Michigan J. Frog first appeared in the 1955 Looney Tunes short 'One Froggy Evening,' where he is discovered by a construction worker inside a time capsule. The humor stems from the fact that the frog is a world-class entertainer who sings 'Hello! Ma Baby' and 'I'm Just Wild About Harry' only when his owner is watching, but reverts to a silent, ribbiting frog whenever an audience is present. This dynamic has turned the character into a universal symbol for things that work perfectly in private but fail miserably under pressure or public scrutiny. The meme is frequently used to describe shy talents, unreliable technology, or situations where someone's true personality only emerges when they are alone.