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While there are a ton of staple running gags that just about everyone knows about, there is a small handful that only diehard Seinfeld fans will recognize due to their subtlety. Here are some of the most notable jokes that appear in more than one episode throughout the entirety of Seinfeld.
8 Kramer’s Friend, Bob Sacamano
Between all the crazy antics that Kramer finds himself in the middle of, it can be easy to lose track of all the small details. Kramer, being the social butterfly he is, always manages to have a friend he knows personally that has a story that somehow, in a bizarre way, connects to whatever topic of conversation is at hand.
However, viewers may not have noticed the small detail that most of the zany stories stem from the same friend: Bob Sacamano. Kramer’s friend, Bob, is mentioned throughout the series many times and even had a short run-in with Jerry when Kramer and Jerry switched apartments; however, Bob remains elusive and mysterious as he forever remained an unseen character throughout the series.
7 Fake Identities
Almost all of the group’s problems would easily be solved if they just had told the truth about their situation instead of planning out some big, convoluted lie. But where would be the fun in that?
One of the most subtle little jokes the series kept going was the group’s fake identities they pulled out in times of need; in particular, George and Kramer’s alter egos architect, Art Vandelay, and dermatologist, doctor, and professor, Van Nostrand.
While Kramer turned to his Van Nostrand (sometimes just using the surname Nostrand) identity when pulled into a scheme made by the others, George was a bit more calculated with his alter ego. George primarily used his Art Vandelay (of Vandelay Industries) to fulfill his lifelong dream of being an architect.
6 George Speaking In Third Person
In one particular episode, the group befriends a man named Jimmy that had a peculiar way of speaking as he would always refer to himself in the third person. While Jerry was a bit put off by the idea, George looked up to Jimmy and his athletic skill and eventually warmed up to the speech pattern, and adapted it himself.
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George referring to himself in the third person seemed like a funny one-off joke for the episode, but surprisingly continued to show up every now and then in following episodes. In particular, George would bust out the third person speech when he felt angry and thus making “George is getting upset!” a staple Seinfeld meme.
5 Jerry Doesn’t Wanna Be A Pirate
The puffy shirt is one of the most iconic references (and episodes) throughout the entire series, but many fans may not know about the little running joke about Jerry and this particular line. While many fans know about Jerry’s hilarious “I don’t wanna be a pirate!” line, he uses a similar whiny tone/delivery to exclaim the same thing about not wanting to be cowboy (when forced to wear his only pair of shoes which happened to be a pair of cowboy boots), Switzerland (when forced to be the neutral ground for Kramer and Newman’s game of Risk), and a size 32 (when caught lying about his pants size).
Who knew there were so many things Jerry was so upset about being identified as.
4 George’s Love For Velvet
There were a few instances where George had mentioned his love for velvet; one of which is him stating that he wishes to drape himself in the beloved fabric if society allowed it. Not only did George eventually allow himself to finally live his dream and sport an all velvet tracksuit in one episode, but he also goes one step further.
In one episode, George dates a woman named Bonnie that shares a wonderful apartment with a man named Scott that just so happens to look a lot like George himself. Though George is excited by the idea of Scott finally moving out and leaving Bonnie and her coveted velvet couch to himself, he eventually finds out that, sadly, the soft velvety couch was Scott’s property all along.
3 “Who Is This?”
As strange as it is, there have been more than a handful of times when George finds himself in a sticky situation, reaching out to Jerry for help in a desperate call over the telephone. Jerry, being the comedian he is, can’t simply help George out or ask for more details about his situation in a genuine attempt to be a helpful friend; he needs to mess with him first, of course. Thus, the “who is this” running gag was born.
Every time frantic George is on the line, quickly explaining what’s going on and what he needs from Jerry, he’s met with a very sarcastic Jerry instead. Jerry isn’t all bad though, he does eventually try and help George out in the end!
2 Jerry Being A Germaphobe/Clean Freak
It’s well known that Jerry is a picky dater and always manages to find a reason (or rather an excuse) to call things off and inevitably reenter the dating scene to search for his next flame. However, one of the more consistent excuses Jerry uses to break things off with a woman is his strong sense of cleanliness.
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Jerry’s nitpicky attitude is at its strongest when it comes to hygiene and has broken up with his girlfriend Jenna over the toothbrush and toilet incident as well as eventually calling things off with his girlfriend, Audrey, because he refused to try Poppie’s pizza after catching Poppie leaving the restroom without washing his hands. While these are both reasonable things to be put off by, Jerry once again could have easily remedied by telling the truth instead of keeping his disgust secretive instead!
1 The Series’ Many, Many Film References
For any Seinfeld fans that weren’t film buffs in the 70s-90s era, this little detail may slip past rather easily. Seinfeld on many occasions has paid homage to tons of popular films in its era; often acting out full scenes, imitating the atmosphere, framing, lighting, and sometimes even the script.
Some of the most notable films the series paid homage to are The Godfather, The Fugitive, JFK, Marathon Man, In The Line Of Fire, and of course Basic Instinct which featured Newman’s actor, Wayne Knight, in the actual film!
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