Egg thieves first appeared in Spyro the Dragon, the 1998 PlayStation platform game starring the young purple dragon Spyro, where they appear as small blue thieves who steal dragon eggs and must be chased down before they escape. Their taunting giggle became a familiar cue for players, because catching a thief was often the only way to recover a stolen egg. The sound later spread beyond gameplay through short clips, reaction edits and soundboards, where its brief mischievous tone made it useful even for viewers who had never played the original game.