symbols. But it was the creator Matt Furie who objected to this use.

Then came the “Rare Pepe” era on 4chan—unique, rare versions, even collected and traded by the community like works of art. And when DeFi and NFT started to explode, Pepe images found a new lease on life. Crypto projects began creating tokens and NFT based on Pepe, with exclusive versions sold to fans.

Interestingly, Pepe continues to evolve. Someone might create “Pepe Zát”—a blockchain-philosophy version of it. Or create new rare Pepe images for their own community. This meme has proven that it’s not just a picture—it’s a vibrant cultural phenomenon, constantly changing and searching for new meaning.