About the Mother from How I Met Your Mother.
March 4, 2008
I feel that a big question for How I Met Your Mother fans has always been “Who is the mother?” And while we don’t have a definite answer, we can take what we do know so far and begin to formulate some ideas. This is a long one so go grab a drink and pull up a chair. By the way, HIMYM returns to us on March 17th! So hopefully soon there will be more to add to this list! Disclaimer: I love theories, but I have not posted anything here that cannot be backed up. Enjoy!
Who we know is NOT:
1. Robin is not the Mother. We learn this in the first episode and and it is reconfirmed countless times in all 3 seasons. No matter how much people “want it to happen, ” it just won’t. Get used to disappointment. In fact, for those still
letting the thought wonder in the empty space in your head let me share the best explanation / recap on the subject from tv.com forum user RUdaPs:
To explain the surprise of the “…and that’s how I met your Aunt Robin.” line in the pilot…
If you pay attention throughout the pilot, Future Ted always says things like “…and then I went to her apartment.” The assumption is that the kids are thinking the whole time that “she” and “her” are their mother because Future Ted says that he’s telling the story of how he met their mother. The only thing is, he doesn’t say a name. So at the end when he says “…and that’s how I met your Aunt Robin.” the kids are surprised.
It’s like watching “The Sixth Sense” for the first time. (If you haven’t seen it and would like to you should stop reading this and skip to the next paragraph.) You always assume that Bruce Willis is alive but it is never clearly stated. Then if you go back and watch it again, you realize that only the kid talks to him throughout the movie. Even though you thought it was obvious the story was about one thing it was clearly about another and you can go back and see what it was really about
2. The string of possible girls throughout Season 1. There was Natalie (Return of the Shirt), Ted’s old girlfriend, who knew Krav Maga. Coat Check Girl (OK Awesome), that Carter Bays even joked that if the writers strike ruined the show for good, she was the mother. Even though we never meet her (which would be a great idea for this season…hint, hint), the Slutty Pumpkin (from oddly enough the episode called the Slutty Pumpkin). Dr. Sara O’Brien (Matchmaker), the engaged 9.6 match found by love solutions. Trudy (the Pineapple Incident), who came back in the Third Wheel…let me side track here for a moment. Ted only says “I left Trudy a message, but she never called me back”…to me this implies he never saw her again, but I suppose that was the way around things for that episode (that and “Some stories you tell, some stories you don’t”…seriously, would would ever tell their kids they rode the tricycle)…anyhow moving on. There was Victoria from episodes 12-18, she was great, would have been nice, but she won’t be back (at least not as marriage material). Let’s not leave off Mary the Paralegal (and that is a shame…but when you don’t laugh it just seems mean). And I can sum all these up as “not the mama” because in the episode Lucky Penny from Season 2, Ted says:
“My destiny was to stay in New York. Because if I hadn’t, I never would have met your mother.”
Thus saying that up to this point, he has not met the mother yet, so we have not seen her. Take a moment and let that sink in if you need to.
3. Ted’s soul mate. Let’s camp on this one for a moment. Season 1 episode 21, Milk, the dating company finally comes through and finds Ted’s soul mate. Now if #2 is true then she could be included in that group. However, Ted never actually met her in person. Will this be a loophole? Will she ever play back in? I leave it to you…personally I feel, the “Soul Mate” is out of the picture or at very least not the mother…I just felt she needed to be mentioned.
4. The girls form Season 3 (so far). Well Season 2 was a wash as far as “the mother” because Ted was with Robin the whole time. And in Season 3 so far I don’t think we have seen any potential for a “mother character”. In some of the recent interviews with the creators of HIMYM they confirm this thought (more or less). In the Platinum Rule, Ted say something about that being all with Dr. Stella for now…but I seriously doubt she is the mom…and here is why….
WHAT WE DO KNOW SO FAR:
1. Her name. Now this is just a theory but it seems to be a pretty strong one. The mother’s name is Tracy…don’t believe me? Season 1 Episode 9, Belly Full of Turkey, at the end of the episode a “burlesque entertainment artist” approaches Ted and says what he did was sweet… She says “I’m Amber”…then says “Actually, I’m Tracy”… then future Ted’s (Bob Saget) voice pops in and says “And that kids is the true story of how I met your mother.”
The kids are blown away surprised. He does say he is kidding…however ponder this if you will…why would the kids even believe it for a moment if their mother’s name was not Tracy?
*Update: Here is some more info on the Tracy Theory.
2. They meet in New York. This is a slight assumption too, however in Lucky Penny he says if he wouldn’t have stayed in New York he would have never met her.
3. The Yellow Umbrella. Season 3 episode 1, Wait for It, Ted says, “Kids, there is more than one story of how I met your mother. You know the short version, the thing with your mom’s yellow umbrella…” So we don’t know much, but we do know there is a yellow umbrella involved (You can thank Captain Obvious for that one).
All in all this is just what I have picked up so far…If you find something I have missed then let us know. Enjoy. Share. Comment. Be Awesome.
Also if this is yoru first time here be sure to check out the How I Met Your Mother Show Reviews for the lastest info “the mother”.
Posted in Television, how i met your mother
BAI rss
March 4th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
I’m a firm believer of the Tracy theory. I’ve been telling people that one since the first season aired.
March 5th, 2008 at 7:38 am
I CAN’T WAIT for new episodes! I have to admit that I haven’t really kept track of the “mother” because I’m usually too busy laughing at something Barney says.
May 19th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
remember the same lucky penny episode
where robin n ted discuss who was actually responsible that they missed their flight(s)
robin and ted figure out the person responsible for them not making to chicago was who dropped the penny on the subway and can be traced only if he knew her
and ted said” I WISH I DID”
so person who dropped the penny is the mother
so we can try to conclude some thing abt the mother
a) her name is tracy
b) fond of coins
c) yellow umbrella
May 19th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
@neeraj…
You could have something there but I honestly feel as if that may be a bit of a stretch…I will re-watch the episode and get back to you on that.
June 1st, 2008 at 2:05 pm
I have my doubts about the Tracy theory. Even though she claimed her “real” name was Tracy, no dancer would give out a real name, so it is quite possible that was another fake. As far as the kids reaction, I know personally that if my dad told me he met my mother while she was stripping, my reaction would be utter disbelief for a moment before actually processing the information and thinking logically about it. I seriously doubt the writers would have wrote themselves into a corner by nailing down the name of the mother that early in the show.
June 1st, 2008 at 2:47 pm
Jason,
I can respect your theory doubts…but consider this:
1. There have already been instances of the writers writing themselves into a corner. Consider Ted’s 30th birthday and the goat. Despite the eventual ending of the episode, the writers still had to explain the goat on the birthday.
2. The dancer gave her “fake name” first (Amber) then said she was actually Tracy…either way, that wouldn’t matter so much as…
3. The kids reaction. This proves it beyond a doubt…because while yes, it would be shocking like that however, unbelievable if the name didn’t match.
For more info read this post: The Name Tracy Theory, and thanks for visiting.
June 18th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
One observation (also occurring in “lucky penny” was the comment that the person who got the job had to relocate to ORD “in 3 years” - this episode was set in 2006 - leading you to believe that if he had relocated (in 2009) he would not have met their mother…. So we can assume that he does not meet her until an episode that is set in 2009 or later.
I rarely find good TV but this show, two and a half men, rules of engagement and big bang are some of the absolute best on TV in a long long time.
June 19th, 2008 at 7:43 am
Excellent observation Lee… I often wonder how much the writers mean to trap themselves into somethings (ex. the goat, Tracy, etc..) and how much the fans just pick up on and enforce as gospel?
Thanks for the visit!
June 21st, 2008 at 8:32 pm
Retraction time!!!!!!
Coincidentally, my TiVo recorded “lucky penny” sometime recently… My fiancee was watching it while I was reading the paper. I did however hone in on a couple of parts and noticed I was mistaken in my earlier post. And quite honestly the correct information is not near as interesting…
It was actually 2007 not 2006. and he said 3 MONTHS not 3 years. So that clearly makes it less of a revalation. Sorry for the confusion.
July 4th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
I think I MAY know what the mother looks like!
In season 3 episode 12 where ted goes to the saint patrick’s day party with barney, at the start of the episode ted says that the mother was at that party…. then later when he goes over to barney to tell him that ashlee is married he bumps into a girl says “oh im sorry” and she replies “thats ok”. Why would they put that bit in there if she was not the mother? Plus she kinda looks like the daughter!?
Thats my theory let me know what you think.
July 13th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Me again!
I saw somthing else in the episode that kinda points to that girl ted bumps into being the mother, its not huge but i think its something…
At the start of the episode (season 3 episode 12) where they show the mother with her yellow umbrella going into the club, you can see if you look closely that she is wearing blue jeans, and guess what the girl ted bumps into is wearing?…. thats right BLUE JEANS!
again let me know what you guys think
July 24th, 2008 at 9:46 am
Ok folks. At work today, I was watching the first episode of HIMYM on my new sweet, awesome iPod Classic 80gb. My job is quite lame, and I got a lot of time to spend.
Anyhow, about the Tracy-theory:
Robin is named several times, and even introduces herself. And yet at the end of the show, the kids are surprised that he talked about Robin.
Therefor, it leads me to the conclusion that future-Ted does not reveal the names of some of the people in the episodes.
Bam. Lawyered.
July 29th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
Wow..How did I miss all there comments!
@ Lee - thanks for the retraction. I suppose I should follow up on these things more instead of taking them as Gospel.
@Steve - I have read and discussed this with quite a few people on some different sites, and while we know that “the Mother” was at that party, very few people think the girl Ted bumps into is “the Mother.” Mainly because we believe the writers like screwing with us but also because though intense HDTV analysis many have concluded that the shoes of the “party bump” girl and “the yellow umbrella were different”…I think the jeans look different too but I digress. Good thoughts either way.
@Ludde kic….I’m not typing all that…anyways. - First off, congrats on having an awesome 80gb ipod…also on having a job like that; However, you should probably use it to watch the episode once more because throughout the entire episode Robin’s name is NEVER mentioned. Not during the intro, not during the news cast, nada, nill, nothing…(so much for lawyered…but good use of the phrase)
Also, in the episode “How I Met Everyone Else” from Season 3 he tries to remember a name and says he can’t so calls her “Bla Bla”, this shows that the names are important enough to make mention of not remembering/ mentioning one.
So I guess what I’m trying to say is…oh hold on, I need to make a call..
Hello, Leg factory?
Yea Ludde needs something to stand on…
What?!? Nothing for him to stand on.
Well thanks…
August 8th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
Hold on to your seats cuz ima about to drop some premium knowledge brau(bro)
It cant be the girl from the party because near the end of the episode ted says that their mother was at that party he just didn’t meet her, and hes lucky he didnt cuz she wouldn’t have liked him.
LAWYERED
August 8th, 2008 at 7:23 pm
@nahom…another good point to add to the “not the girl Ted bumps into” theory. I could get more technical but I’ll stand with just my original explanation earlier… This seems to keep coming up..Maybe time for an updated post.
August 13th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
Technically Ted did not meet the girl form the party, they just bumped into each other. The girl that he bumped into was wearing jeans and was carrying a burgandy pocketbook. I kept rewinding and viewing the beginning sequence that showed the girl with the yellow umbrella in line, the pants look close, though the girl in line appears to have baggy pants as opposed to the girl he bumps into. Also in the opening scene there is no clear view of the umbrella girl carrying a pocketbook.
August 25th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
now in the 1st episode
ted says” and there she was”, then a break…….
then barney breaks in and directly introduces him to robin……….
and we all know that barney has crush for robin and it could have been possible that he thought ted saw robin first, so as a wingman he should give robin to ted…….
so guys its possible that the mother was there in the first episode but not introduced…..
Then in second episode he says he was seeing robin and also in bla bla episode, but those statements could be made to make ppl believe that he had seen robin…..
September 9th, 2008 at 1:42 am
Hey guys
What if those are not his kids?
Then Robin is not their mother and he marrys Robin.
Yepeee.
September 11th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
guys
there are three episodes which gave me an idea of flaws and may be an idea who the mother could be, ofcourse it can be a stretch but i’ve been watching himym quiet a lot lately….
season 2 episode 4- ted moseby architect
1. ted talks to a random girl in a bar, but never introduces himself…..
2. barney steps in and impresses the girl in his own way taking ted’s name….
3. barney and the girl end up sleeping together and barney says her name was anna, and while writing her name on the letter he forgets her name, so was her name really anna???
4. anna was brunette….
season 3 episode 14 bracket
1. there is a girl who is sabotaging barney’s deal with girls
2. he has problem remembering name, alan aulda or something which reminds him…
3. the search begins, and there are some dreadful reasons why a girl wold hate barney, but anna reason is not one that could take her to top 4….
4. barney remembers her name(strange)!!!!!
season 3 how we met each other episode
1. there seemed to be a lie/manipulation which was told by characters during their first meeting, barring robin and ted
2. if there was a lie/manipulation in ted meeting the mother then barney taking his name could be one………..
and the whole theory that the children had done a bit with the mother in season 2…..
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:17 pm
[...] my reason for disagreeing because of the name Tracy theory and the article on what we do know about the mother. Luckily for me (hooray), Sarah seemed to agree saying: “I don’t think I am, I have no idea, [...]
November 23rd, 2008 at 11:13 am
I just noticed something in one of the episodes that might mean something? It stood out in my head as a clue with regards to who the ‘mother’ might be.. In season 3, episode 12 (the one about the St. Patrick’s day party and Ted taking the yellow umbrella at the end) he bumps into a woman at the club on his way to meet Barney at the bar - it seemed random because Ted and the mystery woman seem to share a little secret look and I don’t see how else him bumping into a stranger could have anything significant to do with the plot for that episode. What do you think?? We’re told that the ‘mother’ was at the party that night but Ted just didn’t meet her - maybe he only bumped into her?
December 7th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
@rishlin:
I love that theory…thats what my angle is on the whole things, coz im really rooting for robin and ted and i honestly cant imagine anyone who would be awesome enough to be accepted by the audience (thats what its about)…so I was looking all over for the scences of 2030, coz I’m pretty sure one of the kids says “Dad” at one point…couldnt find them…does anyone else have evident for or against that theory?
December 11th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
To paula & rishlin:
I had offerred this supposition to people over the years (more as a gotcha)… I would half jokingly say, “just because he calls them ‘kids’ and says ‘your mother’ doesn’t mean he is the father.” I also believed that supported the theory he could marry Robin.
HOWEVER I was watching sometime this year and do not have the recall to cite the episode - BUT, Ted is called “Dad” at some point by the kids. That shot my theory to hell…
It did not occur to me to post it here since I had not seen anyone else sharing that theory - plus hate publicly admitting when I am wrong!
December 25th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
i’m watching this show religiously… and in all honesty… i don’t think we have seen the mother yet, the writers are just messing with us. making us think we have.
December 28th, 2008 at 10:57 pm
I have to agree with some of you that the whole mother thing still could be aunt robin and uncle ted
December 31st, 2008 at 1:24 pm
I’ve just recently became a fan after getting the 3 season box set. I’m so intrigued by this storyline!!!
The “Tracy Theory” makes sense. The “Ted not the Kids Dad” makes sense too. I’m not too sure about the girl he bumped into at the St. Patty’s Day Party.
I want to bring up one awkward moment in Season 2. I would have to go back and watch it again, but I recall a moment at the bar where Ted & Barney were talking to each other. And there were 2 girls right behind Ted with their backs turned. It was awkward because while Ted & Barney were having this conversation, the camera seems to be focusing on these 2 girls. Did anyone get that feeling too?
I will need to get back to you guys on this!
December 31st, 2008 at 6:44 pm
[...] appearance of the goat (May 8, 2009…ahh, more goat clues…this is better than finding out who the mother [...]
January 5th, 2009 at 1:18 am
alright so the st. patrick day theory doesn’t hold cause if you look at what the “mother” is wearing in the beginning, baggy blue jeans, no clutch, and also you can see that she isn’t wearing a low cut top (take it frame by frame and you can see wear the skin ends, t-shirt, then coat.)
January 5th, 2009 at 1:29 am
i could be wrong cause i just noticed that at the end when he goes to grab the yellow umbrella there’s a clutch on the chair that’s the came color and type as the one the girl he bumped into was carrying.
maybe in a future episode when they meet, they just missed each other when she went back to get her things…recognizes her umbrella…icebreaker?!?
January 6th, 2009 at 1:33 am
update: ted is the father. first season, second episode, two minutes in: Future Ted tells kids how he said “I love you” to Robin on first date. Daughter says “Oh DAD!”
LAWYERED!! To Everyone with the Uncle Theory!
January 6th, 2009 at 9:41 am
Thanks kidani! I have been meaning to look more into the uncle theory because I honestly just didn’t believe it… I mean I love LOST and all but that plot line is way to far fetched for HIMYM.
January 7th, 2009 at 12:27 am
In the pilot in the first five minutes future ted says “back before I was Dad…” so the uncle theory is a no go.
But let’s all keeep in mind that many shows go back on earlier canonical material when it actually becomes successful.
January 7th, 2009 at 6:12 am
another thing - kinda supporting the robin-theory against everything else - at the end of the super-ball episode ted makes a generell statement about how you can still enjoy something although you know how it’s gonna end…so if you think about the whole story it’s always leading to robin and ted…i dont know how, but i still have hope that their is a weird twisted way in which it is possible
and more…considering the similarity between robin, her little sister (who looks like a young robin-version) and the daughter in 2030 sitting on the couch…how could it now be robin!?
January 15th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
I always wonder if we’re being played by the producers. As in: Maybe he and Robin did get married and the kids aren’t his. He always seems to (as far as my memory goes) refers to it as “your mother,” and not necessarily “my wife,” at least not in the flash-forwards.
January 19th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
Lots of stuff to reply to so here I go.
- is the girls Ted bumps into at the bar the mother? Maybe but I doubt it, I lean to towards “the writers are goofin’ with us” theory. I’ve listed my reason’s before and I shall not do it again here.
- the Uncle Ted Theory… this is total crap and I’ll tell you why, besides the other reasons that people have listed go re-watch “Season 2 Episode 1 - Where Were We?” at the very beginning Ted’s DAUGHTER says: “DAD can we just skip ahead to the part where you meet MOM?” …That would be a true use of the word lawyered. But this is fun, I love researching the theories.
January 20th, 2009 at 9:02 am
Tell me what you think ?
In the episode where Barney succeds in taking Ted at the Saint Patrick’s Club Party, ted says to his kids that its that night he met their mother. I truly believe that the future mom is that one girl he bumps into just before reaching for the bar where Barney is standing with the girl he finally hooks up with.
Any comments ?
( French Fan of HIMYM)
January 21st, 2009 at 8:25 pm
i think ted and robin end up together, it is inevitable thats the engine of the show. whether robins name isnt robin and “robin” is the name of some other chick in media thats friends with robin is a bit of a stretch and debatable. More than likely Ted is telling this story to the kids because they wondered what went wrong between ted and their mother and how they ended up split up. Either way ted and robin will be together in the end… im such a ted
January 26th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
okay, so I COMPLETELY agree with whoever said that the mother is the girl he bumps into at the St. Patrick’s Day party. At the beginning, when she is waiting to get into the club, under her umbrella you can see that she is wearing blue jeans. Then, is it really necessary for the show that Ted bumps into that woman? but oh.. what is this! the woman is wearing BLUE JEANS!!! I’m so convinced that woman is the mom! If not, writers, you suck!
January 27th, 2009 at 9:15 am
@bob… not to be mean, but have you read through all the info in the post and the comments? Nothing points to the Ted and Robin end up together theory other than a few fans who blindly want it to happen but won’t let the idea go! … plus how weird would it be for Ted to be telling how things went wrong with the mom and then keep calling Robin, Aunt Robin!
January 27th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
It is definitely not a robin… but somewhere on the web i found sth about wendy the weitress, but thats probably bullshit.
Do u think 5th season will end the show???
January 30th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
guys, I am TED MOSBY, SEX ARCHITECT!!! and I can without a doubt confirm that the MOTHER of my kids is…….my wife!
February 5th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
ITS TOTALLY VICTORIA!!! COME ON NOW……
February 8th, 2009 at 11:10 pm
Alright, not an answer as to who the mother is, but certainly an interesting idea. When older Ted talks to his kids, yes HIS kids, he always refers to the mother as “your mother”. He never once says “my wife”. What are the odds that the kids’ mother is NOT Ted’s wife? Maybe a one-night-stand? He’s explaining to his kids how he met THEIR mother, kind of like, sorry it happened this way, but… (Could this be the first time he’s meeting them and decides to explain things a little? Unfortunately, as I wrote this I realized that since they call him “Dad”, it’s probably not the FIRST time, but you see my point?) Now I know some are going to read this and say “one-night-stand? There’s two kids!” Can they not be twins? When are their ages ever mentioned? Don’t they look at least similar in age? I think that the whole storyline of Ted trying to find a wife is not necessarily the same story of how Ted met his kids’ mother. Ideas?
February 8th, 2009 at 11:19 pm
Me again! To some of those out there rooting for Ted and Robin to get married, it might be possible (but I am completely open to debate this). Take this as an example: Ted may have children with a woman, whether he marries her, never get married but live together, or just a one-night-stand went wrong as I suggested above. Providing that one woman is NOT Robin (as it can’t be due to the whole “Aunt Robin” thing), can’t Ted and Robin still get married? The mother isn’t Robin. Say the kids then live with their mother (whoever that may be), and NOT Ted. Ted visits or something and tells the story to HIS kids. Robin, being married to Ted, would be considered what to the kids then? Is it possible they call her “Aunt Robin” as nothing more than a term of endearment similar to how one might call an old friend of a parent?
Another theory (I’ve had too many and I just found out about this forum): How literal could the “Aunt Robin” be taken? Could the mother actually be Robin’s sister? I know she’s pretty younger than Ted, but isn’t it at least possible? Maybe it’s a LITERAL “Aunt Robin”… Besides, who can say without any hesitation that the kids DON’T look like Robin at least a little?
Go ahead now, bash my theories! I’m open to it
February 9th, 2009 at 6:15 pm
The theory about the kids being twins is absolute nonesense (or it would be a mistake by the editors again) because I have just read the script oft the pilote where it says that the boy is 14 and the girl 16, so i doubt that it was only a one-night stand. The theory about Robin’s sister being the mother sounds logical, but I think that the producers would not make it that easy for us to figure out, who the mom is (and by the way Lilly is called “Aunt Lilly” as well, so it could also be her sister)
My personal theory is that we never really saw the mother , except under her umbrella because the producers just need a broader freedom to make up some new stories to produce some more episodes. In the end they will show up with a constructed seemingly logical explanation of who the mother is, and we have no other chance but to wait for this day. (I think they neither know who the mom will be)
But I also hope that he might be married to Robin in the end, although she is not the mother of the kids (which would be kind of sad for the kids, when thinking bout it little longer ;))
February 11th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
Like I said Ted and Robin will end up together. Ted will not be with the mother of his kids. We know names have been changed in the show already, and lots of stuff has been misremembered. Sit Coms are not rocket science, they might go the friends route and make crazy things happen (joey and rachel = barney/robin) but we knew from the beginning rachel and ross would end up together. People like their comfort zones. And im not the one who is blindly rooting for Ted and Robin, but if you can see the outcome ahead of time it seems fairly logical to point it out. This show is not about the writing, albeit it has solid writing, but about the chemistry between the gang. Do not expect some crazy mind blowing finale where every clue falls in place. Its a sitcom, and a damn good one.
p.s. ted & robin 4 eva xxxooo
February 13th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
Great read so far. Thanks.
@Bob, this bit is great….. More than likely Ted is telling this story to the kids because they wondered what went wrong between ted and their mother and how they ended up split up
I really think Bob’s angle is interesting. Also, I haven’t seen the party episode so I must watch that. Not expecting anything so obvious though. I read somewhere that the writers did have a plan for the whole thing. Who knows? After George Lucas saying the whole Star Wars story was all planned at the very start, it’s made me not necessarily believe this kind of thing.
February 20th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
there is a slight possiblity in the tracy theory because of the way the kids react, but also observ to the way they react to other names such as “aunt robin” also another thing on the aunt robin am sure she will recognise her own sister in a strip club.
there is an episode in season three were future ted says listen closly now kids in this story i meet your mother but only for a second. ted is in a party an he bumps into a lady there i strongly believe this is the mother and it is a different person to tracy.
February 20th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
@tony, The “Tracy Theory” never states that the stripper was the mother, only that the mother’s name is Tracy
February 20th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
if they already know their mothers name why do they react only when ted says thats the true story on how i mer your mother
February 20th, 2009 at 10:38 pm
because Tony…the story wouldn’t be believable if he used a name they knew wasn’t their mothers.
February 20th, 2009 at 11:00 pm
has any ever thought that the kids dad was actually ted ive been watching HIMYM for a while now and not once have they mentioned ted in the future.
i will look into it but ive heard them say it
February 20th, 2009 at 11:02 pm
iam not sayin that why didnt they react when she says her name is tracy
February 20th, 2009 at 11:30 pm
@tony. Sorry Tony, you just confused me on the name thing. No worries.
However on the “is Ted the Dad” thing the credits always list him as “Old Ted” so that part has always been pretty much given. Good thought though, I like your thinking.
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:17 pm
Aaron,
I don’t know why you’re so hung up about the Tracy thing. It is an idea, but you keep praising it as the absolute truth. I completely understand your reasoning, but (and I know the idea has been brought up before, but you just shot it down and ruled your idea as fact) if Ted tells a story about a stripper and then says that she’s their mother, the kids are bound to react shocked at least for a second, which is only how long they do react. I think you’ll be upset to see when the mother’s name is NOT Tracy.
Also, has anyone ever tried pausing and/or zooming in on pictures around the room where the kids are seated? I did once and a guy who looks like Ted is with a blonde woman. I only tried for one episode though. It might change to throw us off, I don’t know. Also, I couldn’t zoom in and get a clear enough picture to even definitively say it was Ted, it just looked close. Can anyone get some clarification with that? Thanks
February 26th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
Another Thing which wasn’t mentioned till now:
Apparently, the mother has dark hair, at least at the wedding. Because in Episode 15 of season 2, when older Ted says his destiny was to stay in New York, you see the wedding, and for a tiny moment you see her hair and it’s dark brown or black…
February 26th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
I have a theory as well…regardless of who the mother is, I believe that in the future as future Ted tells the kids the story of how he met their mother that the mother is actually dead. This would make it possible for Aunt Robin and Ted to be together raising the kids which would be a pretty happy ending for those of us who like Ted and Robin together. It’s also a good explanation as to why Ted is telling this long drawn out story in this way about how he met their mother.
March 1st, 2009 at 12:48 am
Christine, the problem with your “the mother is dead story” is those kids would be waaaay more interested in this story if that were the case. Can you imagine, if their mom was dead, them sighing and rolling their eyes and sarcastically asking their dad if he could tell the short version of the story??? They’d want to hear every word about the mother they had lost. Every word he had to say.
I’m very interested in the “Ted and the Mother are Divorced” theory, though. That would explain very nicely why she’s always referred to as “your mother”. I know when my dad talks to me about my mother he just calls her “mom”…he would never use such a detatched phrase as “your mother”.
I think all these theories flying around about us already seeing the mother are crap (no offense!!!) Like the one about the mother being the girl from the St Patty’s Day party. Intriguing, but think about it. If this woman, who was in the show for a mere 5 second cameo, turns out to be the mother, you know the producers won’t get away with using some other actress when the time comes to reveal the mother. They’d have to get THAT WOMAN to play Ted’s wife. How are the producers supposed to be sure that this random extra is going to be free and available for a role on HIMYM sometime in the not-so-near future when the “mother” character is revealed? It’s just not practical at all.
March 1st, 2009 at 5:41 pm
hey guys,
I’ve read all your comments so far and would like to add something to it (altough some of it might be old news).
On the uncle theory: in season 4 when Ted and Stella break up there’s a flash-forward kids with blond hair and Ted says something like (I don’t remember exactly) that’s what you would’ve looked like if i’d married Stella. So that states Ted IS indeed the father.
On Robins’ sister being the mother: On the st. Patrick’s day episode we see the mother with a yellow umbrella standing in line for a club. But Robin’s sister is underaged! So she couldn’t even get into a club (Ted finds the yellow umbrella in the club so the mother has indeed been IN the club that evening).
btw, i like the Tracy-theory very much!! Never thought of that before reading these blogs.
March 4th, 2009 at 12:07 am
Maybe, in the st patricks day episode, as Ted finds the yellow umbrella belonging to the Mother, the Mother finds the cell-phone belonging to Ted. Robin was not at the party - so she could not be the Mother.
March 4th, 2009 at 11:47 pm
@Lily, well, wouldn’t they have already filmed that? The wedding is already shot, you just need to show the face. I think they could get away with it if they wanted. I just truly hope it is not Robin and they surprise us.
March 10th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
@Lily,
Regarding the St. Patrick’s Day party at the bar, they say several times that the mother is in fact at that party…
Also they don’t necessarily need to get the same exact extra for whenever they plan to reveal the mother. A similar situation occurred in season 3 with the whole mess regarding Barney getting slapped by the girls he hit on. The girl that talks to Lily (go figure) had curly blonde hair, but was NOT Britney Spears, who it turned out to be in a later episode. In the commentary with the Producers on that episode, they even say that it is not Britney, and that at that time they didn’t even think of getting her to do that scene, but things worked out that she wanted to come back and they wanted her back, so they elaborated on the character of that girl and gave Britney Spears the part.
The just is: It doesn’t need to be the SAME EXACT girl
March 11th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
First, I’d like to commend everyone on their comments and ideas. Its amazing how many clues have been researched. For my ramblings on who the mother might be, I have the following idea(s). If the Aunt/Uncle references aren’t merely titles given to friends of the family, then the only way I can think of them being actual Aunt’s and Uncle’s is for their to be a biological Mother that is related to either Barney, Lilly, Robin or Marshal. I will admit that I’m not an avid watcher as some of the people on this blog are, but I feel fairly certain that Barney could have a sister that he doesn’t yet know about. This would allow a story line to develope where one of Marshal’s brothers marries Robin’s sister. Robin would be married to Ted and the biological mother of the children would be related in an Aunt / Uncle type way to Lilly, Robin, Barney and Marshal.
Does meeting someone mean you at least exchanged names? I’m not sure if every person I’ve bumped into I would considered to have met.
That’s all I had for now. FLAME AWAY!
March 17th, 2009 at 1:03 am
New Theory!!! I just watched the latest episode about how Lily messed up 6 of Teds previous relationships one of which was Robin! The episode gets Ted and Robin talking about things and they both agree to be each others backups if they end up alone by age 40. Sooooo I think Ted meets the mother has the two kids but eventually they split up, leaving him and Robin to pick up there promise and they end up together in the end! Think about it, Robin doesn’t want kids and wants to be spontaneous, well that’s what is happening in this time Future Ted is talking about, shes doing her thing. Ted wants kids, wants to get married, so he does only to find out his marriage doesn’t end up working out. He still loves his kids he’s probably still friends with his ex-wife aka the mother…. ladeladela…. ends up with Robin under terms that fits both of there personalities! The story of how he met there mother was probably told on his “weekend” to have the kids or something! Here is a bit more hard evidence: In season 3 on one of the first few episodes Robin dates a guy with a kid and its weird to her cause she isn’t a kid person, and she thought the kid drew a picture of her that said “My new Mommy”. By the end of the episode, Future Ted says something about her ending up in some more drawings “yours” he says to his kids, then it showed pictures of them with aunt Robin. Why??? Because she and Ted end up together, she spends time with them because she is with Ted! That’s my story and I’m sticking with it. If anyone else agrees awesome, otherwise I’m going Han style…SOLO!
March 22nd, 2009 at 8:42 am
check out episode 12 season 3, when ted bumps into the chick at the club and says i’m sorry and the chick says oh thats okay and ted said he met her there, why would they just make that random bump from no reason? could be something there
March 24th, 2009 at 12:40 am
I think it is the girl from the wedding that baked to cake and works at a bakery because they never broke up by arguing they broke up because she had to leave to a different country and long distenece could not work for them
and the daughter looks like her a bit
March 24th, 2009 at 12:48 am
oh and its not robbin because thats the kids aunt so that means its robbins sister or he just says she a aunt
March 26th, 2009 at 3:25 am
@Marko: I may be mistaken, but I think the girl he bumps into is the one that orders drinks on the name Ted then picks up, so bumping into her could just be a way to build suspense and make us wonder if he will get caught.
I would also love Robin to be the mother, but the twist had to be a real good one considering the kids have a aunt names Robin.
I loved Victoria the baker, but bringing her back would be kind of lame imo.
March 26th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
I totally agree with you marko, i was just about to say that. about that random bump with the girl in the club she’s a brunette and ted does say he met her mother in the club and it did seem a bit too random
March 27th, 2009 at 7:52 am
listen all…. I will try not to say this is a rude way. I love the enthusiasm for the theories, really, but try to add to the discussion and not try to bring up the same idea (ex. girl from the St. Patricks Day party) like it’s something that no one has ever thought about or mentioned. That idea has already been brought up and discussed several times on this thread. Could she be the mom? Suppose so, but please, the discussion is better for everyone if you read through what everyone says and try to add & not rehash.
Thanks and as you were.
*this has been a public service announcement from aaron. If this was an actually emergency there would have been screaming, some gun fire, a rubber chicken, no fewer than 2 reference to Superman and possibly cupcakes at the end. Thank you.
March 27th, 2009 at 11:59 pm
About the Tracy theory: Sorry for x-posting, but I crafted this response to the “Tracy theory” post before realising I was a year too late for anyone to read it. So here goes:
——————————
No - it can’t be someone called Tracy; that would be attaching a name to it too early and the writers couldn’t be that short-sighted.
The fact that the kids were so shocked was that they thought Older Ted was implying their REAL BIRTH MOTHER was a stripper named Tracy. For all we know the woman they know as their mother is an investment banker called Mildred. Or a stripper named Jenny. Who knows. But I’m guessing that’s what they thought at the time. Old Ted knows who the mother is - the kids thought (for a split second, until he said it was a joke) that this was his way of telling them who their birth mother was.
It’s not like the kids were witnesses at their own births. They look close enough in age to either be twins, or that one couldn’t remember being at the birth of their younger sibling. I’m 3 years older than my little brother, and I don’t bloody remember him being born.
But then, that’s just my theory of this theory. I really think the Tracy thing is a very well-done red herring.
March 28th, 2009 at 1:00 am
Plus…if you look at the sitcom on the surface, it’s called “How I Met Your Mother”. If he already met her in S1 or something, surely the story of how he met their mother is over. What else is there to tell?
He hasn’t met her yet, otherwise the whole point of the show is over. It would be different if we didn’t see the kids reacting to Older Ted’s stories. If we had met her already, we would have seen a reaction from the kids…not 6 years later when they reference a character that’s already been introduced as the mother.
Unless…the kids REALLY don’t know who the (birth) mother is. Okay, so this is a completely new theory now!
March 30th, 2009 at 2:49 am
Personally, I think the Mother is the girl he bumped into at the party on St. Patricks Day. Why else would the writers put her in the scene??? Or in the show, even. And if not, I would have to say, I love the show (ALOT!!!) but if the silly writers don’t go on with the story line and tell us who the Mother is, I think the shows going to lose fans. All in all, it certainly is a great storyline, and the Mother is yet to be revealed.
P.S OMG! It’s sooo cute that Robin and Barney are going to get together though. Their so cute together!!!
March 30th, 2009 at 2:55 am
And no offence due JuliaJolie, but I highly doubt that the kids dont know who the mother is. Did you see how excited they where in the first episode when they asked “And thats how you met Mom?” They obviuosly thought that was going to be thier Mother. Dont forget they dont know what the Mother looks like, as it was a long time ago and they wouldve already spotted her out by now.
March 30th, 2009 at 2:58 am
And continuing on from JuliaJolies “Tracy theory”, Ted knew how much his kids just wanted to get the story over and done with, so he was probally just trying to mess with thier heads and annoy them.
March 30th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
one thing is clear the mother is ted’s wife and it is their children…….
i have probably seen each episode some 10 times and here are the clues which i could gather abt the mother
HAIR: she has brown hair, as the children- coz in an imaginary plot it was shown that children hair matched with stella. had he married her.
WHETHER SHE HAS COME IN THE SERIES: in “the spoiler alert” episode the gang says “that you knew it was around, but you would lose interest if you know it”- so i presume she has made an appearance .
NAME: i still back the tracy theory, coz there was a stress on the name tracy….
about no. of girls ted would have serious relationship: ans is 8 in “cockamouse” episode the marriage councilor said there are 8 women in new york
1. robin 2. skin specialist (same episode) 3. victoria 4. the girl ted was abt to meet but didnt go 5. stella 6.??? 7. ???? 8. ?????
in ted mosbey architect episode: ted:”just out of curiousity, if a guy told you that he was an architect, what will you think of that”
girl:” bla bla bla, how do you think mr. brady scored a babe like karen”
ted” solid poit, she did have hair of gold”
old ted”hmmmmm…..(you have to listen for it)”
and in barney’s recap there is no humming sound
April 1st, 2009 at 3:55 pm
neeraj,
What does the fact that Ted discreetly went “hmmmmmm…” have to do with anything? I don’t quite get it. I remember that episode and that part (i too watch the episodes very frequently). If you’re implying that since Older Ted “hmmm”s, as in agreement, somewhat reveals that the kids’ mother does in fact have blonde (or gold) hair, why did you say she definitely has brown hair? That’s the only thing I can think of why you would mention that little dialogue and it contradicts what you say about her having brown hair (which I too believe).
Also, try to take a good look at the trinkets and pictures when they show the kids. I’ve tried and it’s hard to make things out, but if you have a clearer picture than me, there might be clues…
April 7th, 2009 at 12:12 am
@Neeraj = HAIR: she has brown hair, as the children- coz in an imaginary plot it was shown that children hair matched with stella. had he married her.
==> with you on this one - and after the picture changed from the ’stella’ looking kids to the original ones, i thought, the girl really looks like Robin…so yes, i still want Ted to end up with Robin and i really do think that the son looks like ted jnr and the daughter looks like robin jnr…plus - robin has a lot more set up than just being uncle barney’s future wife…and yes you can now call me crazy
April 7th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
I read nearly all of the posts on this page and unless I just happened to miss one that has addressed this…I have to add my thoughts:
So many of you put your own personal context on these characters that it’s kind of funny. Someone who went through divorced parents thinks maybe they are divorced. You want Ted and Robin to be together because it would be nice? That must be it. I can’t even believe how obsessed anyone could be about a bit role someone played in an episode. If they showed the actressess face, do you really think they could be assured they’d get that same actress to come back and play “mom” 3-5 years later (assuming the show continues)? That’s a huge stretch, and considering how obsessed some *cough* people are about the most minute details of this show, it’s not like the writers wouldn’t know heads would explode scanners style if it’s not the same actress.
Has anybody considered that Robin and Ted split,…Barney or any of the other characters have kids. They are still close (as it seems they probably always would be). The biological parents (ie Barney or other main characters) die in a plane crash or car accident and the logical person(s) step in to raise the kids? Thus why he would go through a huge story about how he met their mom. He’s NOW their “dad” for all intents & purposes. This would also explain how Robin is their “aunt” and he’s their “dad”. There’s no reason why that doesn’t fit.
I’d say “LAWYERED”, but it seems that every time someone says that on here they are missing something pretty obvious.
Cheers,
Bryce
April 13th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
I cant remember what season this is attached to (either 1 or 2) but in the special features, we see interviews with the writers. The whole ‘how i met your mother’ story, is the writers’ personal story of how he met his wife.
The pilot episode and the finale has already been writen or at least thought of. All the rest in the middle are just to help make television - of which I am very grateful!! HIMYM FTW!!!
So obviously, they would have auditioned for the ‘mother’ and they have shot the wedding (already discussed further up).
Some good theories on this thread. Could they refer to Barney and Robin as Aunt & Uncle because they get married (Im half way through season 4 atm & Barney is trying so hard to get Robin!) Lily & Marshall are clearly Aunt & Uncle as they are married.
All will be revealed in the last episode! Oh why!!! haha
I dont think I can wait 10 years (ie what ‘Friends’ put us through!). But I guess the more HIMYM episodes, the better!!
Thanks
PS. Marshall has the right to use the phrase ‘lawyered’, because he is a lawyer…
I think we need an intervention!!!
April 17th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
In the episode where Ted and Barney go to the St. Patricks Day party at the club, Ted notes that their mother was at the party, and that she had that Yellow Umbrella. Now I think that he did meet their mother at that party, and she was the girl that he bumped into inside on the floor for like one second on the way to the bar to talk to Barney. Just my thoughts…and that one day on the show he will have that yellow umbrella, and she will note that she once had one but left it at a party…
April 22nd, 2009 at 12:05 pm
I am a longtime follower and fan of HIMYM. But to think that we know or have met the mother yet is completely idiotic and a waste of everyone’s time. I enjoy these theories, don’t get me wrong, but I strongly believe that even the writers have no idea who the mother will turn out to be. They are just worried about getting picked up next season.
The problem with the show is that it is episodic in nature, meaning that every episode is a self contained plot which operates within the general story arc of finding out who the mother is. The problem with that is now HIMYM has been doing sub story arc, i.e., Stella, Barney and Robin, Lily moving away, just to name a few. And these arcs must be closed eventually with some bad conclusion before the season ends incase CBS doesn’t pick it up again. The writers of the show are just leaving themselves an easy out in case CBS pulls the plug.
The Tracy Theory is entertaining but if to step back and take it in the context of the entire show, you realize that it is just a blunt oversight on the writer’s behalf. I am a big proponent of the girl in the St Patty’s Day bar. We know for a fact that she was there and that small encounter is too big of a thing to just be put in for no reason at all. We also know that the mother is a brunette (from the flash forward) and the girl for the bar is brunette is.
April 28th, 2009 at 7:48 am
I’m a firm believer in the fact that the writers are giving themselves “outs” every season in case they don’t get picked up again for another season (let’s hope not). i.e. there is a potential mother thrown up in every season (e.g. bump girl).
However if the seasons keep coming and the possible mothers keep building up they are actually writing themselves a whole heap of potential mothers to choose from in the end (or they could always make themselves a new one). At this point I think that bump girl would be too obvious and the writers could easily write the mother in as another girl at the bar.
I think that Robin could potentially end up married or at least in a relationship with Ted. What if Ted does find the kid’s mother but stays great friends with “Aunt” Robin and the mother passes away or they separate and Ted and Robin end up together just before the narration begins. However, I think that the writers are actually trying to swing the audience towards warming to the fact that Barney and Robin are going to end up together (Sorry Robin+Ted fans).
I don’t think that Robin’s sister is a candidate as Ted calls all the gang either “Aunt” or “Uncle”.
May 4th, 2009 at 9:30 pm
I think the creators know who they will make the mother out to be, because of the plot mirrors their lives. Marshall’s character is based on one of them, and Ted’s character is based on the other. The only thing we know is he met their mother before March 2014. In 2030 his daughter is 16 (season 1 ep 1 transcript states this) so the mother got pregnant 9 months before (maybe early 2014 and had baby end of ‘14. So at most we’ll only have to wait 5 more years. (At least we won’t have to wait longer, because of the kids ages being so close, 14 and 16, we can rule out sperm bank and surrogate mothers unless it’s the same surrogate mother for both kids) {How about that theory! LOL}
They may have left clues, but right now they are all just theories. It might be some big soap opera style explanation, no one knows.
I like this thread and hearing the theories, though. HIMYM is one of my all-time favorites. Maybe second behind The Wonder Years.
May 5th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
didn’t last night prove that Stella was the mom? I saw on Yahoo recap earlier that they are claiming that HIMYM revealed the mother on last nights show. and It was Stella. And are the kids his kids or are they the kids of someone else. like I could tell you the story of how I met your mother an dI could be called your uncle TED!! so what if they are his niece and nephew? or what if he is baby-sitting for one of his friends?
May 5th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
The story of How I met your mother doesn’t necessarily mean I’m your father!
(sorry about the triple posts)
May 5th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
Can I just say that people are really addicted in trying to find out who the mother is, myself include, hahaha ü. Don’t think to much of the Aunt Robin, Uncle Barney, or whatever Aunt or Uncle it is, it’s just basically a term some people use because they are close to that friend like a brother or sister. Since they have been friends for a long time, that’s what they use. And all we know from the St. Patrick’s episode that the mom owned the umbrella and that’s it, no need to think otherwise. For those who still want Robin and Ted, just want to say hope all you want, but don’t try to make sense of it, you’re not watching lost mixed with gossip girl, it’s how i met your mother, things doesn’t need to be complicated.
May 5th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
check out this guy’s piece of proof about Stella being the mom..very interesting
http://seat42f.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2245&Itemid=94
May 5th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
@Jason… I think the Yahoo story was jsut poor reporting. If you remember Shelter Island (i think that’s the ep) Ted goes on a flash forward to blond kids then says but it didn’t happen like that and..yatta yatta, Stella wasn’t the one.
I think it’s more likely that Stella either introduces the mom or brings about some cause and effect time in Ted’s like much like this episode. I went here because…
also no worry on the post thing.
@HeS..you hit it on the head. We are addicted to knowing!
May 5th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
In the episode where Ted meets Stella, Stella does mention that the only time she ever went out in the last year was to a St. Patty’s Day party as well. But I have a feeling that the umbrella doesn’t even belong to Stella, just someone she knows, and Ted is going to spend time searching for her. I really doubt Stella is actually the mother.
May 5th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
I don’t think this was mentioned yet but on the dvd (I wanna say 1st season) in the special features the writers say that the final episode has already been written they just don’t know how many episodes (or seasons) will come in between. I also think, not saying that these theories arn’t interesting, but you guys are reading way to far into this. The show is called “How” I met your mother not “Who” is your mother. It is about the journey that led him to meet their mother so much more so than finding out who their mother is. So to say the writers can’t make any strange turns at any moment for the sake of good tv would be foolish on your part. I am 99.9999% confident that if you really think the wife’s name turns out to be Tracy you will be sadly disappointed. I bet the writers didn’t even realize that scene would cause such a stir. I for one haven’t enjoyed a show as much as this one in some time so I don’t wish to find out who the mother is anytime soon because that means that will be the end of the series.
May 5th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
check the cast for episode 88
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1425523/
Christine Scott Bennett … Tracey
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2320532/
So assuming the Tracy Theory is right, she has to be the mother..
May 5th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
If we have seen the mother before i think it’s the girl Ted bumps into in the episode “No Tomorrow”. The mother was at that party and it was so fast that he could have forgotten, but a cool flashback for us!
May 5th, 2009 at 9:29 pm
@YoubeCrazy… yea it’s all been mentioned before but thanks anyhow.
@Alexander… “if” we have seen her it’s her, but I really don’t think it is. Seemed like too obvious of a moment to me. Who knows though. Maybe the next two eps will give a reveal.
May 6th, 2009 at 11:24 am
As for Stella being the mother I very much doubt that.
Drawing on other theories (theories yes I know) about names, there is no way the kids wouldn’t pick up on the fact that Stella was a doctor same as their mother (if indeed Stella is the mom). Also, there is an episode, I cannot remember which, wherein you see a possible future where the kids look different and Stella shows up while Future Ted is telling the story. So I very much doubt Stella is the mother. Everything in the show is about the person he had to become before he could meet and get together with their mother.
This last episode shows the moment where the direct chain of events leading to “how he met their mother” begins. At least that’s how I see it. I don’t think we’ve seen her yet.
May 6th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
The mother should be Victoria(Ashley Williams)! Are there any theories on her??
May 6th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
Ok — I read most of the entries… I think the episode “Milk” where that dating service finally finds Ted’s “soul mate” was talking about the Mother. I need to re-watch the episode when I get home, but I’m pretty sure the “soul mate’s” name was Tracy… I could’ve sworn the name was mentioned… and it would play into the whole “Tracy Name Theory.” I always thought that the “soul mate” he blew off for Robin was her… What do you think? Anyone remember that episode?
May 6th, 2009 at 7:27 pm
hey guys i dont think its stella, cause heres why…
he says if he hadnt done all those things he wouldnt have met the mother…well if he hadnt done all those things he wouldnt have met stella either…so by meeting stella at this time, they talk maybe become friendly, whatever, and through her he meets the mother, hence meeting stella at that corner helps him meet the mother…
also (this is me being very picky and i personaly dont think the writers think this closely but who knows) in this episode, ted has a yellow umbrella, which if u watch closely has the same opening strap on it as the one in the opening of season 3. and ted says theres several stories about meeting his mother, what if he soon meets the mother, gives her the umbrella for whatever reason in some episode, and only ends up meeting her again becaues it blows away.
personaly idk if any of this is right or wrong, but im gut says he really “met” the mother…possibly a minor character from an episode like “ok go” or “the st. pattie day party” could return but no one major
May 6th, 2009 at 11:28 pm
on the yellow umbrella theory…everytime someone is holding a yellw umbrella doesnt mean thats the mother, its just building suspence and stuff, i think its just a reminder of the subtle clues of who the mother is
also the tracey theory…i think that just people looking too far into it, he doesnt tell his kids every detail that we see in the show, the truth is what we see as an audience is more detailed than the story the kids are getting…so when she says her realy name is tracey, and we jump on a name, all the kids got was “so i started talking to a stripper and thats how i met you mother” im not saying that the tracey theory is wrong, and the fact that someone is cast as a tracey in an upcoming episode has me very excited, but i just want to offer this as an alternate theory that its not deffinate
also i personally wanna see robin end up with barney, and she isnt the mother of the children because seaon 3 episode 4 little boys, ted tells the kids how from a young age they made pics of them with robin, all labeled aunt robin, so ted could still end up with robin like in several other theorys, but still shes not the mother of the kids on the couch
May 7th, 2009 at 5:28 am
well, with the yellow umbrella episodes(Season 3 episode 1 and Season 4 EP 22). Who got the umbrella at the first place?………………….want to know XD
May 7th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
@The Tracy Theory
Isn’t it possible that the kids react that way just because he mentions the name Tracy?
How would you react when your dad tells you about a girl named Tracy and then says “that’s how I met your mother”, when as far as you know, your moms name was Barbara or Bob or something. Pretty shocked i guess?
May 7th, 2009 at 8:15 pm
Haha, exactly the kind of site I’ve been looking for!
About the Tracy theory, here is a possibility that can shoot it down.
Since future-Ted said “I’m only kidding”, to support this joke, he names this “burlesque entertainment artist” as Tracy (their mother’s name). That is part of the joke he was telling (not only wasn’t it the mother but it’s also not the “artists” real name)! That is how he manages to fool them in to thinking this was the mother (since you so thoughtfully pointed out that they shouldn’t have bought in to it if the identity wasn’t correct).
What do you think? =)
Btw, I also think it MUST be Robin! Yes, I know all about the hints about she isn’t. There is a loophole. I just haven’t thought enough surrounding it. If “you” were a writer, how could you still write Robin as the Mother? The fact that they were so quick to dismiss Robin as the Mother only proves they wanted to throw the audience off as quickly as possible. They never made a big deal out of it (for example as a season finale thing etc). There is no disappointment and anticipation for when the true revelation comes at the end of the series that she is in fact the Mother. I mean, imagine if this was served for the first season and beyond and even serving as a season finale, to finding out she isn’t the Mother but at the end of the series finding out that she is the Mother. THAT would’ve been a cop-out and annoying as hell! With the setup now, there is no coyness, no promises or anticipation, they have even gone as far as dropping clues she is not the Mother. That serves as the perfect setup to revealing her to be the Mother at the end! I promise you that! From a writer POV or as a x going series, it has to deserve its end. It has to live up to anticipation. Finding out that Ted’s x Jane Doe girlfriend, being around for a couple of eps to audiences, being the Mother won’t move or change one heartbeat!
PS. Has the executive producers said anything about WHEN to end the show? Has they set an expiry date?
PS. How has the writers buried themselves by saying that Ted is 30 years old and the goat?
May 9th, 2009 at 9:36 am
Season 4, episode 21: “(…) When I got your mother’s number, I called her right away.” Ted said this towards the end, which leads me to assume that the mother has yet to be introduced. Thank god it’s not Stella!
May 9th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
Why the hate for Stella? I loved her! Sarah Chalke is so damn charming and cute!
May 9th, 2009 at 6:30 pm
no real hate for Stella from me. I love Sarah Chalke… I just know she is not the mother.
May 10th, 2009 at 8:02 pm
Aaron, I was replying to Fredrik’s comment: “Thank God it’s not Stella!” =)
Btw, what did you think of the things I said in my post earlier?
PS. I really love the preview function on this site WHILE you are writing a post. Brilliant! Did you write the programming code for this site yourself?
May 10th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
@Johnas gotcha and Thanks. The preview deal is just a wordpress plugin. But the programming looks fairly simple.
As far as what you said above. you pretty much nailed my reasoning for the Tracy theory. And thought parts of the Series finale have “supposedly” been shot (like the kids part), there is no final date for the show.
The goat was just an instance of how they buried themselves, and got called on it by fans so they had to so something about it. And while I love your thinking I still disagree with you on Robin. There is way too much that says definitely not, but like I say I love to be proven wrong. =)
@Fredrick. Yea, I think some crappy reporting helped in the reports lately that Stella was the mother. I talk about this a little in this post: the return of Stella…warning. spoilers.
May 11th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
@Jonas H. The reason I have “hate” for Stella has, first off, nothing to do with Sarah Chalke. It’s the character. If you look around in the series, you get the very obvious image of Ted as being super, if not exceedingly, romantic. Robin even says in “Shelter Island” that his marriage to Stella is not the big romantic ending he deserves. That he was disappearing into someone else’s life. No matter how they choose to twist it that will always be the case if it turns out to be Stella.
Going through the series you start to set standards for the characters. If Barney decided to have a wedding and then bail on the bride, we’d most likely accept it because, well, we’ve accepted worse from him and they’d make it funny. But with Ted there is no way we will see him go back to the woman who virtually left him standing at the altar.
Concerning names.
I think it is difficult to discern what the kids hear and what we hear. I think there are too many details in the show to assume that the kids know what we know. But when ever Bob Saget mentions a name or an event, I think we can assume that they know that. And he does mention Stella’s name to them and he does mention Aunt Robin as well. That to me suggests a) that Stella is not the mother otherwise the kids would’ve known already and would’ve either been shown surprised at their first wedding or have mentioned that now they had heard the story and b) that he refers to her as Aunt Robin suggests that she isn’t their mother. She’s even in their drawings from when they were little.
Okay I’m done
May 11th, 2009 at 11:32 pm
I just want to quickly add my two cents.
Another character from the season 3 finale makes a return for the season 4 finally. Bill, the hospital orderly / male nurse, has been cast for the season 4 finale. To refresh your memory, Ted is in a car accident and has to go to hospital. Later in the episode, he proposes to Stella.
I’m not sure what role Bill will play, but I’m guessing there is another hospital stay in store for one of the main characters. Maybe there is a possible leap off the roof ny Ted??? The finale is titled “The Leap”. Maybe Ted’s future wife is the attending doctor, appropriately named Tracey. You all can call me a prophet next week after it comes true.
May 13th, 2009 at 11:48 am
Did episode 23: As fast as she can, air yet? I don’t get American shows very fast where I am.
May 13th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
@Frederik, yes, it aired last night. You can watch it on my site though..LEt me know if you have problems.
Watch As Fast as You Can Here
May 13th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
Thanks man but it says it’s unavailable when I go by your front page. Can’t click the link you put up there
May 14th, 2009 at 10:44 am
I think that the mother is the girl Ted used to date, who went to Germany to become a pastry chef. I think she comes back and things work out between them, and that is how he met their mother. The Tracy theory is really something too but, it could also be a diversion! but, I want to know for sure now!! the suspense is killing me!!!
May 15th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
As much as i love that Robin is not the mom but she is Ted’s wife theory, I am afraid it has proven not true:
http://www.cbs.com/primetime/how_i_met_your_mother/video/video.php?cid=544192181&pid=5YAxscGyrkxXfktTWvqCCmFq7ns4KSUo&category=recent&play=true
From the interview, Josh had mentioned that scene is significant about meeting the “wife”, not the kids’ mother…
Of course, the actor may not know the plot as well as the writer does…
May 16th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
Paula:
After fast forwarding through episodes, found it. Season 1 ep 7 second 22. The girl says: whow, that was a great story DAD. Wer’re gonna watch TV
May 16th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
To all of you quering about the aunt an uncle stories. My theory is that, all of them know each other for years and they consider themselves as family. I think Ted even mentions that a few times. Like a christmas in new york where he says” this year I’ve decided to spend it with my other family” or something like that. All the guys even call each other BRO’s, so it is natural for the kids to consider Ted’s friends as uncles / aunties
May 18th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
some days ago in wikipedia’s page of himym was written the name of the actress playing the mother’s role! now it’s disappeared! unfortunatly i dont remember her name but is the woman in the last seasons of Dr. House MD.
Anyway i pretty much support the trace theory and the st.patrick day theory both, as they arent exclusive.
One thing that hasnt been pointed out yet and is important to finally realized ted must be the real father and the mother is the actual ted’s wife is the episode where at the end we see ted lily and marshall “eating a sandwich” at their college re-union party.
Ted clearly says: where is my wife??? obviusly referring to the wife-mother!
Last thing…i think that the mother will be…Stella’s sister!
greetings from tallinn (estonia)
May 18th, 2009 at 11:04 pm
I’ve been a fan of this show for a while and I’m convinced that the Slutty Pumpkin is the mother and here’s why:
Whenever young Ted or another character mentions the possibility of the mother, Old Ted clears it up while narrating. Example, Okay Awesome, Marshall says, “Hey, maybe it will be that cute coat check girl.” and Ted says, “Yeah, maybe it will be.” Then Old Ted says, “It wasn’t.” But, then in the Slutty Pumpkin episode Young Ted says, “Come on, wouldn’t it be the coolest story ever if the Slutty Pumpkin turned out to be my future wife?” And Old Ted says nothing while Lily responds with, “Oh well, on the off chance that that could happen, maybe we should stop calling her the Slutty Pumpkin.”
My Slutty Pumpkin theory does not negate the St. Patty’s or the Tracey theory. Ted ‘dresses up’ as the hanging chad because he wants her to recognize her implying that she wouldn’t recognize him otherwise, which means the Slutty Pumpkin could still be the girl from the St. Patty’s party and Ted just didn’t recognize her. Also no names were included so the SP could be named Tracey.
Anywho, these posts were very interesting to read, and I wanted to add my two cents!
May 19th, 2009 at 10:13 am
i’d love the slutty pumpkin turning out to be the mother but it’s very unlikely because:
-now we know ted meets her in her architectural class at uni, she was studying in a totally different area and it’s hard to predict she would go back to uni after so many years
. in the website tedmosbyisnotajerk.com there is her history! and she states she is now working in antartic region
May 25th, 2009 at 5:00 am
there was this episode in season 3 i think, where ted and barney go to this club (where ted got punched in the face), the voiceover says the mother was also in that club and we see a top shot of the line of people going inside the club, and there we see a yellow umbrella.
there was a very short scene (less than 5 seconds) where ted bumps into a girl on the way to the bar and says sorry. that part of the scene i think had nothing to do with the whole episode and my theory is, that girl was the mother.
its a long shot but i felt that part of the scene was really unnecessary unless the writers wanted to sneak in a clue regarding who the mother is.
the said girl was wearing jeans, the girl holding the umbrella in the line outside the club was also wearing jeans.
my theory. its a long shot.
May 26th, 2009 at 7:01 am
@Conrad…
I’m not trying to be rude but PLEASE,PLEASE! try to come up with something original or something that hasn’t been mentioned on this thread at least 10 times. Reading even a few comments would help.
From here on out, unless it’s a new angle on the bump girl the comment will be promptly deleted. Sorry and Thanks in the same breath.
May 27th, 2009 at 10:19 am
Wow I just read this entire page, took me about 15 minutes ! Some people are very deep thinkers ! I did have my own opinion before reading all of this, I think its only been mentioned once, very briefly.
Firstly id like to say the mother cannot possibly be Robin, otherwise why would she be referred to as “Aunt Robin” > Also the term ‘Aunt’ might not mean a parents brother or sister, but could easily mean just a close friend, hence “Uncle Barney and “Uncle Marshall” Its also worth noting I have seen seasons 1-3 and about 15 episodes of season 4.
I think the Mother is Stella. Firstly, the yellow umbrella business, there is an epsiode where Bob Saggot says something to the effect of “the short story of how i met your mother involves the yellow umbrella - Can be seen in 1st ep of Season 3 “wait for it” - Then theres the Saint Patty’s Day episode ‘no tomorrow’ > he says “funny story, your mum was there” - Easy to conclude that the mother is the Lady at the front holding the yellow Umbrella.
When Ted is visiting Stella in the “10 sessions” episode, to get his butterfuly tattoo removed, she says how busy her life is with her Daughter Lucy, how she only gets 2 minutes to herself each day, shes only been to 1 party in the last 12 months, Saint Pattys day - she says it sucked and she had to leave early. Surely its possible she left her Umbrella at the party, which Ted found - and she might find his mobile phone, which theyll then return to each other when they get back together again. I know they broke up early in the season, but is it possible theyll get together again, possibly in a later season?
May 28th, 2009 at 11:19 am
I didn’t read through ALL of the comments posted, however, I do remember the one episode, I think it was St. Patty’s day, he says at the end that the mother WAS at the party that night, but he didn’t know that until later.
May 28th, 2009 at 11:41 am
also someone mentioned how in the season 4 finale we learn that ted meets the mother in his class…but this doesnt mean that she is a student. its possible hes teaching and someone walks into the class, or because of that class hes at the college and bumps into someone, idk but i feel like 30ish ted dating and marrying a 20ish student of his will be a little off character for him, although that may be a breed one night stand in a latter episode.
also besides the slutty pumpkin idea offered early, i personly hope the mother hasnt been met yet because most women i dont want to be the mother. stella broke his heart and many of his ex’s are exs for good reasons. as for robin i think the end of season 4 really pushed the idea of barney and robin and we’ll see how that plays out next season but i really think ted will be ok with it, no internal problems again and barney and robin will be a couple for a long time
May 28th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
Back to something HANNAH said a while back… If it is true that in season 4 when Ted and Stella break up and they flash foward and Ted says something about “that is what you would’ve looked like if I’d married Stella…” then I would say that infers that Ted did INDEED marry their mother. He’s comparing their relationships. This is what would’ve happened if I married Stella vs. but this is what really happened because I married your mother. If he hadn’t married their mother, then he would’ve said… this is what you would’ve looked like if Stella was your mother.
I also agree with JuliaJolie. It does not make sense that Ted has met their mother thus far in the story. Especially because if the St. Patty’s Episode. He clearly says that He did not yet meet her. So when he does, even if it’s just a bump into at a club, he would say… “that is the first time I saw/met your mother.” That is also why Robin is not the mother, I think we’ve confirmed that by now.
May 28th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
I think we should also give up the Robin/Ted thing. This is definately not a Ross and Rachel scenario. I think we can be happy with them not ending up together. I’ve gotten over it by now that they aren’t together. I’ve also had enough with the sick ways you are trying to put them together. Why would we think that maybe the mother has died? Let’s just say that no one would write a comedy sitcom based on a man’s story to his kids of how he met their mother who is now dead. Kinda morbid. I also really don’t think that they are divorced. Why do you have to be divorced to say “your mother.” My dad always says “your mother.” “where’s your mother… Have you talked to your mother.” Same as “your brother.” Has anyone checked on if Ted has ever called her “mom?” Either way, I think that HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER sounds better than HOW I MET YOUR MOM. They always say “Mother” and “Father” on tv.
May 29th, 2009 at 11:22 am
The mother is girl from season 3 episode 12 (”No Tomorrow”)! At 13:46 Ted ran into her and they accidentally hit each other, then Ted apologized and she said: “That’s OK”! It must be her, because Ted sad that they met on that party, but didn’t talk to each other! I can put bet on it!!!
May 29th, 2009 at 10:37 pm
He never says that he actually met her or bumped into her at that party, he just says to the kids “funny story your mother was there” - He couldve found that out 10 years later in a dinner table discussion for all we know !!
June 3rd, 2009 at 4:13 am
i think it is robbin i dunno why but she has been in the show since the start!!
or
barney and ted hook up and get a surrogate mother to have the kids for them LOL
June 3rd, 2009 at 6:49 am
i think when we finally find out who the mother is a bunch of scenes from all the previous seasons will flash and i bet the actor playing the mother will be there in all of them. We would have just brushed her off as some extra in the background but it would be cool if the writers had placed her there strategically
also im anti robin being the mum *yawn* to boring/predictable and i love robin being with barney anywayz…awww he needs somone to love
and the whole stripper convo - i think you’re all going to deep and ted saying it was the mother was just a way to get his kids interested in the story.
June 13th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
I think its the girl ted bumped on the st. Patrick day party. i’ve also got a hinch that she is the same girl who is said to be his soulmate in season 1 milk. and she is infact the same girl with the umbrella as she is wearing jeans and a jacket she could have eaisly removed the jacket once inside.
June 14th, 2009 at 7:39 am
hey everyone, been reading all the messages and find it quite interesting.
I dont think its Robin, well aunt Raobin.. been discussed. BTW what about Holly, she was in the 3 day rule. They leave the scene together, and in the next episodes there are no further mentionings, nothing good and nothing bad.
So i think we need to focus on the ONLY true hint the writers give us who the mother is. The yellow umbrella. i just saw the “At the right place at the right time” episode and no one mentioned that “a” yeollow umbrella is in the appartement, which ted then uses. This wud indicate that its robins umbrella of teds umbrella and he loses it to the real mom. but then again, it cant be robin. and in that episode theres a curiousity bout stella. but shes married and the kids wud be blond. so it cant be hear. but i feel she has to do something w stella. maybe her sis who slept with barney? but no evidence there. let me know wat u think.
later
June 14th, 2009 at 7:47 am
ok scrap that theory. she was crazy and shes out. and the umbrella found in no tomorrow.
damn
June 17th, 2009 at 5:23 am
hey….
i personally feel that robin is the mother.
ted is delibrately saying aunt robin so that we as an audience could nt guess by any chance…..
i dont have any proof… its just my intitution.
thanxx
June 18th, 2009 at 6:34 am
im pretty sure we have not seen the mother yet. With all the facts laid out in the comments, theres no way that we have met her yet
June 19th, 2009 at 4:13 am
yeah id have to agree with Dld. i doubt we saw her, but if we have then she was someone who walked across the screen with no importance, like a party person. but im guessing that the writers will sowly let us see more and more of her when we come to the end of the show, which shud never happen. cuz the show is lengen….wait for it….dary !!!!!
July 1st, 2009 at 9:37 am
hey…
loadza commetns…
Did u notice that the boy never calls ted ‘dad’….its only the girl…cud be lik hes talking to the son when he says “thats how i met YOUR aunt robin”…….
basically im looking reasons to put ted nd robin back togeda
July 3rd, 2009 at 1:38 pm
They have already shown her.
Just watch the Saint Paddy’s day episode when Ted and Barney went to the club. She was at the club with a yellow umbrella. Freeze the part they show her, then pay close attention.
Back in the club, he bumps into her, and they both share a quick moment. That girl was wearing the same exact pants as the woman with the yellow umbrella…….it’s that simple