Bonk sounds like this have become a staple of online cartoon editing because they are instantly readable even without context. The spring element comes from classic slapstick sound design, where a stretched metal spring was used to exaggerate a hit or a boing, and that style carried over into meme videos, gaming edits, and short-form comedy. Creators reuse it because it works in under five seconds, signals a joke immediately, and pairs easily with animated reactions, fails, and playful knock-on-the-head gags across platforms.