Gopher was created for Disney's Winnie the Pooh films, first appearing in Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree in 1966, and was not in A. A. Milne's original books. Howard Morris provided his distinctive, fast-talking voice for decades. The character is known for his tunneling work and his whistled speech, and his startled yells became a reusable cartoon staple. Clips of the scream later circulated on soundboards and in meme edits, where Disney fans and editors reuse it for any sudden, silly panic moment.