Carl Wheezer is a main character in Nickelodeon's The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius, which aired in the early 2000s, voiced by Rob Paulsen with a famously nasally, nervous delivery. Clips of Carl panicking or tearing up were later ripped and shared as reaction sounds on forums, YouTube edits and soundboards. This gonna cry moment fits that trend, because his melodramatic sadness works out of context for any minor setback. It remains popular with fans who use nostalgia and exaggerated cartoon emotion as a quick, recognisable joke.