Line #23 ActorAllusion/HowIMetYourMother


1	* ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'' featured Barney, played by Creator/NeilPatrickHarris, typing up a blog entry. The blog looks suspiciously like Series/{{Doogie Howser\|MD}}'s computer diary, and suspiciously familiar music plays in the background. (Also works as a ''WebVideo/DoctorHorriblesSingAlongBlog'' reference.)
2	** Speaking of the Horrible Doctor, in another episode Barney tries to teach Lily how to do an evil laugh.
3	* Another episode had Barney (Creator/NeilPatrickHarris) using actors to play the roles of his family. About his [faked] son, he comments that "Child actors were way better in the 80s," which is exactly what (and when) Harris used to be.
4	* Another one is with Creator/AlysonHannigan's character. When having cold feet before her marriage, one of the items on the list of experiences to have is a big lesbian experience. Her most famous role is lesbian witch Willow from ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''
5	** Lily's [[AmbiguouslyBi Ambiguous Bisexuality]] and her implied lesbian crush on Robin are also a possible reference to Willow.
6	** Lily's demon eyes and voice (''Slapsgiving, The Stinson Missile Crisis, The Lobster Crawl, The Lockett'') is suspiciously similar to "Dark Willow" from season six of Buffy.
7	** Also Lily's favorite name for her baby: Tara, the name of Willow's girlfriend in Buffy. At the wedding she wants the Kennedy package, which just so happens to be Willow's other girlfriend.
8	** In fact, any of the copious ''Buffy'' [[ShoutOut shout-outs]] could be seen as this for Creator/AlysonHannigan.
9	** In a more controversial note, Lily's manipulative and self righteous tendency was also something Willow picked up in Buffy season 6.
10	* At the end of Ten Sessions, the tattoo removal doctor tells Ted to call her if he ever ends up with a dolphin tattoo on his right ankle, which is the tattoo that Creator/AlysonHannigan has in real life.
11	* Season 1, "Okay Awesome": Marshall's dance moves at the dance club are very similar to the moves [[Series/FreaksAndGeeks Nick Andopolis]], played by Creator/JasonSegel, uses while participating in a disco competition.
12	** Further in Season 3, "Dowisetrepla": Marshall fantasizes about life with his and Lily's future kids. They're playing a [[Series/FreaksAndGeeks Nick Andopolis-style giant drum kit]].
13	** Both college-age Marshall and Nick are TheStoner.
14	* Season 5, "The Playbook": Barney creates a website that features a picture of him, in scrubs, with a stethoscope around his neck. Hmmm, where have we seen ''that'' before?
15	* In "Blitzgiving", Jorge Garcia played a cameo role. At one point someone asks for random numbers and he immediately shouts "4,8,15,16,23,42!" the {{Arc Number}}s from ''Series/{{Lost}}''. His character is also cursed with being unlucky (as was his ''Lost'' character), and compares said curse with being on an island for eternity.
16	* In "The Wedding Bride", the actor who plays Tony in the titular movie is played by the same guy who played a soap actor in "Prescription Passion", Series/{{House}}'s favorite soap. Both [[ShowWithinAShow "The Wedding Bride" and "Prescription Passion"]] have him deliberately [[LargeHam hamming]] it up.
17	* The episode "Bad News" has Neil Patrick Harris playing [[Series/DoogieHowserMD a doctor once again]].
18	* Season 8 episode "P.S. I Love You" featured a cameo from Dave Coulier, [[Creator/BobSaget Bob Saget]]'s (the narrator) ''Series/FullHouse'' co-star. Coulier does his signature "cut-it-out" routine followed by Saget saying "I always liked that joke."
19	** In the same episode, when asked about the song that Robin had done, "PS I love you", Coulier said "Why do they always think it's about me?". Coulier was (allegedly) the subject of Music/AlanisMorissette's song ''You Oughta Know'', and Alanis was the inspiration for Robin [[spoiler: Daggers]]
20	* The season seven episode "No pressure" has Barney compare Lily and Marshall to preppy kids who stage and bet on hobo fights. NPH was a preppy kid who staged and bet on hobo fights on ''Boomtown''.
21	* Season 3, "Wait for It": When Ted is making out with Mandy Moore's character at the bar, her song "Nothing That You Are" is playing in the background.
22	* Barney aka Creator/NeilPatrickHarris pretends to be Neil Armstrong and spend about a minute one of his women spends going "Neil, Neil, Neil, Neil...Armstrong"
23	* Lily has a crush on Creator/MilaKunis. Perhaps she saw her in ''Film/ForgettingSarahMarshall'', written by and starring her husband (Creator/JasonSegel).
24	* Barney's dad aka John Lithgow once said: "[[{{Film/Footloose}} I'm sorry, small town preacher from the Midwest, is there a law against dancing]]?!"
25	* In a season 6 episode, Robbie Amell plays a character who goes by "Scooby" and acts like a dog. He was in two Scooby Doo movies.
26	* During their conversation in "Garbage Island" when Ted thinks The Captain (played by Kyle [=MacLachlan=]) suspects him of [[spoiler: breaking up The Captain and Zoey's marriage]], Ted spits out his brandy in shock and tries to cover it by saying "That's some damn good brandy." This is likely a nod to [=MacLachlan=]'s role as Special Agent Dale Cooper on ''Series/TwinPeaks'', who repeatedly exclaims some variation on "That's some damn good coffee!"; the first time he does so is after a SpitTake.
27	* Another possible coincidence for "The Mother" (Cristin Milioti), who earned a Tony nomination as [[Film/{{Once}} "Girl"]]:
28	-->'''''Entertainment Weekly''''': What is it with you and [[NoNameGiven nameless characters]]?\
29	Cristin: You know what? You are the first person to bring that to my attention, and you've blown my mind. Maybe I don't have a memorable face. [''Ed. note: not true.'']
30	* In the AlternateUniverse trailer for Season 9 where Future!Ted has been telling his kids the story of how he met their mother for literally 8 years, the Son complains, "The only girl I've seen in the past 8 years has been my sister! And it's making me think stuff... bad stuff." This could allude to the fact that the Son's actor, Creator/DavidHenrie's StarMakingRole was in ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace'', where the chemistry between him and his co-star Music/SelenaGomez was so hot they became a FanPreferredCouple...despite the fact they were playing [[IncestYayShipping brother and sister]].
31	* Creator/SarahChalke (Stella) [[{{Series/Scrubs}} once again]] plays a HospitalHottie who becomes a RunawayBride to get back with a guy she had a relationship with in the past.
32	* Season Five's "Robin 101" episode shows us that a way to distract Robin when she's mad is to talk about emperor penguins. Bob Saget voiced a penguin in the mockumentary ''Film/FarceOfThePenguins''.

Context ActorAllusion / HowIMetYourMother