The losing horn comes from The Price Is Right, the long-running American television game show that first aired in 1972 with host Bob Barker and later Drew Carey. Its descending brass cue was played when contestants failed a pricing game, quickly becoming one of the show's most recognised sounds. Clips of the cue spread online through meme edits, reaction videos and soundboards, where it moved beyond the show to signal any public mistake, bad guess or disappointing result in everyday situations.