Bob Newhart Fans Created The First Ever TV Drinking Game

In the 80s, when The Bob Newhart Show was being played in reruns, the drinking game Hi, Bob started appearing on college campuses. It’s unknown who created the game, but it likely began at Southern Methodist University and then spread around the country to become a pop culture institution in the 80s.

While drinking games were nothing new, it’s widely believed to be the first to implement a prompt from a TV show with the game appearing in articles as far back as 1984. 

Part of Hi, Bob’s large cultural footprint was due to the enduring popularity of The Bob Newhart Show and its leading man. The show was split between Bob’s work life as a psychologist and his life at home with his wife Emilly and their neighbors. It remained popular after its original run and as another hit sitcom, Newhart extended the comedian’s popularity into the 90s and beyond.

Multiple versions of the game exist but the rules always center around characters in The Bob Newhart Show saying Bob’s name. In the most common ruleset, players take a drink of their beers anytime a character says the name “Bob” and finish their beers anytime someone says “Hi, Bob.”

Other variations include replacing with liquor, or passing a single bottle of beer around until the key phrase was uttered. 

Bob Newhart himself had mixed feelings about Hi, Bob. When asked about the game in interviews he never disapproved of the game, but frequently said he worried about young people driving drunk after playing the game.

Nonetheless, the game’s name was used for several projects involving the comedian, such as his podcast. 

Today, almost every popular show has a drinking game like Hi, Bob and the idea of a drinking game based on a TV show is common. If you search online you can typically find numerous games on social media, fan sites, and articles for any given show from The Bear to Gilmore Girls.

Despite their prevalence, none of these drinking games have made it into the zeitgeist like the original Bob Newhart Show drinking game.

Hi, Bob has appeared frequently in pop culture since it was invented, from TV shows to novels. David Foster Wallace’s debut novel The Broom of the System depicts the game being played in a scene and the sci-fi show and For All Mankind named a 2019 episode after the game.

I learned about the game from a 1995 episode of Saturday Night Live which Bob Newhart hosted, which featured Chris Farley and Chris Elliot playing the game. 

Bob Newhart left behind an amazing legacy of beloved sitcoms, memorable movie roles, and iconic comedy. The fact that Hi, Bob was a cultural touchstone for 80s college students that has endured in pop culture ever since is evidence of his comedy transcending generational thinking.

His comedic talent inspired fans to create the game, and I think it’s the perfect excuse to raise a toast to one of my favorite comedians now that he’s passed—just don’t drive after.