The Big Bang Theory popularized the song Softy Kitty, which was intrinsically linked with its main character’s quirky personality.
SUMMARY
– The Big Bang Theory stars Jim Parsons as the boy genius Sheldon Cooper, who has many adorable quirks, including his love for the lullaby Soft Kitty.
– However, the song led to a lawsuit against the show’s producers in 2015, as the daughters of the original writer filed a case for copyright misuse.
– The lawsuit was dismissed in 2017, but the series steered away from using Softy Kitty in the latter seasons likely to signify Sheldon’s growth.
The Big Bang Theory is arguably one of the most popular sitcoms of the 2000s. The series’ main character, Sheldon Cooper, was known for his extremely quirky and eclectic personality, with his group of friends often struggling to deal with him, resulting in several hilarious running gags.
One of the show’s most popular recurring gags was Sheldon’s behavior when he was ill, with the boy genius only feeling relief after listening to a song from his childhood. However, the lullaby resulted in the producers facing a lawsuit, and here is everything you need to know about it.
The Big Bang Theory Faced a Lawsuit Over Sheldon’s Adorable Soft Kitty Song
The Big Bang Theory stars Jim Parsons as the adorably quirky and sometimes annoying boy genius Sheldon Cooper. In the series, one of Sheldon’s many quirks is his affinity for the song Softy Kitty, especially at times when he is sick.
The song was first introduced in the eleventh episode of season 1, titled The Pancake Batter Anomaly, where Penny sings the song for Sheldon after he catches a cold. However, the song landed the series in legal hot waters after a lawsuit was filed against its producers in 2015.
The song originates from a Polish lullaby, written by Oskar Kolberg and composed by Stanisław Moniuszko. It was later modernized in English as Warm Kitty by Edith Newlin and published in 1937 by Willis Music Co.
Newlin’s daughters Margaret Perry and Ellen Chase filed a copyright lawsuit over the alleged illegal use of the song. The duo argued that they held the copyright to their mother’s song and had not authorized its use in the show, thereby owing them compensation.
The Big Bang Theory Abandoned the Soft Kitty Song Despite Winning the Lawsuit
The lawsuit was eventually dismissed by a court judge in 2017, who ruled that the plaintiffs had failed to produce sufficient evidence to prove their ownership of the song’s copyright.
Furthermore, the show’s producers reportedly had sought clearance from Willis Music Co., with the company stating that Newlin and not her daughters owned the copyright to the song. However, despite the lawsuit being settled, the song was almost entirely abandoned in the later seasons.
When the lawsuit was filed in 2015, the series was in its eighth season. However, following season 8, the song was only used once in season 10, wherein Amy sings the song for a sick Sheldon.
The song was also used for two episodes of the spin-off series Young Sheldon, which aired after the lawsuit. Hence, it is likely that the lawsuit did not impact the parent series reducing the song’s usage in its latter seasons.
Instead, the reduced presence of the song might be a signal of Sheldon’s maturation after meeting Amy. Therefore, it is only fitting that she was the last person to sing Soft Kitty for Sheldon, bringing one of the boy genius’ most adorable quirks to a resolution.
