Feels Bad Man grew from Pepe the Frog, a character created by Matt Furie for the comic Boy's Club, first published in 2005. The phrase became a popular caption for the drooping-eyed frog on forums such as 4chan, where it was used to express disappointment, embarrassment and sympathetic sadness. As Pepe spread across social media, the image became a universal reaction to bad luck and failed plans, and short audio versions now give creators the same instant shorthand in videos, streams and meme edits.