Nickel is a contestant in Battle for Dream Island, the animated object show created by Cary and Michael Huang that began on YouTube in 2010. The character later appeared in Battle for BFDI and The Power of Two, where his nervous reactions became a running gag among fans. Short clips of object show voices are widely reused on soundboards and in fan edits, and this scream spread in that context. Its brevity and clear panic keep it popular for memes, pranks and reaction videos.