The clip spread through short-form meme editing where creators paired the familiar tic tac toe board with an exaggerated horror payoff, a format that fits easily into the wider scream meme tradition online. Its appeal comes from the mismatch between a simple childhood game and an intense vocal outburst, so viewers understand the joke even without context. Because the sound is under three seconds, it loops well into compilations, gaming edits and reaction videos, and it remains a quick shorthand for mock terror, surprise losses and deliberately overblown scares.