Because of its popularity, How I Met Your Mother has become a staple of the 2000s and 2010s. From being the source of current memes to teaching heartfelt life lessons, it's stayed unique no matter how many sitcoms have attempted to replace it. Hulu even announced that a spinoff titled How I Met Your Father is currently in the works.
Each character in the show is known for something different and is often ed for one thing, in particular. Although How I Met Your Mother is filled with iconic scenes, Ted and his friends all have definitive moments that stand out above the others.
Tracy McConnell: The Yellow Umbrella At The Train Station
For years, viewers wondered when Ted would meet the woman with the yellow umbrella. Each season brought viewers closer to the truth, and more parts of the story fell into place the longer it went on. The biggest clue viewers received was a glimpse of the exact moment Ted met the titular character.
The umbrella covered her face, and Ted sat at a train station completely oblivious to the fact that the love of his life was a feet away from him. It isn't until the series finale that viewers see Ted tap on her shoulder and introduce himself. Given that the title of the show is How I Met Your Mother, it makes sense that Ted's story ended after this scene. However, viewers weren't expecting the hole in the story to be filled during the present.
Barney Stinson: 52 Seconds
The story of how Barney and Robin became a couple was told by Barney in under fifty-two seconds. He started from the moment he played "Have you met Ted?" and went all the way until the current one. Neil Patrick Harris's ability to recite this story so flawlessly is what made this scene iconic.
Although Barney has told many unnecessary lies on the show, he is honest with Quinn when she asks him to tell her the truth. A timer appears on the bottom of the screen and Barney speaks so quickly, it's difficult to comprehend everything he's saying. Barney doesn't stumble over a single word and finishes the story with two seconds to spare. He uses his extra time to throw in how he went on The Price is Right and won a doom buggy.
Robin Scherbatsky: Let's Go To The Mall
Robin Sparkles, Robin's stage name in Canada, wasn't just a hit in the show. Her song "Let's Go to the Mall" became popular outside of the series, and was even included in the videogame, "Just Dance 3." Because it was a fan-favorite, Cobie Smulders shared a new version of the song in 2020, called "Let's Go to the Mall: Quarantine Edition."
Everyone in the gang was shocked to discover the real reason why Robin hated malls. They had been convinced that she got married in one, when the truth was that she was forced to travel across Canada to sing at them. Her music video is especially hilarious because Cobie Smulders plays teenage Robin in a blonde wig, and it's the complete opposite of the Robin viewers had come to know and love.
Marshall Eriksen: Slapsgiving
The slap bet was one of the best running gags in How I Met Your Mother, and Slapsgiving soon became a tradition for the gang. Marshall decides to make a countdown in anticipation of the event, leaving Barney dreading every second leading up to it.
Because of all the drama it causes at Thanksgiving, Lily, the slap bet commissioner, rules that there will be no slaps during the holiday. At the last minute, Lily changes her mind, and Marshall delivers a slap that leaves Barney reeling. He even heads to the piano to play a song he wrote for the occasion. This wasn't the only time Marshall ended up getting behind the piano as he also participated in some big musical numbers too.
Lily Aldrin: "That's Love, B*tch"
Lily's quote quickly became a meme that still circles the internet to this day. In a world full of shippers, gifs of Lily and Marshall's high five have been used to react to couples from all different kinds of television shows. The context is pretty spot-on, as this quote was meant to showcase Lily and Marshall's love for each other.
When Ted pokes fun at them for always agreeing with each other, Lily defends their relationship. She mentions that the only debate they've ever had about Tommy Boy was whether it was awesome or super awesome, and follows it up with, "That's love b*tch!"
Ted Mosby: The Blue French Horn
It's not the most popular scene, but there's no denying that it's Ted's most iconic one. How I Met Your Mother is all about foreshadowing, and the best series finales have a full-circle moment. On the night that Ted and Robin went on their first date, he steals the blue french horn from the restaurant and holds it up outside her window. The end of Ted's story revealed that Robin regretted marrying Barney and not Ted. But Ted was already with Tracy and Robin had missed her shot.
The reason Ted and Robin broke up in How I Met Your Mother season 2 was that they both wanted different things in life. In the present, Ted had the family he always desired and Robin had traveled the world and accomplished all her goals. It had been years since the mother had ed, and Ted and Robin rekindled their friendship. On the night that Ted finishes relating his kids the story, he tells Robin he loves her by showing up outside her window with the blue french horn (which was a great callback to some of the key moments in their relationship).