The ringing cash register has been a piece of audio shorthand for money since mechanical tills became common in shops in the late nineteenth century, with the bell signalling that a sale had been rung up. Cartoons, television and film later turned that brief cha-ching into a visual and audio joke for wealth, greed and sudden profit, often paired with dollar signs in a character's eyes. Online creators kept the association alive, using the same short clip for hauls, sales, wins and payday jokes, which is why the sound still reads instantly even without any picture of a till.