Top 10 Things You Didn't Notice in Sheldon & Leonard's Apartment
#10: Textbooks
With the large bookcase situated right behind the couch in Sheldon and Leonard’s place, it’s hard not to notice all of the books. But, besides the geology book that Sheldon drunkenly goes to bed with one night, picking out specific books from the shelf is pretty much impossible. However, there was one book on that shelf that had a direct connection to one of the other cast members. For those that aren’t aware, Mayim Bialik has a PhD in neuroscience, and as she told CNN, “One of my actual genetics textbooks is in the guys’ apartment”!
#9: “Raiders of the Lost Ark” White Board
You know those white boards the guys have all over their apartment? You’ve probably always wondered if all those formulas and equations were good science, but when you look at them you feel like Sheldon did when he saw the final question at the Physics Bowl. Well, we can tell you that the show had a science consultant and that the science on those boards was ALWAYS correct. Except for one time. In the episode where Amy ruins “Raiders of the Lost Ark” for everyone, one of the white boards has an equation copied from Professor Jones’ blackboard in the film. The equation doesn’t make sense, but they left it as is, as an ode to the movie.
#8: Apartment "Foray"
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Fans of the show know that Penny lives in apartment 4B and that Sheldon and Leonard live across the hall in apartment 4A. No big revelations there, right? Well, according to some fans, 4A is actually an easter egg and it has nothing to do with the number and letter, but about what it sounds like when you say it out loud. 4A sounds like the word “foray,” which is defined by Oxford Languages as “a sudden attack or incursion into enemy territory, especially to obtain something; a raid.” Another fan theory posits that “foray” is actually a nod to voice actress June Foray who was the voice of Rocky the Flying Squirrel from “The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show,” and a few characters in the “Frosty the Snowman” special. Both television productions have been mentioned on “The Big Bang Theory.”
#7: That Poster in the Hallway
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As we saw in the Flashback episode, Sheldon’s apartment decor was much more, shall we say minimalist, before Leonard moved in. However, one of the few decorative touches that was already present was that poster on the wall in the hallway leading to the bathroom and bedrooms in the back of the apartment. But what is it? Turns out it’s a poster of the electromagnetic spectrum, which is, to quote the encyclopedia Britannica, “the entire distribution of electromagnetic radiation according to frequency or wavelength.” And not to get all sciency here, but there is some relationship between the spectrum and the Doppler effect, which we’re all familiar with from Sheldon’s season one Halloween costume.
#6: The Real Address
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So, we all know that Sheldon and Leonard live at 2311 North Los Robles Avenue in Pasadena, California. Or, “311” should you happen to have shown up on the day that Sheldon removed the “2” in an attempt to escape Amy Farrah Fowler and avoid having to meet her mother. But we digress. In reality, regardless of when you showed up, you would find yourself standing in the middle of an intersection rather than in front of an apartment building. Because, while there is a North Los Robles Avenue, the numbers on said street that would correspond to the real life general area where the building is situated within the sitcom’s reality don’t go as high as 2311.
#5: The Window
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How many windows are in the main living space of the apartment? There’s the huge one on the back wall that Sheldon cracked trying to scare away a bird. And there’s the one in the kitchen that we hardly ever see, but we know it exists because of its part in creating the cross-breeze that perfectly hits Sheldon’s spot on the couch. But there’s a third window that never gets any love. The one on the left-hand side of the hallway leading to the back rooms. But don’t feel bad if you never noticed it, as it’s pretty much always covered by long blue curtains… which we assume were Leonard’s idea since they weren’t there in the flashback episode.
#4: The Flag Magnet
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Canada has the maple leaf, the United States has the Stars and Stripes and Sheldon and Leonard have a [“gold lion rampant on a field of azure”]. We’re first introduced to the apartment flag in the flashback episode when the guys are going over the roommate agreement. We also learn that it’s to be flown upside down only when the apartment is in distress - an example of which occurs a little later on in the same episode. But, during various episodes when there’s something distressing going on with Sheldon, you’ll notice that the flag magnet on the fridge will be upside down, too. For example, look behind Sheldon's shoulder while Amy ruins “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and you’ll see that lion standing on his head.
#3: That Thing on the Big Post
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While you might not have known that the poster on the wall was of the electromagnetic spectrum, at least you knew it was a poster. However, we’re pretty sure we aren’t the only ones who’ve been staring at that thing on the post in the apartment for 12 seasons, asking ourselves, “what the hell is that?” Okay, technically it wasn’t 12 whole seasons, as the item didn’t appear until episode two, but regardless the question still remains: what is it? If you’re screaming at this video, “It’s an antique fuse holder with fuses,” then you’d be correct - and there’s no need to yell. As for why it’s there, supposedly one of the set dressers found it and thought it would look cool - at least according to one of the show’s special DVD features.
#2: Carol Ann Susi Photo
Actress Carol Ann Susi played Howard’s mother on the show for eight seasons and never once did her face appear on screen. However, after she passed away from cancer in 2014, Carol’s face was on screen in every episode of the last four seasons of the show, although you probably didn’t even notice it. To honor the actress, whose voice had been such an important part of the series, a small photo of Susi was put on the side of the guys’ fridge. This was done by the producers reportedly “so that she would always remain with them.”
#1: Aquaman Doing a “Star Trek” Salute
Aquaman is definitely not the most beloved of superheroes, and yet Sheldon has two action figures of him. The one we see Stewart trick him into buying ends up with a security camera inside it. The other one - and no, we aren’t counting Raj’s costume - is actually up on the shelf above the big window in the back of the apartment, along with Batman, Robin and others. And the super cool thing about that latter, as Will Wheaton told CNN, is that he “is articulated so he’s doing the Vulcan “Live long and prosper” salute.” And while we’re talking action figures, we have to mention the limited edition Luke Skywalker in StormTrooper disguise that appears on the bookshelf behind the couch in season three.
