The clip comes from Smoked Hams, a Woody Woodpecker cartoon released on April 28, 1947, in which Woody is jolted awake by water splashed on him and responds with this long, stretching yawn. Like many classic cartoon sounds, it survived through reruns, compilations, and soundboard uploads, where editors isolated the yawn for reuse outside its original scene. It remains popular because the exaggerated, instantly recognisable Woody performance reads as tiredness without any dialogue, making it a handy shorthand for waking up, boredom, or reluctance in short-form videos and memes.