TV Young Sheldon reveals the origin of 'bazinga,' Sheldon's favorite word By Lynette Rice Lynette Rice Editor at Large for Entertainment Weekly, host of Outlander Live! on EW Radio, and Mark Harmon enthusiast. Yes, I know the guacamole is extra. EW's editorial guidelines Published on December 7, 2018 02:20PM EST Anyone who watches The Big Bang Theory knows that one of Sheldon's go-to words is bazinga—but there's never been an explanation for how he came up with such a unique saying. That is, until now. On Thursday's episode of Young Sheldon—the TBBT spin-off that also airs on CBS—the title character, played by Iain Armitage, embarks on a quest to inject more frivolity into his life and goes to a comic book store in search of "practical-joke paraphernalia so I may behave childishly." Darren Michaels/Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. The clerk directs him to a red-and-yellow display of toys from Bazinga, a novelty company out of Toledo, Ohio. The company's slogan is, "If it's funny, it's a Bazinga!" "Interesting," observes Sheldon. CBS Sheldon then tries out his novelties jokes on his dad and brother, including a mixed-nut can that conceals a pop-out snake and a gum package that snaps at the victim's thumb when they try to grab a piece. Every time Sheldon "nails" his prey, he proudly proclaims, "bazinga!" By the end of the episode, he tricks his sister into sitting on a whoopee cushion. "That's how I becamse the madcap prankster all my friends know and love," says a grown-up Sheldon (voiced by Jim Parsons). Better late than never with the explanation: TBBT will end its 12-season run in 2019. Young Sheldon, however, will continue. Related content: Young Sheldon actors will appear on The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory ending because Jim Parsons was ready to leave