124 Fun Facts About How I Met Your Mother

When How I Met Your Mother opens in September 2005, what is 27-year-old Ted Mosby's profession in New York?

Ted was a 27-year-old architect when the story opens in September 2005, and by the end he is teaching architecture instead.

What is the name of the main bar where the gang frequently hangs out?

MacLaren's is loosely based on four of the creators' favorite New York bars, including McGee's, a Midtown tavern near the Ed Sullivan Theater where they worked on the Late Show.

On How I Met Your Mother, which blue instrument does Ted steal from a restaurant for Robin on their first date?

Ted's blue French horn bookends the show: stolen from a restaurant in the pilot, it is back in his hands outside Robin's window in the series' final scene.

Which country is Robin Scherbatsky originally from?

Robin moved south for a news job, and her past as a teenage pop star becomes a running joke for the gang.

What was Lily Aldrin's day job for most of the series?

Lily Aldrin was a kindergarten teacher who painted on the side until season eight, when she became art consultant to a millionaire known as The Captain.

Which band performs 'Hey Beautiful', the theme of How I Met Your Mother, the sitcom created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas?

The Solids count the show's creators, Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, among their members, so the 'Hey Beautiful' theme was written in-house.

On How I Met Your Mother, which Canadian kids' show had Robin Sparkles and Jessica Glitter solving mysteries with math?

Space Teens starred Robin Sparkles and Jessica Glitter, played by Nicole Scherzinger, as two girls solving mysteries with math in a curling-stone-shaped spaceship; Alan Thicke co-starred.

What is the first name of Barney Stinson's mother?

Loretta Stinson, played by Frances Conroy, is Barney's mother; Virginia, Judy and Genevieve are the mothers of Ted, Marshall and Robin.

Which network broadcast the series?

CBS was home to How I Met Your Mother for all nine seasons, from creators Craig Thomas and Carter Bays, through the 2014 finale.

Which actor provided the uncredited voice of the older Ted narrating the whole story to his children?

The frame story has him telling it to Luke and Penny on a couch in the year 2030, twenty-five years after the events.

Which actor plays Ted Mosby?

Radnor later wrote and directed his own films, including Liberal Arts, while the show was still on the air.

Who plays the suit-loving Barney Stinson?

Neil Patrick Harris played Barney Stinson, earning four consecutive Emmy nominations for the role from 2007 to 2010 and hosting the 2009 Emmy ceremony himself.

How many seasons of the show were made?

It ran from September 2005 to March 2014, with the entire final season set over one wedding weekend.

How many episodes aired in total over the run of the series?

Nine seasons in the same bar booth: it outlasted most sitcoms of its era by a wide margin.

What is the title of the one-hour series finale that aired on March 31, 2014?

Fan backlash to its ending was strong enough that an alternative ending was cut together for the season 9 DVD.

Where was the alternative ending to the series released?

The alternate cut simply stops before the epilogue, leaving Ted's story with the Mother intact.

In what year is future Ted sitting his kids down on the couch to tell them the story?

The kids' reaction scene for the finale was actually filmed back in 2006 so the actors would not age out of it.

Ted grew up in which Ohio suburb?

Co-creator Carter Bays is himself from Shaker Heights, one of many autobiographical touches in the show.

Marshall Eriksen was born and raised in which Minnesota city?

Marshall Eriksen grew up in St. Cloud, Minnesota, where his towering family's competitive Thanksgiving basketball games are a recurring gag.

Robin Scherbatsky was born in which Canadian city?

Fittingly, she is a Vancouver Canucks fan, and actress Cobie Smulders is a Vancouver native too.

Ted, Marshall and Lily all met as freshmen at which university?

Both creators went there too, and Ted's sandwich-eating college flashbacks are set on its campus.

What was Robin's teen-pop stage name, "Robin ___"?

Touring malls to sing her one hit left her with a lasting phobia of shopping malls.

What was the title of Robin's one Canadian pop hit?

'Let's Go to the Mall' and its 1980s-style video are unveiled in the episode 'Slap Bet', often ranked among the show's best.

What stage surname did Robin adopt for her angry grunge phase, 'Robin ___'?

As Robin Daggers she screamed the grunge anthem 'P.S. I Love You'; the persona surfaces in season eight's 'P.S. I Love You' through a mock rock documentary of Canadian celebrities.

What is the middle name of Marshall and Lily's son Marvin?

Barney earned naming rights, so the boy is Marvin Waitforit Eriksen on his birth certificate.

Barney's job title 'P.L.E.A.S.E.' finally turns out to stand for what?

P.L.E.A.S.E. means Provide Legal Exculpation and Sign Everything: Barney was the fall guy for his company's misdeeds while secretly feeding the FBI evidence, revenge on the man who stole his first girlfriend.

Which actor plays James, Barney's half-brother?

James's own wedding in season 2 is what first rattles Barney's faith in the single life.

Robin's teenage sister Katie is played by which actress?

Lucy Hale played Robin's younger sister Katie in the 2007 episode 'First Time in New York', three years before Pretty Little Liars made her a star.

What does Barney call the book of elaborate schemes he uses to pick up women?

He eventually burns it as a grand gesture, though a real tie-in version was published and sold in stores.

Which of Ted's fiancees left him at the altar for her ex-boyfriend Tony?

Stella Zinman, the dermatologist played by Sarah Chalke, left Ted at the altar for her ex Tony, who later turned it into the movie The Wedding Bride.

What instrument does the Mother play in her band?

Tracy plays bass in her band, Superfreakonomics, which was booked for Barney and Robin's wedding reception, bringing her to Farhampton.

Ted finally meets Tracy at a train station as he is about to move to which city?

Ted was bound for Chicago, but he never boards; at Farhampton station he meets Tracy, carrying the yellow umbrella he had once owned himself.

What subject were the students expecting when Ted accidentally lectured in the wrong classroom?

The room was waiting for Economics 305; Ted rambled about architecture before realising he was in the wrong lecture hall, where the future Mother was sitting.

What make and model was Marshall's beloved first car, a gift from his brothers?

Marshall's Pontiac Fiero, handed down from his brothers, gets an episode-length send-off in 'Arrivederci, Fiero' when its odometer nears 200,000 miles and it dies.

What do Marshall and Lily name their second child, a daughter?

Daisy is Marshall and Lily's daughter; in the season-nine episode 'Daisy', Marshall finds Lily's positive pregnancy test hidden in a potted daisy, proving she had not been drinking.

In season 1, Lily breaks up with Marshall to take a painting fellowship in which city?

Lily took a summer art fellowship in San Francisco, breaking up with Marshall in the season-one finale; Barney secretly flew out and persuaded her to come back to New York.

What did Ted find on his nightstand after a drunken blackout in a season 1 mystery episode?

The pineapple from 'The Pineapple Incident' was never explained on air; a deleted season-nine scene released in 2016 showed Ted had swiped it from a doorstep where it sat as a sign of hospitality.

Which actress stars in the 2022 spin-off How I Met Your Father?

Hilary Duff stars as Sophie in How I Met Your Father, the 2022 spin-off narrated by her older self in 2050; it was cancelled after two seasons.

By 2020 in the show's timeline, Marshall has been elected to which body?

In 2020 Marshall is elected to the New York State Supreme Court, 'Fudge Supreme', after becoming a judge in 2016 via a vacated seat, long after his environmental-law dream and years lawyering for a bank.

How many years after their wedding do Barney and Robin get divorced?

Barney and Robin divorce in 2016, three years after their May 2013 Farhampton wedding, because Robin's globe-trotting news career leaves them no time together.

Lily's father Mickey, played by Chris Elliott, is an unsuccessful inventor of what?

His creations include a game called Diseases and a Thanksgiving edition nobody could finish.

What is Ted Mosby's middle name?

He was born on April 25, 1978, and is an Eagle Scout.

At which university does Ted teach architecture?

His teaching is 'reviewed' on a spoof CULPA page.

Which fake name does Barney give a one-night stand, prompting a revenge website?

Barney picked up women as 'Ted Mosby, Architect', and one jilted conquest set up tedmosbyisajerk.com, a site that existed in real life as a tie-in.

What was Ted's radio persona at Wesleyan called?

As 'Doctor X', Ted ran a college pirate radio show at Wesleyan, full of vague revolutionary ranting; the persona is revealed in season four's 'The Possimpible'.

Which ex-girlfriend leaves a man at the altar for Ted when they reunite six years later?

Victoria, Ted's season-one girlfriend, ran from her wedding to Klaus in the season-eight premiere 'Farhampton' to be with Ted, six years after they first dated.

Which game show host does Barney believe is his father?

Barney believed Bob Barker was his father because his mother pointed at The Price Is Right when he asked; in 'Showdown' he competes on the show to meet him.

Which three things is Barney known for loving besides women?

His plays are compiled in The Playbook.

Which type of magic trick is Barney's favourite?

Barney's specialty is tricks involving fire, such as flash-paper bursts he produces from his sleeve; he mostly uses magic to pick up women.

To which girlfriend does Barney propose late in season 7?

Barney proposes to Quinn Garvey, the stripper he dated through season seven, in 'The Magician's Code'; after they split he burns The Playbook and proposes to Robin in 'The Final Page'.

What is the name of Barney's daughter?

Ellie, born in 2020 to the woman Barney calls 'Number 31', is his daughter; he dreaded fatherhood until the moment he first held her.

What kind of character did the creators originally envision Barney as?

The creators wrote Barney as a large, John Belushi-type lug; casting director Megan Branman invited Neil Patrick Harris to audition anyway, and he won the part.

Which famous actress turned down the role of Robin?

Jennifer Love Hewitt was offered Robin but chose Ghost Whisperer instead, a story the creators told in February 2014; Cobie Smulders then won the part.

What masculine middle name and suffix does Robin carry, thanks to her father?

Robin is Robin Charles Scherbatsky, Jr.: her father wanted a son and raised her as one, which is why she carries his name and suffix.

Which two vices, along with guns, is Robin fond of?

Robin loves Scotch and cigars, along with guns: raised as the son her father wanted, she drinks Scotch at MacLaren's, smokes cigars, and hits the shooting range when stressed.

What kind of reporting was Robin doing when she first met Ted?

When Ted met her, Robin was doing fluff stories at the end of Metro News 1 segments, the human-interest filler that closes a broadcast; she works her way up to anchor over the series.

Which actor plays Carl, the bartender at MacLaren's Pub?

Joe Nieves played Carl the bartender across all nine seasons; Fagerbakke, Koldyke and Trucco played Marvin Eriksen Sr., Don Frank and Nick.

Which Space Teens song was heavy with unintended innuendo?

'Two Beavers Are Better Than One', sung by Robin Sparkles and Jessica Glitter on Space Teens, is wall-to-wall unintended innuendo, as the gang gleefully points out in 'Glitter'.

Co-creator Craig Thomas based Marshall and Lily on whom?

Craig Thomas based Marshall and Lily on himself and his wife Rebecca; she warmed to the idea only once Buffy's Alyson Hannigan was cast as Lily.

In what year did Marshall meet Ted and Lily as freshmen at Wesleyan?

They met as Wesleyan freshmen in 1996, when Ted was 18; Marshall and Lily started dating that same year, almost nine years before his pilot-episode proposal.

What are Marshall and his wife's pet names for each other?

Marshall calls Lily 'Lily-pad' and she calls him 'Marsh-mallow', pet names from their nine years of dating before the pilot's proposal.

Which two mythical creatures does Marshall firmly believe are real?

Marshall insists Sasquatch and the Loch Ness Monster are real, defending Nessie as a gentle creature and collecting monster lore alongside his other paranormal obsessions.

Which environmental group offered Marshall his dream job before he chose GNB?

He took the bank job to provide for Lily.

Why is Lily the only original main character not in every episode?

Lily is a kindergarten teacher and amateur painter.

What does Lily call the place where she keeps her many credit cards?

Lily's 'box of shame' holds the many maxed-out credit cards she hid from Marshall, revealed in 'Dowisetrepla' when her debt wrecks their mortgage application.

In Ted's college flashbacks, 'eating a sandwich' is a euphemism for what?

'Eating a sandwich' is Future Ted's euphemism for smoking marijuana, a cover story for his kids that colours every Wesleyan flashback of Ted and Marshall in their dorm room.

In how many episodes did The Mother appear unseen before her face was shown?

The Mother appears unseen in eight episodes, from 'Lucky Penny' through 'The Time Travelers', before her face is shown in the season-eight finale 'Something New'.

What last gift did The Mother's late boyfriend Max leave her?

Max's final birthday gift to Tracy was a ukulele, delivered the night she learned he had died on her 21st birthday, as told in 'How Your Mother Met Me'.

In what year does The Mother die, as revealed in the finale?

Her death from an unspecified illness drew a mixed reaction from fans.

Which 2010 film marked Josh Radnor's writing and directing debut?

Happythankyoumoreplease, which Radnor wrote, directed and starred in, premiered at Sundance in 2010 and won the festival's Audience Award for a U.S. dramatic film.

Josh Radnor was raised in which Ohio suburb of Columbus?

Josh Radnor grew up in Bexley, a suburb of Columbus, Ohio, in a Conservative Jewish family, and attended Kenyon College before drama school at NYU.

Which title role earned Neil Patrick Harris a Golden Globe nomination as a teenager?

Doogie Howser, M.D., the teen-doctor series, brought Neil Patrick Harris a Golden Globe nomination in 1990 at age 16; he was later nominated for four Emmys as Barney.

Neil Patrick Harris won a Tony for which 2014 rock musical?

He has won five Primetime Emmys.

Which Marvel character has Cobie Smulders played since The Avengers (2012)?

Cobie Smulders has played S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Maria Hill since The Avengers in 2012, returning in Age of Ultron, Infinity War, Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home.

Which ABC crime drama starred Cobie Smulders from 2019 to 2020?

Stumptown ran on ABC from 2019 to 2020 with Cobie Smulders as Portland private investigator Dex Parios; its planned second season was cancelled during the pandemic.

Jason Segel earned an Independent Spirit nomination for playing which writer?

Jason Segel played David Foster Wallace opposite Jesse Eisenberg in The End of the Tour (2015), earning an Independent Spirit nomination for Best Male Lead.

Which two Judd Apatow series launched Jason Segel's career?

Freaks and Geeks (1999) and Undeclared (2001), both produced by Judd Apatow, launched Jason Segel's career; he later co-wrote The Muppets (2011).

Which magic show did Alyson Hannigan host from 2016 to 2023?

Alyson Hannigan hosted Penn & Teller: Fool Us on The CW from 2016 to 2023, seven seasons of magicians trying to baffle the duo.

Which co-star of My Stepmother Is an Alien later played Hannigan's boyfriend on Buffy?

Seth Green, Hannigan's co-star in 1988's My Stepmother Is an Alien, later played Oz, Willow's werewolf boyfriend, on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Cristin Milioti won a Grammy for which Broadway musical?

Cristin Milioti shared the 2013 Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album as Girl in Once, a role that also earned her a Tony nomination.

For which HBO role did Cristin Milioti win a Primetime Emmy?

Cristin Milioti won the 2025 Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series as Sofia Falcone in HBO's The Penguin, the Batman spin-off.

Which 2022 novel did co-creator Carter Bays write?

The Mutual Friend, Carter Bays's debut novel published in 2022, follows a sprawling cast of New Yorkers over one summer; Bays was born in Cleveland and studied at Wesleyan.

Which host's programme did Craig Thomas write for five years after Wesleyan?

He and Bays are members of the band The Solids.

How many of the show's 208 episodes did Pamela Fryman direct?

Pamela Fryman directed 196 of the 208 episodes, all but a dozen of the run, after long stints directing Frasier and Just Shoot Me!.

Which sitcom character did Bob Saget play on Full House?

Bob Saget played widowed dad Danny Tanner on Full House from 1987 to 1995, and he also hosted the early seasons of America's Funniest Home Videos.

On what date did the episode 'Slap Bet' first air?

'Slap Bet', the ninth episode of season two, first aired on CBS on November 20, 2006; it introduced both the slap bet and Robin's pop-star past.

Why does Marshall guess Robin avoids malls in 'Slap Bet'?

Barney gets to slap Marshall three times for the wrong, premature guess.

How many US viewers watched the finale 'Last Forever'?

'Last Forever' drew 13.13 million US viewers on March 31, 2014, the most-watched episode of the series' nine-year run.

What is the real name of the Slutty Pumpkin, Ted's long-lost Halloween crush?

The Slutty Pumpkin is Naomi, played by Katie Holmes in 2011's 'The Slutty Pumpkin Returns', ten years after Ted met her at a rooftop Halloween party in 2001.

In the DVD alternative ending, what happens at Ted and the Mother's wedding?

Future Ted's narration implies the pair later get back together.

What is Barney wearing when 'The Playbook' episode opens?

'The Playbook' opens with Barney in a full scuba suit, the final play of the episode, as Lily warns a blonde named Claire about his villainy.

Which overall episode number is 'The Playbook'?

'The Playbook' is the 96th episode overall, the eighth episode of season five, arriving after 88 episodes across the first four seasons.

On what date did the pilot air on CBS?

The pilot aired on CBS on Monday, September 19, 2005, written by Bays and Thomas and directed by Pamela Fryman.

In 'Symphony of Illumination', who narrates the story to their kids instead of Ted?

Robin narrates 'Symphony of Illumination' to her own imagined future kids, a twist that sets up the episode's sad ending; it picks up directly from 'The Rebound Girl'.

In the episode title 'Dowisetrepla', the apartment's neighbourhood name is short for what?

'Dowisetrepla' is the broker's coinage for 'downwind of the sewage treatment plant': Marshall and Lily only smell the problem after buying the apartment in the 2007 episode.

In 'Bad News', what are Marshall and Lily struggling to do?

In 'Bad News' Marshall and Lily are struggling to conceive a child, consulting a fertility doctor who looks exactly like Barney, before the countdown ends with news of Marshall's father's death.

Which musical number from the 100th episode earned an Emmy nomination?

'Nothing Suits Me Like a Suit', Barney's big production number in the 100th episode 'Girls Versus Suits', was nominated for the 2010 Emmy for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics.

Which actress plays Cindy, the Mother's roommate, in 'Girls Versus Suits'?

Rachel Bilson played Cindy, Ted's grad-student girlfriend and the Mother's roommate, in the 100th episode 'Girls Versus Suits'; she returns in the season-eight finale to recommend the Mother's band.

Who voices the older Sophie narrating in How I Met Your Father?

Her narration is set in 2050.

Which streaming service carried How I Met Your Father?

How I Met Your Father streamed on Hulu from January 2022 and was cancelled after two seasons in September 2023.

On what date was the show renewed for its ninth and final season?

CBS announced the ninth-season renewal on December 21, 2012, after re-signing the whole cast, and confirmed at the same time that it would be the final season.

Over what span of time does almost all of the ninth season take place?

Almost all of season nine unfolds over a single weekend, the 56 hours before Barney and Robin's wedding at Farhampton; only the finale leaps ahead.

How many episodes were in the first season?

It ran from September 19, 2005 to May 15, 2006.

What is the name of the Canadian bar in Manhattan where Robin feels at home?

The Hoser Hut is the Canadian bar Marshall finds for a homesick Robin at the end of 'Little Minnesota', after she wears out her welcome at his Minnesotan Walleye Saloon.

The only season nominated for the Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy premiered in which year?

Season four, which premiered on September 22, 2008, is the show's only season nominated for the Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy, at the 2009 ceremony.

In 'Slapsgiving', what did Ted and Robin do when someone said a word like a military rank?

Ted and Robin salute whenever a word sounds like a military rank, as with 'major buzzkill' or a kernel stuck in the teeth, a leftover couple's habit from their dating days.

Which Lost actor plays 'The Blitz', a man cursed to miss notable events, in 'Blitzgiving'?

Jorge Garcia, Hurley on Lost, plays Steve 'The Blitz' Henry, cursed to leave just before something amazing happens; Ted inherits the curse when he goes to bed early.

Which marching band takes over MacLaren's in 'Three Days of Snow'?

The Arizona Tech Fighting Hens, an all-female marching band, pour into MacLaren's while Ted and Barney, left in charge by Carl, run the bar for a night.

Which celebrity sighting triggers the race in 'Subway Wars'?

A reported Woody Allen sighting at a downtown restaurant sets off the race in 'Subway Wars', while Maury Povich keeps turning up wherever the gang goes.

In How I Met Your Mother's season 8 finale, Marshall and Lily pack to move to which country for Lily's art job?

The Captain's art-consultant job was taking Lily to Rome, Italy; that same season 8 finale, 'Something New', finally introduced Cristin Milioti as The Mother.

Which architecture professor does Ted invite to his building's opening in season 8?

Professor Vinick, played by Peter Gallagher, once told Ted he would never be an architect, so Ted invites him to the GNB tower's opening and the gang says he has put Vinick in his 'pit'.

What game does the gang take deadly seriously in 'The Final Page'?

Barney once broke a jinx and was promptly hit by a bus.

On How I Met Your Mother, what forfeit does Barney face if he fails his season 7 teppanyaki cooking bet?

If Barney fails, he must wear the ducky tie for a year; the teppanyaki restaurant where the bet plays out is called Shinjitsu.

Which actor played taxi driver Ranjit?

Though Ranjit was Bangladeshi, Manesh delivered lines in his native Persian.

How many women does Barney shortlist in 'The Bracket'?

Barney builds a 64-woman bracket in 'The Bracket', and the gang eliminates entrants tournament-style to work out which of his conquests is sabotaging him.

Which actor plays Robin's ex Simon in 'Sandcastles in the Sand'?

He dumped her after she loaded his band's gear into their van.

Which UK channel aired the show's fourth season?

CBS showed it on Monday nights at 8:30 pm.

Which philandering anchor did Alyson Hannigan's husband Alexis Denisof play?

Alexis Denisof, Alyson Hannigan's real-life husband, plays Sandy Rivers, Robin's lecherous co-anchor at Metro News 1 and later World Wide News.

Which game show did Wayne Brady, Barney's on-screen brother, begin hosting in 2009?

Wayne Brady began hosting CBS's revived Let's Make a Deal in October 2009, alongside his long run as a regular on Whose Line Is It Anyway?

Which pop star played Abby, Stella's receptionist?

Britney Spears played Abby, the receptionist at Stella's dermatology office in 'Ten Sessions', and returned with a vendetta against Ted for never calling her.

Ted meets dermatologist Stella while getting what removed?

Ted gets his butterfly 'tramp stamp' tattoo lasered off over ten sessions with dermatologist Stella Zinman, played by Sarah Chalke, in 'Ten Sessions'.

How many Emmy nominations did the show receive overall?

Neil Patrick Harris also earned Golden Globe nominations.

Which acquisition puts Barney's company in charge of Marshall's new employer?

Barney later gets Ted the job of designing its new headquarters.

Which cable channel bought the rerun rights in 2008 for about $725,000 an episode?

Lifetime bought the rerun rights in 2008 for about $725,000 an episode; the four-year deal required at least 110 episodes by 2010, which helped guarantee a fifth season.