The Only Thing TBBT's Simon Helberg Snatched From Set Was What He Hated The Most
The logic was there, we promise.
When you've been working on the show for 12 years straight, it's not uncommon to want to take a piece of your surroundings home with you, just to remind yourself of all the memories that happened there. And for each actor, the piece they choose is very different, meaningful or not.
For Simon Helberg of The Big Bang Theory, it was a prop that connected him directly to his character, Howard Wolowitz. And the thing that caused him a lot of trouble over the years.
Known for Howard's signature tucked-in colorful shirts and very tight pants, Helberg decided to take home a buckle from his belt.
The actor explained the thought process behind such a decision in an interview with TVLine in 2019, the year of the show's big finale:
“I took the Nintendo controller belt buckle that I wore in the pilot. It’s small and indestructible and it means something to me. The character came together fully when I put on that crazy wardrobe that Mary Quigley designed so brilliantly. <...> As soon as I peeled those pants off I was happy to hang them up like the jersey of a tiny Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar],” Helberg said.
There is structure to the madness that this decision appears to be. According to previous information from the show's set designer, Ann Shea, the cast and crew were not supposed to take any props home. In fact, Warner Bros. did everything they could to prevent this, including putting microchips on some props.
Our guess is that the belt buckle was just a small enough wardrobe item to fly under the studio's radar. Still, it was important and memorable enough for the actor and his character to snatch it off the set and keep it as a prized possession for the rest of his life.
If you want to relive the look of the aforementioned belt or give another round of applause for Howard's iconic fashion choices, you can stream The Big Bang Theory on Netflix or MAX.