Rocky and Bullwinkle began as an American animated television series in 1959, created by Jay Ward and built around Rocky, a flying squirrel, and Bullwinkle, a good-natured moose. Their enemies, Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale, famously referred to the heroes simply as moose and squirrel, turning the plain description into a running joke. Reruns, home releases and online clips kept the phrase alive long after the original run, and it now works as shorthand for the duo themselves, instantly signalling classic cartoon mischief to fans old and new.