Banana Joe comes from the 1982 Italian comedy film of the same name starring Bud Spencer, a popular star of action comedies in the 1970s and 1980s. Spencer plays a kind hearted banana trader whose simple life is disrupted by bureaucracy and villains, a setup built around physical humour and his screen persona. Clips and references to the film later circulated on meme soundboards, where the name and cheerful tone became a shorthand for goofy, good natured comedy among fans of classic European cinema.