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.
Alternate Names: Honk Honk, Clown Pepe
The Clown Pepe image is one of several Pepe the Frog variations that have developed a particularly strong association with white supremacy. The Clown Pepe image, which emerged in the late 2010s, features the frog character with a rainbow wig, a red clown nose, and a bowtie.
Soon after its appearance, white supremacists appropriated the image, making their own variations of it, including numerous animated videos featuring the character uploaded to YouTube and other platforms. They also gave the character its own name, Honk Honkler, intended to resemble the names of Heinrich Himmler and Adolf Hitler (including use of the phrase “Heil Honkler”). Others, primarily on the discussion platform Reddit, created several subreddits (since banned) with thousands of subscribers to create a fictional world for the character. These venues spread the meme widely, with some people referring to being “honkpilled.”
The videos, memes, and online threads created a shared language and universe, in which white people were “frens” (baby-talk for “friends”) and non-whites were “non-frens.” To “bop” someone was to kill them or do violence to them; some Reddit threads included “Advice on bopping non frens?” and “I’m ready to bop the nonfrens, frens.” On videos, a honking sound being played often similarly signified violence. A theme employed in a number of Honkler videos was to show someone disgusted or upset with the ostensibly degenerate world around them (often referred to as “Clownworld”) who encounters Honkler and “embraces the honk,” afterwards becoming willing to engage in violence. Many Honkler videos have featured anti-transgender imagery or language.
The heyday for the Honkler meme was the period 2019-2020, fueled by the Honkler-related subreddits. After Reddit banned them, use of the meme decreased somewhat. However, it can still easily be found on platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube. Honkler-related items—such as shirts, stickers, and patches—are sold on a number of prominent internet platforms. Some uses of the Honkler meme may escape moderation and removal because their intended meaning is not always immediately obvious to the casual observer.
Despite the strong association the Clown Pepe image has had with white supremacy and intolerance, one should examine all Pepe images carefully in the contexts in which they appear.
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