All the symbols depicted in the hate symbols database must be evaluated in the context in which they appear. Few symbols represent just one idea or are used exclusively by one group. For example, 100% is often used as an amount or an expression and it is also used by some white supremacists as shorthand for "100% white." Similarly, other symbols in this database may be significant to people who are not extreme or racist. The descriptions here point out significant multiple meanings but may not be able to relay every possible meaning of a particular symbol.
The Groyper image is one of several Pepe the Frog variations that have developed a particularly strong association with white supremacy. Groyper images typically feature a large green frog (or toad, some claim) featuring a smug expression, with interlaced hands resting below its face. Some images may display the creature in other positions.
The Groyper variation first emerged in the mid-2010s. As with other Pepe-related imagery, white supremacists appropriated the Groyper character, creating their own versions of it. By the end of the decade, however, its connection to white supremacy became much stronger, as followers of antisemitic and white supremacist internet broadcaster Nick Fuentes began adopting Groyper imagery and referring to themselves as Groypers. Many of them include the word Groyper in their screen names on social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) or may display a Groyper image as their profile pic. Fuentes’s followers quickly became known as the “Groyper Army.”
Though white supremacists may use unadorned or “basic” Groyper images, it is common for them to create images that feature the Groyper character in a context that more explicitly signifies hateful views, such as dressing the character as a Crusader, a Nazi, a Confederate, or a conquistador. Some variations display the character as a Jew, often with stereotypically Jewish features or in a negative context, while others may combine a Groyper with other hate symbols, such as a swastika or Sonnenrad.
Although the Groyper image now has a much stronger association with white supremacy than it originally did, not every appearance of it online necessarily denotes hate. The symbol should always be judged carefully in context.
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