Hanna-Barbera cartoons helped popularise this kind of exaggerated impact, where a simple hit was given a comic sound far larger and sillier than real life. The studio's library effects were reused across many animated shows, which is why the style feels instantly familiar even when viewers cannot name a single episode. As those clips moved onto video platforms and meme edits, the bonk became shorthand for harmless slapstick, and editors still reach for it because it signals a joke immediately without needing dialogue or explanation.