TBBT Fans Thought They Cracked Show's Biggest Mystery, But Got It Wrong

Although The Big Bang Theory has always been a show that uses a lot of scientific terms, it has never really left its viewers guessing.

Being a half-hour comedy has its advantages, and being able to be as straightforward as the writers wanted to was definitely one of them.

However, there were a few Easter eggs hidden here and there for the more attentive and loyal viewers, and there was one mystery that remained unanswered throughout the show...

What was Penny's last name?

Of course, after she married Leonard, she took his last name and officially became Penny Hofstadter, but before that, she was the only character whose full name was never mentioned.

As much fun as the joke is that Penny's last name is Penny Penny, and that Sheldon has always been extremely polite to her, it doesn't seem very realistic.

The fans took it upon themselves to find the last name on the show, even if it meant tearing up every episode of the show into screenshots.

They did it, and they found it, but they were also very wrong.

In one of the episodes, Penny is holding a box she received in the mail. Conveniently, you can see the mailing information, including the address and full name of the recipient.

The box is all pixelated, but it's not impossible to zoom in and read, since the last name is written in all caps.

Teller. Penny Teller would also make perfect sense as a punny name since it references the comedy duo, Penn & Teller.

If you thought that mystery was solved, don't jump to conclusions. As executive producer, Steve Molaro had to explain in the book The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series, the label was supposed to be illegible, and adding Teller to it was a harmless on-set joke.

"Her last name being Teller is absolutely not canon. The canon is that she does not have a last name that we ever assigned to her… and we're never going to make one. Even when she and Leonard got married, we made sure to edit around even hearing what her [last] name would be," Moralo stressed once again.

So, this is the case where the mystery will never be truly sorted just because it is supposed to be a mystery. If you want to rewatch TBBT and find more fun references you can stream the show on Netflix or MAX.

Source: The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series