

If I had known that this was going to be such a big thing I would not have allowed them to use that stupid name. In an interview with HitQuarters, Wernquist expressed his displeasure at the choice of name: The animation received attention through filesharing and word of mouth and, when Ringtone Europe and Jamster België (now both merged into Jamba!) got wind of this, realizing the monetary possibilities through capitalizing on the underground cult-status, they licensed the rights to the creation, renaming it "Crazy Frog" and starting to market it in mid-2004. Wernquist was convinced, and gave credit to Malmedahl for his creation. He contacted Wernquist, apparently giving an impromptu performance to confirm his claims. Eventually, word reached Malmedahl that his impressions had been used in a now well-known animation studio. The animation was a popular attraction at Wernquist's website, but the sound was credited to "Anonymous". On 7 October 2003 he posted it on his website and on the CGTalk forum. Wernquist worked on the first animation in his spare time using the LightWave 3D modeling application, and the whole process took between six and eight weeks. In late 2003, another Swede, Erik Wernquist, encountered the sound effect and, not knowing about the previous incarnations of the sound, was inspired to create the 3D animated character he named "The Annoying Thing" to accompany it. The sound was adopted as the sound of a Formula One car as early as 2001 in the form of "Deng Deng Form" and later "The Insanity Test" both of which were a static background of a Ferrari Formula One car accompanied by the sound. After it debuted on television, recordings of his performance began appearing on file sharing networks and various websites under the filename "2TAKTARE.MP3" (" Tvåtaktare" is Swedish for "two stroker"). He posted this on a website and caught the attention of a Swedish television researcher, who convinced Daniel to perform the sound live on air.

In 1997, 17-year-old Gothenburg student Daniel Malmedahl recorded himself imitating the noises produced by a two stroke engine. On 10 December 2021, a new single, "Tricky" was released after a 12-year hiatus. A new album was announced later that same day. On 22 April 2020, a Twitter account for the character was created, and the account is listed on the official website, Facebook profile and YouTube channel.

The Crazy Frog also spawned many singles, a range of merchandise and toys, as well as two video games before going on hiatus in 2009. The subsequent album Crazy Frog Presents Crazy Hits and second single " Popcorn" also enjoyed worldwide chart success, and a second album entitled Crazy Frog Presents More Crazy Hits was released in 2006, as well as a third album, Everybody Dance Now, released in 2009. The Crazy Frog spawned a worldwide hit single with a cover version of the Beverly Hills Cop theme tune " Axel F", which reached the number one spot in Turkey, New Zealand, Australia and most of Europe. Marketed by the ringtone provider Jamba!, the character was originally created to accompany a sound effect produced by Daniel Malmedahl while attempting to imitate the sound of a two-stroke engine. Crazy Frog (originally known as The Annoying Thing) is a Swedish CGI-animated character and Eurodance musician created in 2003 by actor and playwright Erik Wernquist.
