As Hill editor and Right Richter blogger
Will Sommer pointed out last week, the rise of Groyper may be indicative of an ideological division within the right-wing internet. Whereas Pepe the Frog has become relatively popular, even among moderate Trump supporters, Groyper appears to appeal to more ardently racist and xenophobic users like
Eli Mosley, the former CEO of white supremacist group
Identity Evropa.
The meme is primarily found on
4chan, extreme right-wing
Twitter, and Gab—the "free speech" alternative to Twitter. A Twitter search for Groyper-affiliated accounts turned up dozens of results, with incendiary usernames such as "Groyper by the Pussy" and "Je Suis Groyper." There are also a number of cryptic cartoons featuring the toad on
YouTube, the most-viewed of which is titled "Groyper Mesmerizes you to sleep."
As with Pepe, online posters usually customize the image.
Hulk Hogan even retweeted a Groyper version of himself, according to Sommer, though the former wrestler has since deleted it. While some variations appear to be innocuous, with Groyper dressed as the Grinch or Dracula, others reference far-right cultural touchstones. For example, here's a Groyper delivering Papa John's, which the
Daily Stormer endorsed as the official pizza of the alt-right: