Top 30 Hilarious Big Bang Theory Running Gags

#30: Howard & His Mother Yelling

The dynamic between the mother and son of the Wolowitz family is one of the funniest on the show, and it’s due in large part to this ongoing gag. Running in tandem with the joke that we never really see Howard’s mom - which we’ll expand upon in another entry - the two must constantly yell back and forth to communicate throughout the house. This has led to some humorous interactions in which we see how much Mrs. Wolowitz treats her son like a child and how fed up Howard is with his living situation. This is made all the better by the fact that Howard’s eventual wife, Bernadette, is no stranger to yelling across the house as well - we’ll get to that later. Poor Howard can’t catch a break.

#29: Howard Talking About Being an Astronaut

When he’s not exhausting his vocal chords conversing with his mom, you can find Howard talking about engineering, girls, and all things ‘nerd.’ But, the topic that comes up the most for him is that he’s an astronaut. After his space trip, his friends are initially proud and excited for him. However, as time goes on and Howard continues to repeatedly mention that he’s been to space, the topic hilariously gets on everyone’s nerves. His friends even go so far as to intervene on his constant chatter about astronaut life, and insist he stop. Although this was an undoubtedly cool experience for him, we do kind of understand their perspective.

#28: Leonard’s Height

Leonard has his share of shortcomings, no pun intended, but there are a few that keep getting brought up by his friends, his wife, and even his mother. One of those is his height, which is really just slightly below average. But it gets brought up so much you’d think he was two feet tall. Whether he’s embracing it by dressing up as a hobbit or enduring the insults from his nearest and dearest, it’s fun for us to watch! We’re happy he doesn’t let his size, or his insecurities, stop him from reaching for the stars, though – how else would he have ended up with a PhD and a wife like Penny? That’s some short king energy.

#27: Raj Hating on His Culture

Howard has a good time making fun of his best friend, Raj, and he even does an impression of his accent, too. However, no one makes fun of India and all that it entails more than Rajesh Koothrappali himself. He talks about how spicy the food is, how overcrowded the streets are, and he has opinions about his parents meddling in his love life. He leans into and jokes about Indian stereotypes constantly, and his perspective on his own culture has led to some of the best one-liners in the show. After all, who doesn’t love some good, old-fashioned self-deprecating humor?

#26: Leonard’s Mom Loving Sheldon

Most mothers would be proud of their kid having a PhD, right? But if you’re Dr. Beverly Hofstadter, that statement couldn’t be more wrong. She basically has one emotion, and it’s as neutral as could be. She’s clearly a true scientist at heart, and fails to understand human feelings she deems unnecessary. This puts a strain on her relationship with Leonard, but makes her extremely compatible with Sheldon. They have way more in common; both seemingly robotically putting scientific endeavors above all else. When we see Beverly and Sheldon interact, we don’t know whether to laugh out loud, or cry at Leonard’s expense.

#25: Video Chatting With Raj’s Parents

Raj’s family becomes a prominent part of the series as it goes on, with his sister even moving to Pasadena and dating Leonard. His parents are quite involved, too, but they usually only interact with Raj through a computer screen. Because of that, their relationship becomes a running joke of awkward camera angles and bad internet connection. It’s especially funny when they try to enforce their strict rules on Raj from thousands of miles away. We’re sad we didn’t get to see more of them, because let’s face it, Raj’s parents contribute to some of the best moments on the series.

#24: A Hot Beverage

We have to give kudos to Sheldon. Despite his stilted social skills, there are moments where he genuinely tries to form human connections based on social norms he’s identified with. For example, he comes around to gift-giving, tries to be intimate with Amy at appropriate times, and even works hard to be a good host. The latter often includes him making the guest a hot beverage, and we giggle every time we hear the offer. The fact that he doesn’t say coffee or tea, and instead just goes with “hot beverage” shows how foreign and forced this is to him, which makes it that much funnier.

#23: Penny’s Check Engine Light

Sheldon likes things to be just so, and he’s uncomfortable when any little detail isn’t how it’s supposed to be. So, it’s no surprise that Penny’s ‘check engine light’ rubs him the wrong way. When she gives Sheldon a ride, he notes it’s lit up, but Penny is completely dismissive. It’s a comical interaction. So much so, “The Big Bang Theory” couldn’t resist bringing it up a few more times in the series. It’s also a perfect metaphor for Sheldon and Penny, since he is a textbook perfectionist and she very much just goes with the flow.

#22: Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock

These geniuses nerd out about absolutely everything, so we’re not shocked they even have their own semi-Star Trek inspired version of something as simple as Rock Paper Scissors. Whenever they need to make a decision, the fists come up and the confusing game begins. If that wasn’t funny enough, we can’t get over Sheldon’s lightning-fast explanation of the rules. Rock Paper Scissors on its own would obviously be too simple for them, but this version is still just a more complex game of chance. So, at the end of the day it’s really no different, which makes it all the more hysterical.

#21: Raj’s Selective Mutism

The gang’s resident astrophysicist has some memorable quirks, but the most prominent of them all is his initial inability to talk to women. In the beginning of the series, Raj can’t so much as utter a word in the presence of a girl. But, he later overcomes that with some liquid courage. Still it’s an ongoing issue that ebbs and flows throughout “The Big Bang Theory.” As you can imagine, it makes his relationship with Penny both hilarious and complicated. To say nothing of his dating life! It takes years before Raj is able to speak to a woman without consuming alcohol, and honestly, we sometimes missed the hijinx that came from his shy mutism.

#20: My Mother Had Me Tested

Sheldon is definitely an odd bird, and although he doesn’t want people to think he’s weird, most of them do. However, while some might also call him crazy, he has empirical evidence to the contrary. As he repeatedly assures us: We never find out much about these tests or what they were testing exactly. But not only does he consistently claim that his mother had him tested, Mrs. Cooper herself confirms this as well during one of her visits to Los Angeles. Maybe that specialist in Houston could have provided a little more insight.

#19: Leonard Is Lactose Intolerant

Being lactose intolerant isn’t fun, but thankfully Leonard isn’t intolerant to being mocked for it. Because if he was he would be in a constant state of flatulence that no amount of open windows would fix. Leonard’s short stature and his asthma are also brought up often, but it’s definitely his inability to digest dairy that is the most recurrent of the running gags related to his character. Sometimes Leonard brings it up, in too much detail, like on his first date with Penny. Frequently it’s the rest of the group that mentions Leonard’s dairy-induced big bangs though.

#18: “Soft Kitty”

Cats in general were a running theme throughout the series, from hypoallergenic calicoes to zazzy felines. But there is no cat-centric gag more prevalent and important than the Soft Kitty song. We first learn about the song in season one when Sheldon gets sick and the guys escape to a “Planet of the Apes” marathon, leaving Penny to care for him. While that’s the first time we hear the song, it’s definitely not the last. This gag keeps on running through season after season and even develops its own specific rules. Such as the fact that the song is only for when someone is sick and if you mess up you have to start again from the beginning.

#17: Sheldon Is a Robot

Okay, so we know that Sheldon isn’t actually a robot. Or at least we’re pretty sure he isn’t. And based on some questioning by Howard and Raj in season one, even they aren’t 100% convinced. What we all do know is that, while Sheldon may not be a robot just yet, he definitely wants to be one and is disappointed when he calculates that he won’t live long enough to make that happen. However, it does lead him to create a pretty cool Mobile Virtual Presence Device in an attempt to avoid the dangers of the outside world, as well as adding brussel sprouts to his diet. The latter of which causes him, and not Leonard, to be the flatulent roommate for once.

#16: Forgetting Stuart

When the series began, Stuart Bloom (yes, that’s his last name) was a confident, talented artist and proprietor of a comic book store. By season three, however, he has begun his regression into sad, depressed, loner Stuart. The poor guy gets stood up by stray cats and is happy to play dead just to be a part of a group activity. Although he becomes a series regular and a part of the gang, it’s a running joke that he is often forgotten about when activities are planned. Or, even when there’s some big news like Bernadette being pregnant.

#15: Sheldon & Sarcasm

Sheldon can add up the change under a couch cushion just by sitting down but he usually can’t recognize sarcasm when it’s staring him right in the face. This hole in his emotional IQ is something the writers have a lot of fun with throughout the series. Initially the humor is just in him having sarcastic comments go right over his head. But eventually Sheldon tries to improve, and starts to keep track of his stats when it comes to picking up on sarcasm. And it goes really well. For all the Sheldons out there…Yes, that was sarcasm.

#14: Howard Doesn't Have a PhD

As much as Leonard’s lactose intolerance and Sheldon’s not being “crazy” are mentioned throughout the series, there might be no single character point that gets brought up more than Howard’s lack of a PhD. Howard likes to tell people that engineers usually don’t get one, but that doesn’t stop the jokes from coming. For the most part, it was Sheldon commenting on Howard’s PhD-less level of education, but the other members of the group also got their jabs in during the show’s 12-year run. Even his loving wife chimed in on the matter.

#13: The WiFi Password

Maybe the most impressive thing we noticed in the show is the strength of the WiFi in Sheldon and Leonard’s apartment. Many of us have probably experienced weak WiFi in different rooms of our house, and yet on the fourth floor at 2311 North Los Robles Avenue (twenty three eleven north love roh-blezz avenue), the WiFi in the guy’s apartment is strong enough that Penny can use it in her unit across the hall. It might seem a tad unrealistic, but we’re okay with it because it leads to some very funny moments whenever Sheldon changes the WiFi password. Leonard can usually be counted on to give the new password though, and the formatting, at least, is always the same.

#12: Bernadette Sounds Like Howard's Mom

We got a little glimpse of this one early on in their relationship when Bernadette and Raj were bonding over teasing Howard. They poked fun at some of his favorite jokes and both did their impression of his mother. However, the next time we hear her do the voice, it isn’t in jest and it’s the beginning of this funny running gag. An added dimension to this is the fact that Howard doesn’t initially pick up on the fact that she sounds just like his mother. It isn’t until she yells at Sheldon and Leonard one night during dinner that it finally clicks.

#11: Howard & Raj Are a Couple

The running gag that Raj and Howard are a couple is hard to miss. Even Leonard’s mother sees it the first time she meets them in season two. Whatever the reason for it, this relationship is played up throughout the series after that. The two best friends often argue like a married couple and have gone as far as seeking professional help. They even kissed two times, once “virtually,” and they’ve felt each other up. We aren’t sure what base that would be for Bernadette, but it sure sounds like “first base” to us.

#10: Restraining Orders

One might not think of restraining orders as great comedic fodder, but on “The Big Bang Theory” not only are they played for laughs, but they are played on repeat throughout the series. We know Sheldon is harmless and definitely wouldn’t hurt anyone, especially his idols, but he can also be a little...let's call it persistent. It is this quality that led to a number of restraining orders filed against him. The ones from Leonard Nimoy and Carl Sagan are just mentioned on a few occasions, but we are witness to the ones filed by Bill Nye ‘The Science Guy,’ and Stan Lee.

#9: Amy Crushing on Penny

The growth of Amy Farrah-Fowler was one of the biggest character transformations on the show. When we first met her, she was a robotic, female version of Sheldon who only dated once a year to get her mother off her case, and disliked physical contact from anyone, even Penny. Cut to a few years later and she’s getting drunk in Vegas, writing sexy “Little House on the Prairie” fanfiction about Sheldon and totally girl-crushing on Penny. And Penny’s reactions, from awkward to flattered, take these running gags across the funny finish line.

#8: Penny Loves Wine

After 12 seasons of “The Big Bang Theory,'' we still didn’t know Penny’s last name, but we did know that she loves alcohol, particularly wine. She might not have a clean glass to drink it out of, but that won’t stop her from getting her buzz on. And Penny’s love for the grape juice that burns is often commented on and joked about throughout the series. It also serves as the catalyst for a few of the biggest moments on the show. Including her first ever kiss with Leonard and that ill-advised hook-up with Raj “Quick Draw” Koothrappali.

#7: Food Questions

Sheldon is a man of routines and habits, and when he finds something he likes he sticks to it. And that includes his food, as anyone who brings him his meal is sure to discover via a barrage of questions regarding its contents and preparation. While there are a few people who get the full questioning treatment, most of the time it’s Leonard on the receiving end. Leonard does get to turn the tables on his roommate one time though, and inundate him with questions. It’s a very happy moment for Lenny.

#6: “BAZINGA!”

No running gag or quote from the show has been entrenched into our pop culture lexicon more than “Bazinga!” If you don’t own a red t-shirt emblazoned with the word, know someone who does, or have seen someone wearing one then we assume you haven’t left your house in the last decade. The word was first uttered in the season two finale and remained a memorable staple, even making its way into the prequel, “Young Sheldon.” All to say, “Bazinga” was uttered many a time, but maybe the most memorable was the classic ball pit scene in which Sheldon, while evading Leonard, continuously pops up out of the balls and proclaims his signature catchphrase.

#5: Mrs. Wolowitz

From “Cheers” to “Home Improvement,” there is a history of television shows featuring a character whose face is never completely revealed to the audience. And “The Big Bang Theory” carried on that tradition with Howard’s mother Mrs. Wolowitz. Not only is her face never revealed, besides one brief moment passing by an open kitchen door, but she is never even seen on screen. Although, she is most definitely heard. As previously mentioned, her loud, wall-penetrating screams were an integral part of the show and a running gag that continued until the sad day she passed away.

#4: The Roommate Agreement

While a great laugh-filled running gag for fans of the show, the roommate agreement was anything but funny for Leonard. And in fact, was the cause of much of the anguish he had to endure for all those many years that he and Sheldon lived together. Now, some provisions probably didn’t cause Leonard much stress, like clauses for Zombie apocalypses and correct flag usage. However, there were many items in said agreement that did annoy and enrage Leonard and even led to him retaining a lawyer one time - albeit one that he was sleeping with. Schooled!

#3: Sheldon's Spot

It’s the singular location in space around which Sheldon’s entire universe revolves, and it is the running gag that began in the very first episode. It is of course Sheldon’s spot, and if you know nothing else about it, you know not to sit in it. And if you don’t know that, you find out pretty quickly as Penny did in the pilot episode. Sheldon’s spot is an ever present running gag that even extends beyond the apartment and to his parking spot at the university (the fact that he doesn’t have a car is irrelevant). It also leads to one of the most heartfelt gestures of the entire show when he gives his spot to Howard, even if it only lasts 94 seconds.

#2: Broken Elevator

On the surface there may not be anything inherently humorous about a broken elevator, but the fact that it’s broken does lead to some funny situations, often involving heavy items being carried up the stairs. This includes new furniture for Penny and a time machine for Leonard. The broken elevator with the crime scene tape across is a silent, yet ever present, character on the series. One that becomes so ingrained in the fabric of the show that when the elevator is finally fixed in the penultimate episode, it leads to one of the biggest audience reactions of the entire series.

#1: 3 Knocks

This is definitely one of the best jokes on the show, but it also is the one that almost never happened. If we go all the way back to the second episode of the series, the first time we ever see Sheldon knock on a door, he only knocks once! This one-knock anomaly aside, for the next 12 years his multi-knock obsession is a constant running gag. Like the broken elevator, Sheldon’s knocks become so important to the show that in season 10 he even confides in Penny the reason he does it and another burning fan question is answered. Now if only they would have told us Penny’s last name!

Which running gag always makes you laugh? Let us know in the comments!