Scandinavian

Stereotypes in

How I Met Your

Mother

Elsa, Hilkka, and Kerttu Vähänen

ENGA17 U.S. Popular Culture

Fall 2013

How I Met Your Mother

HIMYM

American sitcom (CBS)

2005–2014; 9 seasons

Tells about a group of friends in Manhattan

Known for its unique structure and eccentric humor

Pop culture referencesand stereotypes

What Is a Cultural Stereotype?

We apply our existing beliefs

about the members of a

cultural group to individuals

The less we know about the

other, the more we hang on

to stereotypes

We see what we expect to

see, and our observations

confirm the stereotype

Stereotypes are often resistant

to change

(Lehtonen)

Stereotypes in Sitcom

Stereotypes are useful in

sitcoms

Stereotypes and the

jokes related to them are

already familiar to the

audience

The episodes are usually

only 20 minutes long so

the jokes have to be

quick

(Triezenberg 2008)

Some Stereotypes about

Scandinavians

People are tall, blond,

and pretty

Descendants of Vikings

Obsessed with tolerance

and fairness

Well-meaning but naive

Enjoy winter sports

Funny accent

Minnesota Nice Stereotypical, overall

nice behavior of people

born and raised in

Minnesota

Also, negative qualities,

such as passive

aggressiveness and

resistance to change

Often also applied to

neighboring Canadians,

as well as Scandinavians

(shared cultural heritage)

Cultural Characteristics:

Courteous

Emotionally reserved

Mild-mannered

Polite

Tend to avoid

confrontation

Season 1, Episode 9: Belly Full of Turkey

Marshall Eriksen

St. Cloud, Minnesota

Population: 64,000 (almost 85%

white)

Many people of Scandinavian

descent

Marshall and Lily prepare for

Thanksgiving

HIMYM: St. Cloud, Minnesota

(video clip)

The Eriksen Family

The family members display

niceness exceeding even

natural Minnesota Nice, to

the amusement and

occasional frustration of

Marshall's friends

Marshall says hello to

strangers in the streets of

N.Y.C., and he is always

very polite (compare

Marshall to the other main

characters, especially

Barney)

It’s always cold and snowy in Minnesota.

Minnesotan People…

Are tall and

blond

Drink milk

Wear colorful

sweaters

Traditional Family Values

Women do thecooking

Marshall’s mother is a housewife

Only men can play baskiceball

The men also likeregular sports (f.e. Minnesota Vikings)

Small Town Feeling

”People know the

Eriksens”

All Marshall´s friends and

family members are still

living in St. Cloud

In the beginning of the

episode, Marshall wants

to start a family in St.

Cloud (vs. New York)

Distinctive Local Cuisine

Lily is asked to

prepare ”the seven

layer salad”

”But this is an

American holiday”

The Eriksens

consider

themselves as ”the

real Americans”

Why Is It Safe to Make Fun of

Minnesotans?

White Anglo-Saxon

Protestants (WASPs) are a

safe target for humor,

because no one is

currently discriminating

them in real life

A well-established ethnic

group in the United States.

They don’t need to

struggle for their place in

the society

Conclusions

The Scandinavian and

Minnesotan stereotypes are

usually represented in a

similar fashion

The Eriksens from HIMYM are

a good example of the

Scandinavian/Minnesotan

stereotype

The series has also seen

other portrayals of

Scandinavia (f.e. Sven; theFinnish people who love

YouTube)

Works Cited

How I Met Your Mother. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Last Updated 12 Nov 2013, 01:44 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Viewed 12 November 2013.

Lehtonen, Jaakko. Cultural Stereotypes. Views to Finnish Culture. Department of Communication, University of Jyväskylä, Finland. Viewed 12 November 2013.

Minnesota Nice. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Last Updated 16 Oct 2013, 21:53 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Viewed 12 November 2013.

National Stereotypes. TV Tropes. TV Tropes Foundation, LLC. Viewed 12 November 2013.

Triezenberg, E. Katrina. 2008. Humor in literature. In the Primer of Humour Research, Victor Raskin (ed.), 523-542. Berlin, New York: Mouton de Gruyter.