Seinfeld: 10 Hilarious Things Fans Noticed In The Background
Seinfeld fans are nothing if not observant and there are a few subtle details in the set backgrounds that every real Seinfeld fan should have spotted.
For a show about nothing, there are a lot of fascinating moments that happen in the background, and though audiences have been quick to point out the many continuity errors in Seinfeld, many of the background details go right over viewers’ heads. Some background props may be completely bizarre and have absolutely no explanation, whereas others may be a response to what a character said in previous episodes.
The writers and set designers of Seinfeld had a keen attention to detail, and it’s one of the reasons why it’s one of the best sitcoms of the 90s, according to IMDB. When it comes to the sitcom’s locations, whether it’s Jerry’s apartment, Kramer’s apartment, or even on the streets of New York, there’s still plenty to be discovered in the hit show.
The Strange Location Of Kramer’s Cooking Pot
With hundreds of ideas, as nonsensical as they may seem, there’s a lot going on in Kramer’s head, which has led to some of the funniest storylines, but there’s a lot more to the lean, Hawaiian-shirt-wearing neighbor that is left unexplained.
One of the weirdest pieces of kit in the background of Kramer’s apartment is a cooking pot, but it’s weird because of where it is – on a shelf in the entrance hall, which makes fans wonder what could possibly be in it.
Kal’s Signs
In what is one of the most endearing acts in such a standoffish show as Seinfeld, in which the co-creator Larry David had a rule of “no hugging and no learning,” a sign can be found in the background of one of the outside shots that says “Kal’s Signs.”
This is a nod to Jerry’s real-life father, Kal, who used to design signs for a living. Not only is it a sweet and respectful moment of the show, it’s pretty much the only sweet and respectful moment of the show.
Pictures In The Shower
When it came to kitting out Kramer’s apartment, the set designers must have had a field day. This is just another of many strange details of Kramer’s funhouse apartment, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Kramer would be someone who would hang paintings of flowers in his shower.
Though the paintings don’t look any better than the hotel art that is seen in a Holiday Inn, Kramer seems to greatly admire it.
Classy Mustard
Everybody knows that George, Kramer, and Elaine all freeload off Jerry, and it’s one of the reasons Kramer is the most hated character, but if it wasn’t for this, we wouldn’t have one of the cleverest and most secret gags of the entire series.
In the 13th episode of season seven, Kramer complains to Jerry that he uses cheap mustard when he’s making a sandwich. Five episodes later, a jar of Grey Poupon, a “high-end” mustard, can be found in Jerry’s fridge when George opens the door.
Jerry’s Apartment Number
With more than 160 episodes in its nine-season run, Seinfeld has been the subject of many pub quizzes, but if a fan was asked what number Jerry’s apartment is, they’d be thrown for a loop.
Though everything about Jerry’s apartment remains the same, including the door itself, midway through the series, the apartment number on the door changes from 5A to 3A.
The Framed Photo Of Jerry
Being the strange neighbor whose apartment anyone else would tiptoe passed, Jerry seems to put up with Kramer for no apparent reason.
The wacky character lets himself into Jerry’s apartment whenever he pleases and he even has a key to it, but that still isn’t enough to explain why Kramer has a framed photo of Jerry in his room. What makes it even funnier is that it looks like one of Jerry’s acting headshots.
A Background Marquee
One of the very first background details that fans never noticed came when they least expected it. In the opening credits, when the creators’ names, Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, pop up on the screen, it looks like an ordinary 1980s New York street with businessmen and socialites going about their day.
But on the right-hand side, there is an adult movie theatre screening the movie I Need More Sex, which is pretty apt as the show follows Jerry and Elaine seemingly date the whole of New York in its nine seasons.
Jerry’s VHS Collection
As Jerry plays an exaggerated version of himself on the show, it’s common knowledge that the show and its apartment feature a lot of references to his real-life hobbies and interests, including a Porsche poster, a Superman fridge magnet, and a bicycle on the wall.
But Seinfeld’s VHS collection is one of the most bizarre groups of movies imaginable. It is probably the only collection of movies that includes both the Julia Roberts rom-com Pretty Woman and the horror movie Child’s Play 2.
Kramer’s Pasta Figures
“The Fusilli Jerry” is one of the best Kramer-centric episodes in the series. In the episode, Kramer makes a miniature statue of Jerry out of pasta. It’s a strange gift that Jerry doesn’t want to accept, despite Kramer having spent a long time working on it.
Though fans thought it was just one of the many zany ideas Kramer has that only lasted a day, it turned out to be a long-running hobby of Kramer’s, as his apartment is filled with them episodes later, and they make up one of the best callbacks in the series.
Kramer’s Dutch Sign
One of the many unexplained and fantastical things in the background of Kramer’s apartment is a Dutch sign that says “Elevator. Forsigtic!” The sign is never the subject of an episode and, unlike the pasta figures, wasn’t even given an explanation.
It translates to “Careful, Elevator!” The sign raises a ton of questions, such as when was Kramer ever in Europe? And how would he ever come to owning the sign? The questions must have answers that would surely make up a great international episode of the show.
