In the Studio Ghibli film Kiki's Delivery Service, the camera ぐるぐる (guruguru) around Kiki as she struggles to control her broom and fly. The word's repetition emphasizes her disorientation and near falls early in her training. The animation style further enhances the effect; the whirling sensation is almost palpable for the viewer.

The term appears in the video game The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time when Link is dizzy. After being hit by an enemy, a ぐるぐる graphic appears on screen to show that he's disoriented. The word gives an instant emotional cue to the player about Link's state. The game uses a literal spinning visual to match guruguru's meaning.

In the popular manga series One Piece, the character Sanji's eyes often become ぐるぐる when he sees a beautiful woman. The swirling effect conveys his lovesick state. This visual is iconic; it's a shorthand that instantly conveys his personality and over-the-top reactions to the readers.

The core of ぐるぐる lies in its mimetic quality; it very closely mimics the act of turning. This makes it instantly understandable, even without knowing the definition. The repetition within the word reinforces the action. The 'to' particle gives it additional force. This combination of an easy-to-grasp concept, paired with a visually evocative effect, helped make the word culturally sticky.

The move from a word used to describe a physical action (like turning) to expressing more abstract concepts (like dizziness or infatuation) helped it cross into everyday speech. The word's flexibility is key. In addition to physical actions, ぐるぐる expresses being lost in thought, confused, or even just feeling overwhelmed, allowing it to apply to a large range of situations. Its commonality within pop culture made it acceptable to use. Once common in media, it was only a matter of time before it gained traction among the general population and became a standard term.