Who could ever forget the debut of Robin Sparkles? After endless debate between Marshall and Barney over Robin's hatred of malls, Bays and Thomas pulled the rug from underneath viewers as the truth was revealed. And no-one expected what was coming. As a teenager Robin had been a pop sensation under the name Robin Sparkles with her hit 'Let's Go To The Mall'. Channelling the very cheesiest of 80's bubblegum pop music for the music video, it was an instant fan favourite. This episode also introduced another important recurring feature to the HIMYM lore: the slap bet. Marshall and Barney's differing opinions over Robin's secret (Marshall sided with wedding, Barney with porn) in a slap bet. Thanks to premature slaps in declarations of victory the eventual resulting punishment is a choice for Barney: be slapped ten times immediately or five times at any future point. Barney chooses the five but Marshall points out that he must live in constant fear of being slapped at any time, beginning another of the shows longest running gags that spawned the likes of the excellent 'Slapsgiving' episode. Trivia Fact: Originally titled 'Robin Sparkles,' the episode name was changed to preserve the surprise reveal.
