"Beep, beep" isonomatopoeia representing a noise, generally of a pair of identical tones (beeps) following one after the other, often generated by amachine or device such as acar horn. It is commonly associated with theRoad Runner (commonly interpreted as "meep meep") inLooney Tunes cartoons featuring the speedy-yet-flightless bird and his constant pursuer,Wile E. Coyote.Beep, Beep is the name of a 1952Warner Bros. cartoon in theMerrie Melodies series.
Chuck Jones, the creator ofRoad Runner, has stated that this sound, the only way the Road Runner can harm the Coyote, was inspired by hearing aDoppler-like effect as background artistPaul Julian imitated acar horn when he could not see where he was going.[1] Julian voiced the various recordings of the phrase used throughout the Road Runner cartoons, although on-screen he was uncredited for his work. Although commonly quoted as "meep meep",Warner Bros., the current owner of all trademarks relating to the duo, lists "beep, beep" as the Road Runner's sound, along with "meep, meep." According to animation historianMichael Barrier, Julian's preferred spelling of the sound effect was either "hmeep hmeep"[2] or "mweep, mweep".[3]
In 1978, Warner Bros. recycled the Road Runner's "beep, beep" sound for its television series,Wonder Woman, which featured a tiny robot-on-wheels named Rover who makes the "beep, beep" sound on occasion. It only appeared in the second-season episode "I.R.A.C. is Missing".
So popular was the image of road-burning speed inspired by the Road Runner, that Plymouth (a division ofChrysler) namedone of their V8-powered "muscle car" models after the cartoon bird. The car was fitted with Road Runner decals and a horn that made the well-known "beep, beep" sound when activated.
The Road Runner cartoon also later became associated withTime Warner's Road Runner cable internet service.
In comic books, the Road Runner's actual name was given as "Beep Beep".[4] In theSimpsons episode "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show",Homer Simpson meets a character – not Julian – named June Bellamy (herself a tribute to voice actressJune Foray), who says she recorded the sound of the Road Runner. She comments, "They only paid me to say [meep] once. Then they doubled it up on the soundtrack." The couch gag featured in anotherSimpsons episode, "Smoke on the Daughter", featuresMaggie Simpson imitating the Road Runner's "beep, beep" sound after the rest of theSimpson family runs into the painting of a fake couch created by Wile E. Coyote.[5]
"Beep, Beep" ("The LittleNash Rambler") was a song which utilized the "beep, beep" sound in a tempo-changingnovelty record recorded bythe Playmates in 1958. The record became a #4hit on theBillboardTop 40 record chart for twelve weeks. The lyrics tell the story of how the beep-beep horn of the "Little Nash Rambler" following close behind the driver of a Cadillac infuriates him into going ever faster—but the Rambler driver keeps pace with the Cadillac, in order to yell out of his window to the Cadillac driver in the final line of the song, "Hey, buddy, how can I get this car out of second gear?"[6]
Actually the title is somewhat of a misnomer; the actual 'beep beep' sound you just heard the Road Runner make was made by a background painter named Paul Julian, who used to make it in the hallways at Warner Brothers when he was carrying a large painting along, so people would get out of his way. Chuck Jones heard him make that - orTreg Brown I guess, actually, the sound effects wizard at Warner Brothers - heard him make that noise and suggested that they record that for the Road Runner, and it's been the standard Road Runner noise ever since.
Even though the expression was spelled 'beep beep' on the screen, and that the word 'beep' was used in many subsequent Road Runner cartoon titles, Paul Julian insisted that the correct spelling was 'H-M-E-E-P"; 'hmeep hmeep', rather than 'beep beep'. But obviously after dozens of Road Runner cartoons, and other appearances of the Road Runner and Coyote in other media, with the word 'beep' attached, it's much too late to make any change in that spelling.
Paul Julian said that the actual spelling of that should be something more like 'M-W-E-E-P'; 'mweep mweep' as opposed to 'beep beep'. But 'beep beep' it is on screen here and 'beep beep', as far as 99.9% of the world is concerned, it still is.
For the record, he was known as Beep Beep the Road Runner in the original comic.