The Road Runner is a Looney Tunes character known for outrunning Wile E. Coyote in a series of short cartoons that began in the late 1940s. His two-note beep became his calling card, signalling that he was about to vanish at impossible speed while his pursuer was left empty-handed. The sound survived through television reruns, home video and later online clips, where editors reused it as shorthand for a quick getaway. Its brevity and instantly recognisable tone keep it useful for short-form comedy today.