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How I Met Your Mother is a show full of examples of intertextuality and pastiche. As a result, it is a 21st century postmodern television show.

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The shows opening sequence

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How I Met Your Mother Opening Credits (True HD)

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Barney's stormtrooper is seen in the back

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A poster for Robin's Canadian show Space Teens

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A Star Wars themed photo of Ted being a third wheel

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Every Appearance of Star Wars in How I Met Your Mother

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Every Appearance of Star Wars in How I Met Your Mother

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A Tumblr blog documenting every Star Wars reference in the show

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Season 8, Episode 10: The Over-Correction Robin stumbles into Barney's Stormtrooper, revealing the Playbook.

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http://himymandstarwars.tumblr.com/post/90230110369/season-8-episode-10-the-over-correction-robin

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Learn about Robin Scherbatsky's sub character Robin Sparkles

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For a listing of other articles related to Robin Sparkles, see Category:Robin Sparkles

Robin Sparkles is teen-aged Robin Scherbatsky's alter ego which she used during her time as a Canadian pop star. The real world inspiration for the character is Canadian singer Alanis Morissette, who recorded two albums of pop music before turning toward more serious songs in the 1990s.

Show Outline

The existence of Robin's alter ego, Robin Sparkles, was first revealed in Season two's ​​​, when Robin refused to go to an event at a mall and also refused to reveal why. Due to Robin showing shame at the mention of why she disliked malls, Barney thought that Robin had been involved in porn. Marshall suggests that she hates malls because she had once gotten married at a mall in Canada, when confronted about this she went along with the story of having been married rather then reveal the truth, going so far as seamlessly inventing details of the band and the catering.

Still thinking Robin is involved in porn, Barney starts searching through Canadian porn which is successful when a person in Malaysia sends Barney the video he was looking for. He shows the video to the gang, which opens like porno but turned out to be the music video to her first song " Let's Go To The Mall". Robin explains that she was a teenage pop star in Canada, and that for a year she had to visit malls across the country singing it.

The others learn in Season three's Sandcastles in the Sand that Robin released another song, " Sandcastles in the Sand", as Robin Sparkles, but this song was not as successful as the first. The music video features Robin's ex-boyfriend Simon, Alan Thicke and .

The gang also finds out in Season six's ​​​ that Robin had appeared on Canadian children's show Space Teens as her alter ego with her best friend back then, Jessica Glitter. The two teenagers used math to solve galactic problems, thanks to Alan Thicke. Robin and Jessica sang The Beaver Song, a song about friendship, on the show.

In Season eight's , the others learn that Robin had obsessed over an unknown man when she was younger. Barney goes to Canada and tracks down the guys she has dated. After encountering Simon once again, he tells Barney of the Robin Sparkle episode of Underneath The Tunes. Barney obtains the tape and the gang watch it. They discover Robin hit her breaking point in February 1996, becoming Robin Daggers. In her obsession, she released a new track called " P.S. I Love You". The man she was obsessed with was Paul Shaffer, although Barney thought P.S. meant post signed.

Robin Daggers

In 1996, Robin became obsessed with Paul Shaffer. She filled up her journals about him, and eventually got a restraining order. This also reflected on Robin Sparkles. In an interview with MuchMusic (as Robin Sparkles), she stormed out midway through the interview, saying, "I can't do this." Later, in the halftime show of the 84th Grey Cup, Robin revealed to the spectators that Robin Sparkles is dead and that her new name is Robin Daggers. She took off her Robin Sparkles wig and jacket, revealing her new "Robin Daggers look", and started singing her song P.S. I Love You, which Dominant Records had refused to release, due to its dark nature.

Let's Go To The Mall was Ted's ringtone in ​​​.

In ​​​, Marshall sings Let's Go To The Mall during karaoke, at the Hoser Hut.

Robin walks down the aisle to an instrumental version of Sandcastles in the Sand.

Robin sings Let's Go To The Mall at her wedding in a deleted scene: http://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/How-I-Met-Your-Mother-Robin-Sparkles-Deleted-Scene-35741481

Robin Scherbatsky's music career seems to be based on Alanis Morissette. Both were Canadian (forgotten) teenage pop-stars, heavily contrasting with their later fame in U.S. with much more adult-oriented audience. The fictional song 'PS I Love You' bears strong resemblance to Morissette's hit, 'You Oughta Know'. Also, there's some speculation about who was the inspiration behind Morissette's song, somewhat similar to the backstory of Robin's song.

Notes and Trivia

On 20 December 2017, Cobie Smulders (who plays Robin) has posted on her Instagram account that she made some Robin Sparkles-themed Tim Hortons doughnuts. Tim Hortons is a Canadian coffee and doughnut store that actually also operates some branches in the US, including in New York.

External links

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Robin Sparkles is teen-aged Robin Scherbatsky's alter ego which she used during her time as a Canadian pop star. The real world inspiration for the character is Canadian singer Alanis Morissette, who recorded two albums of pop music before turning toward more serious songs in the 1990s.

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Interesting facts about the show that could be trivia questions

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How I Met Your Mother (TV Series 2005-2014)

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How I Met Your Mother (TV Series 2005-2014) Trivia on IMDb: Cameos, Mistakes, Spoilers and more...

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Your biggest questions about the show answered

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How I Met Your Mother (TV Series 2005-2014)

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How I Met Your Mother (TV Series 2005-2014) on IMDb: Movies, TV, Celebs, and more...

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7 Reasons Barney & Robin Are The Most Relatable Couple On 'How I Met Your Mother'

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In my humble opinion, Barney Stinson and Robin Scherbatsky were the best and most relatable couple featured on How I Met Your Mother. For all those that were incensed by the last few scenes involving the Mother in the HIMYM series finale, I was too busy trying to patch up the scattered pieces of my broken heart when it was revealed that Barney and Robin's marriage ended in divorce. I had grown accustomed to the couple's on-again/off-again romance, but the finale basically told us that the two had ended their relationship for good this time and - to quote Taylor Swift - they were "never, ever, ever getting back together." Now when I binge watch HIMYM, I stop it right at the part where Barney and Robin get married and announce to no one in particular, "Well, I guess that's how it ends! It looks like everything worked out!" That's my version of an alternate ending.

Much of HIMYM centered on Ted Mosby's quest for love and his unwavering commitment to the idea of romance and the existence of "the one." I, of course, adored Ted and his trajectory, but it was Barney and Robin's relationship that I found myself identifying with the most. The coupling wasn't characterized by a storybook-type romance - far from it. As we die-hard HIMYM fans remember, neither Barney nor Robin wanted a relationship and initially viewed their chemistry as an inconvenience rather than a fairy tale. Still, their ability to find their way back to each other time and time again until finally committing showcased just how real their love was. Let's take a look at the seven ways Barney and Robin were the most relatable couple on HIMYM.

They Were Both Victims Of Human Nature

I know it can be hard to admit, but a lot of times we can fall into the trap of wanting what we can't have. When Barney initially felt like Robin was out of reach, his feelings for her only grew stronger. The same happened to Robin once she realized she had feelings for Barney, which led to a neurotic - albeit adorable - back and forth that ended in the couple's first kiss, otherwise known as one of the best moments ever in the history of HIMYM.

Love Was Scary For Both Of Them

Let's face it: Love can be a very scary thing. Barney and Robin experienced the most apprehension when it came to romance, and their anxieties were played out in a litany of ways that we could all relate to.

They Were Both Goofballs

Whether it was laser tag or drumming on a giant turtle statue, Barney and Robin were never afraid to get a little silly.

They Had Their Faults

Barney and Robin weren't perfect, but that just made us love them all the more.

They Didn't Need To Be Fancy To Have A Good Time

Barney may have had a penchant for "suiting up," but he and Robin didn't need every date night to be one of expensive tastes.

They Had Their Fair Share of Awkward Moments

What would an on-again/off-again romance be without a few awkward moments?

They Balanced Each Other

Barney could be a little cocky and Robin could be a little blunt. Sometimes these qualities caused the two to butt heads, but for the most part their traits complemented each other.

With all due respect to the Ted-Robin shippers of the universe, the Barney-Robin coupling was LEGENDARY.
Image: CBS; Giphy (14)

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In my humble opinion, Barney Stinson and Robin Scherbatsky were the best and most relatable couple featured on How I Met Your Mother. For all those that were incensed by the last few scenes involving the Mother in the HIMYM series finale, I was too...

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Why the series finale was the most viewed episode

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In the "How I Met Your Mother" finale, Ted (Josh Radnor) met the mother (Cristin Milioti), but that wasn't the end. Credit Credit Ron P. Jaffe/CBS

CBS's hit comedy "How I Met Your Mother" exited to what amounted to a standing ovation on Monday night - from viewers, if not critics - scoring the best ratings in the show's nine-season history.

The series had 12.9 million viewers and posted its best-ever rating among those 18 to 49, an audience many advertisers pay a premium to reach. The numbers were so good that they compared favorably with the levels achieved by some of the hit cable shows that have stolen audiences from the broadcast networks.

The show's finale was watched by more viewers than the series finale of the AMC cable channel's monster hit this season, "Breaking Bad," which had 10.3 million viewers for its series finale. But as strong as "Mother" finished for CBS, its finale fell short of the 15.7 million viewers that watched Sunday night's season finale of AMC's "The Walking Dead."

Those comparisons highlight how much television viewing has shifted away from the broadcast networks and over to cable, especially among younger viewers. But, at the same time, the strength of the "Mother" finale underscores how the broadcast networks can still attract big audiences when they elevate a show to the level of an event.

A factor in the big numbers was that the CBS series appeared to achieve the status of must-see-now TV. All season long, what has worked for network television has been what they label events: From awards shows to the Olympics to the live presentation of "The Sound of Music" on NBC, "events" have scored.

"We tried to event-ize this episode," said Kelly Kahl, the chief scheduler for CBS. "You had to watch. Young people had to watch it live or be left behind on social media."

"How I Met Your Mother" was unusually potent among those 18-to-49-year-old viewers, with a 5.3 rating. (Its previous best: 5.2). Still, both "The Walking Dead" and "Breaking Bad" on AMC topped "Mother" in that category: "Breaking Bad" had a 5.4 rating for its concluding episode, last September, while this Sunday the season finale of "The Walking Dead" soared to an 8.0 rating in the 18-to-49 group, a number no network show has come close to this season.

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Andrew Lincoln in the season finale of AMC's "The Walking Dead," which drew 15.7 million viewers. Credit Gene Page/AMC

Even so, "Mother" demonstrated that a series on a broadcast network could still appeal to the lucrative younger demographic. That 5.3 rating is the best performance in that category by any episode of any comedy on television this season not named "The Big Bang Theory." (That show, CBS's biggest hit, has surpassed that rating several times this season.) No network drama has been in that ratings territory, either.

Another reason for the success of "Mother" was its unusual format: It was the closest thing to a serialized show that network comedy has tried. The finale wrapped up what was a series-long story line. The episode resolved the title in its final seconds, only to add a romantic twist.

That development, which many critics had predicted, led to a chorus of spluttering comments on Twitter on Monday night and Tuesday, as some critics and fans expressed unhappiness with the show's conclusion. (That is far from an unusual reaction to series finales: See "Seinfeld," "The Sopranos," "Lost" and many more.)

But CBS certainly won't be expressing any disappointment, not with these final numbers. Mr. Kahl said he monitored Twitter all night and saw passionate comments, both positive and negative. "If you get people to care enough about a show to give reactions like that, you know you've got something," he said.

All the "Mother" ratings were based on early national numbers from Nielsen, and the show should bump up slightly when the final overnight figures are counted. The ratings will then climb a bit more, when delayed viewing from recorders is counted.

The only disappointment CBS will feel at this point is the loss of a consistent, reliable hit, one that reached an audience that does not often frequent CBS shows. The network has the oldest audience of any broadcast network, with a median age this season of 58.3.

"How I Met Your Mother" had the youngest audience of any show on CBS, with a median age of 46.2, even younger than that of "The Big Bang Theory."

That the network is concerned about losing those younger viewers is apparent from CBS's recent decision to ask the creators of "Mother," Craig Thomas and Carter Bays, and Emily Spivey, the creator of the series "Up All Night," to help develop a new comedy for next season. The pilot that they have come up with is not really a spinoff: None of the characters return, and the setting and time frame will be different.

Still, the new show's title has a familiar ring: "How I Met Your Dad."

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page C1 of the New York edition with the headline: The Series Finale of 'Mother' Brings Cable-Style Viewership. Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe

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'How I Met Your Mother' Gets Its Best Ratings for Finale

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CBS's hit comedy "How I Met Your Mother" exited to what amounted to a standing ovation on Monday night - from viewers, if not critics - scoring the best ratings in the show's nine-season history. The series had 12.9 million viewers and posted its best-ever rating among those 18 to 49, an audience many advertisers pay a premium to reach.

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A breakdown of the shows characters based on their personality types

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It was not difficult for How I Met Your Mother to steal our hearts. Unlike most sitcoms, this clever series offered a myriad of intuitive characters and delved beyond the usual realm of slapstick humour. Young intuitives will remember How I Met Your Mother as one of the first shows to represent their own zany types, in the form of relatable sitcom characters.

Robin Scherbatsky - ISTP

Function Stacking: Introverted Thinking (Ti), Extroverted Sensing (Se), Introverted Intuition (Ni), Extroverted Feeling (Fe).

Robin is a textbook ISTP. Prioritizing her career far above her personal life, she displays introverted thinking in all of her pursuits. Her communication style is frank and direct, reflecting her logical thought process.

Robin's second function - extroverted sensing - surfaces relentlessly throughout the course of her career. She uses a trial-and-error approach to both her work and her personal life, discarding opportunities only once she sees them through. Robin displays her clear preference for perceiving over judging through her outright refusal to settle into any relationship that would deter her from realizing her dreams of travelling or broadcasting.

Though we see very little of her analytical and feeling functions throughout the course of the show, Robin does eventually employ introverted intuition to analyze the mistakes she's made in the past and come to terms with how to implement more effective solutions in the future (I.e. when she realizes she has to stop putting work ahead of relationships). Robin certainly does care about her loved ones, she just has trouble allowing her feelings to triumph over her leading logical functions.

Barney Stinson - ENTP

Function Stacking: Extroverted Intuition (Ne), Introverted Thinking (Ti), Extroverted Feeling (Fe), Introverted Sensing (Si)

Barney Stinson embodies a perfect caricature of an ENTP. His extroverted intuition and introverted thinking run wild through his "Playbook" schemes where he backs up outlandish ideas with concrete, detailed steps for pulling them off.

Though his moments of extroverted feeling are few and far between, we see glimpses of it in flashbacks to "Old Barney" - the guitar-playing hippie who just wanted to save the world.

Though he predominantly dwells in the intuitive realm, Barney also displays strong introverted sensing through his meticulous organization of his wardrobe, his career and his detail-oriented schemes. Barney is the truest exaggeration of the dynamic ENTP personality type - he is clever, over-the-top and manipulative in every move he makes.

Lily Aldrin - ENFJ

Function Stacking: Extroverted Feeling (Fe), Introverted Intuition (Ni), Extroverted Sensing (Se), Introverted Thinking (Ti)

Lily Aldrin is a somewhat inconsistent character, which makes her tricky to type. Though she has bouts of impulsivity (I.e. breaking off the wedding to move to San Francisco), she displays strong judging characteristics for the majority of the series. Lily definitely displays extroverted feeling as her main function - she is obsessively concerned with the well being of her friends and the group in general. She takes a tough love approach to matters of the heart, which is the classic style of a dominant extroverted feeler.

Lily backs her feeling up with introverted intuition - she experiences chilling insights into the motivations of others and is easily able to come up with manipulations every bit as intricate as Barney's (think her breaking up Barney and Robin).

Her extroverted sensing is brought to light through her artwork - rather than conceptual pieces she tends to paint concrete objects and scenes that reflect the world around her.

Lily's fourth function, introverted thinking, is expressed through her willingness to stay in a career she isn't crazy about in order to support herself and her family. Her tough and meddlesome yet caring nature is classic for an ENFJ. She is strict with Marshall, Barney and Ted but only because she cares deeply about their wellbeing. Lily is a giver in every sense of the word.

Marshall Eriksen - INFP

Function Stacking: Introverted Feeling (Fi), Extroverted Intuition (Ne), Introverted Sensing (Si), Extroverted Thinking (Te)

Caring, intelligent and sensitive, Marshall is a classic INFP. His first function, introverted feeling, is expressed through the high moral standards that he struggles with throughout the series. When he is asked to work for a corporation that he does not believe in, it causes him a great deal of stress, which spills over into his personal life. He also expresses great affection and extreme devotion toward his loved ones, a classic introverted feeling trait.

His second function, extroverted intuition is highlighted through his strange, quirky habits (I.e. turning various life events into video montages or over-sized charts) and frequently speculating about future possibilities.

His third function, introverted sensing is clearly shown through his nostalgic nature - he has a difficult veering away from what he's used to and had a particularly difficult time dealing with his father's death.

Marshall's final function, extroverted thinking, is impressively well developed for an INFP. He presumably uses extroverted thinking at work as a lawyer, where he needs to analyze situations clearly and logically. Marshall's loveable, goofy nature is typical of INFPs and makes his ENFJ wife his perfect match.

Ted Mosby - INFJ

Function Stacking: Introverted Intuition (Ni), Extroverted Feeling (Fe), Introverted Thinking (Ti), Extroverted Sensing (Se)

Though Ted can appear extroverted at times, his main function is definitely introverted intuition. Ted enjoys breaking down every circumstance he comes across to discover its "True meaning," and relates everything back to the Universe's master plan. Ted also has a flair for academia - he enjoys philosophy and higher-order thinking, which causes the group to mercilessly label him as pretentious. Ted believes that everything happens for a reason and that everything is part of a greater cosmic plan.

Ted's secondary function is indubitably extroverted feeling. There is no length Ted will not go to when it comes to making his loved ones happy. He even declares to Robin, years after their breakup "It is my job to make you happy," and he seems to genuinely believe this. Ted sees taking care of his loved ones as his duty and cause.

Ted's third and fourth functions - introverted thinking and extroverted sensing respectively - are highlighted through his work as an architect. He taps into his logical, sensory side to create building designs and to execute projects.

The Mother - ISFJ

Function Stacking: Introverted Sensing (Si), Extroverted Feeling (Fe), Introverted Thinking (Ti), Extroverted Intuition (Ne)

Though we don't get to see much of Tracy in the last season of the series, she strikes me as a classic ISFJ.

Her first function, introverted sensing, causes her to be sentimental to the core. She misses her late boyfriend terribly, mourning him for years after he is gone. She takes time to adjust to changes and plans her actions carefully and deliberately.

Tracy's second function, extroverted feeling, is shown through her first interactions with Lily, Barney and Marshall alike. In all cases she responds promptly to the needs of those around her and seems to genuinely want to alleviate their stress.

We don't get to know Tracy quite well enough to see her introverted thinking or extroverted intuition functions highlighted but as a whole she embodies an ISFJ character quite effectively - she is generous, loyal, accommodating and selfless. Though not a perfect typological match for Ted, she sure is cute as a button. He could have done much worse.

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A Breakdown Of the How I Met Your Mother Characters Based On Myers-Briggs Personality Types

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It was not difficult for How I Met Your Mother to steal our hearts. Unlike most sitcoms, this clever series offered a myriad of intuitive characters and delved beyond the usual realm of slapstick humour. Young intuitives will remember How I Met Your Mother as one of the first shows to represent their own zany types, in the form of relatable sitcom characters.

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The spinoff that never came to be

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Directed by Rob Greenberg. With Nicholas D'Agosto, Jake Ferree, Greta Gerwig, Anders Holm. Follows Sally on the journey of how she met her husband. She lives in New York with her friends, is getting divorced from her first husband, and has no idea what she is doing with her life.

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General information to enhance your knowledge of the show

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How I Met Your Mother (TV Series 2005–2014) - IMDb

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How I Met Your Mother: Created by Carter Bays, Craig Thomas. With Josh Radnor, Jason Segel, Cobie Smulders, Neil Patrick Harris. A father recounts to his children - through a series of flashbacks - the journey he and his four best friends took leading up to him meeting their mother.

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Memorable quotes from the show

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Barney: Think of me like Yoda, but instead of being little and green I wear suits and I'm awesome. I'm your bro-I'm Broda!