This type of cartoon hammer sound is associated with slapstick sound design popularized in classic American animation, especially the exaggerated hit effects people often describe as Looney Tunes style. Online, it spread because creators needed a quick, readable impact cue for bonks, pratfalls, and visual punchlines. It stays popular in short-form edits because the sound is instantly understood, easy to time, and works in the same comic role as a vine boom sound or a punch sound, but with a lighter, more playful tone.