Millions of TikTok users are searching “bing bong” to find and use the viral audio. The popular video’s catchphrase quickly made its way over to Twitter and has become the newest mainstream mantra. While many people assume that “bing bong” is just a fun internet phrase, it’s actually a niche New York reference that has recently spread all over the world.
Where Did “Bing Bong” Come From?
The original video was shot on October 20 outside of Madison Square Garden in which a crowd of screaming fans celebrates the Knicks beating the Celtics in double-overtime.
The cameraman lets different people in the group go one-by-one as they say hilarious quotes in celebration. One fan says “we have de Blasio, we have Cuomo, it was rough shit, but we have the Knicks!” While the crowd jumps around him. Amid the chaos, a camera captures a berserk fan saying the famous words “Bing bong!”
How Did “Bing Bong” Get Popular?
Bing Bong has since been a recurring catchphrase used on Sidetalk, the social media channel that calls itself “New York’s one-minute street show,” which recorded and posted the original video.
@sidetalknyc
Sidetalk is run by two NYU film students named Jack Byrne and Trent Simonian. Since Sidetalk’s first YouTube video in October 2019, the duo has amassed over 390,000 YouTube subscribers, 1.1 million Instagram followers, and 3.1 million TikTok followers.
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@sidetalknyc
“Bing bong” isn’t the only Sidetalk soundbite to develop a viral life of its own; the audio “What do you want to tell Joe Byron right now?” has been used as a sound in 39,000 TikTok videos and counting. It’s safe to say that Sidetalk’s video clips of New York have safely found its place in internet culture.
Some Of The Best “Bing Bong” References
Just the other day, Lil Nas X was honored with the Innovator of the Year award at Variety’s 2021 Hitmakers Brunch. There, he recruited fellow music artists Olivia Rodrigo, Jack Harlow, Normani, Tinashe, Anitta, Avril Lavigne, and Chloe Bailey for a TikTok video using the famous “Bing Bong” audio. “BING BONG!” Lil Nas X captioned the video compilation, quoting the viral catchphrase that originated on the online series.
@lilnasx BING BONG!
Basically since the video first appeared on TikTok, the catchphrase stuck. Users of Twitter and TikTok have made the most of the trend by embracing the fact that it’s all stuck in our head and a part of our dialect for the time being. Lil Naz even references how popular this became in interview with Audacy at their beach festival in Florida.
Me resisting the urge to say BING BONG every 30 seconds pic.twitter.com/RUxVZTPGG6
— Richy (@thiccardYT) December 1, 2021
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BING (and I cannot stress this enough) BONG
— ???????????????????? ???????????????? (@TheCourtKim) December 1, 2021
me yelling “BING BONG” for no reason every 5 mins pic.twitter.com/P2wGkkgPhl
— * ????yber ° (@CyberrQueen_) November 30, 2021
So, it looks like “Bing Bong” might be around for a while because the internet hasn’t tired of it yet. But it’ll be interesting to see how our new response to everything going forward is definitely going to be “Bing Bong.”
