8 Facts About "The Golden Girls" That May Surprise Even the Biggest Fans

In honor of the show's hilarity and fun episodes, I scoured the internet for weird and lesser-known facts that even the closest pals and confidantes may not know

My grandma used to babysit me during the day when my parents were at work and my older siblings were in school. Every day, I looked forward to watching The Golden Girls, even though I rarely understood the jokes and sexual innuendos.

The sitcom is about four single and older women living together in a Miami, Florida house, and it ran for six seasons on NBC.

It debuted back on September 14, 1985, and continued to grow in popularity with each and every season.

In honor of the show's hilarity and fun episodes, I scoured the internet for weird and lesser-known facts that even the closest pals and confidantes may not know. "Thank you for being a friend" and reading the following.

1. Rue McClanahan, who played Blanche, reportedly had a clause in her contract that allowed her to keep all the clothes she wore on camera.

2. The stage and screen actress Elaine Stritch revealed that she originally auditioned to play Dorothy, but the show's writer didn’t like that she cussed during her audition.

3. Although the show takes place in Miami, the home featured throughout the series is actually in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Brentwood. It recently sold for a listing price of nearly $3 million.

4. The ladies in the show love cheesecake, but in real life, Bea Arthur, who played Dorothy, hated cheesecake according to a report.

5. Estelle Getty, who played Sophia, was a year younger than Bea Arthur, who played her daughter. It apparently took the hair and makeup staff three hours to make her look old enough to play the witty mother.

6. According to The New York Post, Estelle Getty found Sophia’s infamous straw handbag shopping for props in Los Angeles while preparing for her audition.

7. Betty White played word games with Rue McClanahan between takes on set, she once told TV Guide. "She was like a butterfly — such fun," White said of McClanahan, who died in 2010. "We would play these alphabet games — coming up with 'automobiles' or 'animals,' during the show — sometimes even while we were waiting to make an entrance or passing each other as we exited."

8. "Golden Girls" action figures were revealed in 2018 and the collection retails for $279.99 on Amazon.