Ugandan Knuckles began as a VRChat meme in early 2018, built around a distorted, squat version of Knuckles the Echidna from Sega's Sonic series. Players using the avatar would swarm virtual worlds asking other users if they knew the way, and clips of the character quickly spread across online video platforms and social media. Singing and other vocal variations followed as fans remixed the voice and personality for jokes and edits. The character remains recognisable years later because the design and voice are instantly parodied and easy to drop into short videos.