Woody Woodpecker first appeared in the Walter Lantz cartoon Knock Knock in 1940, and his manic laugh quickly became his signature trait. In Spanish-speaking countries he was renamed El Pájaro Loco, and the character became a staple of dubbed cartoon broadcasts and home video. The laugh later travelled beyond television into online memes, reaction videos and short audio clips shared on messaging apps, where its short length made it easy to reuse. It remains popular because the sound is instantly recognisable even without seeing the character.