Theodore "Ted" Mosby is a fictional character created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas for the television series How I Met Your Mother, portrayed by Josh Radnor. The central character of the show, Ted, is from Shaker Heights, Ohio, and is a Wesleyan University graduate and an architect who, according to Barney, thinks too much. After his best friend Marshall becomes engaged, Ted decides to try and find his soulmate. Prone to socially questionable romantic gestures, he steals a blue French horn that was a topic of conversation in his first date with Robin. In a similar vein, he also dresses up as a "hanging chad" every year for Halloween, in the hopes of meeting the "Slutty Pumpkin", a woman dressed as a jack-o'-lantern (complete with strategically placed holes) whom he once met at a Halloween party. For a time, he dates a baker named Victoria, whom he met at a friend's wedding. She accepts a culinary fellowship in Germany, prompting a long-distance relationship, which does not last, due in large part to his persistent feelings for Robin. His friendship with Robin is threatened when he implies that Victoria broke up with him before he actually did, leading to their making out. They ultimately reconcile, and shortly after that, Ted makes one last attempt to win her, hiring a chamber orchestra with blue instruments to play in her apartment while he makes his appeal. She cannot give him a definite answer, but, after she is stuck at her apartment due to an unpredicted storm (that Ted had danced for), she decides to pursue her feelings for him upon his return to her. After nearly a year together, they break up, and Ted no longer sees Robin as "The One," but doesn't reveal the identity of his future wife. Ted comes from Shaker Heights, Ohio, (in real life, Josh Radnor grew up in the Columbus, Ohio area). He was seen cheering for the Cleveland Indians when they were playing the Yankees at a baseball game (season 2, episode 1) and he alluded to once being trapped under a fake rock at a mall in Ohio when he was 9 (Slap Bet). He and Marshall were randomly assigned as freshman year roommates at Wesleyan but became friends on a long road trip that was deemed both "Fieroasco" (by Marshall) and the "100k Fiasco" (by Ted). This story was told in Arrivederci, Fiero. For a while Ted claimed to be "vomit-free since '93," meaning he had not puked for any reason since 1993. However, in the episode Game Night, he reveals that this is not true, and that he vomited on Robin's door mat.
Romantic Interests
Natalie - Ted was in a long-term relationship with Natalie in the past (takes place before first season). Ted decided that she wasn't the one and decided to break up with her. The day he broke up with her coincidentally turned out to be her birthday. To make the situation worse, Ted broke up with her through a message left on her answering machine, a message which was heard by a group of Natalie's friends who were waiting at her house to throw her a surprise party. In 2005, Ted decided to give Natalie another try and began dating her again for a few weeks, only to decide that she still "isn't the one". Ted breaks up with her again on, what happened to be, her birthday.
Robin Scherbatsky - Robin is Ted's former girlfriend. He goes on a date with her in Season 1, but after professing his love for her at the end of the night she dumps him, saying that they're completely wrong for each other because he wants marriage and she doesn't. They later get together in the final episode of Season 1 and break up during the events of the third to last episode of the Season 2. However, due to Marshall and Lily's wedding, they do not tell anyone and only reveal the breakup to Barney at the reception in the episode Something Blue (season finale). They remain friends and are seen, via flash forward, dancing at James and Tom's wedding, which should occur sometime in Season 3.
Victoria - Ted met Victoria at his friends' wedding. He didn't know her last name; he only knew her as "Victoria, the girl with snowflakes on her shoes." Ted finds out who she is after asking the bride who made the cake. Victoria is a baker who worked at Buttercup Bakery in New York City. She left the job for a two-year dessert fellowship in Germany. This educational experience led to the downfall of her and Ted's relationship. They attempted to continue their relationship long-distance, only for it to end when Ted cheated on her with Robin, an incident which also nearly ended the friendship between Robin and Ted.
