***Thanks for all the comments, but I’m closing down commenting on this article. It’s at over 650 comments and that’s a ton to read, People are saying the same things over and over. In the spirit of keeping the conversation going, I’ve summed up the bulk of the post and what people are saying here and have started a new thread called More on Who is the mother from HIMYM.
Like most posts tat I really enjoy it’s overly in depth, check it out and let me know what you think!
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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 THINK WE 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).
Also if this is your first time here be sure to check out the How I Met Your Mother Show Reviews for the latest info on “the mother”.
I am Manish Stinson…………….a Indian citizen………….always want to be like Barney……………………….the MAN……… SUPERMAN……………..I would like be Barney
namdev…………….. Well guys I will tellyou that still I am watching Episodes and I am in season 4 yet………..but My roomie he is requesting me to watch how i met your mother because He already completed all episodes and he is saying it will be very exciting, eagerneous……. desperate………my roomie is a messenger of god to all of you guys to watch this serials…………….. this are awesome………aroused, frentic, charged, agitated, stimulated, fascinated………………..energised……..thats enough……………….My request to all of you please watch this serail without any miss……………… This is awesome………….but would you any of you tell me who is mother………………………………………………………………….who is mother…………………………………. Writers my questions to you also who is *************************************** mother………………………………
yeah, i 4got what epp but it said shes not the mum.
yes i too think it must be the girl ted bumped into St. Patrick’s Day party
yes i too think it must be the girl ted bumped into St. Patrick’s Day party.she might be the mother
Doesnt he say that that the yellow umbrellas was their mum’s though ????
I wonder what the mothers name is ????????? …………………………
The Children are Ted’s, In the epp where Ted’s mom got maried, he said at the end something bout your grandmother and step grand father is happy and and and… so it is ted’s Children – I don’t know how, but I think Robin is the mom!!!!!!
I’m going back to season 3, episode 12., the famous “No Tomorrow” (yellow umbrella, party) episode.
I caught this episode recently in syndication and there is the scene where Ted is approaching Barney at the bar, and he bumps into a girl. He apologizes, she says it’s okay. Very quick and subtle scene.
It was put in there for a reason, but that reason was never explained in that episode. The actress was even credited for the part, Nicole Muirbrook as “Woman”.
Since the producers do a lot of foreshadowing, has this scene or incident been explained yet?
In a couple of years we may see an episode with old Ted saying something like, “Kids, do you remember when I told you about the party I went to, the one where I picked up your mothers yellow umbrella…..”
Ooops, sorry. Feel free to delete my previous message… I’ll look around for the explanation…
i think ROBIN is not the mother in saint patrick day,she was with lily an marshal but not in the party.
ted said that their mother was in the party.
ok. i run into a lot of people who actually think this is true the whole robin is the mother thing is just absolutely not possible. in girls vs suits the mom is suppose to live with that cindy chick. the mother is suppose to be in the class that he lectured at. there are a lot of evidence robin is not the mom. and! i challenge one person who thinks robin is the mom to give me some kinda evidence. sorry i just run into a lot of people who religiously believe that she’s the mom.
and those kids are without a doubt his kids. a lot of people think he’s the uncle to those kids he’s talking to or whatever but he refers to the boy as son and says a lot about their grandparents aka his parents.
the chick he runs into at the st patty’s day bar. im not too sure about her he says he didnt meet her that night.. you might not consider that meeting but you would think he would make some kinda fuss about it like thats where i first ran into your mother or something.
Maybe they are adopted.
Ok im A big how i met your mother fan and no robin is not the mother deal with it . I have an Idea and i havent looked into it or anything but i think it could be pssoble that the mother is dead and that could be why he is telling the kids the story of it . I dont no if its right or not but fell free to think about it . Ari 🙂
hahaha…well i had this idea about the robins doubleganger couldbe teds wife….
`good idea but theres this episode when ted lily and marshall are smoking sandwich in the future. ted is saying: “hahahaha….and wheres my wife?”. well, it would be pretty disgusting to make such a joke, if shes dead….
I have read all comments, and I watched HIMYM up until season 5 episode 24 (Doppelgangers). It has been very time consuming omg 😛
@gogotheoto Ted being married to a doppelganger would give this discussion a new twist. However, Robin’s doppelganger is a masculin, shortheared lesbian (walking across the street, spitting, having a baseball glove and a baseball in her hands). Lily’s doppelganger is a stripper…I don’t know. I can’t imagine one of these being with Ted.
I personally don’t think that we have seen “the mother” in person on screen yet (other than “her” (or some girls) foot in that one episode when Ted dates “the mother’s” roommate. The character has yet to be casted in my opinion.
I have few thought to bring to the discussion, since a lot of speculations have been mentioned already and don’t need to be repeated.
Interestingly, Ted is 30 or 32 years old when he starts teaching at the university. “The mother” is in the economics class room somewhere, but I wouldn’t look for her in the picture, she likely is not even in it. Furthermore, “the mother” does not have to be a young student. First, why would Ted date a (say) 19 year old when he is 31, or why would a 19 year-old date him? Assume Ted would be 40, the student would be 28, albeit possible it is rather unlikely for such a pairing. I assume the main characters in HIMYM are around 30, and Ted is searching for his soul mate to get married, not a young party girl.
“The mother” might aswell be studying economics as her second degree (maybe in her late 20s), or she worked before and studying her first degree. She just has to be a little older. Then again why would she live in a shared appartment? Cheaper? Maybe possible. I have no idea…
Another thing I have in my mind is that Ted and Robin have a pact that if Robin is not married by the time she is 40 (or both are over 40) then they get married. Lily sabotaged Ted and Robin’s relationship (several times I think), and after they found out Ted and Robin talked it through and Robin implied to get married when she hasn’t found someone by then. Ted asked Robin something like: “Whould you be my backup wife” and she cried and agreed . Just something to think about. It may be relevant or may not be.
Personally, I think I will be disappointed when “the mother” is finally revealed, because as I said before she has yet to be casted. As much as lots of us want it to be Robin I dont think it is going to be her. It is going to be some random lady in her late 20s or early 30s in 2012…with little character development.
Finally there is to say that HIMYM is not about “the mother” but rather about Ted and his suroundings. The is a romantic comedy and it will simply continue untill the very end of this sit com leaving us hints and distractions on who “the mother” actually might be WITHOUT CLEAR EVIDENCE.
are they planning further episodes or even seasons?
IT IS STELLA!!
cause in the episode the lucky penny, he says “kids i didnt know it at the time but your mother was at that party” that was on st pattys day. well in another episode. where ted meets stella, and she says how she never has time and that she has only ben to one part in months, and she said “it was a saint pattys day party and i ended up leaving early” now in the lucky penny ted said the mother was there, Stella said she was there. conicedence. I THINK NOt!
ITS NOT ROBIN. its not. face it
she is definatly not dead.
she deffinatly is the mother!!! Stella is the mother im certian
i am the mother. ted dies and barney goes to jail. marshall breaks up with red head and black hair dies to.
it would be great if we never found our who the mother is
i don’t know if any of you watched “Frequently asked questions about time travel”
if not SPOILER ALERT
in that film there is a piece of paper that is crucial to the plot and everything evolves around the inscription on that piece of paper which made the 3 friends planetary famous, and that’s not like Brad Pitt famous, more like “the most important people on the world famous” they even have their cult/religion based on the thing they wrote
but we never find out what they wrote
maybe the writers had similar twist in mind
I hope not because in that film they might make a film 2 and maybe they couldn’t think what should be on the paper so they left you to imagine what was on it . But i think they should show the mother if they don’t why would it be called how i met your mother cause if they don’t show her then he hasn’t told the kids how he met her hes juts told them what happen till he met her . How he knows her is still a mystery but i cant wait to find out !!!!!!!!!
you just blew my mind!
I KNOW WHO THE MOTHER IS!!!!!!
ITS VICTORIA
I have a feeling that Wendy the Waitress will end up marrying Barney. I don’t have any evidence, it’s just a hunch I have.
but seriously why would they make that what happes its just stupid.. theres only 1 theory i think could be even remotley close to who the mother and that is the tracy theory
It’s not Victoria ..It’s Marry in Barney’s building XD
OK the mother is a large breasted blonde… they showed her pic in the beach once
So its not Robin for sure !!!
i believe Stella is the mother. i just think it fits. i agree with what Amber says, good solid evidence. defiantely defianetly must be Stella.
Hahaha yeah, i like your theory, he could be the stepdad, it would be a pretty good twist ending!
You are all correct
it was 3 months not 3 years…. rewatch the episode
simple facts….the year when he is telling the kids is 2030….im gessing that the kids are about 18 years old which means they were born in 2012…so, he has to meet the mom soon or it wont all add up…
Hey people i think it is Lily or Robin. The reason why i think it is either Lily or Robin is because the girl kid looks like them both it is weird but true.
I don’t think scenarios are written so many times before the seasons . I simply think prod don’t know themself who will be the mother . Mean it : When you start to write the first season of a show , you don’t know how many times it will be aired . And they try to mistake us by some wrong evidences . If in the 2nd or 3rd season you would know it was Robin the mother , the show would be ended . So i think in the next seasons , you will learn that Robin play Bass guitard , enjoy dogs ( we know it) , want 2 kids , …. cause I think Robin IS the one . Serious , why would he say all this stories if the mother is an unknow caracter ? and the Robin caracter is more and more like what’s ted want .
no !!
when Ted is dating the mothers room-mate he leaves the yellow unbrella at their house .. 🙂
i hope you are right cause it would be amazing its like rachel and ross in friends
i agree i rekon its Robin but then again it might not because in season 5 i think it is the one were barney chosses between his suit or the girl ted says he likes the guitar but then again he saw her foot and the unbrella so it might not be robin. I hope its robin. I agree wiht that part were u said why would he have all the stories if she wasnt someone that was well known or a reoccuring character maybe he just lables robin as “aunty robin” to keep the kids and us contemplating and guessing 🙂
We see the mums foot because When Ted goes out with one of the students he tutors she takes him back to her apartment and everything he likes is her roomates and she is in the shower at the time and then when they break up he walks into the room and she runs into the bathroom and u only see her foot but he says the was his first glimpse of their mother
It is BLAH BLAH
for all u hu thnk its robin, its not, its been proven time and time agen….jst get over it….its not her….as much as some of u dnt want it to be an unkwown character, the chances are that it will be an unkwown character…..deal with it…
yes, next season starts september 20th in the us
stfu, robin is NOT THE MOTHER.
she’s going to end up with barney, guaranteed.
have you ever thought about that robins name might not be robin at all ? maybe ted only tells his kids her name is robin to mess with their heads. ( i know it not very likely but i hold my thumbs)
(ofc if that would be the case they would still have an aunt that was named robin. but that would be a diffrent person or something, not the one we know as robin today)
Now that’s just stupid.
Also, everybody who STILL thinks Robin is the mother is stupid aswell.
The chick in the wedding photo behind the kids have dark hair and I don’t think they’re gonna complicate it by having a chick that changes her hair colour once in a while.
I do believe we have seen the mother sometime, or else it would be really boring.
Oh, and if it were Stella or Robin…. Wouldn’t the kids react to the fact that he is passed the part in his story where he met them?
how about in season 3 episode 12 when Stella and Ted were speed dating and then Stella actually let it slip that she was in a bar on St. Patrick’s day. I havent reached season 5 yet but im a little curious about Stella 😀 watcha think?
Anyone who thinks it’s Robin is an absolute douchebag. I’ll use just one evidental note to prove it’s not Robin…. When Ted say’s the mother was in the classroom that day, Robin was locked inside the bedroom with Barney all day…Ted was even there when they got out. There are many possibilities who the mother could be… and the great thing for the writers is that they can play around all they want with it, even if they had originally casted the mother (i.e. if they had planned that it was her in the infamous bump on st paddy’s day) they could change that to trhow us off, and bring up a whole new subject, that’s what makes it so great, very well written and rather mourish 🙂 x
But in season 5, He tells “The kids” the story about the House that they live in.
And in case it is’nt his kids, it would’nt be their house, with their mothers “Yellow Schoolbus”.