Bazinga

2009catchphraseclassic

Bazinga is a catchphrase from CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory, said by physicist Sheldon Cooper after pulling a prank on his friends. First aired in May 2009, it later fueled an ironic 4chan and Tumblr parody scene mocking the show's brand of geek humor.

catchphrase memestv show memesironic memeslate 2000s memes4chan memes

Overview

Bazinga is a nonsense interjection used like "zing" or "gotcha," which Urban Dictionary contributors define as a catchy phrase to accompany a clever prank4. On CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory, theoretical physicist Sheldon Cooper (played by Jim Parsons) yells it after tricking a friend or landing a joke1. The word sounds vaguely scientific because it stitches together the chemical symbols for Barium (Ba), a fictional element Zuunium (Z) from the in-show Timber Wolf comics, Iodine (I), Nitrogen (N), and Gallium (Ga)3.

Two very different fandoms grew around the line. Fans of the show wore it on t-shirts and mugs sold at pop-culture retailer Hot Topic5. An anti-fandom on 4chan and Tumblr turned bazinga into shorthand for what they saw as the show's cheap, over-explained geek humor, spawning a wave of deliberately unfunny parody comics5.

How It Spread

By April 2012, at least fifteen user-submitted definitions for Bazinga sat on Urban Dictionary, with the top entry passing 7,700 upvotes by December of that year4. A fan Facebook page for the catchphrase cleared 339,000 likes by late 2012, and the word picked up entries on Wiktionary and Word Reference forums5.

The parody counter-scene started on 4chan's /tv/ board on December 25, 2012, when a thread asking why users disliked The Big Bang Theory drew replies with fake variants like "bazoopie," "bazonkers," and "bazopple"3. A follow-up thread the next day filled with low-resolution Comic Sans comics running flat science jokes, each ending on a triumphant "BAZINGA!"5. On December 27, Tumblr user zebeckblogs posted a compilation of the parody reactions that pulled more than 2,000 notes within hours, while a repost of the /tv/ comics on the 4chan subreddit passed 9,574 upvotes the same day5.

How to Use This Meme

The parody template typically pairs a crude MS Paint drawing with a bad, over-explained science pun set in Comic Sans, capped by a giant "BAZINGA!" that is unfunny on purpose5. Fans of the show use the word straight, dropping it after any prank in the spirit of Sheldon's delivery2.

Frequently Asked Questions

Bazinga

2009catchphraseclassic

Bazinga is a catchphrase from CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory, said by physicist Sheldon Cooper after pulling a prank on his friends. First aired in May 2009, it later fueled an ironic 4chan and Tumblr parody scene mocking the show's brand of geek humor.

catchphrase memes tv show memes ironic memes late 2000s memes 4chan memes

Overview

Bazinga is a nonsense interjection used like "zing" or "gotcha," which Urban Dictionary contributors define as a catchy phrase to accompany a clever prank4. On CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory, theoretical physicist Sheldon Cooper (played by Jim Parsons) yells it after tricking a friend or landing a joke1. The word sounds vaguely scientific because it stitches together the chemical symbols for Barium (Ba), a fictional element Zuunium (Z) from the in-show Timber Wolf comics, Iodine (I), Nitrogen (N), and Gallium (Ga)3.

Two very different fandoms grew around the line. Fans of the show wore it on t-shirts and mugs sold at pop-culture retailer Hot Topic5. An anti-fandom on 4chan and Tumblr turned bazinga into shorthand for what they saw as the show's cheap, over-explained geek humor, spawning a wave of deliberately unfunny parody comics5.

How It Spread

By April 2012, at least fifteen user-submitted definitions for Bazinga sat on Urban Dictionary, with the top entry passing 7,700 upvotes by December of that year4. A fan Facebook page for the catchphrase cleared 339,000 likes by late 2012, and the word picked up entries on Wiktionary and Word Reference forums5.

The parody counter-scene started on 4chan's /tv/ board on December 25, 2012, when a thread asking why users disliked The Big Bang Theory drew replies with fake variants like "bazoopie," "bazonkers," and "bazopple"3. A follow-up thread the next day filled with low-resolution Comic Sans comics running flat science jokes, each ending on a triumphant "BAZINGA!"5. On December 27, Tumblr user zebeckblogs posted a compilation of the parody reactions that pulled more than 2,000 notes within hours, while a repost of the /tv/ comics on the 4chan subreddit passed 9,574 upvotes the same day5.

How to Use This Meme

The parody template typically pairs a crude MS Paint drawing with a bad, over-explained science pun set in Comic Sans, capped by a giant "BAZINGA!" that is unfunny on purpose5. Fans of the show use the word straight, dropping it after any prank in the spirit of Sheldon's delivery2.

Frequently Asked Questions