Josh Radnor Reveals He Got to Take the Most Iconic Memento from the “How I Met Your Mother” Set (Exclusive)

“I get nervous about someone breaking and stealing it,” Radnor tells PEOPLE

CBS Josh Radnor in 'How I Met Your Mother' season 9

CBS

Josh Radnor in 'How I Met Your Mother' season 9

Josh Radnor has the mother of all keepsakes from the set of How I Met Your Mother.

“I got the blue French horn,” the actor, 50, tells PEOPLE, adding that the iconic instrument is the only thing he kept from the beloved CBS sitcom. “That's all you need, right? Why get greedy? I got that.”

Much like Ted Mosby and Robin Scherbatsky, the blue French horn took a long and winding road to its happy ending with Radnor. The brightly colored instrument first appeared in HIMYM’s pilot episode, when Ted (Radnor) steals it from a restaurant for Robin (Cobie Smulders) after she admires it on their first date.

CBS Cobie Smulders and Josh Radnor in 'How I Met Your Mother' season 1

CBS

Cobie Smulders and Josh Radnor in 'How I Met Your Mother' season 1

Related: Josh Radnor Teams Up with HIMYM Co-Creator Craig Thomas for Legendary New Rewatch Podcast (Exclusive)

ADVERTISEMENT

Over the show’s nine-season run, the horn became a symbol of the characters’ on-again, off-again relationship. For much of the show’s first and second seasons, Smulders’ character kept the horn displayed in her apartment. But the end of their relationship in the season 2 finale episode “Something Blue” coincided with Ted being forced to return the instrument to the restaurant from which he originally stole it.

In season 5, Radnor’s character tries to win Robin back by once again stealing the horn for her. However, he later finds she has moved out of their shared apartment, leaving the horn behind.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.  

CBS Cobie Smulders and Josh Radnor in 'How I Met Your Mother' season 7

CBS

Cobie Smulders and Josh Radnor in 'How I Met Your Mother' season 7

Related: How I Met Your Mother Co-Creator on How His Son's Rare Genetic Disorder Influenced the Direction of the Show (Exclusive)

ADVERTISEMENT

The horn later appears in HIMYM’s seventh season, chained to the wall at the restaurant where Ted and Robin had their first date to prevent another theft. Then, in a season 9 flashback episode, Ted mentions the blue French horn again, noting that if he ever tried to get back together with Robin, he would use it as a token of his enduring love.

And, spoiler alert, that’s exactly what he ultimately does. The final moments of the show’s finale find Radnor’s character showing up at Robin’s door with the blue French horn in hand.

Given the horn’s significance to HIMYM fans, Radnor says he’s well aware of how covetable it is.

“I get nervous about someone breaking and stealing it,” he admits.

Radnor plans to drop more such gems on his upcoming HIMYM rewatch podcast, How We Made Your Mother, starting March 10.

Read the original article on People