Pepe the Frog, originally a laid-back character from Matt Furie's 2005 comic 'Boy's Club,' underwent a radical transformation that led to the Nazi Pepe Controversy during the 2016 US presidential election. As the character was increasingly adopted by alt-right groups and used in offensive contexts, the Anti-Defamation League eventually added it to their database of hate symbols, though they noted the character itself is not inherently bigoted. This sparked a global conversation about meme ownership and the ability of online subcultures to hijack symbols for political ends. Today, Pepe remains a polarized figure, serving as both a harmless 'feels good man' reaction image and a lightning rod for political debate across various social media platforms.