How Bob Newhart Inadvertently Pioneered the Modern Drinking Game

Ninety-three-year-old comedy legend Bob Newhart has done so much great work throughout his long career, from iconic stand-up routines like “The Driving Instructor,” to his role as  

Drinking games are obviously nothing new, unexpectedly takes a whiz.

One of the beer “when a character says, ‘Hi, Bob.’”

Newhart himself commented on the game, dubbed “Hi, Bob,” which he claimed may have originated at Southern Methodist University. Newhart didn’t seem to take offense at the trend but still seemed concerned. “I just hope when they play ‘Hi, Bob,’ they don’t drive,” he said, adding, “I would hate for my television career to be ed for ‘Hi, Bob.’”

But because no trend, no matter how stupid, is immune from commodification, in 1991, TBS tried to turn the “Hi, Bob” phenomenon into a contest, which involved merely counting “Hi, Bobs” instead of getting drunker than Don Draper on a weekday afternoon.

“Hi, Bob” made such a cultural impact that it was even referenced in David Foster Wallace’s debut novel The Broom of the System:

And when Newhart hosted Chris Elliott have to breathlessly get blackout drunk as people continuously greet Newhart backstage. At one point, Newhart pleads to the camera, imploring any drunken frat guys watching at home not to do anything dangerous.

Of course, those concerns didn’t stop Newhart from using "Hi, Bob" as the name of his podcast.

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