The phenomenon of people holding up individual letters of a word and kerfuffling goes way back, apparently. This example is from 1910, in the Hampden-Sydney College Kaleidoscope yearbook.  (For some unbelievably weird yearbook imagery, see our How to Hoodoo Hack a Yearbook.)

Here's a precursor to Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, from Twycross's Redemption by Alfred Saint Johnston, 1888.  The caption reads, "Don't let us pretend that any longer, dear."

Here's a precursor to the "Fusilli Jerry" episode of Seinfeld.  It appears in The Jingle Book by Carolyn Wells and illustrated by Oliver Herford, 1899.

Here's Toto, 70 dog years before the debut of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.  From Home Life on an Ostrich Farm by Annie Martin, 1890.

Here's a precursor to the "What would Jesus do?" meme, from Christian Herald and Signs of Our Times, 1895.  The song is entitled, "What will You do with Jesus?"

Here's a precursor to the song "Walking with Scissors" by Gregory de Rocher's band Lowfish.  From The Comedies, Histories, Tragedies, and Poems of William Shakspere, 1851.

Here's a precursor to Playskool's roly-poly Weeble toys, 1971, from St. Nicholas magazine, 1912.  Illustration by Katherine Maynadier Daland.

Here's a precursor to M. C. Escher's Drawing Hands, 1948, from Haverford College Athletic Annual and 1900 Class Book.

Here's a precursor to the iconic "Blown-Away Man" photo, made famous in the Maxell ad campaigns.  From Cobb's Bill-of-Fare by Irwin Shrewsbury Cobb, 1913.

Which came first, the world of typewriter art or the, um, art of the typewriter world?  Our illustration of the typewriter world appears as an ad in Rod and Gun, 1891.

Here's a precursor to "No means no."  The caption reads, "'Does that mean, No?' Mr. Henley called after him."  From Blind Love by Wilkie Collins and illustrated by A. Forestier, 1890.

Yes -- here's a precursor to the Pac-Man ghost surrounded by -- what else? -- pac-dots/pellets, from Histoire de Saint-Chamond by James Jean Pierre Condamin, 1890.

We commonly use Latin words, known as Lorem Ipsum, as dummy text, but back in the day, simple chicken scratch sufficed.  Our illustration appears in The Comedies, Histories, Tragedies, and Poems of William Shakspere, 1851.

Dictionary.com traces the expression "to have a monkey on one's back" to 1930s narcotics slang, but we can do ever-so-much better with this illustration from Old and New London by Walter Thornbury, 1873.

From La Vuelta al Mundo; Viajes Interesantes y Novísimos Por Todos los Países con Grabados Por los Mejores Artistas, 1864.

Here are prototypes of the novelty Groucho nose-and-glasses disguise, twenty-two years before Groucho's birth, from The 5 Alls by Thomas Hood, 1868.  Why no mustache?  It's to be painted on, naturally!

Here's a precursor to the Ghostbusters theme (with the catchphrase, "I ain't afraid of no ghost"), from Thrilling Life Stories for the Masses, 1892.  The caption reads, "'I'm not afraid of no old ghostesses,' said Harold."