Wile E. Coyote (also known simply as "The Coyote") an the Road Runner are cartoon characters from a series of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons, created by animation director Chuck Jones in 1948 for Warner Brothers. The characters went on to star in a long-running series of theatrical cartoon shorts and occasional made-for-television cartoon. The E never refers to a name within the context of the cartoon, but a 1975 comic has it standing for 'Ethelbert'. Although his last name is routinely pronounced with a long "e" as in the real-life animal (e.g. "ky-O'-tee"), in at least one case, he has been heard pronouncing it with a long "a" (e.g. "ky-O'-tay", To Hare is Human) in an attempt to sound refined or intelligent.