Big Bang Theory: The Hofstadters’ Wedding Gift to Sheldon & Amy Explained
The question of what was Leonard and Penny’s gift to Sheldon and Amy in The Big Bang Theory creates a funny mystery, but there is an answer to what it is. After years of tumultuous dating that included an emotional break-up, Sheldon and Amy finally got married at the end of season 11. This was the CBS sitcom’s final wedding following the Wolowitzes and Hofstadters in season 9. Unlike its predecessors, however, the show tackled the aftermath of the ceremony and honeymoon when the show returned for its final season, as the newlyweds sifted through the gifts they received on their special day.
The Big Bang Theory season 12, episode 2 titled “The Wedding Gift Wormhole,” saw the couple opening a gift from best friends and next-door neighbors. However, instead of a typical wedding gift like home appliances or other useful things that could make the couple’s new life together better, Penny and Leonard opted to gift Amy and Sheldon an obscure-looking glass object. The Coopers were initially thrilled about the item since it looked precious and pretty, but things quickly went downhill when they tried to figure out what it exactly did. However, the answer to that question comes in the same episode.
The Big Bang Theory’s Mystery Gift Is A Chrystal Chakra
The Gift Was Passed Down Through Several Of The Show’s Characters
It’s revealed that the gift was originally from Howard and Bernadette who gifted it to Leonard and Penny when they got married. Like Sheldon and Amy, the Hofstadters were perplexed by what it could be. Given what they experienced with it, Penny and Leonard thought it would be funny to pass it on to the Coopers like some sort of prank heirloom.
It also promotes spiritual growth, awareness, and wisdom.
At this point, Raj reveals it is the present he gave the Hofstadters when they got married way back in season 3. As it turns out, it was a crystal chakra. While Raj didn’t get into specifics about what it’s supposed to do, Amy and Sheldon learned from Bert that it’s made of quartz, which means that for those who believe in the power of crystals, it’s supposed to function as a healing stone. It also promotes spiritual growth, awareness, and wisdom.
Admittedly, it’s an odd present for a group of friends who work in the scientific field like the Pasadena gang in The Big Bang Theory. It’s unclear whether Howard was aware of what the crystal did when Raj gave it to them, but if he did, it’s understandable why he and Bernadette didn’t find it useful. In any case, it was for the best that the Coopers never learned what it really was since Sheldon would more likely be less enamored by it.
Sheldon And Amy’s Reaction To The Gift Makes It Memorable
The Coopers Cannot Admit They Don’t Know What It Is
While the answer behind what The Big Bang Theory gift actually is is not overly interesting, it is the reaction from Amy and Sheldon that makes it worthwhile. Motivated by their desire to learn what the present was without looking like fools for not immediately figuring it out, the pair refused to simply ask the Hofstadters what it was.
Instead, they acted as if they knew what it did, wrongly assuming that it was a clue to a scavenger hunt that would lead them to their real gift. While they ran around town excitedly solving the non-existent puzzle, their friends watched them silently in glee. It is a great example of how the characters in The Big Bang Theory are brilliant yet can be extremely childish.
The Wedding Gift Was Inspired By A True Story
The Gift Seen In The Episode Is The Real One
While there are a lot of outrageous storylines in the sitcom, some of the best Big Bang Theory episodes draw from more grounded sources such as this episode. As it turns out, the mystery and fun behind the unknown gift was based on a true story. The Big Bang Theory executive producer Steve Holland revealed that the gift was inspired by something he received from a visual effects supervisor on the show (via Glamour):
“The gift we got is the same gift you see in the episode. It is a wand. The joke was when we got it, we didn’t quite know what it was. We had it in the writers’ room for years and we’d joke about it, so we decided to turn that into an episode where Sheldon and Amy get the wedding gift that they don’t know what it is.”
The idea that the very same gift used in the episode inspired a similar confused reaction in real life makes it an even funnier addition to the show. It is even more enjoyable with the fact that, while The Big Bang Theory offered an answer to what its version of the gift was, Holland admits that he still doesn’t really know who his gift is.
