Bazinga became the catchphrase of Sheldon Cooper in the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory, which ran from 2007 to 2019. Sheldon used it after jokes and tricks to announce that someone had been fooled, often when others did not realise he was joking. Clips of the line spread widely online during the show's run and after it ended, turning into a shorthand reaction for pranks and sarcastic reveals. It remains popular because the single word is distinctive, family friendly and understood even by viewers who never watched the full series.