The Big Bang Theory: Sheldon’s 5 Best Nicknames (& 5 Worst)

As the smartest but most stubborn character in The Big Bang Theory, it’s no surprise that Sheldon Cooper has earned himself a basketful of nicknames. In fact, he is the character with the most nicknames. Leonard only has a few like Ricardo Shilly-Shally and Speed Of Light Leonard while Penny has P-Dawg and Roxanne.

Sheldon doesn’t normally mind being called a name that his parents never gave him but some seem to bother him. He has even misinterpreted a good number of them, despite his 187 IQ. Not the one to always wait for others to do things for him, Sheldon has also given himself a couple of nicknames.

10 Best: Moonpie

Sheldon gets the name Moonpie from his grandmother, who he has also nicknamed Meemaw. Penny eventually finds out about this name but when she uses it, Sheldon becomes angry. He warns her that no one calls him Moonpie except Meemaw.

So, why is Sheldon called Moonpie? Well, he has a rather interesting explanation for it: “She calls me Moonpie because I am nummy-nummy and she could just eat me up.” It sounds like it’ll be better if the name comes from a lover than a grandmother but it’s still an adorable one anyway.

9 Worst: Einstein von Brainstorm

Things get a bit complicated for Leonard when Alex shows interest in him. While having lunch at the cafeteria, he tells Sheldon, Raj, and Howard about the situation. He isn’t interested in Alex but he is glad that two women like him at the same time. As expected, Sheldon becomes concerned. He seeks the advice of Penny, Amy, and Bernadette but pretends he is talking about strangers.

He refers to Alex as Tondelaya della Ventimiglia, Leonard as Ricardo Shilly-shally, and himself as Doctor Einstein von Brainstorm. Trust Sheldon to give others petty nicknames while he names himself after the greatest physicist who ever lived. It’s an obvious name and the girls are able to quickly figure out that he is talking about himself, Leonard, and Alex.

8 Best: R2-D-Bag

Howard refers to Sheldon as the R2-D-Bag after he builds the Mobile Virtual Presence Device (MVPD). Sheldon builds the robot in Season 4 to protect himself from unseen circumstances in life. The robot has a display panel, a webcam, loudspeakers, and a mobility panel to allow it to move.

The R2-D-Bag nickname comes from the Star Wars robot character R2-D2 aka Artoo-Detoo. Star Wars references are plenty in the sitcom and using one of the best characters from the sci-fi franchises to coin a nickname for Sheldon is definitely a creative move from Howard.

7 Worst: Sweetie

There isn’t a lot of creativity behind “Sweetie.” One might argue that Penny shouldn’t be using such names on other men too since she is with Leonard. In fact, the name gives Sheldon romantic ideas and he goes on to ask her out.

When Penny tells him a story about a guy she once liked but she regrets not telling him, Sheldon thinks it’s him. He even concludes that Penny always uses Leonard as an excuse to be at their apartment yet it’s him she wants to see. Penny is shocked because she has no feelings for Sheldon whatsoever. She should just call him R2-D-Bag like Howard.

6 Best: Skippy Cavanaugh

As Leonard and Sheldon are trying to prove the Superfluid Helium theory, they find out that a couple of Swedish scientists are trying to beat them to it. Desperate, they try to buy some helium from a black market dealer since there is a shortage.

During the meeting at the parking lot, Leonard is careless enough to introduce himself to the dealer using his real name while Sheldon uses the name Skippy Cavanaugh. He figures the name is very suited to a shady character who is more likely to engage in black market deals. To add weight to the nickname, he lies that he is a wedding planner.

5 Worst: Sheldor

This is a nickname that Sheldon uses as his username while playing World Of Warcraft early on in the sitcom. It isn’t such a unique nickname, no wonder his WoW account gets hacked at some point.

During the hack, most of his virtual items get stolen, including a virtual ostrich. This leaves him deeply devastated but he eventually gets the account back with help from Penny. Sheldon has gone on to use names like Shelly Ninja while gaming, which still doesn’t count as smart by his standards.

4 Best: C3-Pee Wee Herman

Sheldon and Howard haven’t always gotten along. When the two fight in front of Bernadette, she seeks an explanation from Sheldon on why he is always mean to Howard.

He tells her that Howard is the one who kicked off the feud years ago. According to Sheldon, Howard first described him as a crossbreed between a C-3P0 and a Pee-Wee Herman, a C3-Pee Wee Herman. Sheldon does indeed have Pee-Wee Herman’s head but Howard hilariously crossed the line with the C-3P0 Star Wars reference.

3 Worst: Stretch

Bernadette convinces her father Mike to come over to Howard’s mom’s house for Thanksgiving dinner in Season 7. He isn’t too happy because he would have preferred to watch football at home. Since Sheldon knows a little bit about football, the two end up bonding better than anyone else.

During the dinner, Leonard has an argument with Penny. She leaves and Sheldon asks Leonard not to follow her. Mike then tells Leonard that “Stretch” (Sheldon) is right and he should listen to him. In Season 9, Leonard reminds Sheldon about this particular nickname. However, Mike never explains what Stretch means.

2 Best: Shelly Bean

Sheldon earned this nickname from his mother Mary Cooper. No wonder she is the only person who is able to fully control him. Leonard even likes referring to her as Sheldon’s only Kryptonite.

Shelly Bean is a sweet and not-so-complicated name. It isn’t a surprising choice, coming from Sheldon’s mother. She has always been proud of him and has never hesitated to scold him when necessary. With nicknames like that, it’s understandable why the whole gang adores Mary Cooper.

1 Worst: The Skinny Weirdo

Leonard and Priya’s Star Trek cosplay game makes Raj uncomfortable at one point so he goes over to the Wolowitz home to sleep there. When he rings the doorbell, Howard opens then Howard’s mother Mrs. Wolowitz shouts from the background, asking if it’s her future daughter-in-law who is a doctor.

Mrs. Wolowitz then asks if Raj is a doctor too like Leonard and Sheldon. She then refers to Sheldon as the Skinny Weirdo. Surely, Mrs. Wolowitz can come up with a better name for the person who hurt his wrist while helping her fit a dress.

About The Author

Philip Etemesi
(1223 Articles Published)

Philip Etemesi is an author, journalist, screenwriter and film critic based in Nairobi. Kenya. As a child, he preferred watching movies like The Goodfellas instead of Home Alone. His girlfriend constantly has to pull him from the front of the TV but he just keeps returning. Stubborn dude! An animal lover, Philip also has a pet giraffe called Refu.

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