Kulikitaka began as a merengue song performed by Dominican artist Toño Rosario, built around its nonsense-like repeating title phrase. The track found a second life online when short clips of its hook spread on TikTok around 2020, where users paired it with choreographed dances, pet videos and quick costume changes. Its simple syllables are easy to remember across languages, and the relentless tempo makes even a few seconds feel complete. That combination helped the audio move beyond one dance trend into a general shorthand for carefree, high-energy fun.