Bazinga

Bazinga (spelled "Buzzinga" in the subtitles of DVD releases) is a word used by Sheldon Cooper to signal that what he said immediately before this utterance was to be taken as a joke. In later seasons, it becomes something of a catchphrase.
The word "Bazinga" was first used in the season 2 season finale, "The Monopolar Expedition" and last in Season 12 episode 4, "The Tam Turbulence". (Seasons 6 and 7 are devoid of it.) By this time Sheldon has developed a mediocre sense of humor and instead uses a peculiar form of laughter instead – both literally and sarcastically.
Notable episodes with Bazinga! include S05E07 "The Good Guy Fluctuation" (Leonard, who had just broken up with Priya via laptop camera/microphone, then gets frightened by Sheldon rising from his hiding spot under the cushions "Bazinga, punk. Now we're even.") and S03E14 "The Einstein Approximation" (Leonard unsuccessfully tries to pull Sheldon out of a ball pit, Sheldon keeps bobbing his head up to taunt Leonard with "Bazinga!" before hiding back down in the ball pit).
Jim Parsons has been quoted as crediting former The Big Bang Theory writer Stephen Engel as the one who came up with the word Bazinga for Sheldon's catchphrase.
Though not a true Bazinga, it was mentioned once in Season 9. Penny used it after Sheldon mentioned that he planned to have sex with Amy. She waited a few moments for the Bazinga, but was wrong.
On January 4, 2011, Warner Bros, the company behind the making of The Big Bang Theory, filed for a registered trademark for the catchphrase, becoming effective on April 24, 2012. https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=85210239&caseType=SERIAL_NO&searchType=statusSearch
==Origin==
The phrase originated in the Young Sheldon episode "A Stunted Childhood and a Can of Fancy Mixed Nuts", with Sheldon being afraid of being a lonely weirdo when he grows up, he goes to a comic book store to ask the cashier if they have items to which he can goof off, the cashier points to a stand where it's revealed, Sheldon sees a stand with the name Bazinga and the catchphrase "If it's funny, It's a Bazinga!", from then on, he continues to use "Bazinga" as his goofy catchphrase.
==Episodes using the term "Bazinga"==
=== Young Sheldon ===
S2E23 "A Stunted Childhood and a Can of Fancy Mixed Nuts"
(1)
Sheldon: Dad, would you care for a piece of gum?
George: No, thank you.
Sheldon: Please, take the piece of gum.
George: Why?
Sheldon: Just please.
(George takes it but it is revealed to be prank gum)
Sheldon: Bazinga. (runs)
(2)
Sheldon: (knocks) Georgie, (knocks) Georgie.
Georgie: What?
Sheldon: Would you like some salted mixed nuts?
Georgie: Nah.
Sheldon: Look, they're the fancy kind.
Georgie: That's a trick can.
Sheldon: No, it's not, listen when you shake it, It make's a rattling sound as if nuts are inside. (shakes the can)
Georgie: Fine.
(Georgie opens the can and fake snakes pop out, Sheldon screams)
Sheldon: Bazinga. (runs)
(3)
(Sheldon calls Billy)
Sheldon: This is the electric company.
Billy: Hello.
Sheldon: I'm calling to see if your refrigerator is running.
Billy: I'll go check (checks)
Billy: I'm back, it's running.
Sheldon: Well then you better go catch it. Bazinga.
(4)
(Sheldon calls Meemaw and Dr. Sturgis while they're making out on the couch, they both stare while Sheldon talks)
Sheldon: Hello, um, Meemaw, this is Sheldon. If you were home, I was going to say "Is Mr. Wall there?", and then you would say no, and then i would say "Is Mrs. Wall there?", and then you would say no, and then i would say "Well, if there are no walls then how does your roof stay up?". Um, okay. Bazinga.
(5)
(right after Sheldon's call)
Missy: That was pathetic.
Sheldon: It was, I'm not sure i'm cut out for these antics and shenanigans.
Missy: I guess you're gonna grow up to be a weirdo.
Sheldon: I suppose i am. Life is so confusing, I always hoped it would be easier for me when i grew up but, now i'm not so sure it will.
Missy: It's gonna be alright.
(Missy sits on the couch but a whoopee cushion causes a flatulence sound)
Missy: (removes the couch cushion and takes the whoopee cushion) You were faking?
Sheldon: (stands up) Bazinga. (walks away proudly)
Adult Sheldon: And that's how i became the madcap prankster all my friends know and love.
=== The Big Bang Theory ===
S02E23 "The Monopolar Expedition"
(1)
Sheldon: You actually had it right in the first place. Once again, you've fallen for one of my classic pranks. Bazinga!
(2)
Sheldon: Leonard, you may be right. It appears that Penny secretly wants you in her life in a very intimate and carnal fashion.
Leonard: You really think so?
Sheldon: Of course not. Even in my sleep-deprived state, I’ve managed to pull off another one of my classic pranks. Bazinga!
(3)
Sheldon: Did you bring the dehydrated low-sodium soy sauce?
Leonard: Check.
Sheldon: Freeze-dried spicy mustard?
Leonard: Check.
Sheldon: Flash-frozen brown rice, not white?
Leonard: Uh, oh, sorry.
Sheldon: Not to worry. I hid it. Bazinga! You're in my spot.
----
S03E03 "The Gothowitz Deviation"
(1)
Sheldon: You know, I’ve always wanted to go to a goth nightclub.
Howard: Really?
Sheldon: Bazinga! None of you ever see my practical jokes coming, do you?
(2)
Sheldon: There's just no pleasing you, is there, Leonard? You weren't happy with my previous approach to dealing with her, so I decided to employ operant conditioning techniques, building on the work of Thorndike and B.F. Skinner. By this time next week, I believe I can have her jumping out of a pool, balancing a beach ball on her nose.
Leonard: No, this has to stop now.
Sheldon: I'm not suggesting we really make her jump out of a pool. I thought the “Bazinga” was implied.
(3)
Leonard: What could she possibly be talking about for so long?
Sheldon: Obviously, waitressing at the Cheesecake Factory is a complex socioeconomic activity, that requires a great deal of analysis and planning. Bazinga.
----
S03E04 "The Pirate Solution"
Sheldon: So, that's what you wear to an interview?
Raj: Come on, dude, we’ve been friends for years.
Sheldon: Oh, pulling strings, are we?
Raj: Sheldon, for God's sakes, don't make me beg.
Sheldon: Bazinga! You've fallen victim to another one of my classic practical jokes. I'm your boss now. You may want to laugh at that.
----
S03E10 "The Gorilla Experiment"
Sheldon: Howard?
Howard: Yeah?
Sheldon: Your shoes are delightful. Where did you get them?
Howard: What?
Sheldon: Bazinga! I don't care.
----
S03E14 "The Einstein Approximation"
(1)
Leonard: (trying to retrieve Sheldon out of the ball pit.) Sheldon, come here!
Sheldon: (Bobs head out of ball pit) Bazinga! (Bobs head out of ball pit) Bazinga! (Bobs head out of ball pit) Bazinga! (Bobs head out of ball pit) Bazinga! (Bobs head out of ball pit) Bazinga!
(2)
Leonard: (trying to retrieve Sheldon out of the ball pit.) Sheldon, come here.
Sheldon: (Bobs head out of ball pit) Bazinga! (Bobs head out of ball pit) Bazinga! (Bobs head out of ball pit) Bazinga! (Bobs head out of ball pit) Bazinga! (Bobs head out of ball pit, out of breath) Bazinga!
----
S03E18 "The Pants Alternative"
Sheldon: All right, you people ready to have some fun? You have a basic understanding of differential calculus and at least one year of algebraic topology? Well, then here come the jokes. Why did the chicken cross the Mobius strip? To get to the same side. Bazinga!... All right, a neutron walks into a bar and asks, how much for a drink? The bartender says, for you, no charge. Hello?
----
S03E20 "The Spaghetti Catalyst"
Penny: So, how you been?
Sheldon: Well, my existence is a continuum, so I’ve been what I am at each point in the implied time period.
Penny: You're just coitusing with me, aren't you?
Sheldon: Bazinga!
----
S03E21 "The Plimpton Stimulation"
Howard: Yeah, um, I have a two-part question.
Sheldon: Go ahead.
Howard: A, are you kidding me? And B, seriously, are you freaking kidding me?
Sheldon: A, I rarely kid. And B, when I do kid, you will know it by my use of the word bazinga.
Howard: So you're saying the two of you are going to be sleeping in the same bed?
Sheldon: Yes... Bazinga!
----
S03E23 "The Lunar Excitation"
Leonard: Okay, we’ve got power to the laser.
Sheldon: I should’ve brought an umbrella.
Leonard: What for? It's not going to rain.
Sheldon: I know that, but with skin as fair as mine, moon burn is a real possibility.
Howard: That's a bazinga, right?
Sheldon: One of my best, don't you think?
----
S04E02 "The Cruciferous Vegetable Amplification"
The episode where Sheldon turns himself into a Mobile Virtual Presence Device (robot).
Leonard: That's it. Bye-bye. (Turns off the television with Sheldon's head.)
Sheldon: (Turning the television back on): Bazinga!
(This scares Leonard, causing him to swerve and almost crash until he can regain control of the car)
Sheldon: I have an override switch.
----
S04E05 "The Desperation Emanation"
The scene where Amy talks to her mother on webcam.
Amy: You wanted me to have a boyfriend, Mother. Well, here he is. Have to sign off now. My hunger for Sheldon is stirring in my loins.
Sheldon: Oh, yes, it's time for me to make love to your daughter's vagina.
Mrs. Fowler: Oh!
Amy: Thank you, Sheldon, that went very well.
Sheldon: Agreed. Amy, I find myself wondering if we should actually engage in coitus at least one time in our relationship... Bazinga!
----
S05E07 "The Good Guy Fluctuation"
Priya: A couple of weeks ago, I slept with my ex-boyfriend. So, I guess we both messed up a little.
Leonard: No, no, I messed up a little. You messed up a lot.
Priya: Well, it's not a competition.
Leonard: Oh yeah, it is, and you won. I, I, I'm, I'm sorry, I have to go (closes lid on laptop as Leonard had been communicating with Priya through the camera/microphone on his laptop). I don't believe this.
Sheldon (rising out his hiding spot under the sofa cushions): RAWR!!
Leonard: (jumps off sofa, breathing hard from the scare, looking at Sheldon dressed in zombie costume)
Sheldon: Bazinga, punk. Now we’re even.
----
S05E22 "The Stag Convergence"
Sheldon: (saying some words about Howard at the bachelor party) As is the tradition, I have prepared a series of disrespectful jokes which generate humor at Howard's expense. Prepare to have your ribs tickled. Howard, I always thought you'd be the last one of us to ever get married, because you are so short and unappealing. Am I right? Let's see here. Oh, seriously though, Howard, you're actually one of the most intelligent people I know. And that's a zinger, because you're not. I’ve always thought that you'd make someone a fine husband someday. Assuming you'd be able to get the parts, and develop the engineering skills to assemble them, which I don't see as likely. Hacha! Okay, let me see here. Okay, kidding aside, Howard, you are a good friend. And I wish you nothing but happiness. Bazinga, I don't!
Leonard: Sheldon...
Sheldon: Doubleazinga! I do! Good luck following that.
Raj: (revealing Howard's sexual history) I think back to all the good times we had, like, uh, when we went camping and spent that night telling each other all our secrets. I told him I'm addicted to pedicures and he told me he lost his virginity to his cousin.
Howard: She was my second cousin.
Sheldon: And the first woman you ever disappointed sexually. Ba-da-bazinga!
----
S08E15 "The Comic Book Store Regeneration"
Barry: Your idea weawy hewped me out. My wight-cone quantization paper's onwine alweady. The wesponse has been amazing.
Amy: Well, that's fascinating. I can't wait to read it.
Sheldon: Oh, no, me as well. Uh, please e-mail it to Sheldon at bazinga dot biz. Why dot biz? Because I just gave you the business. And also bazinga dot com was taken.
----
S09E11 "The Opening Night Excitation"
Sheldon: Well, Amy enjoys knitting her own sweaters, so I was thinking of getting her an all-expense-paid trip to the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival.
Penny: Sorry. I was waiting for the bazinga.
----
S12E04"The Tam Turbulence"
Tam: (trying to retrieve Sheldon out of the ball pit.) Sheldon, come here!
Sheldon: (Bobs head out of ball pit) Bazinga! (Bobs head out of ball pit) Bazinga! (Bobs head out of ball pit) Bazinga! (Bobs head out of ball pit) Bazinga! (Bobs head out of ball pit) Bazinga!
==Trivia==
*There's at least 2 variations of the term Bazinga: Buzzinga and Bada-BazingaUsed in "The Stag Convergence".
*Brazilian biologist Andre Nemesio named the species of Brazilian orchid bee Euglossa bazinga after this catchphrase.
*One of the songs of Filipino boy group SB19, also named "Bazinga", was inspired by this catchphrase.
*This word was also was part of an episode of Two and a Half Men, titled "Bazinga! That's from a TV show". Two and a Half Men was also previously created by Chuck Lorre and shares many similarities with The Big Bang Theory, but it was that precise episode which confirmed that the two sitcoms are not set in the same continuity.
*According to amateur historian and nerd Will Cuppy, a 'Bazinga' was a seven-stringed harp played in Ancient Egypt.
*Interestingly enough - coincidentally? - a moderately well-known American actor, director and producer, who has played character parts in the Star Trek franchise, is called Bo Zenga. He is fairly well known to industry insiders as a backer, financier and supporter of film and TV projects. Hmmm.
*In the "X-Files" episode "Hollywood A.D.," which aired April 30, 2000, character "Chuck Burkes," played by actor Bill Dow, utters the word "bazinga," though it is spelled in the captions as "buzzinga."
*The My Singing Monsters monster "Buzzinga" is a direct reference to this catchphrase.
Burkes: "Who made this?"
Scully: "We're not sure. Either a forger by the name of Micah Hoffman, or uh, someone else in the vicinity of Jesus Christ."
Burkes: "Buzzinga."
== References ==
Category:Reference Materials
Category:Sheldon Cooper
Category:Season 9 (The Big Bang Theory)
Category:Season 12 (The Big Bang Theory)
es:Bazzinga!