Wile E. Coyote (also known simply as "The Coyote") and
The Road Runner are a duo of
characters from the
Looney Tunes and
Merrie Melodies series of
cartoons. In the cartoons, Coyote repeatedly attempts to catch and subsequently eat the Road Runner, a
fast-running ground bird, but is never successful. Coyote, instead of
his species' animal instincts, uses absurdly complex contraptions (sometimes in the manner of
Rube Goldberg) and elaborate plans to pursue his prey, which always comically backfire with Wile normally getting injured by the slapstick humor.