The Big Bang Theory

Cookie Monster as Leonard and Elmo as Sheldon act out a scene about computer chip cookies.

The Big Bang Theory is a CBS sitcom which ran from 2007 until 2019. The series follows the friendship of four scientists who work at CalTech.

References

• In an Entertainment Weekly online exclusive video from September 23, 2011, Elmo and Cookie Monster "reenacted" a scene from the show.

• The schedule for CBS shown in the CDE offices in The Muppets spoofs the show with Geeks and a Girl.

Muppet Mentions

• In the season three episode "The Gothowitz Deviation," Howard Wolowitz and his friend Raj attempt to attract women at a Goth nightclub and end up at a tattoo parlor. Wolowitz flips through a catalog of designs, and can't decide on either a screaming devil, a "mean little skull," or Kermit the Frog. He tries to convince his date with an impression: "Hi ho, I'm on Howard's butt!"

• In the season three episode "The Creepy Candy Coating Corollary," Leonard asked Penny if she ever made a pact with someone. Penny replied in first grade she made a pact with her friend, Rosie, to marry Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street. They didn't speak till middle school when they found out they both wanted to marry Ernie.

• In the season four episode "The Justice League Recombination," Penny refuses to go out with the guys to a costume party dressed as Wonder Woman to complete their group costume as the Justice League of America. After many failed attempts to get Penny to come out of her apartment, Sheldon decides they should switch to their Muppet Babies costumes.

Raj: I call Kermit.

Sheldon: I'm Kermit. You're Scooter.

Raj: Oh man! Scooter sucks! He is the Aquaman of the Muppet Babies.

• In the season four episode "The Toast Derivation," Sheldon invites some friends (including LeVar Burton) to an evening at his apartment. As he lists a bunch of classic video games, he mentions Cookie Monster Munch.

• In the season five episode "The Isolation Permutation," Amy is disappointed that Bernadette and Penny went shopping for bridesmaid dresses without her. When Bernadette and Penny come by her lab to apologize, Amy tells them "It's like Sesame Street says: one of these things is not like the others, one of these things should die alone."

• In the season five episode "The Launch Acceleration," Penny tells Leonard that since he saw her naked last, she has gotten a Cookie Monster tattoo, and that acceptable reactions when he sees it would be "Awesome" or nothing. Leonard responds "COOKIES" after inhaling gas that makes his voice deeper.

• In the season six episode "The Higgs Boson Observation," Leonard tells Penny that Raj had to use a Grover puppet to tell the female nurse where he hurt.

• In the season six episode "The Spoiler Alert Segmentation," Leonard tells Penny about how Sheldon are the most egotistical insufferable human being. Penny tells him that they make such a cute couple, like Bert and Ernie and that they have even taught her stuff like words and numbers.

• In the season seven episode "The Workplace Proximity," Amy has a consulting job at Caltech, to Sheldon's dislike. In the lunch break Amy introduce Sheldon to her new colleagues, one of them are Dr. Gunderson from Stockholm. Sheldon responds by saying "Sweden the home of my favorite Muppet and second favorite meatball."

• In the season ten episode "The Emotion Detection Automation," Raj wonders if he can use a machine, that Sheldon is going to beta test, for figuring out why his girls friends keep dumping him. Howard suggest that he sends them a survey card. Raj likes the idea and wants to make his own focus group of ex-girlfriends. Howard says he was just joking, Sheldon then comments that "Jokes are often better when you end them with Wocka Wocka or ha-cha-cha."

• In the season eleven episode "The collaboration Contamination," Penny and Leonard have been using a parenting book on Sheldon. When Sheldon finds out, he says "What makes you think you can treat me as a child?" Leonard responds, "Your shampoo comes in a Big Bird bottle."

• In the season eleven episode "The Monetary Insufficiency," Bernadette and Penny are discussing if they should tell Amy that they don't like the wedding dress Amy selected. Penny says "I don't want her to look back and think she made some awful mistake." Bernadette replies "You mean like your dumb Cookie Monster tattoo?"

• In the season twelve episode "The Tam Turbulence," Howard discovers that Jim Henson is on Sheldon's list of enemies, due to "putting a terrifying giant yellow bird on television and in my nightmares."

• In the season twelve episode "The Citation Negation," Bernadette gets interested in trying out Fortnite. Howard tells her it's really only a game for gamers. Bernadette tells him she's a gamer: "I played Candy Crush, Bejeweled and Sesame Street Letter School, which I beat our daughter at every single time."

Young Sheldon

The CBS spin-off focuses on Sheldon's childhood in Texas.

• In the second season episode "Family Dynamics and a Red Fiero," Sheldon is watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with his sister. When the Big Bird balloon shows up, Sheldon reacts with "Oh dear, Big Bird."

• In the second season episode "A Political Campaign and a Candy Land Cheater," Sheldon phones Pastor Jeff for advice to overcome his fear of public speaking. Pastor Jeff tells Sheldon that he ask the Lord to speak through him, if he gets nervous. Sheldon: "Like a ventriloquist?" Pastor Jeff: "Not exactly. I think of it more as a..." Sheldon: "Like one of the Muppets?" Pastor Jeff: "No, not like that either." Sheldon: "Cause you do look a little like Kermit."

• In the second season episode "A Swedish Science Thing and the Equation for Toast," Sheldon asks his sister Missy, what she knows about Sweden. One of the three things she mentions is "...And that chef on the Muppets."

• In the third season episode "A Boyfriend's Ex-Wife and a Good Luck Head Rub," Georgie and Missy are talking in the mall. Georgie: "Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan might be the best one." Missy: "The Muppets also took Manhattan."

• In the sixth season episode "An Ugly Car, an Affair and Some Kickass Football", Georgie tries to divert Mandy's attention from a local police officer, by showing her the kids section of his and his grandmother's new video store. Georgie: "Mandy, let me show you the kids section. Got all the Looney Tunes, Flintstones, Fraggle Rock."

• In the sixth season episode "Legalese and a Whole Hoo-Ha", Meemaw asks Georgie of Pastor Jeff, "So you're just saying that we should give in, after what that holy rollin' Muppet has done to your whole family?" Mandy chimes in "He does look like a Muppet."

• In the sixth season episode "Pancake Sunday and Textbook Flirting", a VHS tape copy of What's the Name of That Song? can be seen on a shelf in the video store.

Connections

• Buzz Aldrin played himself in "The Holographic Excitation"
• Jason Alexander played Mr. Gene Lundy on Young Sheldon
• LeVar Burton played himself in "The Toast Derivation", "The Habitation Configuration", and "The Champagne Reflection"
• Tim Doyle was a writer for the series
• Nathan Fillion played himself in "The Comic Book Store Regeneration"
• Johnny Galecki played Dr. Leonard Hofstadter
• Billy Gardell played Herschel Sparks on Young Sheldon
• Margo Harshman played Alex Jensen
• Stephen Hawking played himself on a semi-regular basis starting in a season 5 episode
• James Hong played Chen in "The Dumpling Paradoz" and "The Tangerine Factor"
• Richard Kind played Ira Rosenbloom on Young Sheldon
• Stan Lee played himself in "The Excelsior Acquisition"
• Riki Lindhome played Ramona Nowitzki
• Ray Liotta played Vincent on Young Sheldon
• Howie Mandel played himself in "The Re-Entry Minimization"
• Kate Micucci played Lucy
• Kunal Nayyar played Dr. Rajesh Koothrappali
• Bob Newhart played Arthur Jeffries/Professor Proton on Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon
• Leonard Nimoy played the voice of Spock in "The Transporter Malfunction"
• Jim Parsons played Dr. Sheldon Cooper
• Bill Prady was executive producer, co-creator, and writer for the series
• Melissa Rauch played Dr. Bernadette Rostenkowski
• Yeardley Smith played an interviewer in "The Einstein Approximation"
• Carol Ann Susi voiced Mrs. Wolowitz
• George Takei played himself in "The Hot Troll Deviation"
• Neil deGrasse Tyson played himself in "The Apology Insufficiency"
• Wil Wheaton played himself on a semi-recurring basis beginning in season 3