Take This Quiz To Show How Well You Know How I Met Your Mother
- by Rose Moore
- – on
- in Entertainment
Are you the world's biggest fan of How I Met Your Mother , or are you more of a casual viewer of the sitcom? This series about a group of friends living in Ne York City and struggling to get their careers and relationships together was one of the best shows of the past decade - and kept everyone guessing about the identity of that mysterious mother till the very end! After nine seasons of the adventures of Marshall, Lily, Ted, Barney and Robin, do you know every tiny detail from the show, or are you struggling to remember how it all fit together? Take our quiz and find out if you are a huge How I Met Your Mother fan, or if you don't remember as much as you thought you did...
From Barney Stinson's many plays to pick up women, to the names of some of the characters that the gang have met, dated, and even fallen in love with, we'll test you on the details of episodes from every season of How I Met Your Mother - and some of these questions are definitely harder than others. Test your knowledge, and if you are a true fan, we'll meet you at MacLarens afterwards for a well-earned drink... but if you can't get at least 50% of these questions right, it might be time to head home and get to re-watching this incredibly funny sitcom till you remember all the best bits!
How did Ted, Marshall and Lily meet?
The heart and soul of How I Met Your Mother is Ted, Marshall and Lily - although Robin and Barney are a vital part of the gang and all of their adventures, it is these three who have been friends for the longest, and who keep the rest of the group together through thick and thin. They've known each other forever, they know each others' parents, and they always have each others' backs.. but where did these three first meet?
Why did Marshall wear a hat on his wedding day?
The day that Marshall and Lily (finally) got married, things didn't quite go according to plan. As always seems to happen with sitcom weddings, all the little things messed up - and even though Lily was trying to stay calm, it all got to be too much for the bride... not least because it had changed so much from the quiet ceremony that they had first envisioned. Luckily, they were able to salvage the day - with some help from a secret ceremony, and a hat for Marshall.
What Halloween costume did Ted wear for years?
It's no secret that Ted will do just about anything he can in order to try and get the girl of his dream... including wearing the same Halloween costume year after year, even when it is long past relevant or funny! What costume was it that he wore for years to the rooftop Halloween party, in the hopes of once again bumping into the 'Slutty Pumpkin' (a girl in a pumpkin costume with some strategically placed cutouts...) and falling in love?
What did Becky do a commercial for?
Robin had a lot of bad luck with co-anchors over the years... from the sleazy Sandy Rivers (who ended up as her boss at World Wide News), to Don, who went from totally uncaring to the man who broke her heart, and then to Becky - a bubbly blonde girl who won hearts with her charmingly childish ways... but who drove Robin crazy because of it. Becky even did a commercial, which everyone loved (and of course, Robin hated). What was the commercial for?
What is 'sandwiches' code for?
Because these stories are (ostensibly) being told by an older Ted to his two children, some of the more risque stuff is glossed over (although no where near as much as a lot of viewers think should have been cleaned up!)... including one of the gang's vices that they used to indulge in while in college (and occasionally as adults). Instead of saying what they actually did, the older Ted would describe what illicit pleasure as 'eating a sandwich' instead?
Where did Robin return from looking like this?
Over the years, Robin has done a lot of travelling - whether it was going to Japan to host a news show, or going on a vacation just to get away from things. After she broke up with Ted, Robin felt like she needed to do something new, and went on an amazing trip - even coming back looking very different... and trying to leave her uptight personality quirks behind as well. Of course, neither her new attitude nor her new boyfriend Gael lasted very long.
What was the name of Robin's tv show?
When the gang first found out that Robin was a teen pop star in Canada who sang the hit 'Lets Go To The Mall', they thought she'd never live it down... but that wasn't the only embarrassing item from Robin's pop star past. She also sang a love ballad, went grunge (and changed her name to Robin Daggers), and finally, was part of a teen TV show about two best friends travelling through space and using math to save the day! What was the name of that show?
What is Barney doing here?
Barney Stinson is legen... wait for it... dary for all the ways that he picks up women. He's got the playbook. He's got costumes. He's got all kinds of lines and burner phones and special ways to trick 'busty dullards' into bed with him - but this is one of the few tricks he learned from someone else (and it didn't even work!). Whats the name of this move, that three of the friends tried on the same night, and that works two out of three times.
Where did Quinn work?
Given Barney's penchant for strippers, it's actually not too surprising that at one point he ended up dating one of the girls from his favorite strip club. They even seemed like an amazing pair, and nearly made it down the aisle... but in the end, they realized that they just didn't trust each other enough to get married, and called the whole thing off. What was the name of the strip club that Quinn worked at, and where she met Barney?
Name this driver
Throughout the series, the gang often uses one particular driver - who graduates from a cab driver to a limo driver as the show goes on. He becomes something of a friend to the gang, often offering them advice, and always ready to help them out when they are in a jam - even to the detriment of someone who may have booked his services ahead of time! He always greets them with the same 'hellooooo'... but what is his name?
What was the tattoo that Ted got removed?
Ted has certainly made some questionable decisions in his search for 'the one' - and one of those decisions was to get a tattoo, while extremely drunk, from the very recent ex of a girl that he was sleeping with. Oops. Obviously, Ted went and got his accidental tramp stamp removed as soon as he could, which actually played a big part in how he did eventually meet the girl of his dreams - but what was that tramp stamp of?
Who was Barney trying to sleep with in this episode?
Barney is always trying to sleep with someone, but this girl was special - not because he really loved her, but because a) he really wanted to sleep with someone in her profession, and b) this episode became a musical, where the whole gang suited up to sing to Barney about his love of suits! It all came about when Barney's latest love (or should that be lust) interest wanted to make him decide between sleeping with her... or wearing suits!
What card game does Lily imagine them playing on the porch?
When Ted gets together with yet another terrible choice of a girlfriend, it is revealed that Lily has often broken up his relationships when she feels like a girl doesn't pass her 'front porch test'. The test involves imagining the four of them together, at retirement age, playing a card game together on the front porch of their beach house. If the girl would fit in well, she stays. If she wouldn't, Lily makes sure she goes. What's the card game?
Why is Marshall smoking outside in his underwear?
Although Ted initially tries to hide it from his kids, it is eventually revealed that at various points in time, all of the members of the HIMYM gang have smoked. Marshall even smoked intentionally at work for a while in order to try and get in with his boss... but eventually, they did all manage to quit. Given that they have all smoked, why was Marshall occasionally found smoking on the roof of the apartment building wearing nothing but his underwear?
How did Robin get her five dogs?
When Ted first met Robin, she revealed that she was an animal lover, with no fewer than five dogs (in her New York apartment). At first, Ted loved the dogs, and thought that having them was one of the things that he loved most about Robin. However, when they were dating, Robin revealed where she got each of the dogs that she has - and after that, Ted wasn't really so happy about them being in her life any more.
Why did Mickey move in with Marshall and Lily?
Lily's relationship with her father is a complicated one - he wasn't always around when she was a kid, and put his love of board games over his own child. However, over the course of the show, the two did manage to reconcile their differences, and even to become close. In fact, Marvin briefly even lived with Marshall and Lily - and both were extremely happy to have him there! Why did Mickey move in to their apartment in New York?
What is the name of Barney's brother?
Over the years, the fans of HIMYM have met most of the families of the main gang - their parents, siblings, even grandparents have shown up from time to time... but none created more of a splash when they first appeared than Barney's brother - who was just as much of a player as Barney (till he settled down), but is otherwise very much his opposite... and they both love playing with people by not telling them that he is gay and black and waiting to see the reaction! What was his name?
Who is this minor character?
It's not just the core gang that the fans of How I Met Your Mother have fallen for over the years - there are also so many secondary characters that are just incredible.. like this guy! Hopelessly in love with Lily since high school, he has built his entire life around trying to get back together with her... although in a way that is a little more cute than creepy. What's his name? (And did you know that he's married to Neil Patrick Harris in real life?)
Who is this?
Another one of the side characters only appears a few times on the show, but was absolutely instrumental in turning Barney into the man he is today (and later, keeping him that way!). This is the woman that Barney lost his virginity to, in his early twenties, after his long-time hippy girlfriend broke his heart. Later, when he learned that that time wasn't quite as good for her as it was for him, he made it his mission to prove to her that a night with him would be very different now.
Who ruined Kelly and Punchy's wedding?
There have been quite a few weddings (and almost-weddings) throughout the years on How I Met Your Mother... including that of Ted's high school best friend Punchy and his lovely new bride Kelly. However, one of the gang ruined this wedding by accidentally making it known that Kelly was pregnant - although they meant to reveal that Lily was pregnant! Oopsie... which one of the gang was it who made this total social faux pas, and revealed the bride's secret on her big day?
Who threw all of Ted's stuff out his window?
Although Ted was always searching for 'the one', he was also having a lot of fun dating all over New York - and who could blame him? (Especially when it seems that he only met stunningly attractive women... ) However, there was one girl in particular that really made him ready to settle down - because she was just too completely insane for him. She stalked him, then after a truly intense relationship, ended up throwing all his stuff out the window and onto the street. What was her name?
Where did Marshall and Ted go for pizza?
Because Marshall and Ted have known each other for so long, they have a whole lot of rituals and shared traditions - including going to one particular pizza place in Chicago. For years, they would roadtrip out there, drinking Tantrum and listening to music (I Would Walk 500 Miles, of course)... until they got word that it was being closed down for health violations, and took one final trip out there to eat together. What was the name of that pizzeria?
What was the name of this play?
Over the course of the series, we've seen many of Barney Stinson's plays from his infamous playbook - the Cheap Trick, the SNASA, the Scuba Diver... some of them are obviously a little better thought out than others - unlike this one, that requires a sorority to need a new house mother because of their 'lewd behavior', and Barney managing to get a job as that house mother by dressing up as an elderly British woman. What was this play called?
What did Victoria think was 'better than the kiss'?
The night that Ted met Victoria, he thought he may have really found the perfect girl... but then, he didn't get her number, because she convinced him that it would be so much better if they just had one single perfect night, with no pressure to repeat it or to have anything else happen afterwards. That wasn't the only thing she suggested either... Victoria also said that they shouldn't even kiss, because something else was so much better than the kiss itself... what was it?
What's the cheapest scotch at MacLarens?
The gang spend most of their time (when not at work) at MacLarens, the pub underneath the apartment. They usually just drink beer and wine, but when Barney tries to tell Ted that his 'one rule' is that 'new is always better', Ted challenges him by offering to buy him a glass of either the oldest (and most expensive) or newest (and cheapest) Scotch that MacLarens has on offer... the oldest was a Glen McKenna, but what was the newest?