In this bonus “General Questions” episode of How We Made Your Mother, Josh Radnor, Craig Thomas, and Alek Lev dive into fan-submitted questions about “The Pineapple Incident,” covering everything from the origin of the pineapple (a mysterious “alien fruit”) to the challenges of shooting nonlinear narratives. They reminisce about the kind, collaborative atmosphere on set, the influences behind HIMYM’s story structure (like Rashomon and Memento), and how props like the yellow umbrella and blue French horn have become iconic fan symbols. The episode also includes some vacation banter, and a heartfelt discussion about gratitude, presence, and the legacy of the show. Questions We Attempt to Answer: Why a pineapple? Has the pineapple changed your lives forever? Were you inspired by any fictional work or did it come from any real life event? Can you walk us through the order of the shooting? How do you plan shooting so many scenes that need to come together to form a timeline that makes sense? GET YOUR MERCH! We’ve got HWMYM merch, which is now just a FEW CLICKS AWAY. CRAIG’S BOOK IS AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER! Head over to CRAIG’S WEBSITE to pre-order your copy of That’s Not How It Happened today. JOSH IS STILL ON TOUR! Tickets are available HERE for the final shows of the EULOGY TOUR. And if you’re a business with big orders to fulfill, Amplifier is there to help growing consumer brands and influencers create a unique experience for their customers during the fulfillment process. Visit AMPLIFIER to learn more, and name-drop How We Made Your Mother for special pricing for your emerging brand's program. CONNECT WITH THE SHOW: Official Website (Send us your audio and written messages) Substack (Join the mailing list, get announcements, and read more from Josh and Craig) Instagram HOW YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE: Donate to our ongoing campaign to support congenital heart disease research AND MORE: Josh’s “Museletters” on Substack Josh’s Official Website Josh on SpotifyCraig’s Official Website (with links to his published writing) Alek’s “Dead Fathers Society” on Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.