Top 10 Small Details in The Big Bang Theory You Never Noticed

You have to watch the show through a microscope to spot these. Welcome to Watchmojo.com and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Small Details in The Big Bang Theory You Never Noticed.

For this list, we’ll be looking at details in the show that are so subtle you probably didn’t even know they were there.

#10: Vanity Cards

If you haven’t yet done so, it’s worth hitting pause at the end of the credits to see show creator, producer and writer Chuck Lorre’s trademark vanity cards. They provide insight into Lorre’s train of thought and can be about anything that crosses his mind including life observations, politics and of course, “The Big Bang Theory”. He thought about retiring the concept for a while, as announced in a card after ‘The Hook-Up Reverberation’, but bought them back with a tribute to Leonard Nimoy. These vanity cards have been Lorre’s stamp on many of his shows and you can catch up on reading them on his website.

#9: Blossom References

Long before Mayim Bialik joined the cast, Raj suggests that the gang recruit ‘TV’s Blossom’ to join their Physics Bowl team after kicking Sheldon out; however, this isn’t the only Blossom throwback in the show. In season six Amy and Sheldon draw up a Venn diagram of couples costume ideas for Halloween and Amy has suggested going as ‘Blossom and Joey’. Of course, this idea doesn’t quite fall into Sheldon’s comfort zone but we can’t help but wonder how Sheldon would fare trading in his signature ‘Bazinga’ for Joey’s iconic ‘Whoa!’

#8: Sheldon’s YouTube Name

Sheldon Cooper considers himself to be a prominent vlogger due to his web series ‘Fun with Flags’ so of course it would make sense that he would have his own YouTube account. In season three, Penny and Leonard show a hungover Sheldon his drunk antics from the night before as captured on a YouTube video that’s gone viral. It’s such a tiny detail and barely noticeable but on the right hand side of the screen, you can see that Sheldon’s username, OB1 - a reference to his Jedi hero, Obi Wan Kenobi.

#7: Amy’s Apartment Number

This is one of those blink and you’ll miss it Easter eggs. When Amy lived in her own apartment before moving in with Sheldon, the more eagle-eyed viewers among us may have noticed that Amy’s apartment number, 314, refers to the first three digits of Pi - to two decimal places, of course. In a similar nod, even the biggest Trekkie may not have noticed that Star Trek actor Wil Wheaton lives at number 1701 - a shout out to the registry number for the Enterprise in “Star Trek: The Next Generation”.

#6: The Indiana Jones Anomaly

To keep the show authentic, the producers hired UCLA’s Physics professor, David Saltzberg to be their on-set science consultant, responsible for checking the accuracy of all those equations on the whiteboards. Unfortunately, in a classic copycat error, the show lifted an equation from Raiders of the Lost Ark that one sharp-eyed fan proved was completely wrong. It looks like the Indiana Jones franchise could have used their own science consultant but also makes us wonder how this blunder went unnoticed by Sheldon, or Dr. Saltzberg for that matter.

#5: The Apartment Flag

When Leonard moved in with Sheldon, he learns that apartment 4A has a flag which features a gold lion rampant on a field of azure. In the flashback episode, Sheldon explains the apartment rules to his new roommate including an introduction to the flag and instruction that it should be turned upside down in times of distress. We only actually see him physically turn the flag upside down once but on other occasions when things in the apartment become unsettled, the magnetic version can be spotted upside down again on the fridge.

#4: Penny’s Fridge

Like many fridges, Penny’s is cluttered with photos, memos and magnets but if you zoom in on those photos you’ll find that they show actress Kaley Cuoco posing with the cast and crew and that the photos are taken both on set or show her enjoying a fun day out with friends. Meanwhile, one reporter on a set tour noticed that in the hallway, a photo of Carol Ann Susi, who played Howard’s mother and sadly died of cancer in 2014, has become a permanent fixture in a touching and fitting tribute.

#3: Sheldon’s T-Shirts

Sheldon excels at many things but understanding emotions is not one of them. While we’ve seen him try to rectify this issue with technology, the costume team have actually handled his own expressions of emotions since the pilot. When Sheldon is feeling angry or distressed, he tends to put on a red T-shirt; when he’s happy or showing affection he’s in purple; green means bravery; blue signifies hope; orange is greed; and yellow shows fear. Now that we know this, we don’t think we will ever be able to unsee it again.

#2: Judge Kirby

You probably need to have some knowledge of the Marvel universe to get this one. While Leonard, Howard and Raj excitedly head off to the comic book store where the legendary Stan Lee is doing a signing, Sheldon has to attend court for a traffic violation hearing. The name of the judge, J. Kirby, nicely ties into the story as it’s a reference to Jack Kirby who collaborated with Stan Lee on comics such as “The Hulk”, “The Fantastic Four” and “X Men”. Since Stan Lee guest stars in this episode, it’s an especially nice touch.

#1: The Significance of the Number 73

While all the other picks on our list are things that you may have noticed while re-watching your favourite moments, there’s a good chance this one flew under your radar. Throughout the series, Sheldon can be seen wearing a T-shirt that features the number 73, and in the 73rd episode, explains his attachment to the number. Then again, Raj also makes a pretty good point about his favourite number! But Sheldon’s has a more personal significance, since it’s also actor Jim Parsons’ birth year - 1973. It’s another careful little detail in a show full of ‘em.