When Friends ended in 2004, it left a giant sitcom sized hole in people's hearts. What was seen as a show capable of filling the void, was the wildly successful sitcom How I Met Your Mother that, despite its unsatisfactory ending, was a fantastic show. There are some glaring similarities between the two shows, and one thing they both share is an abundance of continuity errors.
Across the nine seasons of How I Met Your Mother, fans came to love the characters, hate the characters, love the writing, hate the writing, and notice a load of continuity errors. But, there are some continuity errors that perhaps not every fan managed to catch, so here are ten.
Robin & Team Sports
In the season one episode "Slutty Pumpkin" Robin claims that she had always been a loner, and so had never played team sports in her childhood or growing up. This got contradicted later on.
For one, she recalls on a couple of occasions playing hockey growing up, doubtful that she did so by herself. The most significant piece of evidence of contradiction though is in a season four flashback where she is seen with her ice hockey team and proceeds to play tonsil hockey with one of her teammates.
Betty or Maureen?
In season two, after getting rid of her adorable five dogs, Robin tells Ted they went to a farm upstate ran by Robin's Aunt, and her aunts live in "friend" Betty. Robin does not realize the two are together.
Later in season eight, Robin refers to her Aunt and lives in "friend" again, but this time her name is Maureen, and Robin realizes the truth. It is possible Robin's Aunt broke up with Betty, and Maureen went to live with her, but it gets implied the relationship is a very long term thing.
Barney's Naked Cooking
Barney is a constant mystery throughout How I Met Your Mother and has a penchant for deception. So, this continuity error could get put down to that, but it seems unlikely.
In season one, Marshall reveals that Barney cooks naked. In season two, however, when Lily moves in, Barney reveals he does not keep food in the apartment. Later in "Blitzgiving," it is revealed that Barney's oven and stove are just cardboard displays.
No Family At Marshall and Lily's Wedding
Fans get introduced to the family of Marshall early in season one of the show. A season and a half later, Marshall and Lily finally tie the knot and become man and wife. But Marshall's family is not there.
There are dotted members of Lily's family, as her cousin and mother, but none of Marshalls. It is possible we just do not see them, but we get a good look at the wedding, and it seems like just a continuity mistake.
Mickey Paying for the Wedding
Speaking of the wedding of Marshall and Lily, in season two, Lily responds to a comment by saying her dad will not be paying for a second wedding. Later though, we learn some harsh truths about her father.
He has been a poor father throughout her life, and the two just are not close. Alongside that, Mickey is always in financial trouble with a series of failing board games, so how would he have paid for any wedding.
Marshall & Winking
Following the heartbreaking death of Marshall's father, the gang starts to go easy on Marshall, with no jabs at him at all. This reaches a boiling point in "Legendaddy" when Marshall demands criticism. He then gets bombarded.
One of the things commented on is the fact that Marshall cannot wink. However, back in season two episode "Atlantic City," Marshall is very able to wink when he does so at Ted and Barney.
The Age of Stella's Daughter
Ted has many a love interest throughout the show, but one of his most serious was Stella Zinman. They were engaged, and nearly got married, and Ted was introduced to Stella's young daughter, Lucy.
When Stella first tells Ted about Lucy, she reveals her to be eight years old. In later episodes, though, Lucy is called seven on a few occasions, bringing to question what her actual age was.
Where did Barney Lost his Virginity?
Barney is a notorious womanizer, so when it is revealed he lost his virginity at 23 via a woman twenty years older than him, it came as a surprise. When Barney tells the story, it gives the impression of a less than loving encounter.
Barney says that following the pair's encounter, his comforter stunk of menthol for a couple of weeks. The issue is, when we see Barney losing his virginity in a flashback in season three episode "The Yips," it is revealed he lost his virginity at her house, not his.
The Blitz & Madden 2K1
The Blitz was a curse held by Steve Henry, a college friend of Ted and Marshall. It meant every time he left, something spectacular happened. This happens in a flashback scene, where Blitz leaves, with the gang in McLarens, and awesome stuff happens.
The issue is, in the flashback, Blitz leaves because he just bought Madden 2k1. That game came out in 2000, yet Robin was in the flashback, even though she did not meet the gang until 2005.
Playstation 2
Throughout the show, there are numerous hilarious flashbacks to Ted and Marshall's days in college. One such flashback comes in the season three episode "How I Met Everyone Else."
It shows Marshall telling the story of how he and Lily met Ted for the first time. In the scene, the two are playing the Playstation 2. However, the flashback took place in 1996; the Playstation 2 did not get developed until 2000. It could be a Playstation 1, but the type of controller the pair is using was not released until 1997, meaning it is still an error.