How We Chose a Pineapple [with co-creator Carter Bays] | S1E10 "The Pineapple Incident"
How We Made Your Mother
Audacy & Josh Radnor and Craig Thomas
4.8 • 922 Ratings
🗓️ 2 June 2025
⏱️ 77 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Josh and Craig are joined by series co-creator Carter Bays to revisit “The Pineapple Incident,” one of How I Met Your Mother’s most beloved early episodes. They share how the idea—originally called “Drunken Fiasco”—was one of the first ever pitched for the show, long before the writers’ room formed. The trio reflect on the power of mystery in storytelling, how the episode helped define the show’s voice, and why they ultimately prefer the pineapple to remain unexplained. Carter does reveal, however, the real-life inspiration for the “vomit-free since ’93” line. With detours into fan tattoos, early network notes, and the joy of letting go creatively, the episode ends with a moving letter from a listener in Australia whose connection to the show helped her navigate grief and believe in love.
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Transcript
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| 1:16.3 | Hi, this is Fran from Chile, and I just wanted to let you know that I am one of those people that has a tattoo about the show. I have a pineapple tattoo in my arm and I really hate it now because it's a really ugly tattoo. It's a really ugly pineapple. It's not well made. But I got it with a |
| 1:22.1 | friend and I always knew I wanted my first tattoo to be about the show about how I met your mother. |
| 1:29.0 | So me and my friend got it together. She's got a pineapple on her arm as well. But I would never cover it up |
| 1:37.1 | or remove it with laser because it holds a really special space in my heart |
... |
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