The sound comes from Super Mario Bros., released by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1985. It plays whenever Mario loses a life, and its simple descending melody became one of the most recognisable sounds in video games. As gameplay clips, speedruns and reaction videos spread online, creators began lifting the jingle as shorthand for any small failure. Its retro, cheerful tone keeps it popular in memes, edits and streams decades after the original game.