Pepe the Frog, an internet meme, has become a symbol of the alt-right
Pepe the Frog, an internet meme, has become a symbol of the alt-rightTwitter/Lior Zaltzman

The Wendy's fast-food chain tweeted an image of Pepe the Frog, a cartoon character that has become a popular symbol for white supremacists.

The image, which was among a series of memes responding to customers celebrating the social media manager's smackdown of a tweeter questioning Wendy's claim that its burgers are never frozen, was removed Wednesday from the company's Twitter, less than a day after it was put up by the community manager.

"Our community manager was unaware of the recent evolution of the Pepe meme's meaning and this tweet was promptly deleted," read a tweet on the Wendy's feed.

The image had been tweaked to resemble the chain's mascot, a red pigtailed girl named Wendy.

Pepe, a character created for an online comic in the mid-2000s, was later co-opted by followers of the "alt-right," which advances an insular conservatism promoting white power. White nationalists attach Pepe illustrations to their Twitter handles or share doctored Pepe memes on anonymous internet message boards. The Anti-Defamation League has added Pepe to its database of hate symbols.