Robin Scherbatsky

Robin Scherbatsky

Portrayed by: Cobie Smulders Olivia Howard Bagg (Age 11) Shelby Zemanek (Age 8and 6)

First appearance: Pilot

Last appearance: Last Forever - Part Two

Full name: Robin Charles Scherbatsky, Jr.

Also Known As: Robin Sparkles Night Falcon Robin Daggers

Home town: Vancouver, BC (British Columbia)

Born: July 23, 1980

Occupation: Television journalist

Residence: Robin's Apartment (season 1 - 3) The Apartment (season 4 - 5) with Don Frank (season 5) The Apartment (season 6 - 7) with Patrice (Season 7) Apartment near Central Park (season 7 - 8) Barney's Apartment (Season 8 - 2016) Robin's New Apartment (2016 - ?)

Romances: see List of Robin's romances Simon Tremblay (ex-boyfriend)- Ted Mosby (ex-boyfriend, possible partner in 2030) Barney Stinson (ex-husband) Don Frank (ex-boyfriend) Kevin (ex-fiancé) Nick Podarutti (ex-boyfriend)

Gallery of Robin Scherbatsky images (740)

Robin Charles Scherbatsky, Jr. (born July 23, 1980) is one of the five main characters of How I Met Your Mother, portrayed by Canadian actress Cobie Smulders. She is a Scotch-drinking, cigar-smoking, gun-toting Canadian pop-star-turned-journalist-turned-morning-show-host. Robin befriended the gang in 2005 after an awkward date with Ted Mosby. Now, the fiercely independent woman is Lily's best friend and Ted's ex-roommate as well as an ex-girlfriend to both Ted and Barney. In 2013 she gets married to Barney, but they divorce in 2016 and it is hinted that she gets back together with Ted in 2030, six years after his wife died.

Character Background

Early Life

Robin, age 6

Robin, age 11

Robin was born in Canada. Her father wanted a son and named her Robin Charles Scherbatsky Jr. (Happily Ever After). Robin has mentioned that at an early age, her father treated her like a dog. At a young age, she cultivated her skeptic mentality when her dog, Sir Scratchewan , "miraculously" transformed into a tortoise as a result of a breakthrough medical procedure "a canine testudine cerebro xenograft" (Miracles). She also displayed her disdain for children, preferring to spend time alone rather than play with younger sister, Katie (Little Boys).

Robin Sr. was a cigar aficionado. Young Robin learned she could gain his favor by displaying interest in the hobby (Zip, Zip, Zip). She eventually would join the pee-wee hockey team much to her father's pride. However, when she was caught kissing a teammate, her father declared that he "had no son". The trauma of being forced to act like a boy to impress him coupled with the fall out from being caught kissing a boy caused things to fall apart with Robin Sr. and Robin moved in with her mother (Happily Ever After). While there are episodes noting her involvement in hockey, she mentions in the episode Slutty Pumpkin that she didn't play team sports when she was younger, only tennis, which she hated playing doubles.

Teenage Years

It was while living with her mother that Robin would embark on journey to become a Canadian pop sensation, going by the name Robin Sparkles. She began by starring on the kids show Space Teens alongside Jessica Glitter and Alan Thicke (Glitter). Jessica Glitter has been actually Robin's BFF, until she got pregnant and quickly grew apart from her. Not long after Space Teens, Robin Sparkles would gain notoriety with Let's Go to the Mall. The song was a minor hit and Robin would spend a year touring the malls of Canada and singing the song (Slap Bet).

Let's Go to the Mall was followed up with a second song, Sandcastles in the Sand. The love ballad was a flop but it did lead to a romance with Mr. Teen Winnipeg, Simon, who also appeared in the video. The song's lyrics in many ways mirrored the short relationship Robin would have with Simon who she dated for a week and a half. However, Robin still remembers Simon as her first love (Sandcastles in the Sand). Her final song to end her career was P.S. I Love You, a song she wrote dedicated to her teen celebrity crush, Paul Shaffer.

Main article Robin Sparkles.

Adulthood

Robin's first journalism job was as a cub reporter at Channel 22 in Red Deer, Alberta (The Possimpible). She eventually moved to New York as a field reporter for Metro News 1 where she would do the "fluff pieces at the end of the news" (Pilot). However, she won a Local Area Media Award for her piece on "Pickles the singing dog" (Mary the Paralegal) and within a year she would rise to the position of lead anchor thanks to the recommendation of the former lead anchor, Sandy Rivers (Come On). It is shown that she has a bad habit of saying the word 'literally' many times in conversation (Spoiler Alert). Also she has another habit of saying 'but...umm' on live TV (which is turned in a drinking game). (Jenkins)

Robin grew to hate her job and eventually quit to work as a foreign correspondent in Japan (I Heart NJ). Within a week of working there, however, she quit that job and returned to New York (Shelter Island). Without a job, Robin found herself in danger of being deported back to Canada. Thanks to a new video resume created by Barney, she was able to stave off deportation and land a job hosting a morning show on Channel 12: Come On, Get Up New York! (The Possimpible). After much time at Come On, Get Up New York! Robin decided to pursue a job elsewhere. She debated between a currency rotation specialist (or, as Ted Mosby has called it, coin flip bimbo) for Million Dollar Heads or Tails, a game show with a national audience, and a researching position at World Wide News. Following through with her New Years resolution to obtain a "World Wide News I.D. Badge" she left Come On, Get Up New York! to work there. (False Positive) Robin is sometimes seen as a bit shallow, such as only wanting to go to a hockey game with Barney because he got in a fight. (The Fight)

It is later revealed that Robin cannot have kids and that she never became a mother. (Symphony of Illumination)

Personality

Robin is tomboyish, hardcore and sarcastic. She is often emotionally closed off, Barney has described her as being one of the most "emotionally closed off people [he] knew]" and remains a closed book to her friends. The fragments of her past she does divulge reveal her childhood to be traumatic as the estranged relationship with her father is cause of her tomboyish and sometimes violent hobbies, idiosyncrasies and tendencies as an adult. Despite her tough exterior Robin is actually quite insecure, especially on terms with the relationship on her father, though she says otherwise she actually does need approval and acceptance as they're relationship was built on more coldness, respect and fear rather than love or a mutual bond.

Second to Barney, Robin is the least ready for a commitment out of the group. Part of this stems from always wanting to be or at least appear a strong, independent person also in earlier seasons she valued her own company rather than being in a relationship. This seemed to diminish around the eight season where she planned to marry Barney but was totally against having children, she used to be intimidated of holding Lily and Marshall's son, Marvin and once became terrified over a baby commercial. Despite this Robin became very close with Ted's two children, Luke and Penny who loved her in return, calling her "Aunt Robin". Another factor of why she was always against getting into a committed relationship was how vulnerable a person had to be, something which she was always against, seeing it as antifeminist and never wished to be a crazy, jealous person like many people in a serious boyfriend and girlfriend relationship became. Ironically this is what happened to her when she was convinced that Ted was cheating on her after their serious fight, actually chasing him around New York and when finally prepared fo comfort (who she thought was) the women who Ted cheated with, Robin was horror-struck over what being in a relationship had made her.

Compared to Ted, her boyfriend Robin is more sceptical and cynical, especially in terms of destiny, miracles and meeting "The One". However she has grown more open-minded as the series progressed and says to Ted that she grew "sceptical of being sceptical". For example when she does not find the locket she buried as a teenager for her something old for her wedding she considers it a sign from the universe to not marry Barney and when Ted presents it to her before her wedding she sees this as a sign that she should be marrying Ted instead. In spite of her tomboy nature, Robin does have a sensitive and surprisingly feminine side. She broke down in tears when she discovered Ted was about to kiss Victoria at a wedding he invited her to and when her boyfriend, Don broke up with her to pursue a job which she denied to continue her relationship with him, the few times she showed emotion.

Robin has several strange quirks which her friends have picked up on. For example she overuses the word "literally" in most of her sentences. Another one is how, because of her Candian roots she makes references to celebrities, events, groups and media that only she is aware of and thinks her friends would understand as well. The prime example of this is in (Old King Clancy" when after antagonising the group over what sexual move she wanted her celebrity boyfriend to perform and his specific collection when she does divulge to her friends they are initially clueless to what she was talking about as it was something only a Canadian person would understand.

Hobbies and Interests

Guns

The gang learned about Robin's interest in guns when she took Marshall to the gun range. She owns a variety of firearms, often carries a handgun in her purse, frequents a shooting range to relieve stress and subscribes to Guns & Ammo.

Robin has stated that she had a ".38 Police Special" (Probably a Colt Police Positive Special), which she lost, and was then returned to her by an ex-boyfriend. Also, the gun shown in Zoo or False, and many of the scenes at the shooting range, is a Desert Eagle Mark XIX, most likely chambered in 50 Action Express.

Episodes depicting Robin's love of guns: Where Were We?, Ted Mosby: Architect, Stuff, Moving Day, Little Boys, The Platinum Rule, Sorry, Bro, Of Course, Zoo or False, Baby Talk

Cigars and Smoking

Barney was surprised to learn that Robin enjoyed a good cigar when she joined him for a bros night back in 2006. Expressing an interest in cigars allowed her to impress her father (Zip, Zip, Zip). Robin eagerly joined Lily in a cigar when the two were forced to cover up a disaster in Marshall's Fiero. (Arrivederci, Fiero)

Robin is also the only member of the gang to smoke cigarettes on a regular basis (Last Cigarette Ever), something she hid from Ted while they were dating. (Moving Day)

Robin quits smoking in June 2013. (Last Cigarette Ever).

Dogs

Robin owned five dogs, given to her by a series of ex-boyfriends, until Ted demanded that she get rid of them after Robin made Ted get rid of some of the things in his apartment. The dogs now reside on a farm with Robin's aunt.

Robin also had a childhood dog, Sir Scratchewan. Little Robin became worried when she found out her dog was very sick. In order to prevent her from knowing the dog had died, her parents told her that he miraculously turned into a turtle and forgot all of his tricks thanks to a procedure called a 'canine testudine cerebro xenograft'.

In 2030, Robin has 5 new dogs.

Dislikes

Nicknames

Robin hates nicknames for herself and for others. Robin's use of nicknames with others tends to be an indicator of insincerity. Ted found it to be a clue to the hidden troubles she was having with her relationship with Barney. (Bagpipes)

Relationships

Friendships

Lily Aldrin

Robin and Lily

Lily and Robin are best friends and confidants. When Lily and Marshall decided to sleep separately for the last two weeks of their engagement, Robin offers for her to stay with her.

Main article: Robin and Lily.

Marshall Eriksen

Robin and Marshall

Robin and Marshall spend less time together than any other pair in the group. While Marshall reveals that it is because of the Mermaid Theory, they still have their shared preference of cold weather and love of sports. Robin's skepticism often serves as a counterbalance to Marshall's belief in the unexplained. Barney also states that Robin and Marshall are the only truly platonic people he knew.

Main article: Robin and Marshall.

Jessica Glitter

She and Robin were "best-friends-forever", but eventually had a fallout, although Robin still receives a Christmas card from Jessica. The fallout between the two of them apparently occurred after Jessica became pregnant and began drifting away from Robin, eventually breaking off their friendship.

The two finally reconcile and renew their friendship at the end of Glitter.

Romantic Interests

Ted Mosby

Robin and Ted

After an awkward date where Ted professed his love for Robin (Pilot), she decided it would be better if the two stayed friends instead (Purple Giraffe). Ted and Robin both developed feelings for each other but at different times. They would both reciprocate their feelings 8 months after they met and Ted and Robin got together. (Come On). During their season 2 relationship they both said "I Love You" , though there were also several episodes that showed them fighting, after a year however, they realized they weren't meant to be and broke up (Something Blue). Things were awkward for a while, but they were able to cement their friendship eventually by having sex on last time. (Slapsgiving) When Ted got engaged to Stella, Robin told him not to marry Stella. Robin eventually moved in with Ted (Not a Father's Day). In season 7 Ted tells her that he loves her and she says she does not love him. She moves out. (No Pressure) On Robin's wedding day, in the midst of her panic, she thinks Ted is the one she is supposed to be with because of the great lengths he went to so that he could retrieve her grandmother's locket. Ted insists he doesn't want to mess up her and Barney's wedding and be involved in a third runaway bride escapade. Robin marries Barney, but they divorce three years later. Ted moves on to marry Tracy (the mother), but she dies in 2024. By 2030, when Future Ted is telling his kids the story, it is revealed that the story he had been telling his kids wasn't to explain how he met their mother but to ask their permission to date Robin. Reliving their first date, Ted shows up outside of Robin's Manhattan apartment with the blue French horn, and it's implied that they finally enter into a longterm relationship.

Main article: Robin and Ted.

Barney Stinson

In 2006, when Robin joined Barney for a "bros' night out" where Barney was delighted to learn that Robin was quite good at being a bro. If Robin didn't have feelings for Ted at the time, the two might have started their relationship much sooner (Zip, Zip, Zip). It wasn't until 2008 that the two would have the sex Barney suggested in 2006 (Sandcastles in the Sand) and another year before Barney would confess his feelings for her. (The Leap)

They dated for a few months but, despite loving each other, found themselves not ready for the relationship. They decided to be "two friends getting back together" (rather than break up) (The Rough Patch). Both took the breakup hard - Barney sleeping around with a vengeance and Robin focusing on her career, Barney would help Robin get over him by securing her relationship with Don. (Of Course).

Robin and Barney

Throughout season 6 they remained close friends with hints of feelings for each other. Robin was the only member of the gang to support Barney when Ted defriended him during the archadian debate.

In season 7, after discussing how they almost kissed during Hurricane Irene, the two make out on the cab ride back to her place and have sex. (Disaster Averted). This takes place when Barney is still dating Nora and Robin is still dating Kevin. Barney and Robin agree to tell their significant others but when Barney does tell Nora, Robin backs down and stays with Kevin, which destroys Barney. (Symphony of Illumination) In season 8, as of (The Final Page - Part Two) Robin is engaged to Barney.In The End of the Aisle they are married. In Last Forever - Part One, it is revealed that they get divorced in 2016.

Main article: Robin and Barney.

Don Frank

Don was Robin's co-host on Come On, Get Up New York!. Initially she disliked him because of his unprofessional attitude. Don later invites Robin to a party at his house on Valentine's Day, which she says yes to because he asked her while they were on air doing the show. She takes Ted with her, but when they get to his, they find Don naked on the couch, trying the Naked Man on her. Robin immediately leaves.

Robin and Don

In Of Course, Don asks Robin on a date on the phone, which Marshall says yes to, pretending to be Robin. At first, Robin is excited for the date, but she cancels when she sees that Barney is back to his old ways after they broke up. Barney apologizes to her and Don and Robin go on an extremely romantic date, which was actually planned by Ted for Barney and Anita. In Twin Beds, Robin moves in with Don, when Barney and Ted try to win her back while they are drunk. She even stays away from the gang for some time, to see how far her and Don's relationship goes.

In Doppelgangers, Robin gets a job offer from WNKW in Chicago, which she decides to say yes to, after much consideration. However, while on the phone with the network, she sees a photo of her and Don, and declines the offer. After Robin declined the job offer, WNKW offer the job to Don and he accepts it. This leaves Robin heartbroken and she breaks up with Don.

In the beginning of Season 6, it is shown that Robin is still not over Don. She spots him on TV and leaves hate messages on the phone. However, she forgets his phone number after sometimes and realizes that she has received the closure she wanted.

Kevin

Robin and Kevin

Kevin was Robin court-mandated therapist, which she was forced to see when she assaulted a woman. After a few sessions, Kevin says that he can't continue to be her therapist because he is moving to Alaska. However, when Robin sees him at a local diner, he tells her that he can't be her therapist because he likes her. Robin thinks he is here to ask her out but he says that it will be unethical for them to date. Robin proposes that have breakfast at the same diner as that wouldn't be a date. They do this for almost a week, and Kevin asks her on a real date on at the end of the week.

After a few weeks of dating, Robin cheats on him with Barney and she decides to come clean to him. However, he tells her that he loves her, before she can say anything. When Robin tries to tell him the truth, he tells her that he doesn't want to hear it.

Kevin proposes to Robin while away in Vermont which she accepts at first. After having multiple discussions with Kevin about how she can't have kids, which was stated in Symphony of Illumination, Robin finally states that she never wants to have kids. Kevin, deciding he wants to have kids at some point, takes back his proposal and breaks up with Robin.

Nick Podarutti

Robin and Nick

Robin met Nick at a garment store while she was dating Ted. She embarrassed him when he asked her opinion on the clothes he was trying out. She developed a crush on him, and even asked Ted to cover his face while they were having sex, so she could picture him.

At the time when they meet again at a bar, Ted and Robin are pretending to be dating as a favor for Barney, so his dad doesn't find out that Robin and Barney previously dated. Robin asks Ted to clear the situation to her crush, so they can go out. When Ted finds out that she had a crush on him while they were dating and why she made him cover his face during sex, he becomes angry and pretends to propose to Robin in front of her crush to get back at her. Future Ted says that it wasn't the end of that and there will be more on it later.

In 2012, Nick is already dating Robin, but is unknown how they met again. In Splitsville, Robin says that now that she and Nick aren't having sex, they're talking more and she's noticing that Nick is "kind of dumb". Eventually they broke up because Barney proclaims his love for Robin.

Other

Whilst performing as Robin Sparkles Robin had a summer romance with Simon aka Mr Teen Winnipeg who appeared in her 'Sandcastles in the Sand' video. As Robin Daggers she had a crush on Canadian musician Paul Schafer who was the eponymous PS to whom her 'PS I Love You' song was dedicated. In the episode "The Sexless Innkeeper" she hints that she may have had a schoolgirl affair with one of her high school teachers who later went to prison "For tax evasion...and other things".

Family

• Mother: Genevieve Scherbatsky
• Father: Robin Scherbatsky Sr.
• Sister(s): Katie Scherbatsky
• Uncle(s): She has an uncle that managed to blow both his thumbs off, because of improper gun cleaning and maintenance. (Robin 101), She has an Uncle Cecil that passed away before March 2010. (Say Cheese), Frank (The Locket), Jim Scherbatsky (Daisy)
• Aunt(s): A lesbian aunt who lives in upstate New York with her lover Betty/Maureen. (Stuff, The Autumn of Break-Ups), Edith (The Rehearsal Dinner)
• Niece(s): Penny Mosby (honorary), Daisy Eriksen (honorary), un-named Eriksen (honorary)
• Nephew(s): Luke Mosby (honorary), Marvin Eriksen Jr (honorary)
• Cousin(s): Larry (The Stamp Tramp), Ruth (The Locket)), Mitch (an adopted cousin of Robin's.) (The Locket), Vince (Coming Back), Claude (Mom and Dad)
• Pet(s): Five dogs which she gave away to her lesbian aunt who lives upstate. All of the dogs were gifts from ex-boyfriends. One of them was named Pickles. (Stuff) Also, in Miracles, she revealed that when she was six, she had a dog, Sir Scratchewan. Due to his age, he had to be euthanized. But a new experimental process ("a canine testudine cerebro xenograft"), made him live another 7 years, but turning him into a tortoise during the process, leading to Robin's disbelief of Miracles. In 2030 she has 5 new dogs.

Notes and Trivia

• Robin was born in 1980, in real life actress Cobie Smulders who plays Robin on the show was born in 1982.
• Robin was written as Canadian after the show's creators learned that Cobie Smulders was Canadian. Robin was revealed to be Canadian in Belly Full of Turkey.
• In Robin 101, Robin wanted her father to be proud of her and wanted her father to say the 6 simple words, "Robin, I'm proud of you, eh'.
• Robin owns a necklace with a handgun-shaped pendant that she can be seen wearing even before she revealed her love of guns to Ted in Where Were We? (first seen in the cold open of that episode).
• Robin's apartment was in Park Slope, Brooklyn, somewhere close to the intersection of 8th Street and 8th Avenue. (Nothing Good Happens After 2 A.M.)
• Cobie Smulders, who portrayed Robin, is actually terrified of guns as shown in an exclusive interview in MySpace.
• It is stated in Last Cigarette Ever that Robin's real last cigarette was in June 2013. This is one month after her wedding to Barney.
• She is allergic to lobster.
• Eleven years old Robin was portrayed by Olivia Howard Bagg in Little Boys and by Shelby Zemanek with eight in Shelter Island and with six in Miracles.
• In Slutty Pumpkin, Robin said she never played on any sports teams, but in a flashback in Happily Ever After, it shows she had played on a hockey team when she was younger. Also in Best Prom Ever, she said she never got to go to prom because of the field hockey nationals in the spring.
• In The Exploding Meatball Sub, Robin mentions that she wore leg braces in high school when she's describing "graduation goggles" to the gang.

External Links

• Robin Scherbatsky at the Internet Movie Database
• Robin Scherbatsky at the English Wikipedia