The squeak comes from Lend a Paw, a Mickey Mouse cartoon released in 1941, where classic Disney sound designers used everyday wooden props to create exaggerated movement noises. The short clip was later catalogued as a Hollywood Edge library effect, which helped it circulate beyond the cartoon itself and into wider cartoon and comedy editing. Creators still reach for it because that brief, dry scrape instantly reads as old-school slapstick, making it a handy shorthand for awkward motion in memes, animations and short-form videos today.