History Characters / HowIMetYourMother

** [[Characters/HowIMetYourMotherBarneyStinson Barney Stinson]]

* [[Characters/HowIMetYourMotherPotentialMothers Potential Mothers]]

* [[Characters/HowIMetYourMotherTheGangsDoppelgangers The Gang’s Doppelgangers]]

* [[Characters/HowIMetYourMotherTedsFutureFamily Ted’s Future Family]]

* [[Characters/HowIMetYourMotherTheMainCharactersFamilies The Main Character’s Families]]

* [[Characters/HowIMetYourMotherSecondaryCharacters Secondary Characters]]

[[foldercontrol]]

!!Main Characters
[[folder: As a Whole]]
* BadassAdorable: They're all quirky and cute in their own way, and ''none'' of them are ones you want to cross.
* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: Lily and Robin fill the redhead and brunette roles respectively, with the blonde role filled by several of Ted or Barney's love interests (Stella, Zoey, Quinn.) [[spoiler:Averted with the mother as she is a brunette.]]
* ButtMonkey: All of them get their turn.
* ChewingTheScenery: Barney most of the time, though most of them really do this.
* ComingOfAgeStory: Mostly Ted, but each of them underwent this in different points in the story.
* DeadpanSnarker: All of them, at various times. It is a WorldOfSnark. Though when not snarking (usually at each other's expense), they're usually [[LargeHam hamming it up]].
* FiveManBand:
** TheHero[=/=]TheLeader: Ted. He is the "I" in the title, after all.
** TheLancer: Robin. Though Barney is Ted's BromanticFoil, she's the one who usually backs Ted up as well as the most independent member from the gang.
** TheSmartGuy: Barney, the very upfront schemer and ManipulativeBastard.
** TheBigGuy: Marshall, at 6"4", he's the tallest of his friends.
** TheChick: Lily, she's TheHeart of the group, even if Ted is a more traditional TeamDad.
** SixthRanger: Ultimately The Mother, since she's the last ''official'' addition to the gang.
* [[FourPhilosophyEnsemble Five Philosophy Ensemble]]: Ted is The Conflicted, Marshall is The Optimist, Robin is TheCynic, Barney is The Apathetic and Lily is The Realist.
* [[FourTemperamentEnsemble Five Temperament Ensemble]]: Ted is Leukine, Marshall is Phlegmatic, Robin is Melancholic, Barney is Sanguine and Lily is Choleric.
* TheHecateSisters: Robin is the crone, Lily is the matron and The Mother is the maiden.
* HonoraryUncle: The gang refers to their friends as uncle or aunt when talking about them to their children.
* IdenticalStranger: Each of them has a doppelganger living in New York and one of their favorite things is to find them.
** ActingForTwo: They are played by the same actors/actresses obviously.
* LargeHam: All of them are prone to incredibly hammy moments, be they in arguments, grand gestures, or just plain conversation.
* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: ''So much.'' We have: a man who dreams of getting swept off his feet and starting a family, and is ruled by irrational emotional impulses; a man who is gentle, sensitive, prone to hysteria, and committed to the point of clinginess; a man who glorifies stylish clothing and personal appearance to semi-religious levels; a woman who is crude, loud, and often complains that her husband doesn't put out enough; and a woman who is commitment-phobic, hates expressing feelings, loves hard liquor and guns, is uncomfortable with kids, and has the emotional sensitivity of a frat boy.
* {{Magnetic Hero}}es: The gang has no trouble getting people drawn to them.
* ParentalIssues: Everyone except Marshall, though Ted downplays this.
* TheRival: Barney and Marshall instantly becomes this every time the topic of who is Ted's best friends gets brought up.
* ThreePlusTwo: Flashbacks show Ted, Marshall and Lily having the TwoGuysAndAGirl dynamic in their college days right before meeting Barney. They met Robin at the series premiere.
* TrueCompanions: They constantly refer to each other as "family."
** PlatonicLifePartners:
*** Ted and Lily have a LikeBrotherAndSister relationship. Ted knows Lily better than anyone, and they have told each other thing they never told either Marshall or Robin.
*** Marshall and Robin are strictly JustFriends.
*** Subverted with Robin and Ted. Ted realizes they're "Platonish", as there's still attraction to Robin, even after she chose Barney in the end. Ted still puts his friendship with her above any romantic relationship he has.
*** Also subverted with Lily and Barney, as Barney is always hitting on Lily, but he (perpetually) does it as a joke, since she is with Marshall.
** HeterosexualLifePartners: Ted, Marshall and Barney's friendship often borders {{Bromance}} levels. Ted and Marshall have been living together since college, while Barney is very close to both of them, insisting he is Ted's best friend.
** RomanticTwoGirlFriendship: Lily and Robin are very close to each other, to the point Lily is actually Robin's ''only female friend'', since she can't stand other women. Lily often has fantasies about making out with Robin (and they both did it actually ''three times''). [[spoiler:By "Rally" it got reversed, since now ''Robin'' wants to make out with Lily.]]
* TwoGirlsToATeam: Robin and Lily.
* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: Barney is the most obvious example, but all of them except Marshall can be this once in a while.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Ted Mosby]]
[[quoteright:205:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tedmos_2303.jpg]]
-->Creator/JoshRadnor / Creator/BobSaget (Future Ted)

->"And that's the funny thing about destiny, you can't plan it out. I never thought I would see that girl again, but it turns out I was too close to the puzzle to see the picture that was forming."

The main character and narrator, starting as a 27-year-old architect and eventually a professor of architecture at Columbia with an excessively romantic disposition, looking for love in New York. This being television, it [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption goes about as well as you'd expect]].

* {{Adorkable}}
-->'''Lily:''' "Swear to me on your unborn son and daughter!"\\
'''Ted:''' "I swear on [[StarWars Luke and Leia]]."
* AloneAmongTheCouples: Really got hit hard in Season Eight's ''The Time Travelers,'' when the Gang had better things to do, and Ted is all alone in the bar with his tickets to ''Robots vs. Wrestlers.''
--> '''[[spoiler:Imaginary]] Barney''': Look around you, Ted. You're all alone.
* AmicableExes: Remains dear friends with Robin after they break up. Slightly deconstructed, as it's apparent that his feelings never truly went away until he met the mother.
* BeardOfSorrow: Grew one after breaking up with Robin. He is implied to do this every time a major relationship ends.
* BerserkButton:
** [[CulturalPosturing Ted is an extremely proud New Yorker and an extremely proud non-New Jerseyan.]] How proud, you ask? [[spoiler:When Ted runs into Stella after she leaves him at the altar, the tipping point at which Ted decides to chew her out is not the fact that she left him in the first place--it's the fact that Stella refused to move to New York and expected Ted to move to New Jersey to be with her, but moves to Tony's place in New York once he and Stella get back together with no fuss.]]
** Not too long after [[spoiler: being left at the alter]], Doug, the short-tempered [=McLaren=]'s bartender, insulted Ted saying "no wonder [[spoiler: your fiancée]] left you." Despite never fighting anyone before in his life, Ted punched him.
* BetterAsFriends: With Robin. When he tried to get back together with her in season 7, they came to this conclusion.
* BettyAndVeronica: The Archie for Robin's Veronica and Victoria's Betty.
** The Betty to Barney's Veronica for Robin's Archie.
** The Betty to Tony's Veronica for Stella's Archie in the episode "Shelter's Island".
* BigBrotherInstinct: He never started thinking of his little sister as an adult. When she visits, he tries to shelter her from issues and, well, [[LovableSexManiac Barney]].
* BumblingDad: Implied with Future Ted.
* ButtMonkey: Especially when it comes to love.
* CantHoldHisLiquor: Among the group, each of whom is a big fan of drinking, Ted is the one most likely to wake up in the morning not knowing what happened.
* CelebrityParadox: TheWeddingBride stars Creator/MalinAkerman, whom Josh Radnor eventually co-starred in Happythankyoumoreplease as his character's [[PlatonicLifePartners best friend]].
* ComingOfAgeStory: The show is about him growing up so he can meet the woman of his dreams.
* CompanionCube: When Ted was 7 years old, his best friend was a balloon. This would also be his FreudianExcuse of why he is so attached to Robin or any other girlfriend he has had.
* CoolTeacher: His goal as a professor of architecture. His students (those that didn't immediately drop the class, at least) seem to really like him.
* DeadpanSnarker: He has the most straightfoward snarky moments, largely due to being the StraightMan to Barney.
* {{Deconstruction}}: Do you want to be the type of guy that relies on fate and destiny to get your ideal partner? It got Ted nowhere for eight years. He finally realizes that it's not a healthy way of living, and culminates in a WorldOfCardboardSpeech in ''Something Old.''
-->''Maybe it’s dumb to look for signs from the Universe. Maybe the Universe has better things to do—dear God, I hope it does. Do you know how many signs I've gotten that I should or shouldn't be with somebody, and where has it gotten me? Maybe there aren't any signs. [[ItMakesSenseInContext Maybe a locket is just a locket, a chair is just a chair]]. [[CharacterDevelopment Maybe we don’t have to give meaning to every little thing. Maybe we don’t need the Universe to tell us what we really want. Maybe we already know that deep down.]]''
* {{Determinator}}: While Ted generally shows signs of this trope, the entirety of the season 1 finale is Ted embodying it, to the point that he somehow defies logic itself and makes it rain: "''It '''is''' meant to be, and you know why? Because I MEAN it to be!''" He later says about The Two-Minute Date - "And that, kids, is how you turn a 'No' into a 'Yes'."
* DisposableFiance: To Stella. Ted even lampshades this in a later episode, claiming it was always 'their' love story.
* DoggedNiceGuy: He very rarely gets together with his love interests right away...
** With Robin, he spent a season wearing her down.
** He spent 10 one hour sessions trying to get Stella to like him, and then also took one incredibly grand romantic gesture to get her to date him.
** He didn't mean to be this to Zoe, but as they were hanging out mutual feelings developed between them.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: Frequently stated that he will be HappilyMarried to the mother.
* EmbarrassingMiddleName: His full name is Theodore ''Evelyn'' Mosby
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: Marshall and Barney had an argument over [[ItMakesSenseInContext which one of them Ted has gay dreams about]]; it devolved into this.
--> '''Marshall:''' Ted and I have a history! I could do things to him that would blow his m... ...Why do we keep trying to have sex with Ted?
--> '''Barney:''' I don't know; it's weird.
* FreudianExcuse: Ted's best friend was a balloon that floated away in the second he got distracted, and that made him think during most of his life that if you love something, you never let go. He later admits it took him nearly 30 years to un-learn this.
* FirstPersonSmartass: Future Ted has elements of this.
* [[FourTemperamentEnsemble Five Temperament Ensemble]]: Leukine- Exhibits both extroverted and introverted traits and is generally balanced between temperaments.
* GenderBlenderName: His EmbarrassingMiddleName, which is why it's embarrassing in the first place.
* GenerationXerox: Outside of storytelling ability and willingness to talk, Ted and his father, along with their respective relationships with Robin and Mrs. Mosby, are eerily similar.
* GreatDetective: As revealed in Season 9's "Mom and Dad"... or so he thinks. In fact, the only real mystery he had been trying to crack was [[CallBack the Pineapple incident]] and even then, he gave up on it.
** In "Daisy", he managed to figure out that Lily is hiding something based on her actions [[spoiler:which led to a pregnancy test hidden in the daisy flower pot with the results that Lily is pregnant]].
* GreenEyedMonster: Subverted, when Robin and Barney accidentally slept together he isn't actually angry about the act but upset that with Barney worshiping TheBroCode and [[{{Hypocrite}} violating it]] compromised their friendship. When Barney shows signs of genuine interest in Robin (and not just another hook-up), Ted not only gives his endorsement but actually tries to help Barney understand some of Robin's nuances.
* HappilyMarried: To the mother, of course. [[spoiler:Even if their relationship only lasted 10 years because of her death.]]
* HeroicBSOD: Has one towards the end of the fourth season while talking with Stella about how stagnant his love life has been and echoed again a few times, notably in the seventh season premiere talking with Robin and really hits hard later in the season with "Trilogy Time" when he laments how things have not gone the way he hoped.
* HiddenDepths: Ted is fluent in sign language.
* HollywoodDateless: It's not that he has a hard time chatting up girls or dating in general, but that he is hoping each new date will result in "The One" and tends to get hurt badly when it falls apart.
* InLoveWithLove: Throughout the show, Ted frequently bemoans the fact that he still hasn't found "the one." His overwhelming desire to be in a perfect relationship has caused him to do things like tell Robin he loved her ''on their very first date'' and [[spoiler:rush into an engagement with Stella despite only knowing her for a few months.]] At one point in the show one of his friends even calls him a "commitment junkie" and points out that he scares away potential girlfriends by moving too fast when it comes to romance.
* InLoveWithYourCarnage: Somewhat. Several of his love interests (Robin, Natalie, Zoey, ''especially'' Jeanette) are all perfectly willing to beat people up. He even notes in a season five episode that he should probably see a therapist about the fact that Natalie beating him up in public turned him on.
* InsufferableGenius: Even his friends find his ratiocination annoying. Even '''he''' finds himself annoying at one point.
* {{Irony}}: Out of the gang, he's the one who really wants to get married. [[spoiler: However, all of the other four get married before he does. Including the two with aversions to marriage.]]
* ItIsPronouncedTropay: He likes being a stickler on grammar and pronunciation, including insisting encyclopedia is "encyclo'''pai'''dia" and in another episode he never knew that chameleon isn't pronounced "'''ch'''am-a-leon."
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: To Stella and Robin. It got to the point where in [[spoiler:"Something New" he reveals to Lily that he's moving to Chicago after Barney and Robin's wedding, trying to get away from the idea that Robin is the only one for him.]] In the Season 9 episode, "Sunrise", [[spoiler:he finally lets go of his feelings of Robin hours before the wedding and in his mind, watches her fly away]]. But this was subverted in the series finale, [[spoiler:where his kids realized that their dad is telling them the story of how he fell in love with Robin not their mother]].
* LastHetRomance: Turns out he was the last guy Cindy dated. Cindy is [[OneDegreeOfSeparation a roommate]] of The Mother.
* LookingForLoveInAllTheWrongPlaces: In this case, the wrong place is Robin, who is the wrong woman to Ted for many reasons, but he still pursues her off and on for seven years. Not to mention Stella, who was still in love with the father of her child, and Zoey, whom Ted met while she was married and actively trying to destroy Ted's life work. His poor judgement gets lampshaded multiple times.
* LoveHurts: Ted has it bad. He longs for a loving wife, but universe keeps sending him unsuitable women. Most notably when [[spoiler: Robin]] turns him down definitively in season 7. Her saying she doesn't reciprocate his feelings hurts more than anything he'd ever felt (which included a lengthy montage of Ted being physically hurt throughout the series). [[spoiler:His wife, Tracy, eventually dies.]]
* [[ManicPixieDreamGirl Manic Pixie Dream Guy]]: Interestingly, as much as the Mother is his Manic Pixie Dream Girl, he fills the role just as much for her. While Ted is at his worst by the time of Season Nine, having given up on romance [[spoiler:and New York as a whole]], the Mother has [[spoiler:spent eight years mourning her first love and is now trying to finally move on]]. Both manage to pull one another out of their respective slumps.
* MistakenForGay: Don thought Ted was gay for ''months,'' due to some [[CampStraight slightly effeminate mannerisms]] with a love of cooking and ''Series/ProjectRunway''.
* MySisterIsOffLimits:
** Ted forbids Barney from meeting Heather, since Barney was constantly joking about banging her.
** Barney was not pleased when Ted slept with ''his'' sister.
* NiceGuy: While not perfect, Ted is, for the most part, a polite, good-natured, all-around-pleasant person.
* NostalgicNarrator: Whenever 2030 Ted describes a setting or activity for the first time, he usually mentions how much he loved it.
* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: When he and Barney pretend to be Southern tourists to pick up girls.
* ObliviousToLove: After their UnrequitedLoveSwitcheroo, Ted has absolutely no clue that Robin has developed feelings for him until [[spoiler: Lily tells him]].
%% * OneHeadTaller: [[spoiler:Than the Mother.]]
* OnlySaneMan: When it comes to certain non-romantic matters Ted is one of the most level-headed characters, doing his best to keep everyone grounded. But his big issue is that [[LoveMakesYouCrazy he does crazy things in the name of love]], where the roles are reversed and the rest of the group has to fight to keep him grounded. In addition he is sometimes convinced by the others to do some more outlandish things, but it consistently takes him some time before he gives in.
* OutOfFocus: In Season 5 and Season 7. Both times Ted stops dating and the story shifts focus to [[SpotlightStealingSquad Barney and Robin's relationship.]]
* ProtagonistTitle: He is the "I" in the title.
* PungeonMaster: Makes awful puns to the extent that his friends think he's a dorky dad even if he's single and has no children.
* RuleOfPerception: He frequently gets hit hard with this, unaware of how things are unless it is shown to him such as his behavior at a St. Patrick's day dance and dating a girl who wouldn't ''[[{{Motormouth}} stop TALKING]]''. This also takes him down a notch when ''TheWeddingBride'' came out and he was portrayed as a stereotypical evil RomanticFalseLead who didn't deserve the girl he was marrying when the truth was far more complex.
* SecondLove: [[spoiler:To the Mother, after she finally lets go of [[TheLostLenore her late boyfriend Max]].]]
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Sensitive guy to Barney's manly man.
* SerialRomeo: As a result of being InLoveWithLove, the man is constantly falling head-over-heels for various women.
* SeriousBusiness: Due to his friendship with Barney, Ted has followed ''every'' rule of TheBroCode, no matter ''how'' insane.
* SherlockScan: It's played up as InformedAbility more often than not, largely because [[PlayedForLaughs he is not as good as he would like himself to be]]. But he actually is talented with picking up on trivial details and coming to reasonable conclusions, though a lot of the humor comes from the details being right but the conclusion was still off because of his speculation.
* ElSpanishO: He ''thinks'' he can speak Spanish, but it's mostly MyHovercraftIsFullOfEels with some shades of mixing English with Spannish like accent.
* StraightMan: To both Barney and Marshall, who are both much quirkier.
* TallDarkAndHandsome: Josh Radnor stands 6 feet tall.
* TeacherStudentRomance: About the only thing established for certain about "The Mother" is that she was a student at Columbia University while Ted was a teacher, and he briefly dated her roommate before they met. PlayedWith, in that it's ultimately revealed that she is an economics major, and he never actually teaches her in a class.
* TeamDad: Lily calls him a dorky dad at one point, despite being 30 years old and childless.
* TimeShiftedActor: Played with. Bob Saget voices Future! Ted, but Josh Radnor portrays 2030 Ted in make-up.
* TwoGuysAndAGirl: He, Marshall and Lily are this during their college years. When the latter two began starting a family, he starts hanging around Barney and Robin more. We should also not forget that Future!Ted is telling the story to his son and daughter.
* UnreliableNarrator: Future Ted. Many continuity errors are handwaved by this.
* UnrequitedLoveSwitcheroo: With Robin a few times, though overall Ted is shown pining for her a lot more often than the other way around.
* WillTheyOrWontThey: This was Ted and Robin for the whole of the first season and part of seasons 4 and 7. [[spoiler:The series finale gave it possibility that the two will end up together after the Mother died]].
* YankTheDogsChain: It's not enough that Stella left Ted at the altar for him, but Tony then proceeds to write ''[[HumiliationConga The Wedding Bride]]'', which features a heavily [[{{Flanderization}} Flanderized]] JerkAss {{Expy}} of Ted as the villain.
* YouCantFightFate: Ted knew that he and Robin had some serious issues to figure out if they were meant to be together, and even through those issues they gave it a try. Eventually, they both accept it won't work and break up, but still hold onto a slight idea that they may figure things out in the future (even agreeing to a FallbackMarriagePact if they hit 40 and are unmarried). [[spoiler: Robin eventually tells him outright that they aren't going to end up together, which hurts him deeply but allows him to move on]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Marshall Eriksen]]
[[quoteright:193:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/193px-Marshall_profile_1916.jpg]]
-->Creator/JasonSegel

->"The only people in the universe who haven't seen ''StarWars'' are the characters in ''Star Wars''. And that's cause they lived 'em, Ted! That's cause they lived the Star Wars!"

Ted's former college roommate and best friend, a sweet-tempered goofball who makes his way through law school and eventually takes the Bar during the course of the series. In the pilot, he becomes engaged to his girlfriend Lily. They get married later and the 7th season ended with [[spoiler: the birth of their son; [[DeadGuyJunior Marvin]] [[AwesomeMcCoolname Wait-for-it]] Eriksen.]]

* TheAce: Is uncannily good at just about any game the group plays, and loves to shout it out. "Gin!" "Yahtzee!" "Poker!" His skills as a lawyer are also exceptional given his limited experience and very gentle disposition.
-->'''Future Ted:''' "He got a B minus. Still, 25 pages in one night... B minus! The Kid was good."
* {{Adorkable}}
--> '''Lily:''' It's gotta be hard to woo someone when you're sticking your naked ass in their face.
--> '''Marshall:''' Works for baboons. [{{Beat}}] It's called presenting. [cute smile]
* AgentMulder: Firmly believes in the existence of ghosts and the Loch Ness Monster (though he'd prefer that people not call her a "monster". It's disrespectful).
* AlphabeticalThemeNaming: Him, as well as his dad, brothers and son have names that starts with '''Mar'''.
* BadLiar: He simply cannot lie, or act natural as part of a ruse.
* BerserkButton: Hurt one of his friends and he'll beat you senseless.
** Do ''NOT'' accuse him of being selfish.
* BetaCouple With Lily. Their engagement in the first episode highlights that Ted wants to get married.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: In ''The Fight'' we get to see that Marshall is very good in a fight, courtesy of the vicious brawls he'd have with his brothers when he was younger.
* BigEater: There's a picture of Marshall on the coupons for the local pizza joint.
* BreakTheCutie: A lot of commentators point out that Marshall is one of the most friendly and idealistic characters ever depicted in television, thus when he is put through some crap you really feel sorry for him. Adding to that is the fact he is a lawyer, and has to fight the [[AmoralAttorney general heartlessness of the system]] at every turn.
* CatchPhrase: "Lawyered!"
* CampStraight: He and Brad love Broadway musicals, Alanis Morrisette and brunch.
* TheCastShowoff: Jason Segel spends a lot of time singing and playing the piano. In an early episode, he also showed off some mad dance skills.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Makes a lot of crazy stuff and is a firm believer of supernatural.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: As Barney says it "Goofy and Unburdened with Wit"
-->''"Kids, never mess with your Uncle Marshall. He's crazy."''
%% * CulturedBadass: Lawyered!
* DarkestHour: According to Marshall, his break-up with Lily is considered to be the worst moments in his life, followed by [[spoiler: the death of his father]]. The effects of the break-up really made him down for the whole summer until Ted, Robin and Barney help him get back to his feet.
* DeadpanSnarker: Like the rest of the cast. He and Lily often team up to snark at other characters.
* {{Deuteragonist}}: In the 2nd Season, as it follows his recovery after Lily's abandonment, their eventual reconciliation, and concluding with their marriage.
* DitzyGenius: He really is very proficient as a lawyer. He also thoroughly believes in the paranormal and tracks Bigfoot with about as much professionalism as law.
* DrillSergeantNasty: When coaching Lily's students about basketball. Yelling, throwing basketballs at them, just being pretty unpleasant.
* ExactWords: Marshall never lies to Lily. However, he may not tell her everything. For example, when she asks him a question, he may respond "yepskerdoodle" which doesn't actually mean "yes" as it's a made up word. Or if she calls him at work, he has said that he's working on a "big case"... he just neglected to mention it's a big case of beer.
* [[FourTemperamentEnsemble Five Temperament Ensemble]]: Phlegmatic- [[NiceGuy Meek]], laid-back, good-natured, and was somewhat shy and non-confrontational before [[CharacterDevelopment the influences of New York and the gang made him more assertive]].
* FrequentlyBrokenUnbreakableVow: Whenever Marshall makes a "sweeping declaration" not to do something again, the gang knows that he's going to do it eventually. Marshall usually vows to not get drunk ever again, which happens 3 times after said vows.
* GagPenis: Its size is mentioned ''way'' more often than you'd expect.
-->''"Your hand is massive!"''
-->''"Of course it is. You've seen my penis."''
* GeniusBruiser: Marshall is shown to be physically large and athletic yet savvy.
* GentleGiant: He is one of the first to offer a hug to someone crying.
* GuileHero: There are hints that Marshall is far more sly and cunning that he acts. He's often the first that seems to cotton on and predict Lily or Barney's gambits. Not to mention he played a pretty hardcore and {{Badass}} ParanoiaGambit on Barney with the "Slap Bet" and has manipulated Barney before with more efficiency than most. Likely due to his being [[TheAce ridiculously good]] at games, he's entirely capable of being TheChessmaster when he wants.
* GrammarNazi: With the difference between [[YouKeepUsingThatWord affect and effect]], at least.
* HappilyMarried: To Lily, as of the finale of season 2. They've been the most stable relationship in the show, not that that's difficult.
* HelloAttorney: He's a lawyer played by the very good-looking Jason Segel, though he's more cuddly and adorable than the traditional "hot lawyer." Subverted InUniverse, where people outside the gang consider him average to ugly (mostly when they compare him to Lily. One example is from a Trial Cartoonist making a stylized art of [[MrFanservice Brad]], while drawing Marshall fat and smelly).
* HeroesWantRedheads: Something he inherited from his father.
* HeroicBSOD: Has two of these over the course of the show's run, first after his break-up with Lily, then later after [[spoiler: his father's death]].
* HeterosexualLifePartners: While Barney is more adamant about his friendship with Ted, Marshall and Ted lived together for some 10 years and are basically like brothers. In the pilot Ted even comments that he was there for all of Marshall and Lily relationship.
* HiddenDepths: Marshall, over the years, knows and embraces Italy. He even studied Italian during one year in college, albeit now he can only remember one sentece.
* HonorBeforeReason: Which also others take to advantage over him.
* HornyVikings: His family are of Scandinavian descent and can trace their lineage back to the Vikings.
* InformedFlaw: In "Jenkins", the gang consider Marshall a "reacher" to Lily's "settler" in which he would never get anybody better then Lily. Note that in the beginning of season 2, he had success at dating other girls while Lily was desperate to get back together with him.
* ItRunsInTheFamily: Many of his mannerisms, instincts, and interests are shared between most of his family members.
* LetsGetDangerous: Turns out the fights he had with his brothers are all true. ("[[EyeScream COCOA BREAK!]]")
* LikeParentLikeSpouse: Lily and Marshall's mom. Both are {{Fiery Redhead}}ed women. However, Marshall finds Lily to be similar to his ''dad''.
* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: Marshall is generally a very sensitive guy who is prone to emotional outbursts and even cried when his boss was yelling at him. On the other hand, Lily may be a kindergarten teacher but she is sexually aggressive with Marshall and proud of winning drinking games.
* MinnesotaNice: Lampshaded by Robin in season 6. He can't even ignore a phonecall in his parents house because it would be rude.
* NakedPeopleAreFunny: As "Beercules". A video of which found its way to the internet.
* {{Narcissist}}: When he drinks daiquiris. He gets "weirdly obsessed with how beautiful he is" and dares people to dare him to make out with... his reflection.
* NiceGuy: Certainly the nicest of the main cast. While the others have shades of BitchInSheepsClothing or shades of JerkWithAHeartOfGold, Marshall is straightforward and nice.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: He may seem like a big goof most of the time (well, ''he is''), but the minute he steps into lawyer!mode? Don't mess with him.
* ObsessedWithFood: He has a fixation on food that no one else on the show does. For example, he is the one constantly asking about the pineapple in "The Pineapple Incident" when that is the least of anyone else's concern.
* OneHeadTaller: He positively towers over Lily.
* OnlySaneMan: Out of all the group he tends to be the voice of reason more often than even Ted, and is less likely to be berated by the others for some stupid decision he made.
* PrematurelyBald: In a flashforward from "Rally", it's shown that in 2020, Marshall went bald out of stress for his New York Supreme Judge race against Brad ''in a span of three weeks''. And Marshall is 42 at that time.
* RealMenWearPink: He loves girly/coupley things like those frilly pink "girl" drinks (which he never orders because of the double standard) and brunch.
* RulesLawyer: Often takes this role in the group.
--> "''Lawyered!''"
* ShipperOnDeck: Marshall thinks Barney and Robin are perfect for each other. And has commented that he likes the idea of ''Barney and Ted''. Also was a big supporter of Robin and Don, being the primary [[CharacterShilling shiller]] of Don's.
* SickeninglySweethearts: With Lily. They like all lovey-dovey stuff like RomanticSpoonfeeding or matching costumes for Halloween.
* SingleTargetSexuality: Can't even fantasize about a woman other than Lily without serious effort.
* TheSoCalledCoward: Adamantly refuses to fight. However, when Ted gets punched out, Marshall shows what he's really made of.
* ThemeNaming: He and his son goes for [[AlphabeticalThemeNaming alphabetical]] ('''M'''arshall and '''M'''arvin), while his wife and would-be daughter goes for [[FloralThemeNaming floral]] (Lily and Daisy).
* WideEyedIdealist: Is by far one of the most friendly characters, indicative of his Minnesota upbringing, and it's been brought up how much he stands out in the cynical community of New York.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Robin Scherbatsky]]
[[quoteright:266:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/HIMYM-Robin_5979.jpg]]
-->Creator/CobieSmulders

->"I come from a culture of hockey players and if a guy can throw down, it's somewhat way hot. And scars... hello! If a guy's got a scar, he's got a Robin and if he's missing his teeth, I'm missing my pants!"

A news reporter from Canada who Ted [[LoveAtFirstSight falls for at first sight]] in the PilotEpisode but their inherent differences (Ted is ready to settle down, she is MarriedToTheJob) prevent anything between them at first, although they do explore their feelings for each other throughout the series. Regardless, she mixes in well with the gang and becomes best friends with Lily. Her independent nature gives her a fun mix of geeky/guyness, which has even attracted Barney to her in a real relationship. Her history as a brief Canadian pop star "Robin Sparkles" becomes a RunningGag throughout the series.

* AbusiveParents: Robin's father is extremely dismissive towards Robin as she was not the son he wanted.
* ACupAngst: In "Stuff" it hints that she is a little self-conscious about her more modest bust when talking about some of Ted's ex-girlfriends. Cobie Smulders later got pregnant ([[HideYourPregnancy hidden on the show]], naturally) and, as a result, her chest increased several sizes. She joked about it in an interview "You're welcome, TV!"
* AgentScully: Robin does not believe in miracles and destiny. Even when Ted [[spoiler:made it rain]] for her she wrote it off as a coincidence.
* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: This is heavily implied to be one of the reasons she is attracted to [[TheCasanova Bar]][[MagnificentBastard ney]], and ultimately fell in love with him.
* AloofDarkHairedGirl: She's the outsider of the group, and if one person isn't participating in shenanigans, it's usually Robin.
* AmicableExes: With Ted. And Barney. Of course, [[spoiler: Ted still has feelings for her, and she winds up marrying Barney and later, divorcing her]].
* {{Badass}}: So much, it's kind of a running gag. Her HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood involved her being left in the wilderness for a week with nothing but a Swiss Army Knife.
* BadLiar: She giggles when she lies.
* BerserkButton: Patrice. Because Patrice is Robin's SitcomArchNemesis.
* BetterAsFriends: With Ted. At least, she thinks so.
* BettyAndVeronica: The Veronica to Victoria's Betty for Ted's Archie.
** The Archie for Ted's Betty and Barney's Veronica.
** The Veronica to Nora's Betty for Barney's Archie.
** The Archie for Barney's Veronica and Kevin's Betty.
** The Betty to Quinn's Veronica for Barney's Archie, though in this case it wasn't so much a LoveTriangle as it was part of the [[spoiler: season 7 "bride mystery"]].
** The Veronica to Patrice's Betty for Barney's Archie, [[spoiler: subverted when it is [[TheReveal revealed]] Barney isn't really dating Patrice and it is all part of [[BatmanGambit his final play]] "The Robin"]].
* {{Bifauxnen}}: Her father raised her as a boy until she was 16.
* [[BigBrotherInstinct Big Sister Instinct]]: She was very protective of Katie and freaked out at the prospect of Katie planning to have sex with her douchebag boyfriend.
* BirdsOfAFeather: With Barney. This is pointed out in a season 1 episode, but they wouldn't hook up until late in season 3.
* BlatantLies: "I love Patrice. We're like sisters."
* CareerVersusMan: Robin is often in this situation. She usually chooses her career, but she did turned down a job so she could stay with Don, only for him to accept said job and leave her. This is shown again in the series finale [[spoiler:where she and Barney, after being married for 3 years, ended up divorced because she is very focused on her work]].
* CanadaEh: Both in and out of universe, many jokes are made about Canada and its stereotypes.
* CannotTellAJoke: Robin's sense of humor often falls flat. Sometimes it's because her Canadian references are completely incomprehensible to her American friends. Sometime's because the reference is dated[[note]]What's in the box? ''What's in the box?!'' [[{{Se7en}} Seven? The head in the box? Oh, yeah, ''I'm the jerk''.]][[/note]] (it's been stated in the show that Canadian pop culture lags at least ten years behind the States'). Sometimes you have to assume the gang are just messing with her.
* CharacterDevelopment: She gradually grows more comfortable to the idea of commitment and marriage over the years.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Her tomboy qualities and even were virtually non-existent in the first season, with the second season highlighting a few things like emotional insensitivity and a [[GunNut love of guns]]. It wasn't until the third season and beyond that it was shown she was ''really'' messed up by her dad treating her [[{{Tomboy}} as a boy]] and in general being more masculine than Ted. In particular a second season episode shows her getting scared over a spider with Ted coming to the rescue, while in the sixth season Ted mentioned that one thing he lamented about their relationship was that she never made him feel needed (ie, when a burglar was trying to break in Ted grabbed a brush while Robin grabbed a shotgun "I got this"). The same happens with her ProudBeauty. During the first three seasons she behaves as an IndifferentBeauty, and even shows some minor insecurities about her appearance at certain points.
* CharacterSignatureSong: "Let's Go To The Mall".
* ChildHater: She has made clear that even if she gets married she doesn't want to have kids. However, [[spoiler:she got depressed when she found out she ''can't'' have children.]]
* ClingyJealousGirl: When both Ted and Barney were hooked up with Victoria and Nora respectively, Robin was this. [[spoiler: In season 8 she was also actively [[RelationshipSabotage trying to sabotage Barney's relationship with Patrice.]]]] She also showed signs of this when she was dating Ted; forcing him to get rid of anything he owned that was given to him by an ex-girlfriend.
* CommitmentIssues: Generally panics and freaks out when any mention of marriage is made. She even gets anxious in one episode even being in a couple.
* DarkerAndEdgier: 1996, Robin Sparkles changed her stage persona to Robin Daggers. Turning from a squeaky-clean teen pop singer to an angry and cynical {{Grunge}} musician.
* DeadpanSnarker: Very dry sense of humor, fitting her being a {{Ladette}}.
* DudeMagnet: She thinks of herself as this, and gets offended when people imply other girls are more magnetic.
* EightiesHair: In her music videos as Robin Sparkles in the 90's, no less, because the 80's only hit Canada in ''1993!''
* EmbarrassingMiddleName[=/=]GenderBlenderName[=/=]TomboyishName: Robin Charles Scherbatsky, Jr. (Her father was in denial because he wanted a son.)
* EskimosArentReal: Robin believed that the North Pole and reindeer were made up.
* EvenTheGirlsWantHer: It's been hinted a lot that Lily has a crush on her. As the series marched on it became less hinted at and more [[SingleTargetSexuality blatantly obvious]] that Lily wants Robin.
-->'''Lily:''' Robin Scherbatsky is many things: friend; confidante; ''occasional guest star in some confusing dreams that remind me a woman's sexuality is a moving target'', but she is no crazy, jealous stalker-bitch.
* [[EverythingsBetterWithSparkles Everythings Better With Robin Sparkles]]: ...Actually, no, Robin would much rather forget about it. Not that the other characters (namely Barney) will let her.
* FetishRetardant: [[invoked]] It's a minor trait of hers that she can invoke this. The Frozen Snowshoe really was not interested in her offer of an Old King Clancy, and Max broke up with her because [[NoodleIncident an unknown bedroom thing]] made him feel uncomfortable. Ted and Barney agreed that it was a valid point.
* [[FourTemperamentEnsemble Five Temperament Ensemble]]: Melancholic- Independent, [[MarriedToTheJob career-oriented]], emotionally detached, and [[TheCynic cynical]], particularly towards [[CommitmentIssues commitment and marriage]].
* ForegoneConclusion: The first episode ends with calling her "Aunt" Robin. And yet there's still two full seasons of her and Ted's relationship.
* FormerChildStar: She was a teen pop sensation in Canada as a child. It's left her somewhat disillusioned to the point that she can't so much as enter a mall anymore.
* FourIsDeath: Robin Sparkles IV shows Robin's fall as a pop star.
* FunnyForeigner: Downplayed, given that she lived in America for quite some time when she met the gang. Still, the show doesn't stop on poking fun at her Canadian heritage.
* GenderBlenderName: Robin. ...Which was the name her father wanted to use for his son.
* GoodBadGirl: Next to Barney, she has the highest amount of sexual partners of anyone on the show.
* GreenEyedEpiphany: In Season 1 Robin walks in on Ted having a romantic moment with Victoria. The jealousy Robin feels drives her to tears and makes her realize that she's in love with Ted.
* GunNut: One of her tomboy qualities. A humorous moment has Ted reminiscing about the oddest things he ever saw when entering his apartment and one of them was a MexicanStandoff between her and a pair of would-be thieves. Lampshaded in the seventh episode of Season Nine by frustrated Ted:
--> '''Ted''': Why do you have a gun?! WHY DO YOU ALWAYS HAVE A GUN?!
* [[HeroesLoveDogs Heroines Love Dogs]]: In the first season. After that she had to give them away to her aunt, though she's still seen wearing dog-themed clothing in later seasons, showing she still likes them.
* HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood: Mis-gendered, dismissed and subject to some rather dangerous situations by her father through much of her childhood. It's often played for laughs, but she does seem to have gained some serious emotional scars.
* HotScoop: Her reporter job is prominently shown mainly in the earlier seasons.
* IdolSinger: She was a teen pop idol in Canada she was younger, to rebel from the image her father forced on her.
* IrrationalHatred: There's no apparent reason for her to hate Patrice so much.
* KentBrockmanNews: Another running gag is the horrifically low quality of the news channels she worked at.
* KickTheDog: Her attitude towards Patrice generally.
* TheLadette: Likes hockey, guns, cigars, scotch...
* TheLancer: In more than one occasion, she's the one that backs Ted up.
* LastHetRomance: Robin lost her viriginity to a gay guy, only not really because he'd barely gotten in before he stopped and announced, "Yeah, I'm gay."
* LawOfInverseFertility: [[spoiler: Gets averted when she realizes that she will ''never'' be able to be a mother, even if it wasn't in her immediate plan.]]
* LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: The Dark to Lily's Light.
* LoveMakesYouCrazy: Her reactions to [[spoiler:Barney and Patrice's relationship]].
* LonelyAtTheTop: [[spoiler:In the finale of the show, Robin becomes a successful and famous news anchor. However, her busy work schedule and constant traveling plays a major role in her marriage falling apart. And once her marriage ends it becomes difficult for her to be around the rest of the gang because it contains her ex-husband in addition to the guy she believes she should have married and his new wife. Robin has achieved career success, but she's alone except for her dogs.]]
* MarriedToTheJob: Her dedication to her career over her love life becomes a serious issue in a few episodes. In the series finale, [[spoiler:this leads to her divorce with Barney and it keeps her from hanging out with the gang for next few years]].
* MasterOfTheMixedMessage: With Ted, and then later with Barney.
* {{Meganekko}}: Starting in season six, Robin, played by the already ridiculously hot Cobie Smulders, actually managed to get even hotter by donning a pair of glasses.
* MistakenForProstitute: Twice. She goes on a date with a nerd to prove something to Barney and he assumes she is a hooker. The next time happens when she sneaks into a prom by pretending to be another nerd's date.
* MsFanservice: There are a lot of eye-catching moments.
* MusicVideo: Three, [[StylisticSuck heinously awful]] [[SoBadItsGood and amusing]].
* NaiveNewcomer: If anyone's confused as to why the gang is acting so strange, it's her. She catches on fast, though.
* {{Narcissist}}: She's proud of her looks and is offended when people don't consider her the prettiest girl in the room.
* NoIndoorVoice: When she's with Patrice. [[LampshadeHanging "You haven't had one exchange with her without screaming."]]
* ObliviousToLove: To Barney in season 4 and ''again'' in seasons 7 and 8.
* OutOfFocus: In season 6 between Ted and his battle with Zoe over the Arcadian, Lily and Marshall attempting to conceive, and Barney's falling in love with Nora and search for his father, Robin takes a backseat.
* ParentalHypocrisy: She tries to talk her sister out of losing her virginity young, but Robin herself lost her virginity at sixteen. Her sister even lampshades it.
* PetTheDog: The only thing that Robin became nice to Patrice [[spoiler:is at the wedding ceremony itself where Patrice says she looks beautiful and Robin does her usual "I didn't ask you, Patrice" without screaming at her and Patrice is there as one of her bridesmaids]].
* ProudBeauty: Nobody worships her beauty more than herself.
* RaisedAsTheOppositeGender: Her father raised her as a boy until she was 16.
* RaisedByDudes: She was primarily raised by her father, who [[RaisedAsTheOppositeGender raised her as a boy]] to boot. As a result, she's TheLadette.
* RavenHairIvorySkin: Robin has pale skin and very dark hair. She's a gorgeous woman and admired by virtually everybody.
* RecklessGunUsage: In accordance with her general love of guns come a series of poor management of safety standards. When swearing Marshall to secrecy on her love of guns she found herself pointing a pistol at him, and in another episode an ex-boyfriend returned a gun to her and she was relieved because she had no idea where it was. (Anyone wishing to own a gun in Canada must first pass a safety course and a months-long background check process. It's far more stringent for hand guns. Unless Robin had never owned a gun before she moved to the US, her behavior doesn't make a lot of sense. But Ted doesn't know about Canadian gun laws. He is [[StrawmanPolitical incredibly anti-gun]] and is incredibly ignorant of everything to do with Canada, so it's possible that he is exaggerating Robin's gun toting behaviour.)
* TheRival: Downplayed. While they are civil to each other, tensions between her and Victoria are very obvious.
* RobotBuddy: Shows up in every "Robin Sparkles" installment ("Lets Go To The Mall," "Sandcastles in the Sand", "Space Teens" and "P.S. I Love You"). It was her sidekick.
* RomanticFalseLead: The pilot episode made it clear that Robin ''is not'' the mother.
* RunningGag: Sometimes whenever the gang tells her something about herself that is absolutely obvious, she laughs hysterically while denying it, followed by a quick "Shut Up!".
* SecondLove: She is Barney's second love after Shannon, though they broke up. [[spoiler: They get together again and eventually got married. But subverted when they divorced after three years of marriage]].
* ShipperOnDeck: After she breaks up with Barney, Robin ships Barney and Nora. [[MatchmakerCrush Until she realized that she still has feelings for him.]]
* SitcomArchNemesis: She absolutely hates Patrice, who is never anything but kind to Robin.
* StalkerWithACrush: Briefly becomes a stalker with a crush when [[spoiler: Barney and Patrice start "dating"]]. She was also one during her Robin Sparkles days, which inspired her DarkerAndEdgier turn as Robin Daggers. The crush was on [[spoiler:Paul Schaffer]].
* StatuesqueStunner: Cobie Smulders stands at 5'8" tall.
* TheStoic: She really was hurt after Barney went after all those chicks shortly after their break-up. [[StepfordSmiler She's just good at holding it in.]]
* SugarAndIcePersonality: She has a very distant, cool, and professional demeanor most of the time, especially at her job and frequently hides her emotions. However, she eventually lets her guard down around the gang and begins to show her warmer and friendlier side around them, especially Ted, Barney, and Lily.
* TallDarkAndSnarky: She's statuesque, dark-haired, and is the biggest DeadpanSnarker in the cast.
* ThatManIsDead: In Robin Sparkles four she announced this about Robin Sparkles.
* TomboyishName: Robin. Her father wanted a boy.
* TomboyWithAGirlyStreak: On occasion she does engage in girly things (she enjoys the Minnesota Tidal Wave, not to mention she was a teen pop star) but overall is TheLadette.
* TookALevelInDumbass: A mild example and ultimately positive in the long run. The first season she developed as a well-rounded character but was ultimately defined mostly by the feelings between her and Ted. By season two she acquired a lot more quirky traits, gaps in her understanding of American culture, and general insanity (*salutes* General Insanity) that made her sillier and more prone to stupid mistakes. This resulted in giving her much greater depth and it even makes sense that she would hide certain things about herself until she became more comfortable with a new group of friends.
* TookALevelInJerkass: Especially in late seasons where she can't stand other women or treats Patrice like crap.
* {{Tsundere}}: Type A to Ted and later on Barney. She's quick to scream at them both (or anyone, really), but she loves them both dearly. How much of a Tsundere is she? Her way of saying "I love you" is to shake her head, smile, and say, "You're an idiot."
* UngratefulBitch: To Patrice, no matter what Patrice does, Robin finds fault with it.
* UnrequitedLoveSwitcheroo: With Ted in the first season. And with Barney about a dozen times in seasons 7 and 8.
* WellDoneDaughterGal: Specifically cited by Ted as the one thing Robin really wants--approval from Dad.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Her friends from the pilot as well as her dogs are never seen or heard again.
* WillTheyOrWontThey: With Ted in season 1 and with Barney in seasons 3, 4 and 7. [[spoiler: For Barney, the season 7 finale reveals that they will. Eventually. They do... in a legen—wait for it—dary plan by Barney, done in a spectacular fashion.]]
* YetAnotherBabyPanda: Much of her career was spent dealing with these fluff pieces, much to her chagrin.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Lily Aldrin]]
[[quoteright:180:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/MIMYM-Lily_6520.jpg]]
-->Creator/AlysonHannigan

->''"Today, I yelled at a little girl for painting a rainbow."''

An artist and kindergarten teacher with a slightly rebellious streak, who is nevertheless deeply committed to Marshall (who have been together since the first week of college). Together they represent the voice of stable, adult relationships in the series, as the resident BetaCouple.
* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Marshall pretends to be a bad boy for a time in Season 8 because Lily finds it incredibly attractive.
* AllWomenLoveShoes: Deconstructed when it got her and Marshall into very serious credit card debt, PlayedForLaughs most of the time.
* AlphabeticalThemeNaming. Like most of the female members of the Eriksen family, her name ends with a '''Y''' (Lily, Ashley, Daisy).
* AmbiguouslyBi: In the first season, she mentions it was her dream to study abroad and have a lesbian romance. HappilyMarried to Marshall but it is heavily implied she's attracted to female friend Robin. It's revealed in "The Perfect Cocktail", whenever she's drunk on martinis, she immediately tries making out with Robin. She also had very visible trouble turning down a [[ButchLesbian girl]] while looking for Marshall the first week of college.
* AndStarring: She and Neil Patrick Harris (Barney) get the "with" treatment in the credits.
* AxCrazy: By her own admission, after she cuts off a toy horse's head and sneaks it into the bed of a troublemaking kid. She also detailed how she was going to curb stomp Ted when he got back with Karen (after she wanted to borrow Robin's gun when she first heard the news) and stood over Robin's bed with a hammer like [[{{Misery}} Kathy Bates.]]
* BetaCouple: With Marshall for Ted.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Usually plays the TeamMom until something upsets her.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Usually acts like a kind and loving team mom, but she is happy to manipulate her friends for her own good.
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Between her "Aldrin Justice" and her "Front Porch Test" she kind of comes across this way to her friends.
* {{Bridezilla}}: She thought she was handling it well, but Marshall disagreed. She also had Bridezilla-by-proxy for [[spoiler: Robin]] when she was entirely casual about her wedding, Lily thought [[spoiler: Robin]] should be freaking out and treating the day like Lily would.
* BrooklynRage: A born and raised New Yorker, she encourages getting mad and confrontational versus Marshall's MinnesotaNice tendencies or Ted's mid-western StepfordSmiler recommendations.
* CallingYourBathroomBreaks: "That reminds me, I have to pee."
* CannotKeepASecret: This is a running gag when the few times she keeps a secret to herself is particularly memorable. It should be noted that she has no problem keeping her own secrets, it's everyone else's that she blabs.
* TheChessmaster: Acknowledged to be more skilled with machinations than Barney, although this is something of an InformedAbility.
* CharacterDevelopment: In the beginning of the series, when Lily had a crisis of faith regarding her dedication to Marshall, [[spoiler: she abandons him to discover herself as an artist.]] A few years later, she has a similar moment after he becomes an environmental lawyer. [[spoiler: She comes back.]]
* ClingyJealousGirl: When she and Marshall were broken up, she wound up stalking the girl he was going on a date with, and then waiting in his apartment, hiding under a desk. Not to mention when she finds out another woman kissed Marshall, she immediately punches her when she tries to apologize. In season nine when Robin is getting along with another girl, Lily is only able to enjoy it for two seconds before going crazy jealous and threatening to "Cut" said girl.
* CompressedVice: A frequent victim of this trope. Her obnoxiously loud chewing, her complete inability to aim, her similarities to Marshall's father...
* CoolTeacher: She is a very loving kindergarten teacher.
* CovertPervert: She is often the one complaining about not having enough sex with Marshall, tries to get Barney's porn collection off Ted, she is curious to watch a sex tape Barney had made, and she stares at Robin's breasts, in the space of two episodes. Others have her wanting Marshall to not cross his legs because he's not wearing any pants and mentions erotic dreams with Robin, MilaKunis, Creator/BillCosby, Ranjit, GeorgeWashington and various other people. Of course [[Creator/AlysonHannigan her actress]] is pretty [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer well known]] for playing [[AmericanPie these roles.]]
* CradleOfLoneliness: Does this with a pillow dressed in Marshall's clothes while he's away.
* TheCutie: Sweet and (usually) well-meaning. And a pretty lady.
* DaddyIssues: At first. She eventually forgives her deadbeat father, and in return, he gets his crap together... somewhat.
* DeadpanSnarker: Like the rest of the cast. Often teams up with Marshall to tag-team snark everyone else.
* EasilyForgiven: Subverted after her trip to San Francisco, leaving Marshall and everyone else behind for an art school. She returns humbled by a miserable experience and trying to rebuild her life. Ted and Robin are cordial, but when she begs forgiveness from Marshall it takes him almost half the season to take her back. A few episodes later, after a bitter recording brings the topic back up, Ted was forced to share that he harbors some resentment, not just for the fact that she cut off all contact with him when they were supposed to be friends but because Ted had to deal with Marshall breakdown. ''Seven'' years later in "Unpause," Marshall and Lily are fighting over him accepting a judgeship (canceling out moving to Italy for her job), when Lily claims she was never so selfish he demands to know whether he and baby Marvin are not just some consolation prize to her failure at art school.
* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: We can know in which year the flashback is taking place by Lily's hairstyles.
* FieryRedhead: Except for the seasons where she died her hair brown. She's easily the most confrontational of the group.
* FloralThemeNaming: She and her daughter Daisy.
* [[FourTemperamentEnsemble Five Temperament Ensemble]]: Choleric- Confident, rebellious, confrontational, loud, and at times [[ItsAllAboutMe controlling and selfish]].
* FormerTeenRebel: She was an out and out thug during high school, to the point where it turns out not only were her horror stories true when everyone else made them up, people from her stalking grounds still fear her. Lampshaded in one of Ted's flashbacks.
--> '''Ted:''' As I look at your Aunt Lily while holding her child, I think back to college (Cue scene of Lily escaping in a car after shop-lifting) and told myself; that girl is a mom!
* HappilyMarried: To Marshall, starting in season 2.
* HotTeacher: She is a very cute and very loving kindergarten teacher.
* HugeGuyTinyGirl: Especially with 6'4 Marshall in comparison to her being 5'4, but just to stay in the same frame as the rest of the cast [[ScullyBox Lily is almost never seen without heels]]. Lampshaded whenever she interacts with Marshall's family, where Marshall is the "runt" of the litter.
* {{Hypocrite}}: In ''The Stinson Missile Crisis'', Lily berates Ted for meddling in her personal life. Considering that Lily engineered the breakups between Ted and several of his former girlfriends (in addition to several other instances in the series where she interferes in her friends' lives), she definitely comes across as more than a little hypocritical in that scene.
** Another example happens in season 9, when [[spoiler:Lily and Marshall get into an argument over him accepting a job as a judge without consulting her first. Lily claims that she has never done anything as selfish as that, and Marshall immediately points out her hypocrisy by bringing up the season one incident where she broke up with him so she could go to art school in San Francisco.]]
* ItsAllAboutMe: One of her character flaws. Robin notes that she can't talk to Lily about a personal tragedy because Robin will wind up consoling Lily. In the episode "Glitter" Lily's inability to talk about anything but her own future pregnancy drives a wedge between her and Robin.
* KarmaHoudini: Her punishment for her ManipulativeBitch tendencies, intervening with Ted's love life (and later Barney's) based on her own criteria? [[spoiler: The guy in question invariably winds up breaking up with the girl even when Lily's machinations themselves failed, and no hard feelings towards Lily.]]
** Also, she racked up a huge amount of credit card debt by compulsively buying designer clothes, forcing Marshall to take a corporate job he hated to help pay off her debt. Everybody (including Marshall) forgave her quickly for this. To make things even worse, when Marshall suggested that Lily sell some of her designer clothes to help pay the bills, she ''actually'' had the nerve to get mad at him.
* TheLadette: Not as much as Robin, but she's a perpetual winner of drinking contests and hotdog eating competitions and she won't let you forget that - ''it's in her resume''!
* LargeHam: Second only to Barney.
* LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: The Light to Robin's Dark.
* LikeParentLikeSpouse: Marshall and her father both love to create absurd board games.
* LoveableSexManiac: Gives Barney a run for his money, but she's only like this in regards to Marshall. [[LesYay And Robin.]]
* TheMaidenNameDebate: Lily keeps her last name after marrying Marshall.
* ManipulativeBitch: PlayedForLaughs for the most part. She enjoys and ([[InformedAttribute supposedly]]) is skilled at manipulating everyone around her.
* MarriedToTheJob: Starts to have this problem after becoming the Captain's art consultant, which stops her from spending time with Marshall and Marvin.
* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: Lily is all around OneOfTheBoys with a love of alcohol and sex despite having plenty of feminine qualities to accompany it. Marshall, on the other hand, is much more emotionally driven and will be the first to cry in any touching, heartwarming or sad moment.
* MisplacedKindergartenTeacher: Lily does teach kindergarten, but in the brief time she tried other jobs, she tended to try and deal with workplace conflicts in the same manner and with the same reasoning as she had with children.
* NotSoDifferent: Is every bit into sex and manipulating people as Barney.
* ObnoxiousInLaws: She and Marshall's mother don't get along.
* OneOfTheBoys: As she's with Marshall, Ted and Barney have this relation with her.
* PerkyGoth: When younger, she dressed like a goth but was just as bubbly as ever.
* RedHeadedHeroine: At first, her hair color shade changes season to season.
* RelationshipSabotage: She eventually admits to having broken up over ''six'' women in the decade she'd known Ted, since she felt they weren't good enough for him.
* ShipTease:
** Has quite a bit of this with Barney. Of course, it will never happen.
** On more than one occasion, appears to have a crush on Robin.
* ShipperOnDeck: Lily really wants Barney and Robin together [[spoiler: ...at first.]] She has also commented that [[YaoiFangirl Barney and Ted would be good together]].
* SickeninglySweethearts: With Marshall.
* SilkHidingSteel: She is a kindergarten teacher and that often translates over into her relationships with her friends, but she has repeatedly shown to have a shrewd tactical mind, can be sexually aggressive with Marshall and is the last person you want to cross.
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: HappilyMarried to [[GentleGiant Marshall]].
* TheSmartGirl: To the point where Barney has called her an "EvilGenius." She's definitely the schemer of the group.
* SpiderSense: "Where's the poop?" "Dammit, Lily!"
* StalkerWithACrush: When she and Marshall were broken up in the beginning of season 2, she stalked him on his first date with another woman. [[spoiler: It is also revealed in season 8, that she first saw Marshall at freshman orientation and was desperate to met him so she broke her stereo on purpose and knocked on every door in Marshall and Ted's residence hall until she found him.]]
* TeamMom: Ted even refers to her and Marshall as being like the parents that he moved away from Ohio specifically to avoid.
* ThemeNaming: She and her would-be daughter goes for [[FloralThemeNaming floral]] (Lily and Daisy), while her husband and son goes for [[AlphabeticalThemeNaming alphabetical]] ('''M'''arshall and '''M'''arvin). She also counts in the Alphabetical since most of the female members of the Eriksen family ends with a '''Y''' (Judy, Ashley, Daisy).
* TomboyWithAGirlyStreak: Loves fashion, is good with kids, and also drinks, gets in hot dog eating contests and was known as a delinquent in her neighborhood.
* {{Tsundere}}: Type B. As indicated by BitchInSheepsClothing, she's usually shown to be sweet and caring but has a harsh side during others.
* TwoFirstNames: Probably why she sticks to her [[TheMaidenNameDebate maiden name]] even after her marriage, because it's a lot easier to pronounce and remember.
* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: See MisplacedKindergartenTeacher; she tries to solve all conflicts using kindergarten-teacher logic. Not just in her other jobs, but in personal relationships quite often.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Barney Stinson]]
[[quoteright:280: http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/suitup_324.jpg]]
-->Creator/NeilPatrickHarris

->''It's going to be [[CatchPhrase Legen—wait for it—DARY!]]"''

An unrepentant bachelor who is proudly a counterpoint to Lily and Marshall's monogamous bliss. Barney is a business executive who works a high paying desk job, although his exact job is always shrouded in mystery (until Season 9). He is dedicated to a free lifestyle, does exactly what he wants all of the time, purposely does not establish any romantic relationships and makes no apologies for what he is.

* {{Adorkable}}: Shows from time-to-time. He's often genuinely excited about his geeky hobbies.
* AmbiguouslyEvil: Harris has described his character as "Darth Vader with a tie".
* AndStarring: He and Alyson Hannigan (Lilly) get the "with" treatment in the credits.
* AntiHero: Barney is a NominalHero, he is a complete Jerk ass to everyone else and his friends despite being loyal to them, he also once sold a woman into slavery not even bothering to read the document so he can get a vehicle.
* [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny Attention Deficit... something. Can we have class outside?]]
* AttentionWhore: Always wants to be the center of attention.
%% * BastardBastard[=/=]HeroicBastard
* BecomingTheMask: [[spoiler:It's revealed that the only reason he adopted his "awesome" persona was to gain the trust of the man whom he's trying to get revenge on. However, it clearly becomes more than that, supplanting his old hippie personality entirely- he still acts the same after getting his revenge.]]
* BerserkButton: Don't EVER tell him magic is lame or he'll come at you with a fireball (as Ted found out to his horror):
-->'''Barney:''' Is This '''LAME?!?''' (spark flies out of his hand)
-->'''Lily:''' Barney, no, no! We said no fireballs at the table!
-->'''Marshall:''' What the hell is wrong with you?
-->'''Robin:''' There's alcohol here!
-->'''Wendy:''' Barney, we've talked about this. It's a fire code violation.
-->'''Barney:''' Ted provoked me!
-->'''Lily:''' No, you're on a timeout. Go sit over there.
** Also, don't ever break up a girl fight with him watching.
** Played for laughs in The Exploding Meatball Sub: after Marshall points out that Barney had a bit of marinara sauce on his tie, Barney views this as terribly humiliating and concocts an elaborate scheme for revenge.
* BettyAndVeronica: The Veronica to Ted's Betty for Robin's Archie.
** The Archie for Robin's Veronica and Nora's Betty.
** The Veronica to Kevin's Betty for Robin's Archie.
** The Archie for Robin's Betty and Quinn's Veronica, though in this case it's wasn't so much a LoveTriangle as it was part of the [[spoiler: season 7 "bride mystery"]].
** The Archie for Robin's Veronica and Patrice's Betty, [[spoiler: subverted when it is [[TheReveal revealed]] he isn't really dating Patrice and that it is all part of [[BatmanGambit his final play]] "The Robin"]].
* BigEater: While not exactly on Marshall's levels, Barney is shown to eat a lot at times, especially when he is stressed. Also, the episodes "Baby Talk" and "Gary Blauman" heavily imply that he hates sharing food.
* BirdsOfAFeather: With Robin and Quinn. In both cases, part of the reason their relationships fell apart is they're too similar.
* BlondGuysAreEvil: How he (proudly) presents himself.
* BreakoutCharacter: Barney initially started off as the {{Foil}} to Marshal and Lily; Barney served as the playboy to their committed relationship. Starting in season 4, Barney got more and more development to the point where you couldn't blame the viewers for mistaking him as the main character. Later seasons make it clear that Barney's character arc is the most integral part of Ted's meeting the Mother, due to the fact that [[spoiler:Ted meets the Mother at Barney and Robin's wedding, and getting over Robin is the final hurdle Ted has to get over in order to be ready to meet the Mother.]]
* BreakTheCutie: His backstory. Originally, Barney was a sweet, tree hugging hippie who wanted to join the Peace Corps with his girlfriend, Shannon. But then Shannon [[spoiler: cheated on him with a shallow, suit-wearing douchebag]] and Barney was so devastated that he decided to forego his tree-hugging, monogamous ways and become the shallow, suit-wearing {{Jerkass}} that he is today. Though, he [[TookALevelInKindness seems to be growing out of that persona as the show goes on.]]
** Although since his job [[spoiler:is really just a way to get back at same douchebag who ruined his life]], it's possible that the old Barney is still in there.
* BromanticFoil: To Ted, who's looking to settle down while Barney is looking to bang every girl he can meet.
* BrokenAce: He really is legitimately intelligent and talented in a great many ways, but past romantic (and parent) issues have left him emotionally... off.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: While his actual job is unclear, he's shown to be very competent at it despite the fact that he acts like a maniac half the time he's at the office.
* ButtMonkey: Full episodes have revolved around him getting slapped in the face.
* CallingTheOldManOut: [[spoiler:He calls his father out after he learns he has started a new family and acts as a normal dad to his other son while he never did that for him.]]
* CargoShip: InUniverse. The other characters often joked on how much Barney love his suits.
* TheCasanova: Slept with almost 200 women at the start of the series.
* CasualKink: Very frequently mentions light bondage in casual conversation.
* CatchPhrase: Multiple. He tries to make them as much as possible.
* CharacterDevelopment: Easily the most developed character on the show so far. "Trilogy Time" of season seven highlights this, with time jumps to three year intervals where the guys watch the classic StarWars trilogy and plan out what their life was going to be like three years later. 2003, 2006 and 2009 all featured Barney with the same plan to be exactly the way he was (with him dismissing his latest "conquest"). When 2012 comes around the guys assume Barney had the same plan, but he honestly states that he is looking forward to settling down. [[spoiler:But when he and Robin divorced in 2016, he went back into his womanizing ways until in 2020, his daughter (from his recent conquest) was born and instead of abandoning her, he stayed and raised her]].
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: One of his first lines was about how much he loves his suits, but would casually change into something more appropriate to the situation. In particular he goes to the club in "Okay, Awesome" wearing a club appropriate silvery dress shirt. Later episodes he struggles to ever take off a suit, even showing him with suit-pajamas "suit-jamas."
** Earlier in the show, he was against all marriage, even that of Marshall and Lily. Later on, he's basically the president of the Marshall/Lily fanclub. ("The world needs Marshall and Lily together!")
* CharacterSignatureSong: "Nothing Suits You Like A Suit".
* TheChessmaster: Many of his plays on women are incredibly complex, and he also winds up manipulating his own friends, sometimes with shocking precision.
* ChewingTheScenery: Even when conversing normally. When he's actually acting? Even moreso.
* CloudCuckooLander: He is the one in the group who comes up with mot of the shenanigans.
* ComedicSociopathy: To the point others get disturbed by him on spades (and that's saying a lot, they are used to some of his issues)
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: He makes hot, sweaty monkey love to this trope.
** In the Pilot episode:
---> '''Ted:''' So ''these'' guys think I chickened out. What do you think?\\
'''Barney:''' I...can't believe you're ''still'' not wearing a ''suit''!
** Episode 2x03 "Brunch": When Barney shows a picture he took of Ted's dad having an affair with Wendy the Waitress, Ted is naturally mortified. Barney assumes this {{Angst}} is because Ted's dad violated his duties, not as a husband, but as Barney's wingman. He called dibs on Wendy first, dammit!
** Episode 3x11 "The Platinum Rule": Barney becomes convinced that an ex-girlfriend is trying to kill him.
---> '''Barney:''' I dump her, and she says, "no hard feelings." She's a psycho, what other explanation is there?!
** Episode 4x06 "Happily Ever After": Robin recounts her childhood in Canada, in which her father ignored her gender and tried to instill masculinity in his "son". (Her full name is Robin Charles Scherbatsky Jr.) This culminates with Scherbatsky Sr. witnessing Robin kiss a hockey teammate at age 14; he has an utterly pompous HeroicBSOD ("Oh my god ... I have no son.") This kind of thing really screwed up Robin's life. After the story is finished ...
---> '''Barney:''' You poor thing. You had to grow up in Canada. With America RIGHT THERE.
** Episode 4x13 "Three Days of Snow": Barney explains how he plays a game called "Party School Bingo" where he takes a list of the Top 25 party schools in the country, arranges them on a bingo card, and fills in a space every time he sleeps with a girl from that school.
--->'''Ted:''' So how many people are in on this Party School Bingo thing?\\
'''Barney:''' Oh, it's just me.\\
'''Ted:''' Then what's the point, then?\\
'''Barney:''' The point is to get five in a row.\\
'''Ted:''' And what do you get when you get five in a row?\\
'''Barney:''' I get Bingo.
** Episode 4x15 "The Stinsons": When Barney watches movies, well...
--->'''Barney:''' Hey, ''TheKarateKid's'' a great movie. It's the story of a hopeful, young karate enthusiast whose dreams and moxie take him all the way to the All Valley Karate Championship. Of course, sadly, he loses in the final round to that nerd kid. But he learns an important lesson about gracefully accepting defeat.\\
'''Lily:''' Wait, when you watch ''The Karate Kid'' you actually root for that mean blonde boy?\\
'''Barney:''' [[SarcasmMode No, I root for the scrawny loser from New Jersey who barely even knows karate.]] When I watch ''TheKarateKid I'' root for the ''karate kid'', [[DracoInLeatherPants Johnny Lawrence from the Cobra Kai dojo]]. Get your head out of your ass Lily.
** The same episode has him revealing that he roots for Hans Gruber in ''Film/DieHard'' (believing him to be the title character), Principal Vernon in ''TheBreakfastClub'' (the only one who wears a suit) and ''TheTerminator'' (and proceeds to start crying over his death scene, saying "And she doesn't even help him!") That explains the life-size Imperial Stormtrooper armor in his living room.
** Much later, he lists [[StarWars Luke Skywalker,]] HarryPotter, and WarHorse to the list of "bad guys who win" and even later he considers [[GameOfThrones Joffrey]] to be a kind and wise ruler.
* CommitmentIssues: Robin was his first girlfriend in a long time... even when they were dating he was climbing out the window in his sleep in muscle memory alone.
* CompetitionFreak: Barney will often take an innocent remark as a challenge and respond with "Challenge accepted!".
* ConsummateLiar: He can lie with the greatest of ease, and with no preparation. On rare occasions, we also get to see what he can do with some preparation.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Heavily implied to be one of these. [[spoiler: Turns out he's not.]]
* CrazyPrepared: Not only does he always bring along a second (or even third) Halloween costume in case he strikes out with the hottest girl at the party, he keeps a suit stashed in the bar at [=MacLaren's=]. And that's in addition to his Playbook.
* CunningLinguist: He speaks several languages, using what is said to be Ukrainian (actually Russian) with his tailor, Mandarin, Japanese, and Korean. Some scenes imply he can also speak Spanish.
* TheDandy: Well dressed, groomed, manicured, spotless apartment.
* DeadpanSnarker: Slightly less than the rest of the cast, due to his LargeHam tendencies, but he's more than happy to point out the silliness of his friends' ideas.
* DeconfirmedBachelor: Devoutly against marriage or even relationships, but he winds up getting married before Ted.
* {{Determinator}}: If he sets his mind on something, he will not stop until he completes it. This is especially true of any "challenge," which he compulsively will accept.
* {{Deuteragonist}}: Around the 4th Season, more emphasis starts to be put on Barney's development as a character, [[LadyKillerInLove actually giving him stable relationships.]]
* DisappearedDad: [[spoiler: Until season 6]].
* DisproportionateRetribution: Barney seems to revel in these. The Exploding Meatball Sub is probably the most famous example, all as an act of revenge toward Marshall commenting that Barney got some sauce on his tie. Now in season 9, we learn [[spoiler: his entire job is part of a revenge plot to shut down an entire corporation all because the head guy stole Barney's girlfriend when he was younger]].
* EmbarrassingNickname: Swarley. Swar-wait for it...-ley. Swarls Barkley. Any variation of Swarley, actually.
* EvilMakeover: He used to be a [[LongHairedPrettyBoy long-haired]] [[GranolaGirl granola guy]] until his first girlfriend cheated on him. As a result, he "[[StartOfDarkness suited up]]". [[spoiler:But he hasn't completely changed.]]
* FetishFuel: InUniverse, Barney's been demonstrated to be into feet and light bondage. His scrapbook also implies (we don't get to see it) that he experiments with a lot of positions and toys.
* {{Fiction 500}}: We don't know what he does, but it seems to give him apparently unlimited money.
** It turns in Season 9, [[spoiler:he's paid to day sign papers claiming responsibility for the illegal activities of a corporation]].
* TheFirstCutIsTheDeepest: Although he doesn't show it, what Shannon did to him really hurt him.
* [[FourTemperamentEnsemble Five Temperament Ensemble]]: Sanguine- Extroverted, [[ManChild childish]], [[ManipulativeBastard mischievous]], [[AttentionWhore always seeks attention]], and [[WackyGuy ''extremely'' unpredictable most of the time]].
* {{Flanderization}}: As the show goes on, Barney becomes more and more of a womanizer who abhors commitment. Early in the show his attitude was basically "Date a woman for a few weeks, then dump her". But later in the show's run he becomes the master of the one-night stand, rarely bothering to go on more than a single date with a girl and is obsessed with whatever play he makes.
** An episode in season 9 provides possible justification for this, as [[spoiler: the mother]] tells Barney that, having been dumped by Robin in season 5, he's spent his entire life since then trying to keep her out of his mind, such that he won't let himself stop for even a second, lest his feelings for her start to re-emerge. Considering his relapses since then came when he was settled down with Nora and Quinn, it's not entirely an unreasonable claim.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Largely in earlier seasons, most of the characters admit to having a "Barney Limit." When Barney slept with Robin, Ted explained his anger at Barney wasn't simply that he slept with his ex but that he assumed if Barney [[EvenEvilHasStandards had any sort of "limits"]] it would have been anything [[TheBroCode regarding him]]. It wasn't until after they reconcile that Barney starts being treated more as a real friend and less of a nuisance.
* FriendToAllChildren: Despite being a bad influence for them at times, Barney's few redeeming qualities before he TookALevelInKindness is this.
* TheGamblingAddict: "It's not gambling if you know you're going to win."
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Used to be naive and extremely kind-hearted and used to have long hair. His then-girlfriend left him for a suit-wearing womanizer. [[StartOfDarkness And he decided to]] [[YouAreWhatYouHate become one himself]].
** [[spoiler:But while he's not as naive as he once was, he agreed to work for that same womanizer just to get back at him for stealing his girlfriend.]]
* HandsomeLech: He's attractive and a LovableSexManiac.
* HardWorkHardlyWorks: Successfully runs the New York Marathon - which Marshall has been training for for months - at a day's notice with no preparation. Not played ''entirely'' straight. He does mention having run a 10K earlier in the season, plus he says afterwards that he works out pretty much everyday (and judging by his {{Shirtless Scene}}s, [[MrFanservice he doesn't lie]]). And though he does finish he can't walk afterward.
* HasAType: Barney declares in the pilot that he's discarded his old type (half-Asian girls) for a new type (Lebanese girls). Later he declares he doesn't have a type; that's crass and limiting. However, he kinda does. His type is naive bimbos with daddy issues. And [[spoiler:Robin]].
* IHatePastMe: Thoroughly ashamed of his pre-suit hippie years. However, he still liked himself as a kid.
** [[spoiler:'''Averted''']]
* HeroicComedicSociopath: He'll frequently do horrible things for his own amusement, and for ours, too.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: Is ''very'' defensive of his supposed status as Ted's best friend, when they have a falling out in season three he starts looking for a new "wingman" in the exact same way anyone is trying to rebound from a break-up. While good friends with both Ted and Marshall, it's fairly obvious they aren't as devoted to him as he is to them.
* HiddenDepths: Can speak Chinese and is a very good, albeit compulsive, gambler.
** Season Four started showing that he hides a severe abandonment complex with his regular behavior, having never known his dad in addition to being devastated by a break-up when he was younger. In season six [[spoiler: when he meets his dad and spends some time with him]] he admits he feels he is too far gone for redemption.
* HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood: Early seasons showed him being almost criminally neglected, but later seasons seemed to have gently retconned it into simply his mother having a lot of lovers.
* HotBlooded: His desire to make every night legendary and his tendency to make passionate speeches, [[SeriousBusiness even about things that only he considers to be of the highest importance]], qualify him as this.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Loves to mock Robin for being Canadian and enjoys ridiculing his friends's interests. One of his biggest fights with Robin resulted from her openly joking about his interests.
* ICallHimMisterHappy: When Lily paints a portrait of him with KenDollAnatomy, he rattles off a series of nicknames for his penis, mostly puns based on his name.
* IconicOutfit: Suits in general.
* IJustWantToHaveFriends: He really does love his friends and wants to keep them. This is especially apparent in "The Rally" when asked why he'd lie to them about having a hangover cure, his answer is because he loves them (and giving them a placebo actually did help).
* IdenticalStranger: Subverted ''three times'' in the span of one episode, then played straight later. Marshall and Lily see his ''doppelganger'' only to later find out that it's actually him disguised as a taxi driver for another one night stand scheme. When Barney finds out Marshall and Lily won't have kids until they've seen all five doppelgangers, he disguises himself as a street performer. [[PaperThinDisguise They don't fall for it]], but seem to be touched. Then Lily ''thinks'' she's found Barney's true doppelganger, when in reality she's seeing what she wants to see.
* InelegantBlubbering: He has one moment in "Girls vs. Suits" when [[ProjectRunway Tim Gunn]] gives him the bad news about his torn suit: "I ''can't'' make it work!" "'''So Young!'''" goes a hysterical Barney in his breakdown.
* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: Heavily implied that his severe abandonment issues left him with this and all his bravado is fake and a way to cover it up.
* InsistentTerminology: He is constantly insisting to others (including Ted) that he is Ted's best friend instead of Marshall.
* {{Jerkass}}: Even he isn't sure why they hang out with him.
** JerkWithAHeartOfGold[=/=]JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: Bounces back and forth. By the later seasons, he has mostly [[CharacterDevelopment evolved]] entirely to a JerkWithAHeartOfGold, [[JerkassFacade even if he refuses to admit it]].
* LackOfEmpathy: Played for laughs. He gets better in later seasons though.
* LadykillerInLove: With Robin, Nora and Quinn. He does genuinely love them, and puts a lot of effort into wooing all three.
* LargeHam: Almost always chewing the scenery.
* LaughablyEvil: He's genuinely proud of his EvilLaugh.
* LiesDamnedLiesAndStatistics: Will often create his own statistics to get any member of the group to go along with one of his schemes. It's always something like 83%, or 8.3 seconds, or similar.
* LikeParentLikeSpouse: His relationship with Nora mirrors his relationship with his mother.
** [[spoiler: Robin's mother absolutely terrifies her by basically describing her father when he was their age as exactly like Barney]]
* LimitedWardrobe: He is almost never seen without a suit, and is proud of that fact.
** Except for funerals.
* TheLongList: The Playbook and the Bro Code, both of which have been [[DeFictionalization defictionalized.]]
* LovableSexManiac: Bedded several hundred women, spews off entendres, and his friends still love him.
* MagnificentBastard: InUniverse as this is now {{Canon}}, having been [[LampshadeHanging state almost word for word]] by Marshal in the season 7 episode 'Ducky Tie'.
** [[spoiler: There is of course "The Robin" too in Season 8]].
* ManChild: From time to time, he acts very childish. People think this is because of his HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood.
* ManipulativeBastard: As TheChessmaster and per The Playbook, he's more than happy to manipulate people.
* AManIsNotAVirgin: Believes this. Ironically, he himself didn't lose his virginity until he was 23.
* MasterOfDisguise: He hit on the same woman three times in one night by changing costumes. He also really enjoys using costumes and disguises for various plays, including impersonating celebrities.
* MoralSociopathy: He lives according to his Bro Code.
* MrFanservice: More shirtless scenes than anyone else, and he's much more toned than Marshall or Ted.
* MySisterIsOffLimits: Absolutely flipped out when [[spoiler:Ted unknowingly slept with Barney's younger half-sister]].
* {{Narcissist}}: He's obsessed with his looks, and also secretly afraid of losing them as he gets older.
* TheObiWan: In the season 9 episode "Sunrise" [[spoiler:Barney meets two young men who are hopelessly inept when it comes to impressing women. He takes pity on them and decides to mentor them in the art of picking up women.]]
* ObliviousToLove: To Robin for the first few episodes of season 7, before she [[spoiler: seemingly moves on with Kevin]].
* OlderThanHeLooks: He's actually the oldest member of the gang (he starts the show at 30-years-old), but he hardly looks it. The show lampshades it from time to time.
* OnTheRebound: He explicitly targets women who are emotionally vulnerable as he thinks they're easy targets.
* PlayingWithFire: Barney LOVES doing fire-based magic tricks.
** ForYourOwnGood: Why the gang ends up doing an intervention on Barney--he loves doing it TOO much.
* PlayedForLaughs: All the EvilTropes associated with him.
* ThePornomancer
-->'''Barney''': ''When are you guys gonna learn that the only difference between my life and porn is that my life has better lighting?''
* RaceFetish: His EstablishingCharacterMoment is announcing to Ted that he's moved on from half-Asian girls, and is now going after Lebanese girls. He also has said that his "type" is "Asian, with some boob."
* ReallyGetsAround: Mainly PlayedForLaughs.
* RefugeInAudacity: Barney doesn't so much refuge in audacity as much as he lives in it. He once attempted to convince a girl he was Neal Armstrong. According to Barney's own recollection of the event, he succeeded.
* RootingForTheEmpire: [[invoked]] Apparently does this for ''TheKarateKid'' (The Cobra Kai guys), ''Film/DieHard'' (Hans Gruber), TheBreakfastClub (Detention teacher), and the actual [[TheTerminator Terminator]], probably others as well. Possibly a reflection of [[AmbiguouslyEvil his day job.]]
** It's somewhat telling that in ''TheWeddingBride'', the film loosely based on Ted's relationship with Stella, Barney openly roots for [[HerCodeNameWasMarySue Tony]], who is actually supposed to be the ''hero'' of the film, instead of "[[JerkSue Jed Mosley]]", who's portrayed as the villain.
** He also thinks that [[GameofThrones King Joffrey]] is a "wise and fair leader".
** And told Demaggio to hang out with [[StarWars Luke Skywalker]], HarryPotter, and WarHorse.
* ScreamsLikeALittleGirl: Again, PlayedForLaughs.
* ScrewySquirrel: Pranks his friends mercilessly... and his enemies so much worse.
* SecondLove: He is Robin's second love after Ted, though they broke up. [[spoiler: They get together again and eventually got married.]]
* SelfImposedChallenge: Very often he'll say something is impossible... then declare "Challenge accepted!" and try to accomplish it.
* SelfServingMemory: Any flashback he retells will be centered on him and paint him in a great light.
* SenseiForScoundrels: He is constantly teaching other men how to pick up women with his "Playbook," fashioning himself as a guru figure. Ted tends to ignore him, but other men who follow his advice seem to succeed.
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Manly man to Ted's (or Marshall's) sensitive guy.
* SeriousBusiness: [[CrowdSong Nothing suits him like a suit!]] Honestly, everything he does is SeriousBusiness. Suits, girls, being a good friend, being a good boyfriend, possibly his job whatever that is perhaps. TheBroCode, too. ''Especially'' TheBroCode.
* SharpDressedMan: Always impeccably dressed.
* ShipTease: Barney has expressed considerable attraction to Lily, and there's the inevitable chemistry matchmakers always seem to strike with their clients, but Barney and Lily will never go beyond a fantasy.
** An episode in Season 2 even toyed with the idea of what the two as a couple would be like.
* ShipperOnDeck: According to him, "''The world needs Marshall and Lily together!''"
* SitcomArchNemesis: Barney absolutely hates [[TheKarateKid Ralph Macchio]], so you can imagine how annoyed he was when the guy showed up at his bachelor party. Still you replace high-fives with handshakes and the word ''Legendary'' with ''Incredible'' and they are basically the same guy, though Barney refuses to see it.
* SmallNameBigEgo: Make no mistake, Barney is incredibly smart and good-looking... just not nearly as smart and good-looking as he thinks he is.
* TheSmartGuy: To MagnificentBastard levels. Marshall even called him as such almost word-per-word.
* SonOfAWhore: His mother once abandoned him for two weeks to be "passed around like a bong." She's settled down, and their relationship is now much closer.
* StageMagician: He frequently uses magic to try to impress girls, and has vintage magic posters in his apartment. In real life NeilPatrickHarris is president of the Magic Circle, and an accomplished magician.
* [[spoiler: TheStarscream: The reason why he worked for [=AltruCell=] Corp. is to humiliate Greg, the man who stole his first girlfriend and is one of the MegaCorp's higher-ups.]]
* StartofDarkness: Revealed in the episode ''Game Night'' where he explains how his girlfriend left him, causing his transformation from a long-haired hippy to a life of "suits, sex, and money".
** [[spoiler:Continued in "Unpause", which reveals he didn't fully change.]]
* TokenEvilTeammate: Initially. Subverted however in later seasons, especially in seasons 6 and 7.
* TookALevelInKindness: Starting out as the TokenEvilTeammate, he becomes more humane in later seasons as he surprises the group in giving genuine to support to them in bad times (He contacted Lily to get her back to New York for Marshall's sake and admitted that despite complaining about Ted and Robin he was sad to see them break up).
%% * {{Ubermensch}}
* TheUnfettered: Early in the series, he wasn't really tied down with "emotions" or "empathy" so he was so very good at what he did (... banging chicks).
* UnrequitedLoveSwitcheroo: With Robin ''many'' times in seasons 7 and 8.
* TheUnreveal: Does anybody know what ''his job'' is?
-->'''[insert any character here]:''' Barney, what exactly is it you do for a living?\\
'''Barney:''' ''Ha ha!'' ...Please.
** [[TheReveal We eventually find out]] in Season 9 that "please" is [[spoiler:exactly his job which is [[FunWithAcronyms Provide Legal Exculpation and Sign Everything]]. His job was to sign papers claiming responsibility for the illegal activities of a corporation. But him entering the job is part of his BatmanGambit to get back that the guy who stole his girlfriend, Shannon, years ago]].
* UsedToBeASweetKid: TheReveal that he used to be a kind Granola Guy who wanted to join the Peace Corps shocked everyone. [[spoiler:But he's still a NiceGuy.]]
* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: Especially in the early seasons. Not so much after he TookALevelInKindness, though he can still occasionally have some moments.
* VerbalTic: Whenever he makes up a statistic, he uses 83, or 8.3. Ted {{Lampshaded}} it at one point.
%% * WackyGuy
* [[spoiler:WackyMarriageProposal: To Quinn and Robin.]]
* WellDoneSonGuy: PlayedForLaughs when he wanted to be with his "supposed" dad, Bob Barker, in ThePriceIsRight. Then, it went inverted when he finally meets his real dad, Jeremy Whittaker.
* WhatExactlyIsHisJob: Whenever someone asks he simply brushes them off with a condescending chuckle and a "Please." Later, it is revealed that [[spoiler:"please" is [[FunWithAcronyms Provide Legal Exculpation and Sign Everything]] where he signs papers claiming responsibility for the illegal activities of a corporation]].
* WideEyedIdealist: Formerly. Still shows signs such as believing Bob Barker is his father well into adulthood.
* WillTheyOrWontThey: With Robin in seasons 3, 4 and 7. Their relationship formed much of the plot of those seasons (especially 4 and 7).
* WithFriendsLikeThese: He's often been shown sabotaging his friends for personal gain (or ForTheLulz).
* YouAreWhatYouHate:
** PlayedForLaughs when Robin discovers he is 25% Canadian.
** The reason he became a JerkAss suit-wearing womanizer is because his first girlfriend dumped/cheated on him for... a JerkAss suit-wearing womanizer.
[[/folder]]

!!Secondary Characters

[[folder: Ted's Future Family]]
!!The Mother/[[spoiler:Tracy [=McConnell=]]]
->''"Kids, I'm gonna tell you an incredible story. The story of how I met your mother."''
->''"Hi! One ticket to Farhampton, please?"''
[[quoteright:266:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himym_mother_feet_4251.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:266:[[labelnote:Click if you saw the Season 8 Finale.]]http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himym_m_face_6794.jpg[[/labelnote]]]]

The woman about whom Future Ted is telling a story to his kids about, with the story of how they met is apparently one of the greatest stories ever heard. During the course of the series little is known about her and how she fits into Ted's story, with only a few hard facts such as owning a yellow umbrella, being at the same place Ted was at a few distinct moments (A St. Patrick's Day party and Ted trying to teach the wrong class) and that she and Ted met on the day of a wedding. She is eventually revealed in the [[FinaleSeason final season]], played by [[spoiler: Cristin Milioti]], remaining nameless but peripherally involved with the plot, including some {{Flash Forward}}s, saving her and Ted's official meeting until the GrandFinale.

* AccidentalHero: She had no idea the effect she had on a few members of the group before she met Ted and became a part of the group.
* {{Adorkable}}: She has an innate understanding of the quirks behind the rest of the cast, letting her fit right in. "Why would they call a bar 'Puzzles?' (dawns on her) Unless ''that's'' the puzzle."
** Among her favorite activities (that many, except for Ted, find dorky), enjoys painting robots playing sports, singing showtunes with the breakfast, collecting coins, calligraphy sets, Renaissance Fair goodies and random road trip trivia (Future!Ted tells the family once made a stop so The Mother could see a goat blowing smoke rings).
** Once Max gave her a one-man-band suit. When her friends question why she would like something like that, she responded "It's not something I want. ''It's something I need''".
* AdvertisedExtra: Billed as a regular for the final season, only appeared in roughly half of the episodes. This was apparently due to a rule imposed by Bays and Thomas that she would only appear in episodes written by them personally.
* ArcSymbol: Her yellow umbrella symbolizes the path Ted takes that would lead him to her as well as the way that the two are meant to be together.
* BestForLast: The best of Ted's love, and the last.
* BigDamnHeroes: In a sense: [[spoiler:"Something New", which reveals that Ted is planning on moving to Chicago because of his failure to move past Robin, ends with her buying the ticket to Farhampton. She effectively spares Ted from going to Chicago because of their meeting.]]
** And in a more literal sense, when she [[spoiler:gives Marshall a ride when he is trying (and failing) to walk all the way to the Farhampton Inn after his bus breaks down.]]
** [[spoiler:She also calms Robin down who is freaking out and attempting to run away before the wedding. Her advice to Robin save the wedding from being a total disaster.]]
* BigGood: An unusual example in that she only shows up in the very last season and the finale of the season before it, but in almost every appearance she helps someone in the gang get over one of their current personal issues, she's the special girl Ted's been waiting for all along, [[spoiler: and the two of them meeting is what ultimately helps Ted get over his past relationship with Robin and keeps him from moving away to Chicago]].
* BirdsOfAFeather: Both are nice and she shares a lot of Ted's quirks (like driving gloves, she finishes his sentences exactly like Ted would say them and knows facts only Ted finds amusing).
* BreakTheCutie: Her backstory reveals her almost decade long [[spoiler: grief of losing her boyfriend]].
* BrokenBird: [[spoiler:She has been one ever since her boyfriend Max died and spent the entire show's run like this until she met Ted.]]
* TheCastShowoff: Her ukulele skills and her beautiful singing voice are showcased in the 200th episode with her captivating rendition of 'La Vie En Rose'.
* CerebusRetcon: In the 100th episode "Girls vs. Suits" many of her quirks are played for laughs, especially things like painting pictures of robots playing sports and singing with her food while making breakfast. In the 200th episode "How Your Mother Met Me," [[spoiler: both of those take on greater significance when we learn her 1st love Max's last present to her was a ukelele "so your breakfast doesn't need to perform acapella" and her robot painting was an activity she through herself into to try and deal with losing him. Louis's lack of appreciation of singing English muffins was also a sign that they would not work long term]].
* CharacterSignatureSong: "La Vie En Rose".
* ClosetKey: For Cindy.
* ColorMotif: Aside from being known for her yellow umbrella, WordOfGod practically stated that she'll be wearing [[GracefulLadiesLikePurple purple]] when she meets Ted. This is supported by the fact that [[RomanticFalseLead Victora]] (the originally planned mother) wearing a purple dress in "Drumroll, Please".
* TheCutie: She's adorable and always upbeat.
* ADayInTheLimelight: "How Your Mother Met Me" is completely from her perspective and how narrowly her path crosses with Ted's over the years and how narrowly she misses meeting him. The show even reinvented its opening credits to show the Mother and her friends.
* DeadpanSnarker: She's good enough to hold her own against Barney, as demonstrated in the final episode.
* DistaffCounterpart: While she has her own unique personality, she and Ted share just enough quirks to qualify, such as loving road trip detours to visit unusual landmarks and wearing driving gloves.
* DudeMagnet: According to Cindy, guys keep falling in love with her.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Her first scene with a cast member has her offering [[TeamMom an emotional Lily a cookie]], a personal recipe she calls "[[{{Adorkable}} Sumbitch]]." After a brief altercation Lily apologizes for trying to bite her and the Mother apologizes for swatting her with a rolled up magazine.
* ExtremeDoormat: "Bass Player Wanted" reveals that, NiceGirl she is, the Mother usually lets the other person have their way in conflicts.
%% * FaceDeathWithDignity
* FirstLove: [[spoiler:Max, her late boyfriend, who died on 2005]].
** TheFirstCutIsTheDeepest: [[spoiler:The reason why her relationship with Louis doesn't work out]].
* TheFaceless: Until the season 8 finale.
* TheGadfly: Has shown a willingness to deceive others temporarily for laughs, such as telling Lily her cookies were found beneath a train seat as well as pretending to be a creepy psychic who reads Marshall's situation with scary accuracy. She meets her boyfriend Louis by claiming she was 16 and he fell for it.
* GracefulLadiesLikePurple: Was wearing a purple sundress during her first official appearance and wore dominantly purple attire ever since.
* TheHeart: In her first scene with a cast member, she offers a crying Lily a cookie. In a flashback, [[spoiler: she sets Barney straight in his womanizing ways and is the reason why Barney decided to propose to Robin in the first place. And she even helps a distraught Robin who tries to run away before the wedding starts by telling her to take three deep breaths before she makes a decision]].
* HeroOfAnotherStory: It is almost absurd how close she was to the group throughout all of their adventures but never actually crossing paths.
%% * IllGirl
* LastEpisodeNewCharacter: Subverted. Original plans where to have the Mother show up in the final episode, meet with everyone and, obviously, Ted. But once they got confirmation of getting a FinaleSeason it gave them a unique opportunity of introducing her in the closing scene of the eighth season and have her be a peripheral character throughout the ninth. This let the characters and the audience get to actually ''know'' the love of his life rather than just be told in TheStinger how great she was.
* LastGirlWins: Or so one imagines. Confirmed by WordOfGod.
* TheLostLenore: [[spoiler:The same night Ted met Robin, the Mother lost her boyfriend Max to an unspecified accident. She was incapable of letting him go but tried to move on by dating Louis.]]
** In the final episode, [[spoiler:it's revealed that in 2030 she's this to Ted, since by then she's been dead for six years.]]
* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Approaches this character trope by proxy of the few descriptions we have of her. She is effectively portrayed as Ted's dream girl with all sorts of quirks like painting pictures of robots, singing showtunes while making breakfast, plays bass guitar in a band and apparently guys are constantly falling in love with her. And she helps pull Ted out of one of the darkest times in his life.
** The final season gives us more of her quirkiness such as owning a pair of driving gloves and wanting to see some weird stuff on the roadside, just like Ted.
** Given her reactions to how Lily describes Ted, her reactions to him in their various near misses, and [[spoiler:the fact he will help her get over Max]], you could say Ted is her [[ManicPixieDreamGirl Manic Pixie Dream Guy]].
* TheMourningAfter: [[spoiler:She avoided relationships altogether for five years after the death of Max, her FirstLove, because she thought she would never be able to love someone like that again. And even after getting into a relationship with Louis, she never really got to love him because she couldn't let Max go until the night right before meeting Ted]].
%% * MissingMom
* NiceGal: Her first meetings with the individual members of the group assert very quickly how friendly she is. In her first scene of the final season, [[EstablishingCharacterMoment she offers a crying Lily a cookie.]] With Barney, despite him trying out one of his plays on her she sees through it and ''him'' and gives him a hug, [[spoiler: encouraging him to stop distracting himself with his plays and get Robin back]]. With Marshall, she gave him a ride on the final leg of his road trip and lent an ear to his eventual fight with Lily, later knitting a hat for Marvin. With Robin, after colliding she offers advice on how to calm down when feeling hysterical.
* NobodyLovesTheBassist: Averted real time. (Seriously, see the other tropes about Mom). In fact, Ted actively wants to date a bassist.
** Played straight in "Bass Player Wanted" with [[spoiler: Darren stealing the spotlight and replacing her as lead singer, then kicking her out of her own band. Subverted in the end when he leaves, allowing her to be the lead singer again.]]
* NoNameGiven: [[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/how-i-met-your-mother-634799 Even her actress]] [[ActingInTheDark doesn't know]] the Mother's name. [[spoiler:Until the last few moments in the finale, when we find out her name is Tracy [=McConnell=], the same initials as Ted Mosby.]]
* NotSoDifferent: She and Ted both have have difficult times letting go of past loves, Ted for Robin and the Mother for [[spoiler:Max, who died on her 21st birthday]]. They also share most of the quirks and interests. [[spoiler: On their first date, the Mother ended up hiding from her ex-boyfriend Louis and explained to Ted he had proposed to her the Saturday before. Ted knew exactly how that felt, with him doing something similar in season four's "Happily Ever After" with Stella]].
%% * PosthumousCharacter
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: [[spoiler:Her actress, Cristin Milioti, got her name billed in the opening credits in the final season after her cameo in the eight season finale.]]
* RedHerring: Or rather, many other characters have been red herrings for the mother. [[spoiler: After "Vesuvius", her having alleged failing health becomes a hot topic.]]
* TheReveal: [[spoiler: The GrandFinale revealed her real name and that she's a DeadAllAlong]].
* RomanticFalseLead: It's established that she was dating a guy named Louis right before she met Ted. While he doesn't seem to be a bad guy it's fairly clear they were not really in love (he was only mildly amused at her adorable breakfast showtunes). [[spoiler: Louis actually proposed to her the night before she and Ted met. In a tragic twist, she tried asking Max for permission to move on and after getting confirmation she told Louis "no," because she knew she wasn't going to move on with him]].
* SecondaryCharacterTitle: She's the titular mother, but didn't even show up until the finale of the eighth season.
* SecondLove: For Ted, after he finally gets over Robin. Though technically she's either the fourth since there's Victoria and Stella, or fifth if you consider Zoey.
** For her, [[spoiler: Ted was the one for whom she got over her first love, Max, who had died in 2005.]]
* ShadowArchetype: [[spoiler: "How Your Mother Met Me" revealed that the night her FirstLove died is the same night Ted ([[{{Foreshadowing}} and Barney]]) met Robin.]]
* SheWhoMustNotBeSeen: If she ''is'' present in any given shot, she's never seen beyond really obtuse angles, not even subtly. A few scenes are stated that she was ''somewhere'' in a crowd shot but never pointed out. There have only been a handful of official sightings: Ted saw her ankle in "Girls vs. Suits," the back of her hat-covered head in "No Pressure," outside the club in "No Tomorrow" holding her yellow umbrella and wearing blue jeans, at the train station in "Farhampton," carrying her bass and (of course, face covered by umbrella), at [[spoiler: Barney and Robin's wedding reception]], playing aforementioned bass. Seen from the back.
** Finally seen in Season's 8 "Something New".
* SignificantMonogram: The finale reveals that she has her initials [[spoiler: T.M.]] carved into the handle of her trademark yellow umbrella. [[spoiler: Not only are her and Ted's initials the same but T.M. could also be short for The Mother.]]
* SixthRanger: She's the official one to the show's FiveManBand, whoever she is.
** EleventhHourRanger: Meta example. She's a series regular only for the FinaleSeason.
* TeacherStudentRomance: Subverted: She was a student at Columbia University and saw Ted teaching once, but Ted had the wrong classroom so she's not actually his student. She left the class-room right before the lecture because she thought she was in the wrong one, only to have Ted himself ran past her when he realized ''he'' was in the wrong one.
* TeamMom: Her EstablishingCharacterMoment had her, a stranger on a train, comforting a distraught Lily.
* TragicKeepsake: [[spoiler: The ukulele she received from Max on her 21st birthday, after he died, which she owns as a keepsake of his spirit and presence.]]
* UnkemptBeauty: In a FlashForward, she commented about being haggard and sweaty from a long car ride (and eating a muffin crumb in her bra), while Ted couldn't care less.
* TheUnreveal: [[spoiler: Until the final minutes of the series, her name was a mystery. Her illness that ultimately killed her, on the other hand, wasn't stated.]]
* WalkingSpoiler: The show was careful about being vague with the details on how she and Ted meet, with a lot of information that means nothing when revealed and will only be important when paired with the actual MeetCute, such as the yellow umbrella. That said, the fact she is an actual character in the {{finale season}} is something of a spoiler already, and every episode she appears in unveils a specific and definitive piece of the puzzle. [[spoiler: In the wedding weekend she meets Lily, Marshall, Robin and, obviously, Ted, helping each with the big moment of their lives that converged on that weekend. But the biggest surprise was that she met Barney a year prior, inspiring him to [[ArmorPiercingQuestion stop playing the game and actually win]] by developing "The Robin" play.]]
* WhamEpisode: The [[MilestoneCelebration 100th Episode]] "Girls vs. Suits" had her and Ted in the same apartment at one point, although they didn't meet then he got an earful as her roommate Cindy described her in detail. The 8th SeasonFinale finally shows her face as she leaves to play at Barney and Robin's wedding.
** In the Season 9 episode "Platonish" it's revealed that Barney [[spoiler:first met the Mother six months earlier and that she persuaded him to end his womanizing and devote his full time and energy to winning over Robin, which is how Barney came up with "The Robin".]]
** The 200th episode, "How Your Mother Met Me", centers on the Mother and [[spoiler: reveals that her boyfriend died in 2005 and she hasn't been able to get over him since.]]
** The GrandFinale, "Last Forever", revealed that [[spoiler: she's a PosthumousCharacter]].

!! Son (DavidHenrie) and Daughter (Creator/LyndsyFonseca) Mosby
->'''Daughter''': ''Dad, could you please skip to the part where you meet Mom? [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall I feel you've been talking for like, a year...]]''
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himym_kids_436.jpg]]

Ted's kids living in the year 2030. Currently he's subjecting them to [[CoolAndUnusualPunishment a lengthy and needlessly detailed]] tale of [[FramingDevice how he met their mother.]] Present day Ted had mentioned a few times the desire to name his kids "[[StarWars Luke and Leia]]," which fans [[FanNickname used as their names when discussing the characters]] during the shows run. Their names were later revealed to be [[spoiler: Luke and Penny]].

* BrotherSisterIncest: In the Comic-Con trailer, Ted's son tells his father that the only girl he's seen in the past 8 years is his sister and it's starting to make him think stuff... very bad stuff.
* BrotherSisterTeam: They always join forces when [[DeadpanSnarker snarking]] their father until their scenes have been reduced to StockFootage.
* CallingTheOldManOut: After eight long years of telling them endless details they don't care about (and did things they're not proud of), they tell him personally that they want him to get to the point of how he actually met their mother already.
* CompletelyMissingThePoint: After Future!Ted tells them the story of when he dated an ex, who he had previously dumped on [[WhatTheHellHero her birthday]], [[FromBadToWorse via an answering machine message heard by friends and family]], convinced her to give him get a second chance, only to break up with her on her birthday AGAIN...[[LaserGuidedKarma Which led to her kicking Ted's ass]]. All Ted's kids took from this story is that their dad got beat up by a girl.
* DeadpanSnarker: When they could still comment on Ted's stories anyway. [[InTheBlood Probably got it from dad.]]
* MeaningfulName:
** [[spoiler:Luke, obviously, got his name from Ted being a huge ''Franchise/StarWars'' fan.]]
** [[spoiler:Penny's name is likely a reference to the 2nd season episode "Lucky Penny", in which a series of events that begins with Ted picking up a penny that was minted in 1939 eventually results in him missing his flight to Chicago and not getting a job in that city. The episode ends with Future Ted commenting that if he'd never picked up that penny and missed his flight to Chicago he never would have met the Mother.]]
* NoNameGiven: Though Ted has repeatedly expressed [[ShoutOutThemeNaming the desire to name them]] [[StarWars Luke and Leia]]. Revealed in Unpause - [[spoiler: Penny and Luke.]]
* NonSerialMovie: A special [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOe4_kdqsmU Season Nine Comic-Con Video]] was made showing the two having aged 8 years, with the original actors [[RoleReprisal reprising their roles]] and furious at how long Ted was taking to tell the story. It's been a joke in fan circles for years, although the creators verified that the video is definitely non-canon and, while lengthy, Ted does not take THAT long to actually tell the story (It's still 2030 from their perspective).
* NotAllowedToGrowUp:
** Later in the series, the "reaction" of the kids are only stills from a previous clip. WordOfGod has stated that they already shot the ending of the series at the start of season 2, so that when the show ''does'' end, Ted's kids don't rapidly age several years when their dad finishes his story.
** Hysterically defied in the comic-con video where they got the original child actors to return to their roles, obviously much older and incredibly PISSED at how long their dad is taking to tell the story.
* PinkMeansFeminine: Due to them being NotAllowedToGrowUp, [[spoiler: Penny]] has been constantly wearing her pink top thanks to StockFootage.
* SatelliteCharacter: Justified since the entire story is being told to them ''from'' the future.
* SecondaryCharacterTitle: They are the "your" in the title.
* ShipperOnDeck: [[spoiler: The last minutes of the finale show them to be this with regard to Ted and Robin after the mother has died. They even point out that the story was really about how Ted was in love with Robin.]]
* StockFootage: The first two seasons had the kids interacting with Future Ted at times, commenting on the situation. To avoid seeing the kids growing up in real time, season three and beyond started reusing a handful of "bored expressions" footage to introduce the episode. Season two apparently filmed a unique sequence to use when Ted finally reveals "Mom."
* [[ThoseTwoGuys Those Two Kids]]: Again, justified (see SatelliteCharacter above).
* WhamEpisode:
** [[spoiler: "Trilogy Time" established that Ted's daughter was a few months old in early 2015, which is the most definitive timetable the show has ever given]].
** "Leia" was seen when Ted was dropping her off with Lily and Marshall, [[spoiler: who took her to see Santa for the first time.]]
** [[spoiler: "Unpause" shows the night when Ted's son was born and reveals their names.]]
* WhoNamesTheirKidDude: If they are in fact named Luke and Leia. [[spoiler: "Unpause" confirms that Ted's son is in fact named Luke, however his daughter's name is Penny. Looks like they compromised.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Potential Mothers]][[note]]Ted's girlfriends who lasted multiple episodes and teased as possibly being the Mother[[/note]]

!!Victoria (Ashley Williams)
[[quoteright:266:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himym_victoria_5139.jpg]]

Victoria is the first serious girlfriend Ted gets in the series, meeting at a wedding of Ted's friends and they hit it off. Absolutely enamored with each other she stays around for a half-dozen episodes until she gets a culinary scholarship in Germany lasting two years, they attempted long distance but couldn't keep it together (in part due to Ted and Robin's growing attraction to each other). She returns in season seven as she and Ted cross paths again.

* BettyAndVeronica: The Betty to Robin's Veronica for Ted's Archie.
* CareerVersusMan: She has to choose between Ted and a baking scholarship in Germany. She angst over the decision (briefly even choosing Ted) but ends up going with the baking scholarship. She and Ted try a LongDistanceRelationship but it doesn't work out thanks to Ted once again failing to resist his lingering feelings for Robin.
* CassandraTruth: She was right about Ted and Robin being AmicableExes is not being a good idea. Twice.
* GracefulLadiesLikePurple: Majority of the clothes she wear are purple.
* LongDistanceRelationship: She and Ted try this out after she moves to Germany for a baking scholarship. It didn't work.
* MaleGaze: She is notably well-endowed.
* ManicPixieDreamGirl: In her introduction.
* MeaningfulName: Subverted. She was originally planned to be the woman to ultimately ''win'' Ted's heart (and vice versa).
* NewTransferStudent: Presumably in Germany.
* NiceGirl: Even thought she and Ted split up again and she questioned Ted about [[spoiler:giving him Robin's locket, even if that could mean Ted was trying to steal her at the wedding]], Victoria still agreed to overnight it, along with goodies from her bakery.
* NoodleIncident: Her story in ''Game Night'' wasn't revealed up to this point.
* OnlyOneName: Her last name was never revealed.
* ThePollyanna: The only time we see her cry is after her second break-up with Ted. And boy was it [[TearJerker heart-wrenching]].
* PutOnABus: Thrice. Once a plane to Germany, once a literal bus to go get engaged, and finally [[ShipSinking when she breaks up with Ted]] because [[spoiler: he can't stop being friends with Robin]].
** TheBusCameBack: If only to leave again.
* TheRival: Downplayed. While they are civil to each other, tensions between her and Robin are very obvious.
* RomanticFalseLead: In part because of the way a show is produced she was actually intended to be "the mother" if the show didn't get picked up from the initial episode order. Her first appearance at the end of "The Wedding" was made flexible so that they could go either way on that. Because of that she was written as being a very good match for Ted on just about every level and in spite of being in only a few episodes that made [[EnsembleDarkhorse her become a beloved character]] among the fandom.
* RunawayBride: In the season 7 finale, she leaves Klaus at the altar. Season 8 reveals that Klaus did the same.
* SecondLove: Played with. After failing to get Robin, Ted genuinely did fell in love with her. However, he ultimately realized that he just loves Robin more which resulted in their breakup. [[spoiler: Twice.]]
* SickeninglySweethearts: To the point that Marshall and Lily are jealous of how lovey-dovey she and Ted are.
* SixthRanger: She became part of the gang when she dated Ted in Season 1 until she went to Germany. In Season 8, she hanged out with them again when she got back with Ted but left again after she realized that Ted still got feelings for Robin.
* SupremeChef: She's a baker. Such a good baker that Marshall tells Ted to marry her on spot after having her cake.
* TheOneThatGotAway: In season 7, Robin mentions that she's the only woman who was a viable candidate for Ted.

!!Stella Zinman (SarahChalke)
[[quoteright:266:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himym_stella_6004.jpg]]

Stella is a dermatologist who Ted visits for the purpose of [[EmbarrassingTattoo removing his lower-back tattoo]] and initially rejects Ted because her life was too chaotic with her daughter Lucy. They grow very close and even get engaged in the fourth season opener. A major kink in their relationship ended up being that Stella has unresolved issues with Lucy's father, Tony.

* BettyAndVeronica: The Archie to Ted's Betty and Tony's Veronica in the episode "The Shelter Island".
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Comes of as nice, funny, and polite, but she's actually quite nasty if you think about it. She repeatedly forces Ted to compromise throughout the relationship without doing any of it herself (for example, refusing to even ''discuss'' moving to New York with Ted), then leaves Ted at the altar, and ''then'', just when it looked like she may have redeemed herself in "As Fast As She Can," "The Wedding Bride" comes out, a film that paints Ted in a bad light despite him actually being the good guy, the details of which could have ''only'' come from Stella. That's just ''cold''.
* EasilyForgiven: Played with. When she comes back for an episode, no one forgives her for leaving Ted on their wedding day, but by the end of the episode, Ted himself lets it go. Meanwhile when she shows up again and actually speaks to Ted, he never forgives her but isn't still angry with her.
* {{Fauxshadow}}: In season 3's St. Patrick's Day episode, narrator!Ted states that the mother was at the same party he and Barney went to, but that they didn't meet her then. Stella mentions offhand that she was at a party on St. Paddy's.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Initially portrayed as a kind, affectionate and feminine blonde. She was a very sweet and caring girlfriend who genuinely loved Ted. Ultimately the trope is mocked when Ted shows how his life would have been different if he did marry Stella, with a "present day" scene where his kids were also blond. Still, the last meeting between Ted and Stella was respectful if not amicable despite what happened.
* HospitalHottie: She's a beautiful dermatologist.
* KickTheDog: She leaves Ted at the altar in "Shelter Island", leaving him nothing but a letter and is then seen making up with Tony. There is also her part in the making of "The Wedding Bride," which made everyone hate Ted's character and humiliating Ted.
* LoveEpiphany: Realizes she's not over her ex-boyfriend ''on the same day she's supposed to marry Ted''.
* ParentWithNewParamour: Though unlike most examples, her daughter seems to like Ted.
* PutOnABus: Left New York with Tony to Los Angeles near the end of season 4. Though she's mentioned again by Ted in Season 8 where [[spoiler:Robin's locket was placed in her storage area in Los Angeles]] and made a cameo in Season 9 where she warns Ted about giving the locket to Robin which ruin the wedding.
* RomanticFalseLead: A given, but there are suggestions that Stella was a "back-up" mother (much like Victoria) if the show didn't get a fourth season.
* RunawayBride: She ended up going with her ex, Tony, and left Ted at the altar at the day of their wedding.
* SixthRangerTraitor: She started as a textbook SixthRanger, but she ultimately leaves them behind.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Ted was matched up with a dermatologist in a first season episode who was supposedly his soulmate. That relationship was also killed in the water due to her relationship (in her case, she's engaged, while with Stella it's her daughter).
* TheUnfairSex: Ted repeatedly finds ways to compromise throughout their relationship. Stella, not so much.
* TookALevelInJerkass: After "Shelter Island". Ted is understandably furious upon learning that within weeks of getting back together with Tony, she ''immediately'' agreed to move in with Tony in New York, since when he asked her if she'd consider moving to the City, she utterly refused to do so (or even discuss the matter). Likewise, most of the details in Tony's film, "''TheWeddingBride''", could ''only'' have come from her!

!!Zoey Pierson (Jennifer Morrison)
[[quoteright:266:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himym_zoey_7887.jpg]]

An activist Ted runs into, coincidentally determined to halt the construction of the high-rise building Ted was designing because it would demolish a run-down but unique building in its place. Initially Ted was attracted to her, it turned into a bitter rivalry and eventual friendship. Despite that, he kept his distance because she was married to the wealthy George Van Smoot aka "The Captain," which was eventually allowed to grow romantically when they got divorced.

* BlondesAreEvil: Well, not ''evil'', maybe, but incredibly selfish and manipulative.
* DatingCatwoman: A mild form of this with Ted. She's trying to save the Arcadian, he's trying to design the building to replace it.
* DisproportionateRetribution: The episode "Canning Randy" has Ted designing a the new GNB headquarters, which will replace a very old building being torn down to make room for it. When Zoey finds out, Ted says he doesn't care. Her response is to egg the window of Ted's apartment, get his entire class to destroy a billboard with Ted's picture on it, and get them all to abandon his class and turn against him. Especially disproportionate considering ''he did not choose the building site and has no power to change it.''
* FreudianExcuse: The reason she wants to save The Arcadian is that she once lived there with her family.
* KickTheDog: Revealing that she kept the tape of Ted badmouthing GNB, even after she said she'd destroy it.
* LaResistance: Future! Ted claims that she'll continue fighting for different causes, often failing.
* TheMasochismTango: The entire purpose of the character and her relationship with Ted was to be someone who constantly fought with him but in the process force each other to stand up for themselves.
* MistakenForProstitute: Ted mistakes her for a transvestite hooker when they first meet (in fairness to Ted, he was actually approached by one earlier).
* PetTheDog: Despite her selfishness, she does show kindness towards her friends. [[AndZoidberg And sometimes even Ted.]]
* ShaggyDogStory: There's blatant foreshadowing that she isn't the mother before they even begin dating, though an episode that takes place during their relationship explicitly says that it ended poorly between them.
* ShipTease: Unique among most of Ted's relationships, the initial romantic tease was shot down completely (by Ted) when it was revealed Zoey was married and she found out Ted was involved with the building she was protesting. From there it was about bringing them back to a place where they had some sort of romantic attraction again.
* SixthRangerTraitor: [[spoiler: She became very close friends with the entire group, only to have revealed that she didn't erase the recording she made of Ted praising the architecture of the building like she said]].
* SlapSlapKiss: An interesting take on the trope happens in "Oh, Honey." Ted realized he was falling for Zoey and for the sake of morality tried ending the friendship, not even wanting to explain to her why. Marshall managed to figure out Zoey and The Captain were getting divorced, and Zoey also had strong feelings for Ted. As Zoey confronts him over ending the friendship, Marshall calls them separately and explains both halves of the story (Ted is in love with her, Zoey getting divorced and is in love with him). Upon finishing the call, Ted wordlessly pulled her into a kiss.
* SoapboxSadie: Has a tendency to latch onto causes and espouse the virtues of them to everyone who'll listen, trying to guilt other people into changing.
* TookALevelInJerkass: Granted she was never exactly ''nice'', but, well... see SixthRangerTraitor.
* {{Tsundere}}: That's Zoey for ya! One second she's flirting with you, the next second she's egging your house, then she's making out with you, then she's trying to destroy your career...

[[/folder]]

[[folder: The Main Characters' Families]]

!!Alfred Mosby (Michael Gross)
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himym_teds_dad_4641.jpg]]
Ted and Heather's father.

* AmicablyDivorced: With Virginia. He even helped her find a new date for her after their divorce.
* BumblingDad: Instead of talking with Ted about serious stuff, he usually averted them by talking about baseball instead.
* GenerationXerox: He tried to win Virginia over, even though she didn't want either commitment or children, just like Ted and Robin's situation. After they split, they still were very good friends.
* LikeFatherLikeSon: His marriage to Virginia mirrors Ted's relationship with Robin. Their divorce is a signal that Ted and Robin won't work out. [[ForegoneConclusion Not that viewers didn't already know that.]]

!!Virginia Mosby (Cristine Rose)
[[quoteright:196:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himym-virginia_2606.png]]
Ted and Heather's mother.
* AloofDarkHairedGirl: Based on how Ted's parents married (and how similar are Robin and Virginia), Alfred says Virginia was really hard to get.
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: She happily lets Marshall take a photo-mug of Ted so he can make fun of him, and also goes to get him a picture of Ted dressed as a cowboy with his best friend ([[spoiler: Said friend was a balloon.]])
* AmicablyDivorced: With Alfred.
* GrandmaWhatMassiveHotnessYouHave: Barney often comments how hot is Ted's mom just to irritate him.
* HappilyMarried: To Clint.
* LiesToChildren: Virginia told Ted as a child he was allergic to bacon, donuts and Halloween candy so he would eat healthy.
* LikeParentLikeSpouse: Subverted. Virginia and Robin have a lot in common, but Robin and Ted never get married.
* MrsRobinson: Subverted. Barney admits making out with Virginia when he dropped her at the airport and often jokes about how he banged Ted's mom (Barney later confirms it "got out after he tried to stretch a first into a second").
* NotSoDifferent: She and Robin. Both don't want to have kids, hey didn't want any commitment and Virginia's relationship with Clint also mirrors [[LoveMakesYouDumb Robin's regression everytime she is near Simon]].
* ParentWithNewParamour: She starts dating erudite hippie Clint not long after it's revealed that she and her husband divorced. While initially reluctant, Ted came to accept Clint as his new step father after Virginia's second marriage.
* StacysMom: How Barney sees Ted's mom.
* UglyGuyHotWife: With her new hippy husband Clint.

!!Heather Mosby (Erin Cahill)
Ted's younger sister.
* AloofDarkHairedGirl: Initially quite detached from Ted, though both siblings make efforts to change that.
* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: While Ted genuinely loves her, he wasn't fond of the actions and decisions she made in her life.
* FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling: She is the Foolish one, while Ted is the Responsible. She once sold Ted and Marshall's furniture so she could go to a concert in Spain.
--> '''Ted''': It took her six years to graduate from three different colleges, during which time she wrecked two cars, got married for five days, and lived in a tree for nine weeks, only to realize that no one had any intention of cutting it down.
* FormerTeenRebel: Hopefully; she hasn't been seen since she said she was going to move to New York.
* ReformedButRejected: Ted was quite wary of her due to her DarkAndTroubledPast.
* StatuesqueStunner: Erin Cahill is 5'9.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Despite saying she was moving to New York in season 4, she hasn't been seen since.

!!Clint (Harry Groener)
[[quoteright:281:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himym-clint_5901.png]]
Virginia's new husband after she and Alfred get divorced.
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: He is this to Ted. Clint sings about his sexlife with Virginia during the wedding reception (to Ted's disgust) and gives Ted a painting of Virginia and himself naked behind a guitar ("Kids, [[SceneryCensor There was ''no'' guitar."]])
* CloudCuckooLander: He is an excentric hippy with New Age mentality.
* DreadfulMusician: He annoys Marshall and Daphne with his guitar songs during a portion of their roadtrip, and even makes Marvin cry. Marshall and Daphne start mocking his music as a common point. [[Understatement Clint wasn't amused by this.]]
* HippieParents: Becomes Ted and Heather's stepfather. Ted then tells Clint transformed his old room into a "Love Temple", joking that his G.I.Joe toys are having psychodelic allucinations because of this.
* NewAgeRetroHippie
* SoapboxSadie: A male version of this. One example is mentioned at Christmas. He made Virginia and Ted get rid of everything that reminds him of the commercialization of Christmas. He also dresses up as Santa on Christmas, but plays him as a woman to protest gender stereotypes, [[FanDisservice but he still keeps the beard]].
* StopHelpingMe: Invoked in Season 9, he tags along with Marshall and Daphne as self-proclaimed "Conflict Resolver". Also during his angry rant, Clint implies companies don't actually hire him at all.
* XMeetsY: Given that Virginia is basically like Robin, Clint is what would be like if Barney didn't stop being a hippy, with some parts of Simon's personality.

!!Marvin Eriksen, Sr. (Bill Fagerbakke)
[[quoteright:213:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himym-marvin_sr_249.png]]
Marshall's father.
* [[spoiler: ADeathInTheLimelight: Gets much more screen time just before he has a heart attack.]]
* AlphabeticalThemeNaming: He and his sons '''Mar'''vin, Jr., '''Mar'''shall and '''Mar'''cus.
* TheBigGuy: Along with the rest of his family.
* [[DrillSergeantNasty Coach Nasty]]: His manner of coaching his sons. Marshall took it to heart and aspires to coach kids the same way.
* CoolOldGuy: Was an excellent father who encouraged sports and friendly barbecues with the neighbourhood.
* HappilyMarried: With Judy [[spoiler: until the last day]].
* HeroesWantRedheads: Something that Marshall inherited.
* ItRunsInTheFamily: Marvin's height and small town hospitality are passed down to all of his sons.
* LargeAndInCharge: He is ThePatriarch of the Eriksens, a family of [[TheBigGuy big guys]].
* NiceGuy: He's jovial, welcoming, and fun-loving, and inspires the same behavior in his children.
* OneSteveLimit: With his son and grandson.
* ThePatriarch: Of the Eriksen family [[spoiler: until he died]].
* [[spoiler:SpiritAdvisor]]: Subverted. [[spoiler:Even thought Marshall is immagining him, he always appears when Marshall needs guidance or a revelation on how to be a good husband or father.]]

!!Judy Eriksen (Suzie Plakson)
[[quoteright:267:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himym-judy_4536.png]]
Marshall's mother.

* AlphabeticalThemeNaming. Like most of the female members of the Eriksen family, her name ends with a '''Y''' (Lily, Ashley, Daisy).
* CoolOldLady: Very energetic and snarky.
* FieryRedhead: She is very, ''very'' assertive.
* FriendsWithBenefits: Extended ''family''-with-benefits with Mickey Aldrin. Yeah.
* GrandmaWhatMassiveHotnessYouHave: She still looks good for her age and is a StatuesqueStunner to boot. She's also still hot enough to get [[DirtyOldMan Mickey Aldrin]]'s attention.
* HappilyMarried: With Marvin Sr. [[spoiler: Until he dies in season 6 anyway.]]
* {{Housewife}}: ...And expects Lily to be the same.
* IronLady: Everyone in the Eriksen family answers to her.
* ObnoxiousInLaws: With Lily. They were in friendly terms in Season 1 during the Thanksgiving episode. But in the later seasons, they become antagonistic. It probably has something to do with Lily leaving Marshall a couple of months before their wedding (as there was never any contention between them mentioned or shown prior to this). Though Marshall and Lily eventually made up, it would appear Judy never forgot. She also didn't like that Lily refused to be a "Mrs. Eriksen" by keeping her own last name.
** To dissuade Lily from moving to Italy with Marshall and Marvin, she constantly uploaded pictures of Marvin with "Anti-Italy propaganda" to guilt-trip her.
* [[spoiler:ParentWithNewParamour: Lily's father, to be more precise]]
* ShipperOnDeck: She and Marcus were invested in Ted and Zoey's relationship over the phone.
* StatuesqueStunner: At ''6'' feet tall, she is perhaps the tallest female character in the show.
* SupremeChef: Of thoroughly Midwestern-style cuisine (IE incredibly unhealthy).
* SweaterGirl: Is constantly wearing sweater in most of her appearances.
* [[spoiler: WidowWoman: Again, after Marvin Sr.'s death.]]

!!Marvin Jr. and Marcus Eriksen
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/marcusmarvinjr_2381.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Marvin Jr. (left) and Marcus (right)]]
--> Marvin Jr. played by: Robert Michael Ryan
--> Marcus played by: Ned Rolsma
Marshall's older brothers.

* AlphabeticalThemeNaming: Like all male Ericksens, both their names stars with '''Mar'''.
* AloofBigBrother: Both of them. They like pranking Marshall and tease him for being shorter.
* BigBrotherBully: They pulled ''a lot'' of pranks on Marshall since they were kids. The most infamous is when they gave Marshall "The Fierro", by making Marshall order 12 cups of coffee at the drive-thru while sitting naked in the front seat (his brothers jumped out and surprised him, causing him to jerk the car and make the hot coffee spill all over him)
%% * TheBigGuy
* CoolUncle: Marcus loves Marvin. Most likely Marvin, Jr. does too.
* GroinAttack: Marcus gives them to Marshall as pranks, even as adults. And Marshall ''still falls for it''.
* HappilyMarried: Both of them. Their wives, unlike Lily, have the Eriksen family name. [[spoiler: Subverted in season 7 when Marcus reveals he divorced his wife and moved to be a mixologist at the beach]].
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Despite being [[BigBrotherBully big brother bullies]] to Marshall, their hearts are in the right place and they really care for their brother.
* ManChild: Marcus moves temporary with his mother, also regressing like Marshall.
* OddNameOut: Not them but Marcus' ex-wife Sarah is the only female member of the Eriksen family whose name doesn't end with a '''Y''' which is likely a {{Foreshadowing}}.
* OneHeadTaller: Both of them are much taller than Marshall.
* OneSteveLimit: Marvin, Jr. with his father and nephew. Marcus also named his son after him.
* RatedMForManly: Both of them, with Marshall and their father, play Baskiceball "The Most Dangerous and Awesome Sport in the World", a combination of hockey and basketball. Even Marshall wouldn't let his future son play that. And don't even start with ''"Cocoa Break!"''.
* ScrewySquirrel: The prank Marshall ForTheLulz.
* ShipperOnDeck: Marcus and Judy both were invested in Ted and Zoey's relationship over the phone.
* ThoseTwoGuys: They usually appear together in Eriksen reunions. Marcus has appeared in separate episodes, thought.

!!Marvin W. Eriksen (N/A)
Marshall and Lily's son, who is born in the Season 7 finale.

* AlphabeticalThemeNaming: His first name, along with his father, grandfather and uncles, starts with '''Mar'''.
* [[AwesomeMcCoolname Awesome McCoolmiddlename]]: [[spoiler:Wait-for-it]]. Or at least that was the intention. Courtesy of Barney.
* BabiesMakeEverythingBetter: Not that Marshall and Lily had any big problems in their marriage, but when Marvin was born, Marshall [[spoiler:finally gets over his own dad's death]].
* [[spoiler:BirthDeathJuxtaposition]]: Played with. [[spoiler:When Marshall and Lily where trying to get pregnant of him, there was a time when they feared they physically couldn't have children. The day they discover there's no problem in that regard, Marvin Sr. dies.]]
* [[spoiler:DeadGuyJunior]]: [[spoiler:He's named after his late (paternal) grandfather.]]
* InnocentBlueEyes: Fitting for a baby.
* InnocentSwearing: Little Marvin's first words were [[spoiler:"Skunkjunk"]]. Both Marshall and The Mother promptly got OhCrap in their faces.
--> '''Marshall''': For the record, his first word was [[BlatantLies ''"Mommy"'']].
* OneSteveLimit: With his paternal grandfather and uncle.
* TagalongKid: During Marshall's trip from Minnesota to Farhampton in Season 9. He can be seen as this to the gang in general.
* ThreeMonthOldNewborn: We see him right after his birth, so this was to be expected.
* TinkleInTheEye: In an episode, he doesn't poop for several days. He gets better during a DiaperCheck... which ends up with [[ItMakesSenseInContext an explosion of confetti into Marshall's face]].
** A literal case of GettingCrapPastTheRadar:
-->'''Lily:''' Holy Confetti!!!
* XMeetsY: Is as tall as Marshall and also has Lily's CatchPhrase.

!! Daisy Eriksen (n/a)
Marshall and Lily's daughter born (possibly in Italy) in the year following Barney and Robin's wedding.
* AlphabeticalThemeNaming. Like most of the female members of the Eriksen family, her name ends with a '''Y''' (Lily, Judy, Ashley).
* BabiesMakeEverythingBetter: [[spoiler:It's because of her that Marshall decides to let Lily fulfill her dream job first.]]
* FloralThemeNaming: She and her mother Lily.
* MeaningfulName / TitleDrop: Named after the flower in the Captain's powder room, where Ted found a pregnancy test; also, the episode's title.

!!Mickey Aldrin (Chris Elliot)
[[quoteright:226:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mickey_aldrin_4425.png]]
Lily's estranged father.

* BaldOfAwesome: He's incredibly fun to watch, even if the other characters don't think so.
* BaldOfEvil: Not evil... most of the time. But when you consider he taunted Marshall while he got lost in a house during a blackout...
* BumblingDad: Is a game addict, is invested in board games dangerous for children and has neglected Lily for most of her life. He still loves his daughter, it's revealed to have taken care of Lily during her first years and later fills as a great nanny for baby Marvin.
* ChewingTheScenery: So hammy, it's kind of a shame he and Barney never got a scene together.
* CoolOldGuy: He creates board games and engages in some ChewingTheScenery.
* DirtyOldMan: In season 7, he is seen peeking at a neighbor. In the following season, he noticed that Judy is [[GrandmaWhatMassiveHotnessYouHave a very foxy grandma]] and ''occasionally'' had casual sex with her.
* EvilLaugh: Does a few while enjoying Marshall getting lost in the house during a black-out.
* FriendsWithBenefits: Well, extended ''family''-with-benefits with Judy Eriksen. The other characters are appropriately disturbed.
* ForTheEvulz / ForTheLulz: If he messes with someone, it's probably just for fun.
* HandsOffParenting: Which happened because of Mickey's obsession with games.
* HiddenDepths: Behind his Irresponsible Dad persona, Mickey is actually excellent at raising babies, as he took care of Lily in her first years before pre-school, and later would be a great babysitter for Marvin.
* HouseHusband: Before he started gambling, he took care of Lily, as her mother worked.
* {{Jerkass}} --> JerkWithAHeartOfGold
* LargeHam: You ''will'' know when he's onscreen.
* NightmareFuelStationAttendant: His board games, intended for ''children'', include "[[{{Squick}} Diseases!]]" and "[[MonsterClown There's a Clown Demon Under the Bed]]."
* ParentalNeglect: He was emotionally apathetic to Lily most of her life.
* ParentsAsPeople: He isn't a bad person at heart but Lily never had a reason to trust him.
* ParentWithNewParamour: Lily doesn't really seem to have an issue with him dating, but [[spoiler: him dating her mother in law? Ew]].
* PetTheDog: He really does love Lily, he just has so many other problems it hurts their relationship. On occasion the doting father does shine through, most notably when Lily told him she was pregnant and he immediately drove all night to be with her on New Years.
* TookALevelInKindness: When it's revealed he's actually an excellent caregiver and raised Lily pretty much on his own for the first five years of her life.
* TwoFirstNames: Aldrin is commonly used as a first name.
* TheUnfettered: The guy rivals Barney in this department.
* WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids: Invoked for his boardgames, which many involve violent and dangerous stuff for small children, even for adults.
* XMeetsY: His characterization is basically Barney and Marshall put together. Lampshaded in ''Noretta'' when Lily becomes disturbed by the realization that she married someone just like her father.

!!Janice Aldrin (Meagen Fay)
[[quoteright:215:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/janice_aldrin_5467.png]]
Lily's mother. The only time we see her is in Lily's Bridal Shower.

* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: She's only appeared in a handful of episodes related to Lily and Marshall's wedding.
* MommyIssues: Her relationship with Lily is not as strained than with Mickey, but they still have issues. As time passed, Lily reconciled with Mickey, but it's never mentioned her situation with Janice.
* ObnoxiousInLaws: She is said to dislike Marshall because her cat died by jumping out the window while Marshall was playing with it.
* StrawFeminist: She was working full-time when Lily was a baby, leaving Mickey to raise her until pre-school. Lily once claimed that her "feminist mom didn't want her conforming to traditional gender roles" and wouldn't allow her to have an Easy-Bake Oven as a child.
* TwoFirstNames: And since she's divorced from Mickey, this is no longer the case.
* YourCheatingHeart: At some point, she cheated on Mickey with a Squash player, which lead into their divorce.

!!Robin Scherbatsky, Sr. (EricBraden & RayWise)
[[quoteright:187:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/robin_sr__6923.jpg]]
Robin and Katie's father.

* AbusiveDad: His way of raising Robin includes leaving her in the woods alone with only a knife on her birthday.
* TheAtoner: He tries to get along with Robin but Robin still feels that it's not enough. However, Future!Ted narrates that she and her dad do get along later on and were doing the father-daughter dance on her wedding.
* CanadaEh: And a very proud Canadian.
* DrillSergeantNasty: For her 14th birthday, Robin' dad made her go throught the forest only armed with a knife. Also when organizing a team of kids in Laser Tag, he was pretty much this to the children, while Barney gave candy to his teammates.
* EngagementChallenge: He says that when he wanted to marry Robin's mother he killed a bear with his bare hands to give to her family as tribute. He also tries to force [[spoiler:Barney]] to kill a rabbit if he wants to marry Robin.
%% * FunnyForeigner
* {{Jerkass}}: He refused to acknowledge any of Robin's accomplishments, and raised her as a boy, giving her deep emotional scars.
* TheMafia: He may not be in the mob, but sure does across this way especially to [[spoiler:Barney.]]
* TheOneGuy: He is the only shown male relative of Robin.
* OverprotectiveDad: Zig-zagged, he trusts Robin to take care of herself but is also very critical of anyone she dates.
* ParentWithNewParamour: He got married to a woman named Carol. Robin was really upset that he didn't even bother to tell her about it.
* RetiredBadass: "Okay, I did some wet-work for the CIA in the 80's." "Yes, dad, I remember the bedtime stories."
* SelfMadeOrphan: Implied, since he says the last words his father ever said to him were "Shoot me already."
* TestosteronePoisoning: He values being manly above all else.
* TookALevelInKindness: He did a serious number on Robin growing up with his emotional distance, but mellows out a great deal by the time of [[spoiler:her wedding.]]
* WhyAreYouNotMySon: To Barney. [[spoiler:At least he will be his son-in-law.]]
** He appears to have abandoned this view, later on.
* WhyCouldntYouBeDifferent: He wanted Robin to be a boy. He even [[RaisedAsTheOppositeGender raised her as one]] for years.

!!Katie Scherbatsky (LucyHale)
[[quoteright:191:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himym-katie_293.png]]
Robin's younger sister.

* AdorablyPrecociousChild: At least that's how Robin saw her. She was a sixteen years old with a boyfriend and Robin still thought she was supposed to watch Disney/TheLittleMermaid and drink Yoohoo. Robin gets shocked when Katie reveals she [[MrViceGuy smokes, drinks liquor and already got to second base with Kyle]].
* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: It's implied that Robin wasn't always fond of her.
* TheBusCameBack: She returns in season 9 after last appearing 7 seasons ago.
* CanadaEh: Her second appearance has her going full Canadian, playing hockey with Robin in a hotel room.
* DeadpanSnarker: Just like Robin.
-->'''Robin''': (reading Lily's scrapbook) Barney and Robin, Lovers forever and ever and ever. A Love Story.
-->'''Katie''': Sounds cheesy. I'm going to barf forever and ever.See ya, losers.
* DontTellMama: After telling Robin about her break up with Kyle, Robin asks her if she wants to watch The Little Mermaid and drink Yoohoo.
--> '''Katie''': Can we put Kahlua on it?
--> '''Robin''': ({{Beat}}) Don't tell mom.
* TheCutie: How Robin still sees her. Her mental image of her is that she's just a cute little girl with a HelloKitty backpack, and not the HormoneAddledTeenager.
%% * FunnyForeigner
* HormoneAddledTeenager: A mild example. Pretty tame in most respects, but her actions with her boyfriend indicate this.
* ItRunsInTheFamily: In "Vesuvius" it's shown Katie also likes hockey, liquor and dislikes corny stuff (like Lily's scrapbook of romantic moments), just like Robin. She also explains Robin is not nervous about her wedding because "She is a Scherbatsky".
* RavenHairIvorySkin: She is much paler and has much darker hair than her sister. And she's kinda cute.
* TeensAreShort: Lucy Hale stands 5'2.
* TomboyWithAGirlyStreak: Inverted. Katie is more feminine than Robin at her age, but it's implied she also received the same treatment from her father in "Rally". In "Vesuvius" she is also shown playing hockey in full gear with Robin and drinking scotch while watching "The Wedding Bride 2".

!!Genevieve Scherbatsky (Tracey Ullman)
Robin and Katie's mother.
* BoundAndGagged: [[spoiler:She got through her flight by being strapped to the seat, after having an initial violent FreakOut.]]
%% * FunnyForeigner
* TheGhost: Out from the main five’s parents, Robin’s mother is the only parent who was often mentioned and never seen throughout the whole series [[spoiler:until she made her first appearance in Season 9's "Vesuvius" which is four episodes away before the GrandFinale]].
* GoneHorriblyRight: [[spoiler: She's afraid that Robin and Barney's marriage might end up in divorce. Three years later...]]
* InformedAbility: According to Robin, she's a SupremeChef. We never got the chance to see it.
* LargeHam: She's not [[{{Understatement}} fond of planes.]]
--> '''Genevieve''': "WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE! WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!"
* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: Tracey Ullman uses her [[BritishAccents natural accent]].
* WhyDiditHaveToBeSnakes: Or rather, why did it have to be planes? She's terrified of them, and in fact didn't come to Robin's wedding because she was too afraid to fly. [[spoiler: She manages to overcome this fear and does make it]].
* WomanScorned: When she was still TheGhost, Robin is seen talking with her on the phone. Robin leaves the phone while she goes doing something else, because she is talking non-stop about how much of a jerk is Robin' dad. Every five minutes or so Robin has to add "It's dad's fault" so her mom will still go on.
** The day of the wedding, Robin's mom [[spoiler:was indirectly compairing her own past marriage to Robin's dad, ''[[NotSoDifferent "hoping Barney is nothing like him"]]'']].

!!Loretta Stinson (Frances Conroy)
[[quoteright:193:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himym-loretta_1454.png]]
Barney and James' mother.
* BadLiar: It's obvious that she's hiding information about her sons' fathers when they're little. But when they're all grown-up, James knows that his biological father is out there which prompts him to look for him while Barney still believes that Bob Barker is his dad until he gradually accepts that he's not.
* CoolOldLady: She was a big groupie in the [=60s=].
* DecemberDecemberRomance: Barney tries to make this with Jerry and Loretta, even thought Jerry is HappilyMarried. James also tries this with Loretta and Sam Gibbs. [[spoiler: Sam won.]]
* EveryoneLovesBlondes: Her natural hair color, and also she's said to have been the darling of the groupies.
** FieryRedhead: For Barney's wedding, the trait is in full force during her feud with Robin. She is a natural blonde.
* TheFaceless: In some flashbacks, especially before they introduced her into the present-day narrative.
* FreudianSlip: Seems to be a family trait. Robin notices all the Stinson's say the word "bluff" in poker.
* GrandmaWhatMassiveHotnessYouHave: After all these years, she still has it.
* LiesToChildren: Said many to Barney and James during their childhoods:
** Told Barney he was too good for the basketball team, after the coach denied him the spot for being bad.
** Said the mail lost all the invitations for his birthday party to justify why nobody showed up.
** The most infamous were about their fathers: Barney's dad was "Bob Barker" and James' went from James Earl Jones, Bill Cosby, and so on.
* MyBelovedSmother: Don't make anything to her sons.
* ObnoxiousInLaws: She was starting as this to Robin. [[spoiler: She later mellows to her after she discovers Robin can't have children and her mother is not coming to the wedding.]]
* ReallyGetsAround: She sure had a great time in her youth.
* SupremeChef: Her scrambled eggs become the sensation of the hotel. Barney even tells many songs from the [=60s=] were in reality about her scrambled eggs.

!!James Stinson (Wayne Brady)
[[quoteright:305:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wayne_6143.jpg]]
->'''Lily''': Remember that time you two scored a brother-sister combo?
->'''Barney''': She was a little bit country.
->'''James''': He was a little bit way into black guys.

Barney's gay, maternal half-brother. Prior to the series, he was just as promiscuous and suit-obsessed as Barney, but he eventually found love and put that behind him. Ish.

* BaldOfAwesome: In Season 9. He's clearly just shaved his head, but it still applies.
* BlackDudeDiesFirst: Played for laughs in one episode when talking to older relatives is compared to a zombie apocalypse.
* TheCastShowoff: He is Wayne Brady after all.
* FreudianSlip: Seems to be a family trait. Robin notices all the Stintson's say the word "bluff" in poker.
* GymBunny: It's revealed in the ninth season that he would hit the gym twice a day. It's part of the reason [[spoiler: Tom chose to leave him]].
* HappilyMarried: To Tom. In fact, the fact that he was able to overcome the "Stinson Curse" gives Barney hope that he can eventually settle down. [[spoiler: In the premiere of the ninth season, he reveals that he and Tom are getting divorced. A later episode does show that they back together, however]].
* HardGay: As a young man. One could hardly guess.
* LadykillerInLove: Happened to him in the backstory for his introduction episode.
* MagicalNegro: Essentially plays this role in "The Rebound Girl".
* NeverMyFault: James blames [[spoiler:his separation from Tom on Gary Blauman, instead of thinking in what he did wrong to begin with (cheating on him and hitting the gym having two children).]]
* NiceGuy: Despite being described as exactly like Barney, he's much more mellow and mature.
* RecurringCharacter: Usually OnceASeason, sometimes more.
* SiblingTeam: He was usually Barney's wingman and together they could even score a brother-sister combo.
* SiblingYinYang: James is nice, easygoing, and HappilyMarried. Barney... isn't.
* SixthRanger: Whenever he's around.
* StraightGay: Exhibits no stereotypical behaviors aside from a love of fine fashion that he shares with his straight brother.
* SuddenlySexuality: He was straight in college according to Barney. [[UnreliableNarrator Then again....]]
* TransparentCloset: While in college, he always had a hint of regret whenever [[HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday talking about how much he loved his girlfriend]].
* TwoferTokenMinority: He is half-black and gay.
* WhatTheHellHero[=/=]TookALevelInJerkass: In "The Poker Game" it's revealed that [[spoiler:one of the reasons he gets a divorce from his husband is because he hit the gym twice A DAY, despite being married and with two kids... "just in case he's ever single again"]]. Even Barney calls him out automatically.
** [[spoiler:Gary Blauman gives this to him, telling James not to blame him for his own mistakes.]]
* YourCheatingHeart: The reason of [[spoiler:his divorce. He cheated on him with Gary Blauman.]]

!!Sam Gibbs (Ben Vereen)
James Stinson's real father, whom the gang meet in Season 6. Later it's revealed Sam is also a Minister at a Baptist Church. [[spoiler:In Season 9, Sam appears to marry Barney and Robin by James' request. It's also revealed he and Loretta got back together again after getting in contact sometime after James and Barney meet him.]]

* CoolOldGuy: He connects with James at their first meeting and both are seen playing piano and singing together.
* DisappearedDad: He was absent of James' life because Loretta requested to raise him alone, and Sam respected that.
* DecemberDecemberRomance: [[spoiler:He and Loretta get back together after many years.]]
* LongLostRelative: He is James' biological father.
* PreacherMan: He is revealed to be a Minister at a Baptist Church.
* WhereDaWhiteWomenAt: Averted. Initially Barney tried to convince himself Sam was ''also'' his dad (Loretta then reminds him [[CaptainObvious "Sam is black"]]). [[spoiler:Then at the wedding, Barney is only one disturbed by Sam and Loretta's relationship only because Sam is going to ''marry him and Robin''. He eventually apologizes and approves Sam and Loretta's relationship]].

!!Jerome Whittaker, Sr. (Creator/JohnLithgow)
Barney's long-lost father.
* AmicableExes: Jerry and Loretta are still very polite to each other after many years, although they hadn't had much contact through the years.
* TheAtoner: He eventually tried making-up to Barney.
* CantBelieveISaidThat: When Barney reminds him Jerry told him to "Never stop partying" before abandoning him. An horrified Jerry reacts saying "I said that to a seven years old?!"
* ChekhovsLecture: Also counts as ChekhovsSkill.
-->'''Jerome:''' A magician's best friend is a drunk audience.
* DisappearedDad: Lampshaded many times by his own admission.
--> ''Barney, you're getting married! You grow up so fast. Well, I actually missed thirty years of your life...''
* HappilyMarried: With Cheryl, his actual wife.
* LadykillerInLove: Happened to him in the backstory.
* LongLostRelative: To Barney, whom he didn't see for 3 decades.
* NiceGuy: When he resurfaces in Barney's life, he's a polite family man who feels awful about not being a part of Barney's life.
* OffTheWagon: Subverted. When Barney tried to revert him to his old ways, Jerry [[ChekhovsLecture tricked Barney that he did relapsed by getting him drunk]].
* WellDoneDadGuy: To get Barney's approval again, has to pretend being back in the game.

!!Jerome "J.J." Whittaker, Jr. (WillShadley)
Barney's paternal half-brother.

* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: He isn't really, but Barney treats him as though he was.
* LongLostRelative: Only meets his half brother when he was reunited with their father.

!!Carly Whittaker (Ashley Benson)
Barney's paternal half-sister.

* {{Adorkable}}: Has an [[StarWars R2-D2]] ringtone complete with an R2 case for her phone.
* TheDitz: She comes across this way, believing Ted was a veteran of [[UsefulNotes/{{Vietnam}} the Vietnam war]], which he was too attention-starved to correct her on.
* EveryoneLovesBlondes: Ted certainly did. Well, until he found out whose sister she is.
* TheGhost: Mentioned offhand in season six and then two years later in season eight (leading to EpilepticTrees that she is The Mother), only as a twist to reveal she was the 20 year old girl Ted had been spending time with one episode.
* {{Hipster}}: Her being a hipster millenial is why Ted cannot find a single common interest.
* LikesOlderWomen: {{Gender Flip}}ped, she even tries making 30-something Ted into someone much older.
* LongLostRelative: Only meets her half brother when he was reunited with their father.
* RedHerring: A lot of viewers assumed that she might be the Mother....until Season 8's episode 14, "Ring Up".
* ShotgunWedding: Almost pushed into this with Ted by Barney after the latter found out that she hooked up with the former.


[[/folder]]


[[folder: The Gang's Doppelgangers]]

!!Lesbian Robin (Creator/CobieSmulders)
Robin's doppelganger. Although she is the first of the gang's doppelgangers introduced to the audience, she is only the second doppelganger the gang met chronologically.

* ActingForTwo: Also played by Cobie Smulders.
* {{Bifauxnen}}: Justified since she's a ButchLesbian.
* ButchLesbian: She appeared very masculine in every way, hence the nickname.
* IdenticalStranger: She ''is'' Robin's doppelganger.
* NoNameGiven[=/=]OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: The gang never found out her name as she was just a stranger on the street.
* StatuesqueStunner: Like Robin, she's 5'8.

!!Mustache Marshall (Creator/JasonSegel)
Marshall's doppelganger. Although he is the second of the gang's doppelgangers introduced to the audience, he is actually the first doppelganger the gang met chronologically.

* ActingForTwo: Also played by Jason Segel.
%% * BadassLongcoat
* BadassMustache: He's known for his PornStache, hence the nickname.
%% * CulturedBadass
* DashingHispanic: Very little is known of him, but he was pretty successfully chatting up a chick in the bar in Spanish.
%% * FunnyForeigner
* IdenticalStranger: He ''is'' Marshall's doppelganger.
* NoNameGiven[=/=]OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: The gang only refers to him as Mustache Marshall as they never learned his name.
* SharpDressedMan: Is wearing a classic suit when they met him.

!!Stripper Lily (Creator/AlysonHannigan)
Lily's doppelganger and is the third of the gang's doppelgangers to be introduced. A stripper at the Lusty Leopard, she goes by Jasmine.

* ActingForTwo: Also played by Alyson Hannigan.
* [[ConMan Con Woman]]: Though her boyfriend did most of the heavy lifting. Along with Ted's stupidity.
* CommutingOnABus: She is the doppelganger who frequently appears (that's still only three appearances, but every other doppelganger was a OneShotCharacter).
* DoppelgangerReplacementLoveInterest: In "Gary Blauman", Future!Ted tells [[spoiler:she will be this for Scooter, as he finally moves on from Lily by marrying her.]]
* EvilRedhead: Has no problem robbing the gang from their money and lure them to a russian gang hideout.
%% * FemmeFatale
* FieryRedhead: She is bossy and ruthless, and also frequents Russian gangs.
* FloralThemeNaming: If Jasmine is indeed her real name, then she and Lily falls to this.
* FunnyForeigner: She tries to appeal to the gang by saying a party is a [[{{Eagleland}} mishmash of American-seeming concepts]], not to mention her accent is played for laughs.
* HugeGuyTinyGirl: Has a Russian boyfriend who is as tall as Marshall. Barney even points out that they've got a girl who looks like Lily dating a giant, just like their group. [[spoiler: It is later revealed that they didn't end up together as she eventually married Scooter.]]
* IdenticalStranger: She ''is'' Lily's doppelganger.
%% * MoneyFetish
* MsFanservice: Well, she is a stripper...
* SecondLove: [[spoiler: Scooter ends up with her after he finally gets over Lily.]]
* SmokingIsCool: Is constantly smoking in her appearances.
* TheUnreveal: Whether Jasmine is her real name or not can only be confirmed by WordOfGod.
* WhatTheHellIsThatAccent: She has some sort of weird Franco-Russian accent.

!!Mexican Wrestler Ted (Creator/JoshRadnor)
Ted's doppelganger and is the fourth of the gang's doppelgangers to be introduced.

* ActingForTwo: Also played by Josh Radnor.
* {{Badass}}: The guy smashes a robot with his bare hands.
* DashingHispanic: He is a good-looking Mexican.
* FunnyForeigner: He is a Mexican wrestler who personify the TestosteronePoisoning trope.
* IdenticalStranger: He ''is'' Ted's doppelganger.
* MaskedLuchador: He starts his fight in a mask, but it gets ripped off. This leads to TheReveal of the IdenticalStranger beneath.
* NoNameGiven[=/=]OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Ted never mentions his name, just calling him "Mexican Wrestler Me."
* ProfessionalWrestling: Hence the nickname.
* ScreamingWarrior: He was constantly screaming during his match.
* TallDarkAndHandsome: Like Ted, he's 6 feet tall.
* TestosteronePoisoning: He is a walking parody of RatedMForManly.
* WalkingShirtlessScene: Justified since wrestlers are commonly topless.

!!Dr. John Stangel (Creator/NeilPatrickHarris)
Barney's doppelganger and is the last of the gang's doppelganger to appear in the series. He also happens to be Marshall and Lily's fertility doctor.

* ActingForTwo: Also played by Neil Patrick Harris.
%% * BadassBeard
* BrainyBrunette: To contrast Barney's DumbBlonde persona.
* HospitalHottie: He is a TallDarkAndHandsome fertility doctor.
* IdenticalStranger: He is Barney's ''[[MasterOfDisguise real]]'' doppelganger.
* SubvertedTrope: The only doppelganger who has a given name and in-depth plot characterization.
* TallDarkAndHandsome: Neil Patrick Harris stands 5'11.

[[/folder]]


[[folder: Other Characters]]

!!Ranjit Singh (Marshall Manesh)
[[quoteright:329:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himymranjit_6687.jpg]]
->''"HELLOOOOO!"''

The gang's favorite cab/limo/anything driver. Meets the main five for the first time in the pilot episode, and after driving them around a few times eventually becomes friends with them to the point of knowing many personal details about their lives.

* BewareTheNiceOnes: "''Ted, I don't want you to see me pissed!''"
* BilingualBonus: In the [[CavemenVsAstronautsDebate "Ducks vs. Rabbits"]] argument he has a short monologue in Farsi.
* {{Catchphrase}}: "''Hellooooooo!''" and "''To the'' [vehicle]''!''"
* CoolCar: He starts as a cab driver in the Pilot episode, and the next time we see him he upgrades to limousine driver.
* CoolOldGuy: This presumably over 50 years old man is constantly seen hanging out with the FunPersonified main characters.
* FunnyForeigner: He is a very doting yet hilarious Bangladeshi man.
* HappilyMarried: In the Pilot, Barney asks if the lebanese women are hot, and Ranjit shows a photo of his wife (Barney disagreed, but still). He was invited to Marshall and Lily's house with his wife for couple night.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: With the gang.
* OlderSidekick: His job is mainly to assist/drive the entire or particular member(s) of the gang.
* RecurringCharacter: He pops up from time to time, usually at least OnceASeason starting with a surprisingly in-depth role in the pilot.
* SelfMadeMan: Future!Ted tells in "Gary Blauman" that Ranjit finally became owner of a limousine company after working hard and earning money from stock exchange.
* SixthRanger[=/=][[TagalongKid Tagalong Guy]]: To the gang, whenever he shows up.
* [[StrongerThanTheyLook Stronger Than He Looks]]: He is once seen picking up a 100-pound keg of beer ''with one hand'' and lifting it over his shoulder.
* TokenMinority: The only South Asian (from UsefulNotes/{{Bangladesh}}) character in the show.

!!Carl [=MacLaren=] (Joe Nieves)
[[quoteright:304:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himym-carl_7498.jpg]]
->''"I can trust you guys!"''

The owner of the bar the core five frequently go to. He has known the gang at least since 2001 and seems to be relatively close to them.

* BaldOfAwesome: The man in charge of the gang's favorite bar.
* TheBartender: Besides the fact that he owns [=MacLaren's=], he also knows the gang for years and what drinks they usually get.
* DeadpanSnarker: He mostly joins the gang in snarking at them or trolling Barney with a serious face.
* FamilyBusiness: In the future, Carl would be still working in [=MacLaren=]'s with his son.
* HotBlooded: He banned a guy from the bar because he wouldn't attend Mark's funeral (a guy nobody knew who he was) to watch the Superbowl.
* EmotionalBruiser: Pulled Lily into a hug, realizing she was pregnant in two seconds (she ordered a round plus and [[GenreSavvy a non-alcoholic]]).
* LargeAndInCharge: Everyone knows you don't piss off Carl if you want to keep going to [=MacLaren's=]
* LimitedWardrobe: He always wears black in which Marshall thinks he's a vampire. Though, he wears a coat in "Three Days A Snow".
* OnlyOneName: Played with In-Universe: Carl dared Marshal that he would name a drink after him if Marshal said his last name.
--> ''You don't know my last name! You've been drinking here for years and you don't know my last name! I will name any drink in this bar after you, if you can tell me my last name.''
* OnlySaneMan: in ''The Pineapple Incident'', when Ted gets hilariously drunk, has the common sense of writing his number in Ted's arm just in case.
* {{Troll}}: He happily participates when the gang are pranking each other.
** Barney once paid him to keep Marshall's nude painting in the bar. Marshall couldn't bribe him back, as Carl replied with a wide smile that Barney paid him a lot more.
** He happily participated in trolling Barney by calling him "Swarley" multiple times.
** Barney once paid him to turn on the heat so the wedding planner would take her coat off. Robin comments it's not the first time they have done it.
** Named "sneaking into the women's bathroom" a "Marshall Eriksen".
** Marshall's plan of intimidation for Barney's slap involved Carl accepting a bag of gold for a "broken jukebox".

!!Wendy (Charlene Amoia)
[[quoteright:271:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himym-wendy_816.png]]
->''"I-It's a tie..."''

The most prominent waitress at [=MacLaren=]'s Bar. Like Carl, she seems to be relatively close to the main five and even had a short fling with Barney.

* AloofDarkHairedGirl: Although more of composed than straight-out aloof.
* AmicableExes: Is hurt but mature and civil when Barney discards her like all his other flings, while Barney is convinced she is CuteAndPsycho ready to snap.
* AscendedExtra: She was around as a background character for the most part, appearing in more episodes than she talks (much like Carl). On a few occasions she is given a small plotline, especially her send-off episode.
* TheChewToy: She seems to get hurt a lot at [=MacLaren=]'s, often because of the gang.
* ClingyJealousGirl: Subverted - Barney sees her as this during their short fling, because he's ''Barney''. She simply thinks they're actually boyfriend and girlfriend, and acts accordingly.
* CrashIntoHello: How she met her eventual husband.
* DeadpanSnarker: On occasion. Hey, if you had to deal with the likes of ''Barney'' all day, you would be, too.
* EnemyMine: Reason why she and her husband innitially connect (their mutual hatred of Marshall).
* [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep Everyone Calls Her Barkeep]]: Everyone knows her by her first name, but she's always called "Wendy the Waitress". Taken up a notch during her fling with Barney when Lily muses that she'd be a good "Wendy the Waitress hyphen Stenson".
* HappilyMarried: In Ted's 2021 flashback, she's married to an ex-coworker of Marshall's, and they run into Ted while on their second honeymoon in Hong Kong.
* NiceGirl: Even after Barney broke up with her and eventually realized it was another of his one night stands, she still tried to give him a new tie and remain cordial.
* OnlyOneName: They only call her "Wendy The Waitress".
* PutOnABus: A FlashForward to 2021 showed that she last saw Ted and the gang in 2011 (season six) as she had gotten married and moved away since then (not knowing what happened between Ted and Zoey). As such while they haven't commented on her absence, season seven and beyond has shown a different waitress at [=MacLaren's=].
* WideEyedIdealist: She geniunely thought Barney and her were in a serious relationship, even thought she knew about his womanizer tendencies for all their years as regular costumers.

!!Hammond Druthers (Creator/BryanCranston)
[[quoteright:315:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hammond_druthers1_9473.png]]

Ted's former boss at the architectural firm he used to work at.

* ArtisticLicenseEngineering[=/=]EpicFail: In Chicago, Druthers designed a crystal tower. The problem? It reflected so much light that melted near buildings and boiled the aquarium, killing thousand of fish.
* BadBoss: His subordinates hate him like hell.
* CelebrityParadox: In a Season 8 episode, Mickey Aldrin mentions his plans to watch ''Series/BreakingBad''. Bryan Cranston plays the main character of said show. Additionally, Bob Odenkirk, who played Marshall's boss Arthur Hobbs, is also part of said show's main cast.
* DisproportionateRetribution: At one time when Lily stole his baseball signed by Pete Rose, he claimed that he'll fire three persons per hour if said ball wasn't returned to him.
* HumiliationConga: His wife sent him the divorce papers, had a second birthday party at the office and was having a heart attack. [[ShootTheDog And Ted put the sprinkles by firing him]].
* {{Jerkass}}: He isn't a pleasing person and is a BadBoss to boot. Even when Ted became his superior, Druthers still berated him and mocked his design ideas.
* PutOnABus: After Ted fired him.
** TheBusCameBack: In season 9, where he offered Ted to work for his architectural firm in Chicago. Ted ultimately rejected it.
* ThisIsWhatTheBuildingWillLookLike: We never see the model, but everyone (except for Druthers himself) could see the building was a giant penis (didn't help that it was pink and the garden was composed of brown trees).

!! Arthur Hobbs (Creator/BobOdenkirk)
[[quoteright:205:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arthur_hobbs_4920.png]]

Barney's current boss and formerly Marshall's as well.

* AwfulWeddedLife: Arthur often speaks this about his family: His wife is a GoldDigger, his kids are horrible and the only HopeSpot for him is his beloved dog Tugboat.
* BadBoss: Screams at everyone at work, to the point of making Marshall cry.
* CelebrityParadox: In a Season 8 episode, Mickey Aldrin mentions his plans to watch ''Series/BreakingBad''. Bob Odenkirk is a main character in said show. Additionally, Bryan Cranston, who played Ted's former boss Hammond Druthers, is Breaking Bad's lead star.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: The only living creature he seems to love is his dog Tugboat.
* {{Jerkass}}: See BadBoss.
** HiddenHeartOfGold: Loves his dog and is friends with Barney.
* JerkassHasAPoint: He is the only one who fixes all the couples discussions by simply telling them to be open and honest.

!! Garrison Cootes and Honeywell
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/honeywellcootes_8335.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Garrison Cootes (left) and Honeywell (right)]]
-->Garrison Cootes played by: Martin Short
-->Honeywell played by: Joe Lo Truglio

Marshall's bosses and senior partners of Honeywell & Cootes, one of the biggest environmental law firms in America.

* BenevolentBoss: Even thought Cootes is convinced the world is going to end, he tries his best to keep his workers happy and buy them cake.
* BerserkButton: Never make fun of Honeywell's height.
* BrokenBird: Cootes was said to be a fierce environmental attorney, until he became TheCynic at the prospect of "The End of the World", which made him accept small consolation prizes from big companies, enough to buy cake for everyone.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Cootes is very quirky, but is explicitly stated as a very well-known and credible lawyer.
* CarpetOfVirility: Honeywell is shown to have this when he starts wearing V-neck shirts.
* LastNameBasis: Mr. Honeywell's first name is never mentioned.
* LetsGetDangerous: After Marshall talks to him on why [[TheDeterminator he hasn't give up on saving the planet]], Cootes decides to declare war on Gruber Pharmaceuticals.
* ManOnFire: Cootes gets this when he tries to attend the oven while wearing Mickey's bee-keeper suit. Cootes enjoyed the adrenaline rush.
* MarriedToTheJob: Cootes orders Marshall to return to the office right in the middle of his housewarming party. Right after an [[ManOnFire accident with Mickey's bee-keeper suit]], Cootes recovers his lost excitement and gets over this phase.
* TheNapoleon: Honeywell barely reaches Marshall's shoulders, saying that the rest are "abnormally tall".
* PutOnABus: Marshall mentions Cootes went hiding in a bunker in Colorado after the Gruber Pharmaceuticals case.
* PyrrhicVictory: They win the Gruber Pharmaceulticals case, but the judge only orders them to pay 25 thousand dollars, instead of the 25 million dollar claim. As a result the firm lost a lot of business, and most of the employees were laid off, leaving only Marshall and a guy named Bernard.

!!Scooter (David Burtka)
[[quoteright:335:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/scooter_01_7891.jpg]]

Scooter is Lily's ex-boyfriend. Their parents are friends and the two of them dated throughout their teenage years, but Lily broke things off when she went to college. To this day, he's still trying--and failing--to win her back.

* ButtMonkey: Most of the gags involving Scooter revolve around his unrequited love for Lily and his pathetic attempts to win her back. Although they broke up several years ago, he's still obsessed with her.
* ContinuitySnarl: His real name is given as Bill in his first appearance, but in a season 8 episode, it's given as Jeff.
* {{Determinator}}: Never gives up on Lily, no matter how many times she tells him she doesn't want anything to do with him.
* [[spoiler:DoppelgangerReplacementLoveInterest]]: In "Gary Blauman", Future!Ted tells [[spoiler:Scooter finally moves on from Lily by marrying ''Stripper Lily''.]]
* HenpeckedHusband: [[spoiler:After marrying Stripper Lily, they both still work at the Elementary School cafeteria and she is nagging and bossing him around.]]
* HighSchoolSweethearts: Formerly with Lily. But it all changes when it is revealed that Lily Shanghaied him into being her boyfriend during her FormerTeenRebel days and their sweetheart moments are a result of StockholmSyndrome.
* HopelessSuitor: Lily ended up dumping him at the Prom because she was never that invested in the relationship.
* LoveHurts: Lily broke up with him at the Prom and all those years, despite Lily being married to Marshall, he still tries to win her back.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: No one ever calls him by his real name.
* PuppyDogEyes: Even Marshall can't resist.
--> '''Marshall''': Hang on there, Scoots. I'm not going to live forever.
* SingleTargetSexuality: For ''years'', Lily was the only woman in the world that Scooter was interested in. [[spoiler:In the end, he gets married to her doppelganger: Jasmine (a.k.a. Stripper Lily).]]
* StalkerWithACrush: He went to Lily and Marshall's wedding, though he was invited by Lily's mom, and attempted to stop the procession before Brad chases him out. Later, he's working at Lily's school as a lunch "lady".
* StockholmSyndrome: Based on flashbacks, his feelings for Lily may stem from this. She basically Shanghaied him into being her boyfriend during her FormerTeenRebel days, and kept him in line through fear. Played for laughs, of course.
* UnknownRival: To Marshall. Though Marshall gets jealous several times when he thought that Scooter took Lily's virginity before him and found out that he's wooing Lily at work. He also became worried that Scooter is at the wedding with the intent to sabotage it.

!!Brad Morris (Joe Manganiello)
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himym-s8e08-brad_1998.png]]
Brad is one of Marshall's friends from law school. He's introduced in the second season and becomes friends with the rest of the gang.

* CloudCuckooLander: Frequently uses surfer slang and is oblivious to his own [[CampStraight effeminate mannerisms.]]
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: A male judge [[spoiler: with a wife]] was completely and utterly DistractedByTheSexy.
* FaceHeelRevolvingDoor: He once manipulated Marshall to get advantage on a legal case, of which he was employed by the competition. The following episode he apologizes, is EasilyForgiven and signs up with Marshalls firm.
* {{Fratbro}}: A Genius Ditz version of this. He's first seen hosting a wild college party (though as law students, he made everyone sign a waiver before they could "FREAKING RAGE"), his later appearances that season included a bromance with Marshall, and disappearing during Marshall's bachelor party only to reappear at the end, naked and wandering the streets. He also speaks like a bro, almost to the point of a verbal tic.
* GeniusBruiser / GeniusDitz: Even more of a [[TheDitz ditz]] than Marshall. Still passed the bar on his first attempt.
* HelloAttorney: Which he uses to his advantage infront of the female jury and a ''male'' judge.
** In a flashforward to 2020, it's shown that Brad, at his 40's, is still MrFanservice, his photo side by side against a balding Marshall. Even the newscast fawns over him.
* ManipulativeBastard: As for Season Eight. You wouldn't have guessed he had it in him.
* MasterOfTheMixedMessage: Marshall starts to think Brad is gay for him because in he pays the dinner, helps Marshall with his coat, and invites Marshall to go to a wedding in Vermont with him.
* MrFanservice: Many episodes take advantage of his physique and he also plays up to it when appropriate.
* NoSell: Takes a punch to the face from Barney, Barney hurt his hand and Brad didn't even blink.
* NiceGuy: Incredibly friendly and loyal to Marshall, didn't take any offense to Barney punching him. The eighth season subverts it with him pulling off an underhanded legal trick on Marshall but he still proved to be affable in the end.
* RealMenWearPink: Like Marshall, he also likes brunch, Alanis Morrisette concerts and Broadway plays.
* RelationshipRevolvingDoor: He has broken up with Kara at least two times. The first time made him have a Bromantic friendship with Marshall, while the second one pushed him into become a corporate lawyer who would spy Marshall's strategy for a case.
* SixthRanger: To the gang whenever he shows up.
* SophisticatedAsHell: Tends to combine legal jargon with surfer slang. "Your honor, this is redonk (ridiculous)!"
* TallDarkAndHandsome: Almost as tall as Marshall, and very good looking.
* VerbalTic: Truncates words very frequently.

!!Adam Punciarello (Chris Romanski)
[[quoteright:217:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himym-punchy_8858.png]]

Ted's friend since high-school.

* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Ted and the gang doesn't want him as a SixthRanger.
* IncomingHam: ''"SCHMOSBEY!"'' *punches him in the arm*
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Punches Ted frequently and makes fun of him, but he truly cares for him, taking the first plane to New York thinking Ted is depressed.
* NoIndoorVoice: Whenever he's talking to Ted at least.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Almost always called "Punchy" rather than Adam.
* [[spoiler: ShotgunWedding: Ted and Barney reminisce that Punchy's wedding is the worst wedding ever because of this.]]
* VitriolicBestBuds: With Ted. He thinks they are cool friends, while Ted doesn't think the same way.

!!Tony Grafanello (Jason Jones)
[[quoteright:286:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himym-tony_7542.jpg]]

Stella's ex-boyfriend and Lucy's father. Is jealous of Ted and Stella's relationship, as he never got over her, but is shown to feel guilty for getting back together with her on the same day she and Ted were supposed to get married.

* ActionDad: Well, he has a daughter and is a martial artist.
* BettyAndVeronica: The Veronica to Ted's Betty for Stella's Archie in the episode "Shelter's Island".
* IdleRich: He makes it very clear... his family has a ''lot'' of money.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He feels so bad about Stella & Ted breaking up that he arranges for Ted to get his teaching job at Columbia. Eventually becomes a JerkAss, after he writes TheWeddingBride.
* JerkJock: He is a martial-artist.
* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: His first hit as a screenwriter is based on a parcialized point of view of Ted and Stella's relationship, in which Ted is a stereotypical Jerk disposable fiance and Tony is a Marty Stu.

!!Cindy (Rachel Bilson)
[[quoteright:259:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himym-cindy_7373.jpeg]]

The mother's roommate.

* AllLesbiansWantKids: Has an adopted daughter with her lover.
* AloofDarkHairedGirl: Especially after she and Ted broke up.
* BrainyBrunette: She likes reading Philosophy for fun, finishes the crosswords and is writing an Economics dissertation.
* TheBusCameBack: She showed up in the first episode of seasons 6 where it's revealed that she became a lesbian after her break-up with Ted. Later, in season 8, she met Ted again in the subway and [[spoiler:suggested to him about having the Mother's band for Barney and Robin's wedding]].
* GirlOnGirlIsHot: Barney is visibly pleased when Cindy makes out with her girlfriend, and snaps a picture on his phone.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With the mother in season 5.
* IncompatibleOrientation: Discovers she's gay when she falls for the mother, though Cindy takes it in stride.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Jealous of the Mother and initially bitter towards Ted after their breakup, but eventually (presumably after she realizes she's a lesbian) mellows out, enters a happy relationship with her friend, and sincerely apologizes to Ted for the way she acted.
* TheLancer: To the mother, being her most frequently shown companion and {{Foil}}. We also see Cindy got to be this when [[TheChick Kelly]] moved out.
* LastHetRomance: After her brief relationship with Ted ended, Cindy came out as a lesbian.
* LipstickLesbian: She realizes that she is a lesbian sometime after breaking up with Ted. Revealed in season 9 to be right after Ted left.
* OnlyOneName: Her last name is never revealed.
* UnknownRival: To the Mother, though in season 9 it's revealed she told the mother about Ted, right before she kissed her.

!!Karen (LauraPrepon)
[[quoteright:257:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himym-karen_6056.png]]

Ted's OnAgainOffAgainGirlfriend.

* BlondesAreEvil: Smug, vain, insufferable, and platinum-blonde.
* CelebrityParadox: Lily said that her female celeb crush is Creator/MilaKunis. Kunis and Laura Prepon starred together in Series/That70sShow.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Everyone in the gang hates her except Ted, ''especially'' Lily. When she and Ted break up, the rest of the gang can barely contain their glee.
* {{Hypocrite}}: She has cheated on Ted ''in his own bed'' numerous times, and she gets upset with him when she finds one of Robin's earrings in his bedroom.
* InsufferableGenius: She thinks of herself as cultured and sophisticated, when Lily and Marshall find her as a snob douche.
* {{Jerkass}}: Obnoxious, arrogant, cheater, unrepentant and toys with Ted constantly.
* KickTheDog: Basically every time she's onscreen, she insults or hurts someone for no reason.
* ReallyGetsAround: Every time she and Ted broke up, it's because he found her in bed with another guy.
* RelationshipRevolvingDoor: She and Ted have broken up and reconciled ''a lot'' during college, because Karen would cheat on Ted frequently, and Ted still forgave her (even after swearing every single time that he won't take her back).
* SixthRangerTraitor: In virtue of being Ted's OnAgainOffAgainGirlfriend and the fact that she always ends up cheating on him.
* SmugSnake: Just obnoxious to the gang about art, culture, and just... pretty much everything.
* SoapBoxSadie: A really obnoxious version of this.
* StatuesqueStunner: Say what you want about her... she's still hot. Probably why Ted kept going back to her.
* TeacherStudentRomance: One of the many times Karen cheated on Ted was with one of her professors.
* TokenEvilTeammate: Everytime she's Ted's girlfriend. See SixthRangerTraitor.
* TheUnapologetic: She has cheated on Ted many times, and she barely apologized. And if she ever did, it wasn't sincere or wouldn't last long until she hooked up again with someone else ''on Ted's bed''.
* YourCheatingHeart: While dating Ted back in college, she slept with other guys ''in his room''. And whenever Ted comes back to his room, he's greeted by the words, "Sorry, bro".

!!Natalie (Anne Dudek)
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himym-natalie1_8168.jpg]]

Ted's three-time girlfriend.

* ActionGirl: Well she knows Krav Maga...
* BelligerentSexualTension: With Ted usually.
* BerserkButton: Ted dumping her again on her birthday without an acceptable reason (it got worse as Ted Tried to fix it).
* BrokenBird: It's said that the first break up with Ted is what made her distrustful and bitter (with many reasons, Ted dumped her on the phone, leaving a recorded message, on her birthday, for everyone at her house to hear it). Before that she was very cheerful.
* ButtMonkey: Poor Natalie got dumped by Ted on her birthday ''twice''!
* EveryoneLovesBlondes: But, as Ted, finds out, there are NoSparks.
* EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys: Her sock monkeys.
* HumiliationConga: The first time Ted broke up with her, it wasn't even in person. He called her and left her a recorded message... ''during her surprise birthday party''... for ''everyone'' at her livingroom to hear.
* IceQueen: She soon [[DefrostingIceQueen defrosts]]. Unfortunately, Ted dumped her again.
* IKnowKarate: Ted has no idea what Krav Maga is until Natalie demonstrates it to him for dumping her.
* KickChick: She knows Krav Maga, and she's not afraid to use it.
* LoveHurts: Specifically if Ted is involved.
* NoSparks: Ted realizes she's objectively great, but he just doesn't love her.
* RelationshipRevolvingDoor: She and Ted had apparently gotten together and broken up three times (a flashback in a season 5 episode has a scene that shows a post-breakup scene that can't possibly be tied any of the other breakups).
* SatelliteLoveInterest: Although Lily and Marshall know her, her scenes are always with Ted excluding flashbacks.
* ShootTheDog: Ted considers breaking up with her for the second time as this. She responded with a literal KickTheSonOfABitch on Ted.
* StatuesqueStunner: Anne Dudek is 5'10. When in heels, she almost stands at the same height as the 6'0 feet tall Josh Radnor (Ted).
* SugarAndIcePersonality: She rejects Ted when he wants to get back with her, but she soon warms up to him again and rekindle the relationship, only for Ted to dump her again, which makes her snap and kick his ass.
* WhenSheSmiles: She looks so sweet and happy!
* WomanScorned: ''And holy shit how''! First time, she cursed at him when Ted called after so many years. The second time went FromBadToWorse. Even when Ted tries to date again despite that she kicked his ass before, he ended up having skin burns.
* YankTheDogsChain: She receives this from Ted. Just when she felt she could trust again in men, Ted dumps her again on her birthday.

!!Shannon (Katie Walder)

Barney's first girlfriend.

* BitchInSheepsClothing: She kept up the charade of supporting Barney and still wanting to help people in Nicaragua, but in truth she just wanted Barney out of her life.
* BlondesAreEvil: Downplayed. Cheated on Barney with a suit-wearing womanizer and laughs merciless at him.
* ConsummateLiar: Barney had no idea she was deceiving him and cheating on him.
* CynicismCatalyst: Cheating on Barney made him [[TheCasanova the man]] [[SharpDressedMan he is]] [[ManipulativeBastard today]].
* GoldDigger: The reason she grew out of her hippie phase and started dating a guy in a suit is because she buys her a lot of stuff.
* GranolaGirl: Formerly a hippie like Barney.
* {{Jerkass}}: Dumping Barney for a suit-wearing womanizer and ''lying'' to him about it? ''Ouch.''
* KarmaHoudini: Subverted, though it took Barney 8 years to [[IncrediblyLamePun screw her]] for what she did to him.
* KickTheDog: Her dating with the suit-wearing womanizer and making fun of his video resulted to Barney's StartOfDarkness and EvilMakeover.
* LikesOlderWomen: {{Gender Flip}}ped. The guy she left Barney for was much older than her.
* RevengeByProxy: When Marshall visited her apartment and told her that he's a friend of Barney, she slapped him.
* SexWithTheEx: Barney goaded her into this as part of his revenge.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: She only appeared in a single episode (not counting flashbacks), but her introduction made a ''huge'' impact in Barney's character/story arc.
* YourCheatingHeart: She had been cheating on Barney with a guy with money and tried to get rid of Barney by sending him to the Peace Corps before he realized all the truth.

!!Don Frank (Benjamin Koldyke)
[[quoteright:190:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himym-donfrank_8836.png]]
Don is introduced as Robin's new co-worker and love interest after she and Barney break up. When she swore she wasn't interested in dating anymore the guys tell her that's a sign she will find "the guy she's supposed to marry" and that is when Don showed up. He left after [[spoiler: accepting the same job opportunity that Robin turned down in order to be with him.]]

* CharacterShilling: Coming after a couple of episodes portraying him as a shiftless loser who didn't bother to take his job seriously, he straightens up to show Robin some respect. That's all fine, but its rather jarring that after hanging out with the same once (offscreen, no less), Marshall especially couldn't stop glowing over how amazing he was.
* DerailingLoveInterests: An interesting variation, since he was introduced as a lazy JerkAss but suddenly became the perfect man when Robin started dating him. Then he reverts to Jerkass behavior.
* {{Irony}}:
** His introduction: Robin declares that she's not going to look for love any more and focus on her career and Future!Ted says "Ironically, that's the day she met... Don."
** The only reason that [[spoiler: Don got a shot at his dream job is that Robin gave up that same opportunity.]]
* JerkAss: Being apathetic about his job regardless of who else that interferes with? Pulling the Naked Man on Robin after trying to make amends for his behaviour? Leaving Robin for a job that Robin ''turned down'' so she could stay with him? Yeah, this guy fits here.
* PantsFree: On his first day at Come On and Get Up New York! Don would usually appear on set without pants and a morning booze. The first thing Don does when he wants to redeem himself is wear them again.
* PutOnABus: He went to Chicago for a job offer which is the ''same one'' offered to Robin and this ultimately ended their relationship.
* RomanticFalseLead: Due to the LemonyNarrator, when Don is introduced, it's treated as though he's the man Robin will marry (since the narration was discussing how you find the one you marry as soon as you stop looking).
* TwoFirstNames: Don and Frank are commonly used first names.

!!George "The Captain" Van Smoot (Kyle [=MacLachlan=])
[[quoteright:220:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_captain_enlarged_257.png]]

Zoey's extremely wealthy (later ex-) husband.

* AwesomeMcCoolname: Named himself The Captain because he believes a real man can do that.
--> In that case, I'm Galactic President Superstar [=McAwesomeville=].
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Is obsessed with boats, and is also a smart businessman, olympic fencing expert and many other talents mentioned in the series.
* TheBusCameBack: In Season 8 to give Lily an exciting new job.
* TheCaptain: A full-case example. He named himself "The Captain" and loves sailing.
* CloudCuckooLander: He relates everything to boats and often speaks in navy code (for example, he only answers to Lily if she uses "Permission to aboard" or "Ahoy!").
* EveryoneLovesBlondes: He was married with Zoey, who was blonde. And later gets engaged to [[DumbBlonde Becky]]
* JerkassFacade: He is aware that he is intimidating to others and has fun with that, but the reality being that there is a generational gap with his wife and her friends and he really does like Ted.
* LargeHam: Part of the reason he has difficulty making friends is because of his overly hammy and dramatic tones.
* MayDecemberRomance: He was considerably older than Zoey (at least 10 years older than her), [[spoiler:and by Season 9, he reveals he got engaged to "Boats Boats Boats" Becky]].
* NiceGuy: Once you get past the Aura of Creepy. He is willing to be friends with Ted (even after discovering Zoey left him for Ted), and contacted Lily to give her the Dream Job.
* NightmareFace: His smile creeps people out. Marshal figures out why by dividing a still of his face in half. The bottom half is [[WhenSheSmiles genuinely cheerful,]] the top half wants to murder you.
* NightmareFuelStationAttendant: Plays up his creepiness because he's shy.
* RecurringCharacter: He appears again after Zoey gets PutOnABus as Lily's new boss.
* SophisticatedAsHell
-->''I daresay Scylla and Charibdis could not have torn us asunder: we had great big boners for each other.''
* UpperClassTwit: Rather self-involved but otherwise a nice guy. He can make Marshall's boss Arthur feel stupid so that is a plus.
* VanityLicensePlate: In "Daisy", the plate on his car is "AHOY!!"

!!Stuart and Claudia
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/claudia_and_stuart_at_their_wedding_515.png]]
-->Stuart played by: Matt Boren
-->Claudia played by: Virginia Williams

Friends of the gang. Introduced in season 1, appeared sporadically throughout and had a baby in season 6.

* TheAlcoholic: How Stuart copes.
* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: At Marshall's bachelor party, Stuart uses all the tired cliches of marriage being a ball and chain, the end of freedom, etc. and pretty much confirms it's because his own marriage isn't going so well. As the party goes from bad to worse, he states that he misses Claudia. [[spoiler:This trope is then averted in Season 9, when we find out that Stuart is cheating on Claudia.]]
* AwfulWeddedLife: Even before the wedding, Stuart and Claudia couldn't stop bickering. After it, Stuart constantly delivered snarky remarks about his marriage.
* BetaCouple: But a subversion to some degree, as while they love each other several points have been made that they are not uniformly stable like Marshall and Lily. [[spoiler: Which may be considered foreshadowing, considering the finale for season 1.]]
* {{Bridezilla}}: Since Claudia is a ControlFreak and HotBlooded, she gets very histerical at small issues from her wedding, like Ted wanting to bring a date after he marked "alone", Stuart making decisions behind her back or Ted calling her in the middle of her Honey Moon.
* ControlFreak: Claudia
* DeadpanSnarker: Stuart is very aware of how shrill and controlling Claudia is, and he frequently makes snarky comments about it.
* LargeHam: Claudia.
* TheMasochismTango: They bicker ''constantly''.
* RecurringCharacter: They both show up when the show needs a wedded couple.
* UglyGuyHotWife: Barney is caught up over this. To be fair, Claudia is a bit of a shrew.
* WeddingDay: Pretty much the reason for their appearance on the show, to have a wedding.
* YourCheatingHeart: Both of them. Claudia considered leaving Stuart for his brother and Stuart takes a shower with another woman at Barney's wedding.

!!Kevin Venkataraghavan (KalPenn)
[[quoteright:286:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himym-kevin_66.png]]

Robin's court-ordered therapist after she had assaulted another woman. He stopped being Robin's therapist because he was attracted to her and they ended up dating.

* {{Adorkable}}: After Robin makes him stop giving each other Hi-fives, Kevin internally pouts and laments, because he really liked it.
* BettyAndVeronica: The Betty to Barney's Veronica for Robin's Archie.
* GenreSavvy: Due to his training as a therapist he often is able to see through things.
* FlorenceNightingaleEffect: He meets Robin in court-mandated therapy, and starts falling in love with her after many sessions of knowing her. They start dating sometime after Kevin stops being her therapist.
** [[spoiler:The same thing happens years later with Jeanette, who is indeed insane.]]
* MommyIssues: He bottles up frustration about his mother's favoritism for his brother.
** In the episode where he addresses LikeParentLikeSpouse and causes the others to freak about it, he starts seeing his mother instead of Robin. His response?
--> '''Robin:''' Ted is a Nice Guy!
--> '''Mom:''' You should be more like him.
--> '''Kevin:''' Mom, right in schedule.
* NiceGuy: Very sweet and friendly... making him the perfect {{foil}} for Barney.
* NotSoAboveItAll: While Future!Ted reminds many times Kevin is a ''trained therapist'', he is not free from losing temper from the gang's IdiotBall moments or getting jealous as well.
* OddCouple: [[spoiler:He hooks up with [[CuteAndPsycho Jeanette]], from all people.]]
* OnlySaneMan: Literally. As a professional therapist, he can point out all the specific psychological ways the FiveManBand is so completely messed up.
* OppositesAttract: [[spoiler:Him being a ''therapist'' falls in love with [[CuteAndPsycho Jeanette]], from all people]].
* PutOnABus: They broke up after Robin revealed that she doesn't want to have kids.
* TheShrink: Of the "Awesome" variety. Quite frankly, Robin's a psychological mess at this point and when he was her psychiatrist, she was making huge steps. It helps that he went to Harvard... then Princeton... then wow, Harvard again.
* SixthRanger: He starts hanging out with them when he dated Robin and enjoys their company despite seeing how messed up her friends are.
* ThereAreNoTherapists: Discussed. Upon seeing how messed up the FiveManBand is, he is visibly disturbed on how long they are like that. And by the way, Kevin ''is'' an actual therapist.
* TokenMinority: He is the only one with indian heritage.
* UnderstandingBoyfriend: He only got insecure about Robin being friends with her exes, but got past it soon, as he understood Ted was fragile. Later, althought he doesn't know Robin cheated on him, tells her that it's not necesary to tell if they'll still be together. Kevin only leaves after Robin reminds him that he would have to give up forever any possibility of having children in the future, as she doesn't want any.
* TheUnfavorite: Has ParentalIssues because his parents prefer his doctor brother to him.

!!Nick Podarutti (MichaelTrucco)
[[quoteright:285:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himym-nick_8481.jpg]]

Robin's crush introduced in season 6. They became a couple in season 8.

* BrainlessBeauty: [[DerailingLoveInterests Eventually]].
-->'''Barney:''' You can’t wait [to break up with him]. [[ItMakesSenseInContext His groin will heal]]. And then before you know it, you’ll be marrying a man who once ate a vanilla-scented candle.
-->'''Robin:''' That was on me. I shouldn’t have left it in the kitchen. But it was lit... ''man'', he dumb.
* ChekhovsGunman: Shows up in an episode in season 6. Doesn't become a real character until season 8, when he and Robin begin dating offscreen.
* DerailingLoveInterests: Twice! First happens when Robin suddenly is annoyed with how sensitive and in touch with his feelings Nick is. Later, he's suddenly TheDitz. It's implied that Robin never noticed before because the sex was so good, but it's jarring that these flaws were never even alluded to until they're used for drama. Not to mention as the narrator, you'd think Ted would have commented on it.
* [[GranolaGirl Granola Guy]]: His motorcycle runs on corn.
* HiddenDepths: He is exceptionally patient for a SatelliteLoveInterest. He understands that Robin's history with her male friends are longer than their own, and is respectful of her hanging out with Ted and Barney from time to time.
* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: Eventually revealed that he's much more sensitive than Robin, and he's a professional chef.
* MrFanservice: Lots of shirtless scenes, and Robin finds him so attractive that she's often distracted by him.
* SatelliteLoveInterest: He becomes Robin's boyfriend after we've already been shown that Robin [[spoiler:will [[DoomedByCanon be Barney's future bride.]]]] We know next to nothing about him except reasons why Robin might break up with him, namely [[TheLadette that he's a bit too sensitive for Robin's taste.]]
* SexualKarma: Right after [[spoiler: Robin breaks up with him]] he stumbles into a three-way with two hot chicks who have also just been dumped, somewhat alleviating any guilt Robin or Barney may feel for the split.
* SixthRanger: He became part of the FiveManBand when he dated Robin and even joined Marshall's basketball team for a while before breaking up with Robin.
* TallDarkAndHandsome: "Hot as lava and just as thick," as Lily puts it.

!!Patrice (Ellen D. Williams)
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himym-patrice_763.jpg]]

Robin's co-worker. Patrice likes Robin. [[{{Understatement}} Robin doesn't like Patrice.]]

* AscendedExtra: Introduced as a background character in reaction shots. Gradually comes into more focus.
* BettyAndVeronica: The Betty to Robin's Veronica for Barney's Archie, [[spoiler: subverted when it is [[TheReveal revealed]] Barney isn't really dating her and that it is all part of [[BatmanGambit his final play]] "The Robin"]].
* ButtMonkey
-->'''"NOBODY ASKED YOU, PATRICE!"'''
-->'''"DAMN IT PATRICE, STOP SMOTHERING ME!"'''
-->'''"PATRICE IRONS MY PANTS WRONG!"'''
* NiceGirl: Probably the nicest person since Mister Rogers. She is baking cookies for Robin, ironing her pants and being overall nice to her (she even fought a thief to recover the purse Robin left forgoten near the vending machine). She offers a distraught Barney (whom she's never met) a cookie for Christ's sake!
* OffscreenInertia: Common fan-reaction to Robin abandoning her plans to live with Patrice were that she was just sitting there... waiting for Robin... who would never come...
* ThePollyanna: She's always happy, even when people around her are quite mean to her face.
* RomanticFalseLead: [[spoiler: {{Invoked}} for Barney. It was a damn good gambit done by Barney AND Patrice for Barney to ask Robin for her hand in marriage.]]
* ShipperOnDeck: For Barney and Nora. Which may explain why Robin hates her so much. And later for [[spoiler: Robin and Barney.]]
* SitcomArchNemesis: Robin ''hates'' Patrice even though Patrice loves Robin.

!! Sandy Rivers (Alexis Denisof)
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himym-sandy_1590.jpeg]]

Robin's original co-anchor while she was with News Channel One. Departs after the first season finale, later becomes Robin's co-worker again.

* TheBusCameBack: When Robin got a job with Worldwide News, Sandy's their lead anchor.
** CommutingOnABus: Not exactly a main character after that, but shows up from time to time.
* ChewingTheScenery: Constantly loud and bombastic.
* FullNameBasis: Tells Robin to say his whole name, because he thinks people get a kick out of it.
* GenderBlenderName: "Sandy" is usually a girl's name.
* HandsomeLech: He thinks himself this way, he is really just a pervert.
* PutOnABus: At the end of Season 1, he takes a job with CNN.
** InUniverse, Future!Ted reveals a scandal finally forced him to move to Russia.
* SharpDressedMan: Befitting a news anchor.

!! Nora (Nazanin Boniadi)
[[quoteright:227:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himym-nora_1501.png]]

Barney's second serious girlfriend in the show and Robin's co-workers. Impeccably nice and British, unlike with past relationships, Barney made serious efforts to drop his womanizing ways for her. He breaks up with her in season 6 after fearing making a commitment. He wins her back at the start of season 7, [[YankTheDogsChain only for it to end]] when he cheats on her with Robin.

* AloofDarkHairedGirl: She's very distant when Barney is wooing her.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: To Robin. She got a great assignment, she got Barney, and Sandy Rivers now wants to sleep with her instead of Robin.
* BettyAndVeronica: The Betty to Robin's Veronica for Barney's Archie.
* BritishAccent: Unclear where in England she's from, though.
* CloserToEarth: ''Much'' saner than Barney.
* HotScoop: She works at the news station with Robin.
* LoveMartyr: She puts up with a lot of crap from Barney.
* NiceGirl: Everyone in the office seems to like her, she's always polite and nice to Robin who (secretly) hates her, and she even considers giving Barney a chance [[spoiler: after he cheats on her]].
* OnlyOneName: Her last name is never revealed.
* OppositesAttract: She couldn't be less like Barney if she tried.
* ParentingTheHusband: Well, boyfriend. James can't help but notice that her behavior towards Barney is more motherly than anything else.
* ProperLady: Sweet, polite, and refined.
* RomanticFalseLead: For Barney.
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: The only reason she accepts Barney is because Barney is willing to change into a better guy for her.
* SixthRanger: For a time, before Barney dumps her.
%% * SpiritedYoungLady
* {{Tsundere}}: Type B. Very sweet, very kind... do ''not'' piss her off.


!! Quinn Garvey (Becki Newton)
[[quoteright:188:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himym-quinn_5544.jpg]]
Barney's third serious girlfriend. She is a stripper at Barney's favorite club who managed to hustle him out of money after leading him on to believe that they were in a relationship. They eventually hook up due to their [[BirdsOfAFeather due to similar personalities.]] [[spoiler: The two later become engaged, but call off the marriage due to their trust issues.]]

* BettyAndVeronica: The Veronica to Robin's Betty for Barney's Archie, though in this case it wasn't so much a LoveTriangle as it was part of the [[spoiler: season 7 "bride mystery"]].
* BirdsOfAFeather: She has ''a lot'' in common with Barney. [[spoiler: Their similarities ironically ended up being why they were ultimately incompatible.]]
* DeadpanSnarker: Usually whilst dealing with Barney.
* DistaffCounterpart: To Barney, in personality at least. Lampshaded in "The Broath."
* EveryoneLovesBlondes: Barney certainly did.
* HookerWithAHeartOfGold: Well, Stripper with a Heart of Gold. She milked Barney for a lot of money, but when he opened up to her she did give him a chance.
* ManipulativeBitch: Milks Barney of thousands of dollars at the strip club,
* MeaningfulName: Her stripper nickname somewhat describes that she in many ways is karma to Barney, manipulating him in the same way he manipulates dumb girls.
* MsFanservice: She's a stripper. What do you expect?
* OneSteveLimit: Her stripper name is Karma. Barney had at least once hooked up with another stripper named Karma.
* RomanticFalseLead: For Barney. The episode where he [[spoiler: proposed to her even ended with TheReveal that Barney would marry Robin.]]
* SixthRanger: Hangs around the gang while she was with Barney.
* {{Tsundere}}: Hotheaded and snarky, but very nice once you get to know her.

!! Gary Blauman and Bilson
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bilson-blauman_7245.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Bilson (left) and Blauman (right)]]
--> Gary Blauman played by: Taran Killam
--> Bilson played by: Bryan Callen

Two men who work with Barney and Marshall, initially at [=AltruCell=] and then at GNB. Blauman works with Marshall in the legal department in both companies, while Bilson has a more ambiguous profession akin to Barney's. Initially, Bilson wanted to hire Sven to design the new GNB HQ, and dislikes all of Ted's proposals.

* ADayInTheLimelight: In "Gary Blauman", we get more characterization for him (regularly as a background character at Barney and Marshall's job), as we see he is rather polite and is genuinely excited about being at the wedding. Also we get to know how he got a previous interaction with the gang (plus James and Zabka).
* CharacterShilling: For Gary Blauman. Even thought he is presented as another jerk co-worker in Marshall's division, the episode "Gary Blauman" in the final season shows many other good and sympathetic things he did for others: He stoped Lily from a Break-Up EmbarrassingTattoo, recognized Zabka as a poet writer and called out James' attitude of NeverMyFault in his marriage.
* CharacterTitle: In Season 9, there's an episode named after Gary Blauman.
* {{Catchphrase}}: Steak sauce!
* ContinuitySnarl / UnexplainedRecovery: When Marshall was still working for Nicholson, Hewitt & West Barney tells him the "Lesson of Blauman" - Blauman was supposedly shouted at by Bilson, got angry and quit, then urinated on a conference table, quit, and eventually died. However, once Marshall starts work at GNB, Blauman is not only alive, but still working there.
** It could be justified given that Barney is a compulsive liar and often invents stories just to make a point with his theories. In fact, he made all that story about Blauman because he needed to justify "The Chain of Screaming". Also it's revealed Barney hated Blauman because he [[FelonyMisdemeanor ate four of his fries and a curly]], so [[DisproportionateRetribution knowing how Barney is]], he maybe killed him off ''fictionally''.
* {{Jerkass}}: Both Blauman and Bilson are presented as meat-headed jerks in Marshall's first day at work, who often tease him for being lovey-dovey with his wife, made sexist jokes on regular basis and responded "Steak sauce" to anything. Bilson also enjoys firing people and Blauman makes fun of Marshall at work.
** It's subverted when we see Blauman is not that much of a jerk in the episode named after him.
* {{Hypocrite}}: When Ted presented his design for the new GNB building which is naturalistic, Bilson hates it and wants the design to be more corporate where the employees will never be reminded of the outside world. After Ted got fired in the "Employee Transition Room" aka the room where people get fired, Bilson answers the phone saying "Hi, honey!" and then, [[LaserGuidedKarma Ted hits him with a chair]].
* InformedAbility: Both have been known to play early morning basketball with Marshall.
* OnlyOneName: From the working environment they are only called by their surnames. As Barney gives Blauman's first name in his fictional tale it may not be real.
* StraightGay: Turns out [[spoiler: James cheated on Tom with Gary Blauman]]. After this revelation is known, Ted realizes [[spoiler:Blauman was really trying to hit on Ted]] (althought everyone else just let Ted belief that).
* ThoseTwoGuys: At first. Bilson later makes more appearances without Blauman. In Season 9, Blauman gets an episode named after him.
* {{Troll}}: Blauman introduces Marshall to Jenkins by saying he is four-eyed and steals things.

!!Lieutenant Jeannette Peterson (Creator/AbbyElliott)
[[quoteright:182:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himym-jeanette_7728.jpg]]
-->'''Future Ted:''' Kids, they say a man always makes one last big mistake before he finally settles down. And my last mistake... was Jeanette.
Ted's last girlfriend before meeting The Mother.

* AxCrazy: Her defining trait is just how violently crazy she is.
* BlondesAreEvil: She destroys Ted's apartment and stalked him for a year and a half.
* ClingyJealousGirl: She thinks that Ted has a thing for Lily, and even after they break up, she tackles a woman Ted is speaking to and grabs Ted.
* CuteAndPsycho: Initially appeared as a cute girl who would take action to meet Ted. It's gradually revealed that she stalked him for a year and a half and started a fire so the alarm would set off and Ted could meet her, but Ted made a pass of all this because he found it "cute". And ItHasOnlyJustBegun.
* CuteIsEvil: So pretty. So evil.
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: She's well aware that as a cop, the gang can't do shit to her.
* DarkActionGirl: The woman knows what she's doing in terms of combat.
* TheDreaded: Not only the rest of the gang hates her, but they're also afraid of her. When Ted let Marshall and Barney watch his apartment for a while, Jeannette [[JumpScare shows up at the front door]] which scared the crap out of Marshall and Barney that they had to let her in to Ted's room and do whatever she wants over there.
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Ted gives Jeannette a passionate speech about what love is: Trying to do anything in his power to make Robin happy even if AllLoveIsUnrequited, even if it's not to get the girl back. She still calls Ted "crazy" and throws the locket down the lake.
* FairCop: PoliceBrutality aside, she's still good looking.
* FlorenceNightingaleEffect: [[spoiler:Hooks up with Kevin when he is assigned as her court-mandated therapist.]]
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: The rest of the gang hates her, but put up with her for Ted's sake. This is to the point where Robin and Barney's response to Ted breaking up with her is to jump up and down on the bed with a bottle of champagne, screaming "THEY BROKE UP!" in complete joy.
* HairTriggerTemper: She blew up at Ted over any slight (real or imagined).
* HotBlooded: It does ''not'' take much to set her off.
* KarmaHoudini: In only three episodes, she has caused more damage to Ted than anyone ever does (yes, this includes Lily). While she and Ted break up over all of that she never gets any retribution on it. Sadly justified, since she's a police officer and could easily lock and of the gang up in prison if they were to do anything in revenge.
** Future!Ted narrates that Jeanette finally got arrested for mailing jars of urine to Val Kilmer. She didn't received jail time but she got mandatory psychological counseling with [[spoiler:Kevin as her therapist]].
* LargeHam: Chews even more scenery than Mickey Aldrin... whose actor happens to be her actor's father.
* LoveMakesYouCrazy: Discussed, but ultimately being crazy is what made her crazy.
* NotSoDifferent: Subverted with Ted. She is impulsive, has HairTriggerTemper, insanely jealous, in contrast to the more rational, caring and patient Ted. Lily points out that Ted needs to be with her for a while because both are a little crazy right now, which is necesary for him to get her out of his system and move on for good.
* OddCouple: [[spoiler:Future!Ted reveals she hooks up later with Kevin when he is assigned as her therapist.]]
* OppositesAttract: [[spoiler:By the other extreme, Jeanette is clinically insane, while Kevin is ''a trained therapist''.]]
* PoliceBrutality: Implied by her interactions with the police dispatcher.
* RabidCop: Pity anyone that's ever been interrogated by her...
* PsychoExGirlfriend: Becomes Ted's after their break up to the point where she stole Robin's necklace and throw it in the water. She also send a dead squirel to another ex.
* RomanticFalseLead: Obviously, as mentioned by Future!Ted, Jeannette is the last girl he dated before he met his future wife.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: She's a cop. See KarmaHoudini above. Put those two together...
* SixthRangerTraitor: Despite that Ted wants to bring Jeannette to Barney and Robin's wedding as his plus-one, no wants to hang out with her. After Ted finally decided not to go on dating again, Robin lets him recheck the wedding invitation.
* StalkerWithACrush: She started following Ted when he appeared on the cover of New York Magazine, which happened a year and a half before they started dating. She even started a fire at Ted's University so that she could force an evacuation, allowing her to finally meet him. Ted sees it as StalkingIsLove.
* TokenEvilTeammate: Not that the rest of the gang ever wanted her around in the first place. Besides Ted.
* {{Ubermensch}}: She is a cop, but is perfectly fine with invading private property, stalking and damaging personal belongings because she is convinced everything she does is because she loves him.
* TheUnfettered: She stops at nothing to get what she wants. She even makes Barney look like a saint in comparison!
* WomanScorned: As Robin puts it, she is considered to be the No.1 worst ex-girlfriend that Ted ever had. She would all sorts of nasty stuff just to get Ted back, which includes wreaking his apartment.
* {{Yandere}}: To Ted, even after they broke up. ''Especially'' after they broke up.

!!Daphne (Sherri Shepherd)
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himym-daphne_8884.jpg]]
Marshall's road trip companion, after Marshall made them both miss their flight.

* {{Foil}}: To Marshall. She's an outspoken SassyBlackWoman who works for an Oil Company.
* JerkassHasAPoint: Calls Marshall out for accepting a job that could put his and Lily's plans in jeopardy without even discussing it with Lily first. "What the damn hell?!" indeed.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She's a rude, abrasive DeadpanSnarker with a vengeful streak... who begins to mellow out towards Marshall, chats happily with Lily, and ''really'' wants to make it to her daughter's speech on time. Even when she [[spoiler:tells Lily that Marshall accepted the judge job without consulting her first]], she seems sorry after the fact, and for the most part had her heart in the right place.
* MarriedToTheJob: Reason why she missed many of her daughter's moments.
* NWordPrivileges: Played with during Marshall and Daphne's roadtrip.
--> '''Daphne''': You are NOT allowed to use that word! Only WE'RE allowed to use that word!!
--> '''Marshall''': I am so sorry. [[FandomRivalry I'll never call you or anyone else]] [[FanCommunityNickNames a ''Trekkie'' again]].
* SassyBlackWoman: Very boisterous and loud, she's happy to sass at Marshall the entire trip.
* [[WellDoneDadGuy "Well Done, Mom" Gal]]: She wants to make it on time for her daughter's presentation because she missed a lot of her plays.
* WhatTheHellHero: Gives this to Marshall when she hears Marshall accepted a judge job without telling Lily.

!!Simon Tremblay (Creator/JamesVanDerBeek)
[[quoteright:175:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/simonhimym_9782.jpg]]
Robin's Canadian ex-boyfriend who appeared in her second Robin Sparkles' music video, "Sandcastles in the Sand" and is a member of the band, The Foreskins (responsible for the single, "Murder Train").

* DeadpanSnarker: Just in his first appearance, he demonstrated his snarkiness when he asked Ted on what he would if he's a lifeguard.
-->'''Simon''': Now, you got a bunch of dead kids piling up. And Robin has to report it, "This just in: my friend, Ted, killed a bunch of kids today".
* FutureLoser: He’s slowly balding and gains some weight but he still got his band. Then, averted in Season 9, where he cleans up and wears a suit after being engaged to Louise Marsh.
* AGoodNameForARockBand: For him (and also Robin), his band is called "The Foreskins". His explanation: They're four guys who don't wear shirts. The other possible meaning is apparently lost on him.
* {{Jerkass}}: As a teen ''and'' as an adult.
* KickTheDog: He dumped Robin twice in the same van for the same girl, Louise Marsh, and for the same reason (She had a pool/jacuzzi). Oh and he asked Robin to load the drum set in the van before she leaves.
* SmallNameBigEgo: He clearly thinks he's far more talented and better-looking than he actually is.

!!Becky (Laura Bell Bundy)
[[quoteright:189:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himym-becky_8320.png]]
Robin's former co-host in Come On, Get Up New York! as Don's replacement, who later becomes the face of Yatch commercials. She briefly dated Ted twice [[spoiler:and by Season 9 she got engaged to The Captain]].

* BrainlessBeauty: It's pretty clear she is only co-anchor because of her charisma on camera, rather than her abilities as a reporter.
* TheCutie: How everyone (except for Robin) sees her.
* TheDitz: She is incapable as a news anchor, refusing to read "nasty" notes and is often telling her social life on air.
* DumbBlonde: On full force during her scenes. Ted even got a text from her because she "got stuck in the revolving door".
* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: The gang mostly refer to her as "Boats Boats Boats" after the commercial.
* EveryoneLovesBlondes: Well, everyone except Robin.
* GenkiGirl: Is always happy, perky and overemotional. Even in her commercial is strangely cheerful.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: She isn't mean at all. All through out she is very naive and childish, yet she is still good at heart.
* HotScoop: Unfortunately, being a hot chick doesn't necessarily mean being an excellent reporter...
* ManChild: Genderflipped. Is an incredibly childish woman, reacting to events in life with the same enthusiasm of a five-year-old. This is initially how Ted started dating her, until he realized he practically was babysitting her.
* MayDecemberRomance: [[spoiler:In Season 9 she gets engaged to The Captain.]]
* NiceGirl: Even thought she is a Woman Child, she still is a sweetheart to everyone (even to Robin). She bakes cookies and gets everyone on set in a good mood (except for Robin, of course).
* ReplacementScrappy: Invoked by Robin. She dislikes her as Becky is her polar opposite in personality, and even more unprofessional than Don.
* ScrewTheRulesImBeautiful: Downplayed. When Robin asks her if she doesn't care that being in a commercial will make people to not take her seriously as a professional journalist. Becky handwaves this with "No, I'm pretty".
* SpotlightStealingSquad: InUniverse, she ''literally'' eclipses Robin as main host of Come On, Get Up New York!.

!!William Zabka

Former Film/KarateKid actor and a good friend of Barney.

* AdamWesting[=/=]AsHimself: Zabka portrayed himself hilariously, and at the same time, sympathetically.
* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: After 18 messages, Zabka finally accepted to help in Barney's Bachelor Party because Robin told him he was Barney's ''hero''. [[spoiler:Then at the wedding Barney briefly made him Best Man until he forgave Ted. Also it's because of this he started to respect Ted, as Ted covered what happened to the photo and gave Zabka the credit]]. He also likes Gary Blauman because he recognized him for his poetry.
* CulturedBadass: An actor known for being part of a martial arts film and is revealed to actually be a poet.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: After spending years being publicly booed for his role in the Karate Kid, Zabka became the youngest winner of the American Humanities medal for Literature, finally becoming known for something other than playing the bad guy.
* HiddenDepths: He writes poetry.
* IAmNotSpock: In-Universe. He is booed and gets thrown pop corn for portraying a JerkJock on film, apparently by his own mother as well. When he references Karate Kid once again, Blauman asks if it's from another of his poems, which Zabka immediately thanks him.
* MeanCharacterNiceActor: He even tells that the reason he likes to hang out with Barney is because he's the only person who treats him as a hero.
* ProducePelting: Well, pop corn. Zabka even lampshades this by asking why everyone has pop corn in hand.
* SixthRanger: Hanged out with the gang for a while during the final season.

!!Tim Gunn

Tim Gunn from Series/ProjectRunway is, InUniverse, Barney's personal tailor. For more tropes regarding the real Tim Gunn, visit [[Characters/ProjectRunway Project Runway's Character Page]].

* AdamWesting[=/=]AsHimself: In this version, Tim is Barney's tailor and has many manerisms that made him famous in Project Runway.
* AscendedExtra: Originally was intended as a [[TheCameo one-episode cameo]] for the 100th episode. For Season 9, he got 3 special appearances, which technically upgrades him to RecurringCharacter for the Season Finale.
* CelebrityParadox: Tim Gunn is included in Film/TheSmurfs movie which stars Neil Patrick Harris. Further, NPH's wife in the film is played by Creator/JaymaMays whom played a GirlOfTheWeek in season 2.
* TheComicallySerious: He can also retort with sassy comments with a completely deadpan face, without any trace of sarcasm.
--> "Please don't cry on this. ''It's silk''."
* CatchPhrase: His most popular catch phrase from Project Runway also gets a nod.
-->"I'm sorry, Barney. I couldn't ''Make it work''".
* TheDandy: Obviously, as he is a suits tailor.
* TheFashionista: Required, as he is Barney's tailor.
* SharpDressedMan: He's a guy who is always wearing suits, ''while'' making suits.

!!Greg Fisher (Mark Derwin)

The guy Shannon started dating while she was dating Barney.

* ArchEnemy: To Barney.
* BestServedCold: [[spoiler:At the receiving end of this courtesy of Barney.]]
* ChekhovsGunman: Thought he's a OneShotCharacter? Wrong! [[spoiler: He is one of Barney's bosses whom he worked for only to humiliate for stealing his first girlfriend.]]
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Is a higher-up at [=AltruCell=] Corp., an implied to be very corrupt MegaCorp.
* EvilCounterpart: Represents everything that is evil in Barney and implies to take it UpToEleven.
* {{Jerkass}}: Knows Shannon is dating Barney and stole her from him anyway. He even mocked poor Barney.
* KavorkaMan: This not so good looking man gets girls easily because of his money and the fact that most of said girls are {{Gold Digger}}s.
* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Subverted, though it took Barney ''15 years'' to screw him for what he did to him.]]
* KickTheDog: If stealing Barney's girlfriend isn't bad enough, he mocked him until he feels very humiliated.
* SharpDressedMan: Whom Barney emulated in order to "beat him at his own game". [[spoiler: He succeeded.]]
* SmallRoleBigImpact: Only appeared in two episodes (not counting flashbacks), but he is pretty much the BigBad of Barney's ''entire'' story arc.
%% * SmugSnake

[[/folder]]


[[folder: Cameo Characters]]
Space for special small guest characters for few episodes (one to three episodes max.). Unlike the above folder, these guest spots are for One-Note characters and don't have much weight in the story like the others. Most of them are TheCameo or the GirlOfTheWeek.

!! Penelope (Creator/AmyAcker)

The girl who taught Ted how to rain dance in the first season finale. Also had a history with Barney.

* AloofDarkHairedGirl: She is very cold towards Barney because he hit on her mother. She's also initially wary of Ted because she assumed that, as Barney's friend, he is just like him.
* BelligerentSexualTension: Bickers with Barney throughout the first season finale and then hooks up with him again at the end of the episode.
* FeigningIntelligence: Downplayed. She isn't dumb, but she's nowhere near as smart as she projects.
-->(While performing a rain dance) '''Ted:''' "Hey, Penelope. Do you think I'm doing this right?"
--> '''Penelope:''' "I think so."
--> '''Ted:''' "Uh-huh. So does it look anything like a real rain dance?"
--> '''Penelope:''' "I think so."
--> '''Ted:''' "Hey, Penelope. Have you ever seen a real rain dance before?"
--> '''Penelope:''' "No."
--> '''Ted:''' "No?!"
--> '''Penelope:''' "I tread extensively on the subject..."
--> '''Ted:''' "Have you ever seen a rain dance?"
--> '''Penelope:''' "I've seen a film strip."
--> (Pissed-off) '''Ted:''' "[[DeadpanSnarker Perfect]]! I should run. I'm getting a brain surgery from a guy who watched a couple episodes of Series/{{ER}}!"
* GenerationXerox: According to Barney, she and her mother have a lot in common. This pisses her off obviously.
* GirlishPigtails: Had her hair put this way.

!! Abby (Music/BritneySpears)

Stella's awkward secretary, who has a crush on Ted.

* AllLoveIsUnrequited: She nurses a huge crush on Ted. Too bad for her he is dating her boss.
* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: Usually changes subject abruptly when thinking about Ted's hair.
%% * EveryoneLovesBlondes
* HollywoodNerd: To transform ''Britney Spears'' into an awkward nerdy girl is an accomplished task.
* SexySecretary: Stella's sexy assistant.
* StalkerWithACrush: [[spoiler:She was the woman stalking Barney during a few episodes, after she becomes another of his one-night stands. When trying to shake her off him, Barney gives her Ted's data, implying she would later stalk Ted as well]].

!! Honey (Music/KatyPerry)
--> ''"Oh, Honey"''

Zoey's extremely naïve cousin. Since Ted doesn't remember her name, he called her "Honey" because everything she said evoked this phrase from others.

* BrainlessBeauty: She's hot but not bright.
* TheDitz: She can be easily tricked, even if the BlatantLies don't make any sense. Barney's kind of girl for another of his One-Night Stands.
* ExpositionFairy: Her only role in the episode is solely so Ted and Zoey finally know their mutual feelings and Zoey's marital situation.
* GoodIsDumb: Which would explain why she falls for everything.
* InSeriesNickname[=/=]OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Since Ted can't remember her name, he nicknames her "Honey", since everyone feels sorry for her by how gullible she is.
* TheIngenue: The most infamous BlatantLies she fell for include...
--> '''Honey''': My apartment building is so safe. My landlord even installed a security camera in my shower.
--> '''Marshall''': Oh, honey...
--> '''Honey''': Maybe I should feel weird about giving a stranger my Social Security Number, but the guy's a Nigerian prince!
--> '''Marshall''': Oh, honey...
--> '''Honey''': I just had a great TV audition...behind the KFC where the executive producer works on the weekend.
--> '''Marshall''': [[RuleOfThree Oh, honey!!]]
* PhraseCatcher: "Oh, ''honey''."
* RavenHairIvorySkin: Katy Perry played her while having this look.

!! Anita Appleby (Music/JenniferLopez)

Author of "Of Course You're Still Single, Take a Look at Yourself You Dumb Slut", which basically attempted against Barney's womanizer tendencies. Barney then challenges himself to score a date with her.

* AlliterativeName: '''A'''nita '''A'''ppleby.
* SpicyLatina: Of course she is played by Jennifer Lopez.
* StrawFeminist: She clearly states her disgust at men like Barney. The second Barney refuses to pursue her, she practically throws herself at him.

!!Trudy (Danica [=McKellar=])
Ted's one-night stand from "The Pineapple Incident".
* AllGuysWantSororityWomen: Was in a sorority in college, and she and her sorority sister hit on Ted.
* BedsheetLadder: How she gets out of Ted's room before Robin shows up.
* TheBusCameBack: Shows up again in the third season.
* RomanticTwoGirlFriendship: With her college friend Rachel, even to the point of considering going for "The Tricycle" with Ted.

!!Jenkins (AmandaPeet)

Marshall's co-worker whom he used to make Lily jealous.

* DoubleStandard: Played with. Many things Jenkins does are funny coming from a fat guy. If eating a jar of cherries, dancing topless and twerking behind the boss comes from a woman, it becomes FetishFuel.
* EthicalSlut: She loves partying and sleeping around. When she found out she drunkenly kissed Marshall, who's married, she felt terrible.
* FunPersonified: With everything she has done at work and after work, she certainly earned it.
* TheLadette: She drinks hard, parties with the guys, and she's a huge Minnesota Vikings fan.
* HardDrinkingPartyGirl: According to all the stories Marshall has told about her at bars.
* MsFanservice: Just look at some of those stories Marshall told about her!
* NiceGirl: All things considered. She outright admitted she feels like Marshall is the only person at GNB she can talk to, since he's so nice, and she sincerely apologized to Lily for kissing him.
* OnlyOneName: We don't know if it's a TomboyishName or she's into LastNameBasis.
* TheRashomon: Marshall accidentally ends up using this when describing her antics, because what is funny and quirky for a goofy fat guy ends up becoming very erotic and exhibitionist for an attractive woman (taking off your shirt when drunk and smearing jam all over your face).
* ReallyGetsAround: She kissed Marshall while drunk, and had sex with a stranger in a darkened mail room at the Goliath National Bank headquarters.
* SamusIsAGirl: When Marshall told the gang stories about her antics, they all thought she was a man until they finally met her in person. Justified as Ted really thought Jenkins was a guy when Marshall told how Jenkins ''"peed out of a cab's window"''.
* TheTease: She loves flirting, though she draws the line at married men.

!!Steve "The Blitz" Henry (JorgeGarcia)

Ted and Marshall's friend from college.

* BigFun: Portly and a very nice guy.
* ButtMonkey: He misses out all the cool stuff since college which earns him the title, "The Blitz". In "Gary Blauman", Future! Ted reveals that he ''still'' has the curse.
* CatchPhrase: "Aw, man!" as the Blitz.
* CrazyCatLady: He lives with his mother who seems to have about a dozen cats.
* FatBestFriend: To Ted and Marshall. He mixes Types B and C.
* FirstNameBasis: Once he sheds the curse of the Blitz.
* GentleGiant: Very big and very nice.
* NiceGuy: From what little we see of him, he comes off as very polite and friendly.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Until he sheds the curse of The Blitz.
* SixthRanger: Briefly joins the gang once he briefly sheds the curse of the Blitz.
* YankTheDogsChain: The episode saw him finally being free from "the Blitz curse"... only to acquire it again at the end of the same episode. In "Gary Blauman", Future! Ted reveals that he ''still'' has the curse.

!!Jessica Glitter ([[Music/PussycatDolls Nicole Scherzinger]])

Robin's former best friend in Canada.

* AloofDarkHairedGirl: Cut Robin off when she had a kid. She does seem to regret it, though.
* AmbiguouslyBrown: It's unclear what ethnicity she is.
* CanadaEh: ''Space Teens'' was about as Canadian as a show can get. She still talks about Canada a lot.
* CareerVersusMan: Implied to have chosen the latter, which is also the implied reason why she and Robin had a fallout.
* ChekhovsGunman: First alluded to in a season 2 episode, doesn't appear until season 5.
* FriendshipSong: "The Beaver Song" was the signature theme from Robin Sparkles and Jessica Glitter as a team.
* LastNameBasis: Almost everyone on the cast calls her "Glitter," even though that's probably not her real last name any more than Sparkles is Robin's.
* NiceGirl: Even if she did fall out of contact with Robin.
* SecondaryCharacterTitle: She is the titular character in the episode she appeared in.
* WeUsedToBeFriends: She and Robin had a fallout but they eventually got better.

!!Naomi, aka, The Slutty Pumpkin (Katie Holmes)

The girl Ted met in 2001 whom he met again in season 7.

* {{Adorkable}}: She has a lot in common with Ted... doesn't mean they're a perfect match, though.
* BrainyBrunette: She is a zoologist who studies penguins.
* ChekhovsGunman: Mentioned a lot in a season 1 episode, she only appeared 6 seasons later.
* TheCutie: Very sweet, and played by the very cute Miss Holmes.
* DistaffCounterpart: Somehow, she seems to be as quirky as Ted.
* TheFaceless: It took the show 6 seasons after she was mentioned to show her face.
* FriendToAllLivingThings: Justified since she is a zoologist.
* HotScientist: She is a zoologist.
* NoSparks: When they finally kiss, Ted and her realize they feel awful kissing or even touching.
* TheOneThatGotAway: For years, after Ted lost her number, and proceeded to spent the next few years looking for her.
* PoorCommunicationKills: Or leads to more than one lousy date. When Ted finally reunites with the Slutty Pumpkin, they both quickly realize that they're completely incompatible with each other. Too bad neither of them realizes that the other one also realizes it.
* RomanticFalseLead[=/=]RedHerring: Since it took 7 years for Ted to meet her again, many thought she could be The Mother, until Season 7, where they finally get over each other after discovering they are not compatible at all.
* SecondaryCharacterTitle: Have an episode named after her in the first season that she didn't even appeared in.
* WalkingTheEarth: Justified since, as a zoologist, she travels the world to study different animals.

!!Gael (Music/EnriqueIglesias)

Robin's ex-boyfriend. She met him at Argentina when she went there after her breakup with Ted.

* ChickMagnet: He attracted a lot of women, including Lily, which prompted Ted and Barney to be jealous of his charms and to pull the "out of town" stunt to pick up women.
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: Marshall really, ''really'' wants to be massaged by him.
* LatinLover: He's Robin's rebound guy from Argentina.
* MrFanservice: TallDarkAndHandsome, plays romantic guitar ballads, gives massages and gives sensual feeding.
* MyNaymeIs: His name is not hard to pronounce. But the guys either pretended to or deliberately have a hard time pronouncing it.
-->'''Ted''': So, is it Gale?
-->'''Gael''': Gael.
-->'''Barney''': ...Kyle?
-->'''Gael''': Gael.
-->'''Marshall''': ({{beat}}) Girl?
** Later, Marshall refers to him as "Male Gale".
* OnlyOneName: His last name is never revealed.
* OnTheRebound: Robin only dated him to deal with the pain of losing Ted.
* PutOnABus: Robin breaks up with him after she had enough of him inviting strangers, mostly hippies, in her apartment.
* SatelliteLoveInterest: Has no personality outside of being Robin's boyfriend. Of course, him being "the rebound guy" is kind of the point of his character.
* TheStoner: Unsurprising, considering his [[GranolaGirl Granola Guy]] personality.

!! Amy (Music/MandyMoore)

One of Ted's GirlOfTheWeek that he meets during season 3.

* AmicableExes: In fact, the guy who made Ted's tatoos (and presumably hers as well) is her ex-boyfriend.
* HardDrinkingPartyGirl: Ted hooks up with her at [=McLaren=]'s.
* TheHedonist: Apparently, she only like the pleasures in life.
* MsFanservice: Her BathtubScene comes to mind.
* OnTheRebound: Ted meets her when he's still reeling from Robin coming back with Gael.
%% * ScrewySquirrel
* SmallRoleBigImpact: If it wasn't for her, Ted wouldn't have a reason to meet Stella.
* StatuesqueStunner: Mandy Moore is 5'9.

!! Blah Blah / [[spoiler:Carol]] (Abigail Spencer)

One of Ted's GirlOfTheWeek he meets at WorldOfWarcraft. Extremely volatile and crazy.

* BlahBlahBlah: What Ted calls her since he can't recall her name.
--> Please, just call me Blah.
* CuteAndPsycho: Is as Hot as she is Crazy, which also makes her another example of Barney's theory on "The Crazy-Hot Scale".
* HairTriggerTemper: She gets paranoid and rude at practically anything. During the whole evening, she thought [[UnknownRival Robin]] was attacking her and trying to pick confrontations with her.
* GreenEyedMonster: After hearing Lily and Marshall's story of how they met, she starts inventing corny stuff about Ted and her. Then once she makes Ted tell her how he [[spoiler:thought]] met Lily, she wants to spill the beans just to mess up with her and Marshall.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Since Ted doesn't remember her name, he calls her "Blah Blah".
** He finally remembers her name after 5 seasons: it's [[spoiler:Carol]].
* PutOnABusToHell: The last mention she has, the audience is informed she got committed into a mental institution.
* SmallNameBigEgo: She declares herself a successful woman because of her own purse brand, and is convinced she will become famous one day.

!! Pete Durkenson (Jimmi Simpson)

Marshall, Lily and Ted's acquaintance from college, who appeared in the episode "The Naked Truth". He is best known as a drunken guy who is mostly playing "[[Film/EdwardScissorhands Edward Fortyhands]]".

* TheAlcoholic: He is a hard drinker since college. Even when Marshall meets up with him after years, he is still drinking while playing "Edward Fortyhands" by himself.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: [[spoiler:Turns out he is a surgeon.]]
* EmbarrassingSlide: He is the responsible of uploading to Youtube Marshall's videos as [[NakedPeopleAreFunny "Beercules"]].
* LargeHam: As seen in "The Naked Truth".
--> And I select, the BEAUTIFUL GAME! THE SWEEET SCIENCE! THE SPORT OF KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINGS
* NoodleImplements: "Edward Fortyhands" is this for the audience, as Ted refuses to tell details to his kids about a hardcore drinking game. The only things we know about the game is that it involves big bottles stappled to both hands with ducktape.
* PunnyName: His name can also be read as "Drunkenson".
* SuddenlySober: Near the end of the episode, he calls Marshall again completely clean, not remembering anything from when he was drunk, with only Lily's messages as clues.
* TeenyWeenie: Played with. Lily tries to use this as a blackmail so he would take down Marshall's video. It's then revealed Lily really has no idea, as she is just bluffing.
--> '''Lily''': Pete, this is Lily Aldrin. Gonna make this real simple. You’re gonna take that video of Marshall. You know why? Because I’m friends with three girls you dated in college, and girls tell each other ''everything'', every ''tiny'' detail. So tick tock, Pete. Tick tock on the ''little wee-wee'' clock.
-->'''Ted''': He’s got a little wee-wee?
-->'''Lily''': No idea. What’s everyone getting?

!!Kelly (Ahna O'Reilly)

The Mother's best friend and former roommate.

* TheChick: She is officially this for The Mother's group after Cindy gets to be TheLancer. She is girlier than Cindy and less bright (see TheIngenue below).
* FieryRedhead: She is outgoing, likes to party and tries at any cost to make The Mother move on with her live.
* HardDrinkingPartyGirl: She says she likes St. Patrick's Day because of the drinking and the partying.
* TheIngenue: It's revealed later she fell for Barney's Playbook page of "The Genie's Enchanted Penis".
* TheLancer: Formerly this before she moved out and Cindy replaced her as this.
* MsFanservice: She always wear tight and revealing clothes.
* ReallyGetsAround: Concedes Mitch a one-night stand with The Naked Man and falls for Barney's "My Penis grants wishes".

!!Darren (Andrew Rannells)
[[quoteright:167:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himym-darren_5612.jpg]]
The Mother's (former) bandmate, who slowly became lead singer and demoted The Mother as just basist. He is known for stirring up the drama just for fun.

* AmbiguouslyBi: Calls his victims "adorable" no matter what gender they are.
* AttentionWhore: He slowly took over The Super-Freakonomics as lead singer, after demoting The Mother to just bassist and just saying "Do you guys want more Darren?" after their faux endings.
* BaddieFlattery: His strategy always starts with some form of flattery, then jokes about how adorable and funny his victims are, to latter appeal to their hometowns.
%% * BeardOfEvil
* TheCharmer: Unfortunately. It's why it's so easy to trust him at first.
* ConsummateLiar: How he operates on daily basis. His favorite strategy is to include some tragic DisneyDeath (in this case literally) as a background. In one case, he claims [[Disney/{{Bambi}} His mother died on a Hunting Trip]]. In another, [[Disney/TheLionKing his father was betrayed and murdered by a trusted advisor]].
-->'''Linus''': It's so inspiring how he overcame his mother being eaten by a barracuda.
--> '''The Mother''': Gah! It's ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo''! ({{Beat}}) That's new...
* EvilCounterpart: Overall, he's basically Barney without a HiddenHeartOfGold. [[AndZoidberg And suits]].
* FauxAffablyEvil: He comes initially as a nice charming guy, to later reveal his true motivations to create chaos.
* ForTheEvulz: He has no other motivation to mess up with random friendship rather than creating drama.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: In his case "Flaming Eyes of Doom".
* KickTheSonOfABitch: Or to be more precise, punch.
* LaserGuidedKarma: After causing havoc the whole weekend, finally gets this [[spoiler:when Ted punches him for making him drop the last Glenn [=McKenna=] bottle]]. This props for [[spoiler:him to quit Super-Freakonomics because of his black eye and give back the band to The Mother]].
* ManipulativeBastard: He manipulated The Mother into inviting him to the Band, where he started to steal the spotlight and slowly take over. His favorite strategy. Plays and flatters his future victims so later he can get them to reveal personal feelings. And then spills the beans to create conflicts.
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Subverted. His attempts against the gang succeeded in creating drama between Robin and Lily, and also Ted and Barney. In the end, as they are TrueCompanions, the conflicts only made the friendships stronger.
* TheSmartGuy[=/=]TheEvilGenius: He is the most cunning and manipulative of The Mother's group of friends. Also pair this with his {{Troll}} tendencies and his status as the TokenEvilTeammate.
* TheStarscream: The final step in his ploy to take over the band was to kick The Mother out.
* TokenEvilTeammate: Combine this with everything above. By far, he is the only evil acquaintance of The Mother.

!!Louis (Louis Ferrigno Jr)

The Mother's long term boyfriend before she meets Ted.

* TheBigGuy: From The Mother's group of friends. He met her when she needed help to carry her amplifier, and also is the most muscular of the group.
* NiceGuy: He is genuinely polite and interested in The Mother, and backs when he initially falls for The Mother's joke about being underage.
* NoSparks: The Mother finally realizes she was not in love with him after nearly two years of dating.
* RomanticFalseLead: We ll know The Mother and him are not going to last, since she has to meet and marry Ted in the end.
* SatelliteLoveInterest: His only roles are only to be The Mother's (temporary) boyfriend.
* TallDarkAndHandsome: He is good looking and OneHeadTaller than The Mother.

!!Mitch "The Naked Man" (Adam Paul)

Robin's date who later shares with the gang "The Naked Man" move. [[spoiler:He is also The Mother's former music teacher at band camp]].

* BrutalHonesty: He's ''very'' upfront about his shortcomings, and knows the "I'm Not a Slut Date" when he's on one, and won't hesitate in telling you that.
-->''"Say what you will... at least the Naked Man is honest."''
* HeelRealization: He tells [[spoiler: The Mother]] how lost he was, until one day he realized his GoalInLife had to be centered in one dream.
* InUniverseNickname: He is mostly referred as "The Naked Man" by the gang.
* KavorkaMan: And he knows it.
* NakedPeopleAreFunny: Which is the entire core of "The Naked Man". The girl finds him naked in the livingroom, finds it awkwardly funny and has sex with him.
* NominalHero: Played with. Barney and Ted consider him this.
* RuleOfThree: How "The Naked Man" works. "Two out of Three" chances of success.
* SelfDeprecation: He is aware he is not handsome or rich, so he resorts to "The Naked Man" when he knows the girl won't give him a second chance.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: [[spoiler:He is the reason why The Mother enrolls in Columbia University's Economics Major, by giving her a heart-felt advice about how to mold her life choices from now on.]]
* UrbanLegends: "The Naked Man" basically becomes this in universe.

!!Chloe (Creator/MorenaBaccarin)
A GirlOfTheWeek who flirts with Marshall during the period he and Lily have broken up. Ted and Barney suspect she has "Crazy Eyes".
* CuteAndPsycho: What Ted and Barney suspect she is. [[spoiler:Turns out she was indeed crazy after she trases the apartment while alone.]]
* PerpetualSmiler: Never not with a gorgeous smile on her face. [[spoiler:Even after she destroys everything in the apartment.]]
* PunnyName: Chloe is evocative of the word crazy.
* RomanticFalseLead: Marshall considers having a date with her, since it'd be the first step into moving on from Lily. [[spoiler:We all know Lily and Marshall were bound to get back together.]]
* StepfordSmiler: During the whole episode she is always calm with a smile [[spoiler:even after trashing Ted and Marshall's apartment]].
* UnknownRival: To Lily.
* WomanScorned: After being neglected by Marshall in the apartment, she smashed things and claimed that she "lost her keys".

!!Randy Wharmpess (Will Forte)

A clumsy co-worker of Marshall and Barney at GNB.

* BelatedHappyEnding: Randy's final scene in the series shows that the Wharmpess brand of beer manages to become successful.
* CantGetInTroubleForNuthin: Played with during his Send-off episode. Marshall wants to keep him working at GNB because he thinks firing Randy would make him a merciless GNB bastard, when in reality Randy ''wants'' to get fired so he can get his severance check. Since Marshall won't fire him, Randy trashes his office on purpose. Later, Marshall realized firing him would help realize his dream.
* EpicFail: The man is this Walking-Trope. He is said to be a former cop, who was fired after he accidentally shot himelf on the foot.
* GeorgeJetsonJobSecurity: He is a terrible employee, which is a miracle he hasn't been fired long ago. When Marshall finally has to fire him, he is far from sad.
--> '''Randy''': (In his mind) I'm fired, great. This is the [[NoodleIncident candle kiosk at the mall]] all over again. Wait a minute... I get a severance check! If I don't shred it, I can use that money to start my own brewery! Imagine a beer with my name on it! [[PunnyName Randy Wharmpess]], this is the best day of your life!
* GoalInLife: His lifelong dream is to launch his own beer label "Wharmpess".
* HeroWorshipper: He admires Barney, to the point he follows religiously his blog and wants him as TheMentor to pick up chicks.
* HiddenDepths: He is a really good beer brewer.
* TheKlutz: Can't do anything right without causing wrecks.
* {{Nosebleed}}: Which happens everytime he has an erection. Barney eventually uses this to get him laid with a girl [[BlatantLies "It's an internal wound from his former Police Service"]]
* PunnyName: His last name Wharmpess, can also be pronounced as "Warm Piss". Randy also wants to call his beer "Everyone will soon enjoy a ''Wharmpess''".
* PluckyComicRelief: He is clumsy, a terrible employee, but a genuinely NiceGuy.

!! Mary (Erin Bartlett)

Ted's first GirlOfTheWeek after his and Victoria'breakup. He met her courtesy of Barney. She is a paralegal.

* EveryoneLovesBlondes: The three male leads all agree that she's hot.
* HelloAttorney: A very, ''very'' hot paralegal.
* MistakenForProstitute: Justified since Barney actually told Ted and the gang that she's a hooker. Mary was ''not'' amused.
* MsFanservice: Her hotness is exploited by Barney (See above).
* NiceGirl: Very polite and cheerful, and bonds with Ted after she makes a Star Wars joke. Pity he ruined it by thinking she was a hooker.
* SecondaryCharacterTitle: Appeared in the episode "Mary, the paralegal".
* SixthRanger: Temporarily.

!! Cassie (Anna Camp)

A girl Ted during [[spoiler: Barney and Robin's wedding]].

* BrokenBird: The universe seems to really hate her this weekend.
* ButtMonkey: Her entire scenes shows just how her life sucks.
%% * EveryoneLovesBlondes
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Apparently, no one likes her.
* GirlOfTheWeek: Averted. Ted blatantly said that they didn't get together.
* RomanticFalseLead: Her whole role in the season is to prevent Ted from hooking-up with someone there, since in few days he would meet The Mother.

!! Royce (JudyGreer)

One of Ted's GirlOfTheWeek whom he was dating when he first saw TheWeddingBride.

* BrokenBird: She was left at the altar three times, has a [[TheGamblingAddict gambling addiction]], lives in a studio apartment with her brother and [[IncestSubtext even shares a bed with him]].
* CelebrityParadox: TheWeddingBride stars Creator/MalinAkerman, whom Judy Greer co-starred in Film/TwentySevenDresses.
* HeroesWantRedheads: She is a redhead and dates TheHero of the show [[GirlOfTheWeek for a while]].
* IncestSubtext: She lives with her brother? That's fine. Sharing a bed with him as adults? That is ''[[{{Squick}} not]]'' fine!
* NotSoDifferent: Subverted. At first Ted is wary to be with her because she has too many issues, but he learns that everyone has issues of their own. However, when he learns that she has ''too much'' issues, Ted gets disturbed and discouraged with her.
* StatuesqueStunner: Judy Greer is 5'8.
* TomboyishName: Royce is mostly used as a man's name.
* TooMuchInformation: If she didn't spilled the IncestSubtext, she probably wouldn't have freaked Ted out.

[[/folder]]

* OldShame: Robin Sparkles. "Let's go to the mall! *forced chuckle* Today!"

* FandomNod: Her ShipTease with Ted is [[WordOfGod inspired]] by the popular [=WMGs=].

* FakeAmerican: The implied American Lesbian Robin is played by Canadian Cobie Smulders.

* FakeNationality: Marshall Manesh is from Iran, hence, his Farsi monologue in "Ducks vs. Rabbits".

* FakeNationality: James Van Der Beek is American.

* FakeNationality: Nicole Scherzinger is American.

* FakeNationality: While the show implies he is Latino, Enrique Iglesias is Spanish.

* TheDanza: He is played by ''Louis Ferrigno Jr.'', son of [[Series/TheIncredibleHulk Lou Ferrigno]].

* ActorSharedBackground: Like Ted, Josh Radnor is from Ohio.

* TalkingToHimself: [[spoiler:He has is biggest epiphany while talking to the "ghosts" of present-Lily, 2006-Lily, his father and (briefly) Robin.]]

A news reporter from Canada who Ted [[LoveAtFirstSight falls for at first sight]] in the PilotEpisode but their inherent differences (Ted is ready to settle down, she is MarriedToTheJob) prevent anything between them at first, although they do explore their feelings for each other throughout the series. Regardless, she mixes in well with the gang and becomes best friends with Lily. Her independent nature gives her a fun mix of geeky/guyness, which has even attracted Barney to her in a real relationship. [[OldShame Her history as a brief Canadian pop star "Robin Sparkles"]] becomes a RunningGag throughout the series.

* ActorSharedBackground: Like Robin, Cobie Smulders is from Canada.

* ColorMotif: Aside from being known for her yellow umbrella, WordOfGod practically stated that she'll be wearing [[GracefulLadiesLikePurple purple]] when she meets Ted. This is supported by the fact that [[RomanticFalseLead Victora]] ([[WhatCouldHaveBeen the originally planned mother]]) wearing a purple dress in "Drumroll, Please".

* ManicPixieDreamGirl: In her introduction. Justified due to the WhatCouldHaveBeen below.
* MeaningfulName: Subverted due to the WhatCouldHaveBeen below. Basically, she was originally planned to be the woman to ultimately ''win'' Ted's heart (and vice versa).

* RomanticFalseLead: In part because of the way a show is produced she [[WhatCouldHaveBeen was actually intended to be "the mother"]] if the show didn't get picked up from the initial episode order. Her first appearance at the end of "The Wedding" was made flexible so that they could go either way on that. Because of that she was written as being a very good match for Ted on just about every level and in spite of being in only a few episodes that made [[EnsembleDarkhorse her become a beloved character]] among the fandom.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: WordOfGod tells us that she would have been the mother if the show hadn't gotten a second season.

* ActorAllusion: Being a doctor on ''{{Scrubs}}'' as well, Sarah Chalke as Stella doesn't look all that much different from Elliot.

* HeyItsThatGuy: Michael Gross's most famous part was as Alex's father, Steven Keaton, on Series/FamilyTies.

* TheOtherDarrin: In his first appearance, he's played by EricBraden. Then in the later episodes, he's eventually played by RayWise.

* FakeNationality: Lucy Hale is American.

* FakeNationality: Tracey Ullman is British.

* FakeNationality: The implied Hispanic Mustache Marshall is played by American Jason Segel.

* FakeNationality: Implied to be from Eastern Europe. Alysson Hannigan is American.

* FakeNationality: Mexican wrestler Ted is played by American Josh Radnor.

* ActorAllusion: Made lots of Series/{{Lost}} references. Jorge Garcia, of course, played Hugo Reyes aka Hurley in that series.

!! Son (DavidHenrie) and Daughter (LyndseyFonseca) Mosby

* ExactWords: Marshall never lies to Lily. However, he may not tell her everything. For example, when she asks him a question, he may respond "yepskerdoodle" which doesn't actually mean "yes" as it's a made up work. Or if she calls him at work, he has said that he's working on a "big case"... he just neglected to mention it's a big case of beer.

* FrequentlyBrokenUnbreakableVow: Marshall usually vows to not get drunk ever again, which happens 3 times after said vows.

* StraightGaz]: Turns out [[spoiler: James cheated on Tom with Gary Blauman]]. After this revelation is known, Ted realizes [[spoiler:Blauman was really trying to hit on Ted]] (althought everyone else just let Ted belief that).