Nelson Muntz is the school bully in The Simpsons, the long-running animated sitcom that began in 1989, and his pointed ha-ha became one of the show's most quoted catchphrases. The laugh is used in the series whenever Nelson spots someone else's embarrassment, which made it easy to lift out of context as a standalone reaction. It later spread through meme pages, reaction videos and soundboards, where it works without any explanation because most viewers already know the joke. That instant recognition keeps it in regular use for fails, roasts and ironic celebrations of bad luck.