Sheldon's quirks and catchphrases
Bazinga, soft kitty, knock-knock-knock-Penny. Sheldon's character is the show's distinctive engine.
Q1.What is Sheldon Cooper's catchphrase?Tap to reveal
Answer: Bazinga
Used when he's pulled a prank or made a joke.
Q2.What university do the main physicists work at?Tap to reveal
Answer: Caltech
The California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
Q3.What is Sheldon's specific seat on the couch?Tap to reveal
Answer: His 'spot' (left end facing the TV)
He claims it's the optimal viewing/airflow position.
Q4.How does Sheldon knock on Penny's door?Tap to reveal
Answer: Three sets of three knocks, saying 'Penny' after each set
One of his compulsive rituals; the show later gives it a backstory.
Q5.What song must be sung to Sheldon when he is sick?Tap to reveal
Answer: 'Soft Kitty'
He insists it's only for when he's ill, not for when others are.
Q6.What number does Sheldon declare the best number?Tap to reveal
Answer: 73
It's the 21st prime whose mirror 37 is the 12th prime — and Jim Parsons was born in 1973.
Q7.What document governs Sheldon and Leonard's living arrangement?Tap to reveal
Answer: The Roommate Agreement
Sheldon later drafts a Relationship Agreement for Amy too.
Q8.What internet show do Sheldon and Amy host together?Tap to reveal
Answer: Fun with Flags
Sheldon's earnest vexillology webcast is a running gag for several seasons.
Character relationships
Leonard + Penny, Howard + Bernadette, Sheldon + Amy, Raj's journey. The relationship trivia spans 12 seasons.
Q1.Who plays Sheldon Cooper?Tap to reveal
Answer: Jim Parsons
Won 4 Emmys for the role.
Q2.What is Penny's last name?Tap to reveal
Answer: Not revealed (later 'Hofstadter' after marrying Leonard)
Her maiden name was never canonically stated.
Q3.Who plays Amy Farrah Fowler?Tap to reveal
Answer: Mayim Bialik
A neuroscientist in real life; Amy is also a neuroscientist.
Q4.What US state is Penny from?Tap to reveal
Answer: Nebraska (Omaha)
She moved to California to become an actress and worked at The Cheesecake Factory.
Q5.How do Sheldon and Amy first meet?Tap to reveal
Answer: Through an online dating site — Howard and Raj set up Sheldon's profile
The algorithm match becomes the show's defining slow-burn romance.
Q6.Where do Leonard and Penny get married?Tap to reveal
Answer: Las Vegas
They elope in the Season 9 premiere, then redo the ceremony later.
Q7.What condition prevents Raj from talking to women for the first six seasons?Tap to reveal
Answer: Selective mutism — he can only speak to women after drinking alcohol
He finally overcomes it at the end of Season 6.
Q8.What are the names of Howard and Bernadette's two children?Tap to reveal
Answer: Halley and Neil Michael
Halley is named after Halley's Comet; the kids are famously never shown on screen.
Q9.What is the name of Raj's tiny Yorkshire terrier?Tap to reveal
Answer: Cinnamon
He treats her like a pampered child, to his friends' amusement.
Science, guest stars, and behind the scenes
Real scientists who guest-starred (Stephen Hawking, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Buzz Aldrin). The show was famously accurate about physics — trivia rewards science fans.
Q1.What was Howard Wolowitz's astronaut mission?Tap to reveal
Answer: Trip to the International Space Station
He's a NASA payload specialist in Season 5.
Q2.Which main character is the only one of the four guys without a doctorate?Tap to reveal
Answer: Howard — he has a master's in engineering from MIT
Sheldon needles him about it constantly.
Q3.Which legendary physicist appears in 'The Hawking Excitation'?Tap to reveal
Answer: Stephen Hawking
He points out an arithmetic error in Sheldon's paper, causing Sheldon to faint.
Q4.Who officiates Sheldon and Amy's wedding?Tap to reveal
Answer: Mark Hamill
The Star Wars actor appears in the Season 11 finale after Kripke drops out.
Q5.Who plays Sheldon's childhood TV hero, Professor Proton?Tap to reveal
Answer: Bob Newhart (as Arthur Jeffries)
The role won Newhart his first-ever Emmy in 2013.
Q6.What gift from Penny leaves Sheldon speechless — and earns her a rare hug?Tap to reveal
Answer: A napkin signed (and used) by Leonard Nimoy
Sheldon jokes he now owns Nimoy's DNA; the hug shocks everyone.
Q7.Who created The Big Bang Theory?Tap to reveal
Answer: Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady
It ran 279 episodes over 12 seasons (2007-2019).
Q8.Which band performs the show's theme song?Tap to reveal
Answer: Barenaked Ladies
The rapid-fire history-of-the-universe theme was written for the show.
Q9.What prize do Sheldon and Amy win in the series finale?Tap to reveal
Answer: The Nobel Prize in Physics
For their theory of super-asymmetry, developed across the final seasons.
Young Sheldon and the extended universe
The 2017-2024 prequel tied back to BBT. Young Sheldon trivia overlaps with BBT trivia for connected fans.
Q1.What is the name of Sheldon's spin-off show?Tap to reveal
Answer: Young Sheldon
Prequel about his childhood in East Texas; ran 2017-2024.
Q2.Who plays young Sheldon in the prequel?Tap to reveal
Answer: Iain Armitage
Adult Sheldon (Jim Parsons) narrates every episode.
Q3.Who plays Sheldon's mother Mary in Young Sheldon, and what's the casting twist?Tap to reveal
Answer: Zoe Perry — the real-life daughter of Laurie Metcalf, who plays Mary on The Big Bang Theory
Mother and daughter play the same character at different ages.
Q4.What nickname does Sheldon's Meemaw call him?Tap to reveal
Answer: Moon Pie
Because he's 'nummy-nummy' — Annie Potts plays Meemaw in Young Sheldon.
Q5.What is the name of Sheldon's twin sister?Tap to reveal
Answer: Missy
She appears in both The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon.
Q6.Which second spin-off followed Sheldon's older brother after Young Sheldon ended?Tap to reveal
Answer: Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage
The sitcom premiered in 2024, continuing the Cooper family universe.
Hard Big Bang Theory questions
Apartment lore, running gags, and deep-cut details that only 12-season veterans will remember.
Q1.What is the street address of Sheldon, Leonard, and Penny's apartment building?Tap to reveal
Answer: 2311 North Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena
The guys live in 4A; Penny lives across the hall in 4B.
Q2.Why has the building's elevator been broken since before the series begins?Tap to reveal
Answer: Leonard's experimental rocket fuel nearly exploded, and the container was thrown into the elevator shaft
A flashback reveals it; the elevator is finally fixed in the last season.
Q3.What nickname do Howard's fellow astronauts give him?Tap to reveal
Answer: Froot Loops
A teasing reference to his mother calling him home for cereal.
Q4.Who voiced Howard's loud, never-fully-seen mother?Tap to reveal
Answer: Carol Ann Susi
After Susi died in 2014, the show wrote Mrs. Wolowitz's death into the story.
Q5.How do Leonard and Sheldon meet Penny in the pilot episode?Tap to reveal
Answer: She moves in across the hall — right after the guys visit a high-IQ sperm bank they chicken out of
The pilot's opening scene sets the show's nerds-meet-normal premise.
Q6.Which recurring Caltech colleague with a speech impediment is Sheldon's workplace rival?Tap to reveal
Answer: Barry Kripke
His plasma-physics jabs and pranks run through most seasons.
Hosting BBT trivia
BBT trivia works for ages 20+. Run rounds by character, science topic, and quote-identification ('which character said...').
Trivio.NET has BBT packs in the Series category.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the most-asked BBT trivia?
Sheldon's quirks (knocks, soft kitty, spot on the couch), Penny's profession, and Howard's astronaut storyline.
Is BBT trivia good for non-science fans?
Yes — character relationships and catchphrases are universal. Skip the deep physics rounds for general audiences.
Where can I find BBT trivia packs?
Trivio.NET's Series category has BBT-specific packs by season, character, and science topic.
Should BBT trivia include Young Sheldon?
Mark clearly. BBT fans who didn't watch YS will miss its content.
What's the hardest common BBT trivia question?
Penny's maiden name — it's a trick question, since the show never revealed it in 12 seasons.
What's a good BBT tiebreaker?
Ask for the apartment building's full address (2311 North Los Robles Avenue) or the number of episodes (279) — closest answer wins.
