"Ay caramba" became widely known through Bart Simpson in the long-running animated television series The Simpsons, which debuted in 1989. The phrase turned into one of Bart's signature exclamations and spread far beyond the show through TV clips, memes, remixes and short reaction edits. It remains popular because the delivery is brief, expressive and instantly readable, so creators can use it to underline surprise, trouble or comic frustration in a single beat.