Although The Big Bang Theory has its main characters, Sheldon Cooper is the odd glue that keeps them annoyed but together. Leonard is the one who brought Sheldon, Howard, and Raj together but it's Sheldon that they all have to accommodate to. As a man with a 187 IQ, Sheldon has these small idiosyncrasies that drive his friends crazy but they can't help but love him.
Born and raised in Texas, the southern side of Sheldon comes out every once and a while but not everything from his past adds up. Over 12 seasons, Sheldon has had some continuity issues that had fans scratching their heads. Let's take a look at some continuity errors that don't quite add up.
How Old Was He When His Father Died?
Sheldon said when he was 15 years old, he was visiting the Heidelberg Institute in Germany when his mother had to abruptly leave him and head back to Texas because his father had died.
But that appears to be a continuity error because in "The Thanksgiving Decoupling," Sheldon told Bernadette's dad that his dad passed away when he was 14 years old, not 15. Either Sheldon doesn't remember the exact year his father passed, or the writers kept messing up the continuity.
Wasn't He Allergic To Cats?
At the beginning of the series, Sheldon said that he was allergic to two things: bees and cats. Leonard had mentioned they could never get a pet because of Sheldon's wild nose but things seemed to change when he and Amy start dating.
After a brief breakup, Sheldon copes by buying 25 (!) cats and giving them all names. He becomes so cat-obsessed that Leonard had no choice but to call his mother for backup. By the end of the episode, he gives away his cats and his supposed allergy (that realistically should've gone haywire with 25 cats in the vicinity) was never brought up.
Why Does His Favorite Pizza Place Keep Changing?
The gang is known for their takeout-nights. It's actually not often we see Sheldon or Penny making food unless it's pasta. With every night of the week being saved for a certain kind of food, Sheldon saved Pizza Night for Thursdays. At the beginning of the series, Sheldon said Pizza Night was reserved for Giacomo's Pizza.
Later in the series, Sheldon mentions that they used to get their pizza from Franconi's but when it closed, they went to Graziano's. But then what happened to Giacomo's!? With someone as particular as Sheldon when it comes to food, this should have been a bigger deal than it was.
Does He Like Teddy Bears Or Not?
Although Sheldon is an adult with an amazing career, there are plenty of childish things that he finds interesting or, on the contrary, scare him. In one episode, he mentioned that he didn't like teddy bears as companions because he found them "terrifying."
But in later episodes when he's dating Amy, he told her he had a teddy bear when he was younger that he used to wipe his nose on. Amy has said plenty of lovely things to Sheldon in the past but for not judging him by his teddy bear love and phobia are one of her strong suits.
What's His Birthday Again?
When we first meet Penny in the series, she notes that she loves horoscopes and believes in them wholeheartedly. She claimed Sheldon was a Taurus, which would mean his birthday was between April 20 to May 20. Oddly enough, Sheldon reveals his birthday to Penny — which was a big deal because he hates birthdays — and she said she never pegged him as a Pisces.
This sweet moment adds to the bond that Penny and Sheldon shared. From then on, his birthday was officially February 26, 1980, but it's a continuity error all the same.
Why Does He Claim He Was Arrested Just Once?
In the ninth season, Sheldon, Amy, Penny, and Leonard head to the woods for a weekend getaway at Penny's boss's house. When the weather keeps them inside the whole weekend, Penny suggests a drinking game that they can all play. As they play "Never Have I Ever," Sheldon admits that he's been arrested once. Proving he's an underrated character, he reveals that he practically asked the cop to arrest him after jaywalking and criticizing the cop for not doing anything about it.
However, the way he recounts this implies that this is the first and only time he had trouble with the law when that's not the case. What Sheldon seemingly forgot was when he and Leonard were arrested for trespassing in Skywalker Ranch the season before, or when he was thrown in jail for insulting the judge after refusing to pay Penny's red-light ticket.
Where Was He Born?
Fans quickly learn that Sheldon was born and raised in Galveston, Texas, to his religious mother and drunk father. After meeting Dr. Stephanie Barnett (who was dating Leonard at the time), he forms a bond with her after learning she did her residency at a hospital in Texas.
It turns out that Sheldon was born in that very same hospital and so he respected Stephanie even more. Later in the series, however, Sheldon's mom controversially stated that Sheldon wasn't born in a hospital; he was born in a Wal-Mart.
Didn't He Hate SuperCuts?
Due to Penny's excessive drinking, some fans thought she was getting worse and worse when it came to dealing with Leonard and Sheldon's geekiness. However, the bond between them only grew stronger.
In one episode, Leonard decided he had enough of Sheldon and refused to drive him around anymore, but in typical Sheldon fashion he ignored him and listed everywhere he had to go — including SuperCuts for a haircut. Oddly enough, he once said that he went to SuperCuts before and he didn't find it... well... "super." He also had a connection to his barber and found it hard to see anyone other than him. With that being said, where does Sheldon's barber loyalty lie!?
Whatever Happened To Alex?
Alex Jensen was Sheldon's research assistant in the sixth season. As a theoretical physicist from Stanford, Alex dropped an important job opportunity to learn from Sheldon. Sadly, Sheldon didn't use Alex's mind the way she had hoped. He instead had her do strange and non-important things that bothered her.
Things took a turn for the worse when she showed some interest in Leonard and Sheldon called her an "egg sandwich." After four episodes, we never saw Alex again. Did Sheldon no longer need the help he was longing for at work? Why did she disappear and where did she go?
Why Does He Have A Stash Of Cash If He Can't Afford Living Alone?
As brilliant as Sheldon is, it's assumed he makes a decent if not exorbitant salary from his time at Caltech, especially when he was in the running for tenure. In one episode, he lends some extra money he had hiding around the house to Penny so she could catch up on her bills. (Penny uses some of the money to go online shopping, but that's not the point).
What's interesting about Sheldon's extra cash is that he once said if he had enough money lying around he wouldn't be living with Leonard. But isn't that exactly what he has, money lying around? Not to mention anything else he saves in the future?