2TAKTARE.MP3

"2TAKTARE.MP3" is the sound byte created by Daniel Malmedahl, which inspired Erik Wernquist to create The Annoying Thing.

Creation

Created by a 17-year-old Malmedahl in 1997, 2TAKTARE was his imitation of the noises produced by a two stroke engine. He posted the sound byte online, catching the attention of a Swedish television researcher, who convinced him to perform the sound live on air. 2TAKTARE is a shorthand spelling of tvåtaktare, Swedish for "two stroker," referring to the kind of engine Malmedahl imitated.

After rapid spread on file sharing sites, the sound byte was quickly included in some Flash animations that spread virally among Internet users. One notable example was the "Insanity Test." This video tested subjects to keep a straight face while staring at a still photo of a Ferrari Formula 1 car while the sound effect was played.

In late 2003, Erik Wernquist encountered the sound effect and was inspired to create a 3D animated character based on the sound. This character became "The Annoying Thing," who later became Crazy Frog.