Tijuana has appeared in several movies, TV shows, and even anime. And though the city itself doesn’t appear onscreen, it is mentioned in many productions. One of the shows that has alluded to Tijuana the most is the one starring Josh Radnor and Neil Patrick Harris: How I Met Your Mother.

During its nine seasons, Tijuana is mentioned several times. Let’s go over all these times, whether good or bad, that this border city has been mentioned:

1. When Lily’s father creates a board game called “Tijuana Slumlord”

As true fans of this TV show know, Lily Aldrin’s father’s goal is to create the most popular board game and among his efforts there is Tijuana Slumlord. When he showed this game, Lily’s father had missed her ballet show when she was a child. This is the 9th episode of the 5th season (5x09).

2. When it is said that Robin has Tijuana in her purse

This is one of the series’ saddest episodes, since it happens after Marshall Erikson’s father’s funeral in Minnesota. Here the group consisting of Ted, Robin, Lily, and Barney try to help Marshall and his family overcome a very tough time, and each person in the group designates themselves into a role. Robin appoints herself as the “vice girl”, since she has pills, alcohol, and other suspicious things in her purse.

Due to this, Ted Mosby says that she “crammed Tijuana into a purse”. Although this is not a very positive image of Tijuana, this stereotype has been improving steadily throughout the years. This is the 14th episode of the 6th season (6x14).

3. In the school where Lily Aldrin works there is a “Tijuana Tuesday”

On this episode we find out that Lily’s high school ex-boyfriend, Scooter works alongside her in the same school. He is in charge of serving food to teachers and students. Marshall didn’t know about this and after this is revealed, he tells Lily that he has to tell Scooter: “We will never be together.” Lily says that she will tell him this another day because she cannot ruin “Tijuana Tuesday” for everyone at school.

This is the 16th episode of the 5th season (5x16).

4. Ted and the sombrero-shaped building

There exists another possible reference. In the season finale “The Leap”, Ted Mosby is designing a building that is shaped like a sombrero (possibly shaped like the architecture of the Tijuana restaurant "El Potrero", which begins to drive him crazy. At the end, those who hired him end up choosing a design by a Swedish architecture firm that made a dinosaur with a cowboy hat. This is the 24th episode of the 4th season (4x24).

Did you notice any of these references?

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