The phrase comes from the Oh Long Johnson talking cat, a home video clip that spread widely online after viewers heard the cat's natural meowing as a string of English sounding phrases including oh long Johnson, oh Don Piano and why I eyes ya. The clip was later referenced in television comedy and kept circulating as a reaction sound on forums, video edits and soundboards. Its appeal has lasted because the mumbling still sounds oddly human, so each short fragment works on its own as a baffled, muttered response.