The MythBusters Easter Egg Only Eagle-Eyed Big Bang Theory Fans Spotted

"The Big Bang Theory," focusing as it does on a group of geeky scientists, is full of science and science fiction references. This includes cameos from stars like Carrie Fisher, Wil Wheaton, and Stephen Hawking plus appearances by the Doctor's TARDIS and a chalkboard of equations from "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark" (via The Big Blog Theory). Even the fact that Amy's apartment number happens to be the first three digits of pi counts as a bit of an Easter egg.

So it's no surprise that Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Sheldon (Jim Parsons) might be fans of another science-based television series, "MythBusters." The evidence for this? The fact that "The Big Bang Theory" featured a "MythBusters" Easter egg for years. You don't need to be an observational genius to have noted its existence, but you may not have understood its significance since it was never actually mentioned during the course of the sitcom.

The Easter egg is so obvious that you don't actually need to watch an episode to see it — if you check HBO Max, for example, you can see it by simply scrolling through the "Big Bang Theory" episode thumbnail images. It first shows up in Season 5, Episode 8, "The Isolation Permutation," and remains on the bookshelf behind Leonard and Sheldon's couch for the entire rest of the series' run.

The object is a bobblehead figurine of Adam Savage, one of the co-hosts of the Discovery Channel show "MythBusters," which tests theories presented in pop culture or public discourse using its own brand of easy-to-watch science. For example, hosts Savage and Jamie Hyneman once tested whether or not Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) could really have survived if Rose (Kate Winslet) had made room for him on the door at the end of "Titanic" — and presented those results to James Cameron (via Discovery).

While the object itself is pretty obvious, it took "MythBusters" fans on Reddit to confirm who the bobblehead represents. On one thread, u/StencilMunky42 agreed with the consensus that the figure is of Savage, saying, "I have the same bobblehead on my shelf."

As it turns out, the bobblehead in question is from around 2010. You can still buy it from third-party sellers off Amazon or eBay, but if you want a version that's in good condition, you'll probably pay more than Leonard and Sheldon did initially.

As for the version featured on the show's main set, some fans, such as u/jesskat, favor the idea that the figurine probably belongs to Leonard, not Sheldon. After all, quirky theoretical physicist Sheldon has always made his disdain for scientists working in more practical fields well-known. "I get the feeling that his character would have very little respect for the work Adam Savage is doing – he pretty blatantly puts down physicists doing actual work, let alone a glorified special effects model maker," pointed out u/BBBelmont. If this is the case, there's apparently nothing in Sheldon's beloved roommate contract about Leonard showing off unapproved celebrity figurines.

However, one since-deleted Redditor noted that Sheldon's idols aren't necessarily all hard scientists, so maybe he'd admire the "MythBusters"' hosts the same way he hero-worships pop culture icons like "Star Trek" actor Leonard Nimoy. There's also, of course, a more real-world explanation: Savage and "Big Bang Theory" co-creator Bill Prady are apparently friends (via Entertainment Weekly). Mystery solved, myth busted.