Talking Tom first appeared as the star of Outfit7's virtual pet apps in the early 2010s, where players could talk to the animated cat and hear him repeat phrases back in a squeaky voice. Short clips of his laughs and reactions were soon lifted into memes, reaction videos and short-form edits, where his instantly recognisable tone did much of the comic work on its own. The ho ho ho version stuck because it sounds both festive and mocking, making it useful far beyond Christmas content, and it continues to circulate as a quick, lighthearted reaction sound.