Knuckles the Echidna debuted in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 in 1994 as the stubborn guardian of the Master Emerald, a serious rival to Sonic. Short voice clips of the character later circulated widely on soundboards and in meme edits, where a blunt admission of ignorance contrasts with his tough image. This I don't know cut became a reusable shrug response, shared in gaming chats and short videos whenever confidence collapses and nobody has an actual answer to offer.