Bazinga became famous as the catchphrase of Sheldon Cooper, played by Jim Parsons on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory, which ran from 2007 to 2019. Sheldon used the word after jokes and pranks to signal that he was not being serious, and repeated use turned a single gag into a defining part of the character. Clips and merchandise helped it spread far beyond the show, and it remains a shorthand online for a smug, nerdy punchline or a playful trick.