Pikachu has been the mascot of the Pokemon franchise since its debut in the 1990s, communicating almost entirely through variations of its own name. That simple pika pika chu pattern became one of the most recognisable character sounds in animation and games, helped by the long-running Pokemon anime and its many video games. Online, fans clipped the call for reaction videos, edits and memes, where its cuteness does most of the work. Decades later it still works because almost everyone recognises it instantly, even without any context.