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.