Gru is the main character of Despicable Me, first released in 2010, where the former supervillain is known for his deep voice, thick accent and dry delivery. In Brazil, short edited moan audios called gemidinhos became a popular prank format shared especially through WhatsApp, played at high volume to embarrass the phone owner. This version attaches that format to Gru, and the humour comes from hearing such an unlikely, undignified noise linked to a character who usually sounds stern and in control.