The cash register ka-ching has been a pop culture shorthand for money for decades, heard in cartoons, commercials, game shows and shop scenes long before soundboards existed. As editing moved online, creators lifted the familiar bell and drawer noise as a standalone meme sound to mark purchases, profits and expensive reveals. Its meaning is understood instantly across languages, which keeps it popular for short-form video, streams and reaction edits where a visual gag needs a clear, funny audio cue in under a second.