It’s normal for Marshall to wear a blue tie that has yellow ducks painted on it, right? Of course, that’s how goofy Marshall is. But to have Barney wear it for 10 entire episodes? A nightmare come true. That’s right, ladies and gents, we will talk about the infamous ducky tie that cost Barney his pride and her…well, let’s say her upper pride.
The Ducky Tie Bet
In the episode “Ducky Tie” (Season 7 Episode 3), Marshall gets infuriated as everyone, especially Barney, mocks the chef of Shinjitsu, a teppanyaki restaurant. Upon which, Barney claims that anyone can mimic the cooking style. And that is where the bet was placed.
The “Ducky Tie Bet” was that if Barney could do everything the Shinjitsu chef could do, he could touch Lily’s breasts. But little did Lily and Marshall know Barney had plotted this way before they went to the restaurant. Previously, he had been sneezing every time Marshall said “let’s go to Shinjitsu”, conditioning Marshall to associate Barney’s sneeze with going to the restaurant, a classic psychology trick. That magician has had quite a lot of tricks up his sleeve.
Why does Barney wear the Ducky tie?
Evidently, the bet had been placed even though Marshall and Lily realized Barney’s ploy. Lily almost caved in to call the bet off in exchange for Barney to just see her breasts, but suddenly, she had an idea. She called the bet back on and waited until had Barney had done almost everything except the last move. As Barney attempts to toss the shrimp in his pocket, Lily flashed him. This distracts him and results in the shrimp falling on the table. Alas, Barney lost the bet. The trickster became the trickee.
In How Many Episodes Does Barney Wear the Ducky Tie?
It couldn’t hurt, right? Barney got to see Lily’s boobs, so it wouldn’t hurt to put on a Ducky Tie for an entire year. Well, it did. I did hurt, badly. The following episodes mark the times Barney had to put on the tie, with excruciating embarrassment.
- The Stinson Missile Crisis (Season 07, Episode 04) – Barney wears the tie to dinner in Cafe L’Amour, with Nora
- Field Trip (Season 07, Episode 05) – Barney wears the tie to Goliath National Bank’s conference room where he gives a special presentation to Ted’s architecture class.
- Mystery vs. History (Season 07, Episode 06) – No embarrassing moments, just wears the tie pretty much the entire episode.
- Noretta (Season 07, Episode 07) – Barney wears the tie with a romantic evening with Nora, marking the first time they sleep together
- The Slutty Pumpkin Returns (Season 07, Episode 08) – Barney wears the tie, and when he doesn’t, he wears and an Apollo Creed costume. Oof.
When Does Barney Take Off the Tie?
Finally, During Disaster Averted (Season 07, Episode 09), Barney expresses his frustration with the tie, convincing Marshall to take it off. However, Marshall lets him do so in exchange for 3 slaps, making a total of 4 slaps. Right on the spot, Marshall makes 2 slaps with a final SLAP DUNK. Ouch, that hurt to even watch.
The Ducky tie makes its final appearances at the ending episodes of Season 7, where Barney takes Marshall on a trip to relieve him of childbirth paranoia. Barney puts it on if Marshall promises to get really drunk. Well they do, a bit too drunk, completely having ignored the fact that Lily goes in into labor!
Did you know?
Many himym fans ask why couldn’t Ted see Lily’s boobs in the ducky tie.
ted couldn’t see lily’s boobs in the ducky tie bet because he had no legitimate reason. he wasn’t part of the bet.
barney could see because the alternative would have been he got to touch them if he won the bet. robin can see because shes lily’s best friend and a woman. marshall can see because…well, they’re married!
