Top 10 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets about HIMYM
#10: The Show Invented a Phrase
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“How I Met Your Mother” featured plenty of fun lingo and catchphrases, but it also added a truly original phrase to our daily vernacular: the bro code. Barney Stinson creates this masculine set of rules to codify the behavior “bros” must adhere to. While terms like “male code” and “man code” existed before the show, the phrase “bro code” had very few searches on Google prior to its appearance on the series, indicating that the term was, if not invented, then at least seriously popularized by the program.
#9: Britney Spears Requested Her Role
Singer and actress Britney Spears appears in several episodes of season 3 as Abby, the secretary of Ted’s love interest, Stella. While Spears’ appearance was much publicized at the time, and even drew enough ratings that her guest starring role may have saved the show, what some may not know is that she specifically requested it - not the other way around. Although the producers were initially worried that Spears was interested in playing Stella, the aforementioned love interest, Spears wanted to play the ditzy Abby; a role which, we have to say, she pulled off wonderfully.
#8: MacLaren's Pub Is Named for a Producer
The gang’s favorite hangout, MacLaren’s Pub features prominently in most episodes of the series, serving as the location for most of the group’s more public and legendary antics. As it happens, the bar was named for one of the associate producers on the show, Carl MacLaren. MacLaren also leant his name to MacLaren’s bartender, and possible owner, Carl. The creators incorporated plenty of aspects of their lives into the show, but few things immortalize you onscreen more than having your name given to a character or a place.
#7: Real Fake Websites
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Throughout the run of “How I Met Your Mother,” the gang, usually Barney or Marshall, creates a number of fake or throwaway websites, often as part of some kind of scheme or bet. However, despite their disposable nature, many of these fake websites are real and can be visited, such as the famous Slap Bet Countdown, which has since expired, or Barney’s fake Lorenzo Von Matterhorn profiles. Websites aren’t the only thing created for the show that became real, though, as several books, such as the Bro Code and the Playbook, actually went into print.
#6: The Actors Kept Props
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The desire to take home mementos from a workplace where you spent a lot of time is something we can all relate to, but amongst those working in television, those mementos are extra special. While producers managed to take home some props, like the booths and art from MacLaren’s, as well as the swords famously used by Ted and Marshall, the cast members also made off with important keepsakes. Neil Patrick Harris took home the table of the gang’s favorite booth and the famous Playbook, Cobie Smulders nabbed her Robin Sparkles jacket, Alyson Hannigan managed to get the little British phone booth, and Josh Radnor took home famous blue French Horn.
#5: Victoria Was Almost the Mother
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Ted Mosby dated quite a few women on his quest to find the girl of his dreams, but there are only a few who really stood out as contenders to be the mother of the title. Besides Robin and Tracy, the real mother, arguably the most prominent of Ted’s love interests was Victoria, a baker he met at a wedding. Her easy chemistry with Ted made her a fan favorite and, according to the creators, Victoria was their fallback for the role of the mother, in the event that the show was cancelled prematurely.
#4: Neil Patrick Harris Got Paid Almost Twice as Much as His Co-Stars
While the whole cast of “How I Met Your Mother” was excellent, Barney Stinson was quite obviously a breakout character, and drew a lot of attention to the show. It might not be surprising to learn that his actor, Neil Patrick Harris, earned around twice as much as his co-stars at one point. However, this was not due to his impact, but rather because NPH did not stand with his cast mates when they attempted to band together for higher salaries; and in the end he wound up making substantially more than his co-stars around the middle of the show’s run. Their salaries did even out more towards the end of the series, however.
#3: The Cast's Significant Others Appeared as Jerks
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Cameos are fun in any series, and some of the best on “How I Met Your Mother” are those made by the significant others of the cast members. Alyson Hannigan’s husband Alexis Denisof plays Robin’s obnoxious rival news anchor, Sandy Rivers; Neil Patrick Harris’ husband David Burtka portrays Lily’s obsessive ex-boyfriend Scooter, and Cobie Smulders’ husband Taran Killam plays Gary Blauman, a divisive acquaintance of the gang. All three seem rather nice in real life, so seeing them get to play jerks onscreen was a lot of fun.
#2: A Real Proposal Happened on the Show
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There are a number of weddings and proposals seen throughout the run of “How I Met Your Mother,” but arguably one of the sweetest occured between two very minor characters. During the second season finale, Ted and Robin are eating at a restaurant when a ring is delivered to them in a champagne glass, starting a fight between the two of them. However, the ring belongs to another diner, who retrieves it and proposes to his girlfriend. This proposal was real, as the man had worked it out with producers beforehand. Now the couple’s proposal is forever immortalized in an episode of television.
#1: The Mosby Kids' Scenes Were All Filmed Early On
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A constant feature of the show is the bookend of future Ted narrating to his children the circumstances that led to his eventual meeting with their mother. These are usually accompanied by brief clips of the kids, often at the beginning of the episode - though they sometimes react to events too. However, because the actors were in the middle of puberty at the time, all their scenes were filmed during the first season of the show. This includes their appearance in the finale, meaning that the young actors knew the ending of the show for almost a decade, and managed to keep it secret.
