Chucky first appeared in Child's Play in 1988 as a doll possessed by the spirit of serial killer Charles Lee Ray, voiced by Brad Dourif, and his sinister laugh became one of the horror franchise's most recognisable trademarks across its sequels and later television series. As short horror clips spread on TikTok, YouTube and WhatsApp, the laugh was lifted as a standalone sound for pranks and memes, especially around Halloween. It endures because it is instantly recognisable even without visuals, signalling evil hidden inside something childlike in just a few seconds.