A Stock Phrase for being on camera. It could be a news camera, or it could be a surveillance camera, if it's too late to get out of its line of sight. There doesn't have to be any guarantee that "mom" is watching. Chances are, if a video camera is pointed at someone, he (and it is usually only one person who does it) will say, "Hi, Mom!"
Compare Confused Bystander Interview, I'm Going to Disney World!, Look Ma, I Am on TV!.
Examples:
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Advertising
- One of the better known elements of the infamous eSure "calm down dear" adverts was an extra randomly shouting "Hello Mum!" in the middle of conversation or, in later ads, carrying a large "Hello Mum" sign.
Anime & Manga
- Pokémon: The Original Series: Ash Ketchum screams this after he wins his first Pokémon League match and gets on TV.
- One of the kids showing a V-Sign on the news in an episode of the manga Strawberry Marshmallow says "Hi, mom!"
Comic Books
Comic Strips
- Garfield:
- The August 27, 1991 strip
has Garfield watch a show called Cats Watching Television. Once he realizes that he is being filmed for the show, he smiles and waves at the camera man while thinking "Hi, Mom!"
- The strip for July 30, 1995, has Jon trying to pick up a woman at a bus stop with an accordion. She assumes it's "that show where they play practical jokes", and thinking that Garfield is actually a hidden camera, holds the cat up to her face and says, "Hi, Mom!"
- The August 27, 1991 strip
Fan Works
- An alien does this in Calvin and Hobbes III: Double Trouble while Rupert broadcasts his plans to the world, spoiling his attempts to be dramatic.
- With Confidence: Izuku does this upon noticing the camera crew filming the aftermath of the Sludge Villain attack. He then proceeds to address her while casually dragging Death Arms, pointing out that the Pro Hero considered it more important to yell at him than to check whether he was in shock.
Films
- Averted in the film version of M*A*S*H*. When Hawkeye and Duke bring Ho-Jon to Seoul for his medical checkup to go into the South Korean Army, a news crew is filming soldiers in the crowd. The interviewer invites Hawkeye to say hello to his Mom, and Hawkeye explains that his Mom is dead. The interviewer is taken aback, and asks about his Dad. Hawkeye then shyly says "Hi, Dad".
- When the Mystery Men are being briefly interviewed near the end of the movie, they take turns introducing themselves to the camera. Blue Rajah explains that he's the "master of cutlery," then adds sweetly, "Hi Mom!" Cut to his mother watching the news at home, smiling proudly.
- New Jack City: Nino Brown, who's just been acquitted of drug trafficking and several murders in exchange for his co-operation with the authorities, smugly uses the phrase in front of the cameras while he's boasting to the press that he thinks the American justice system is the finest in the world. Then the Chekhov's Gunman shows up...
- In Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird, Count Von Count is counting the credits for the film. When he sees the name of Joan Ganz Cooney, who created Sesame Street, he interrupts himself so that he can greet her.
Literature
- In the final Animorphs book, Marco clues in Jake that he can blackmail the Andalite general into sparing the Earth (they're broadcasting to the Andalite homeworld) by pulling this off. Jake and Ax look mortified for a second, then understand.
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: When Mike Teavee shows up on the television monitor in the Television Room, he waves at his mother and says 'Hi' to her. However, the device has permanently shrunk him to an to an inch high and so his mother isn't amused at all!
- According to Dave Barry Slept Here, said by Neil Armstrong when he became the first human to set foot on the Moon.
- A "Hi Mom!" can be significant. There's a moment in the Green-Sky Trilogy when young Raamo is consecrated as an Ol-zhaan. These priest-judge-healer leaders can read every thoughtnote , can do no wrongnote and are considered too holy to even speak their names in public. Yet as he sits in a litter and is lifted up above the adoring crowd, he looks for his family and sends a telepathic greeting. He says, "This do I pledge with sacred touch, our peace and joy as one shall grow," but it's a Hi Mom all the same — and it tips off the one Ol-zhaan, who is still really telepathic, that Raamo still regards himself as a plain person, who can help him bring the whole thing down.
- Done with the radio instead of television (which hadn't been invented yet) in Mr. Popper's Penguins. Mrs. Popper predicts that all the Antarctic expedition broadcast will be is a bunch of men saying "Hello Ma, Hello Pa." When Admiral Drake is broadcast, the first words out of his mouth are, "Hello Ma, hello Pa, hello Mr. Popper." Which, of course, kicks off the plot.
Live Action TV
- When The Colbert Report went to Iraq, Stephen had the troops send a message to their special ladies back home. Naturally, this message was "Hi, Mom!" Stephen asked if they were forgetting someone, and the troops added, "Hi, Stephen's mom!"
- Amusing moment from a radio interview: Stephen was being asked about what kind of social circle he belonged to in high school and said thoughtfully that mostly, they "smoked a lot of pot — hi, Mom — and just kind of smiled at each other over the bong..."
- Criss Angel says this when demonstrating the Spectator's Point of View Camera.
- In the ninth episode of series 4 in the UK version of Finders Keepers, green team member Emma Louise says hello to her younger brother and then presenter Neil Buchanan says hello to his mum.
- Both used straight and subverted on Friends. Ross and Chandler are pretending to be game show contestants. Ross says a clichéd hello to his son, but Chandler introduces himself as a headhunter connecting former Soviet scientists with rogue Third World countries. "Hi, Rasputin!"
- In an episode of I Love Lucy after way too much Vitameatavegamin, Lucy staggers on to the set where Ricky is performing and when she sees she's on camera, she shouts "Hi, Fred! Hi, Ethel!", interrupting Ricky's song.
- A staple in The Price Is Right when the big wheel is spun, the contestant will say hello to whoever they wish to hello to.
- When Dave talks to audience members on The Late Show with David Letterman he'll often ask if they have kids. If they say yes, he offers the chance to say hello to them on TV. Then Dave will yell at the kids for being up so late watching TV when they should be in bed or studying.
- Parodied on The Weird Al Show in the episode "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Hamster", when Dr. Phillips realizes he's on the titular show, does this. Though it was because he mistook the camera man for her.
- Whenever she's on camera/television, Peg from Married... with Children always says this.
- The opening link of the You Can't Do That on Television spinoff, Whatever Turns You On, features two boys (Jonothan and Kevin) interrupting Christine's opening monologue (actually stepping through the screen, tearing Christine's picture in half and causing her to stumble around in pain) to yell, "Hi, girls! Hi, Mom!"
Puppet Shows
- The Muppets:
- Fozzie Bear does this in the Cleo Laine episode of The Muppet Show. He boasted to her that he was the star of the show and was trying to get as many stage appearances as possible.
- In The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show, during the first shot of the control room, Fozzie (again) looks to the camera and says, "Hi, mom."
- In Sesame Street: 20 and Still Counting, when Kermit informs Grover that he's trying to do a news report and Grover then sees that he is on television, Grover shouts "Hello, mom! Thank you for letting a monster into your living room."
Sports
- Long-time baseball announcer Harry Caray and his son Skip had an amusing interchange. Skip was the announcer for the Atlanta Braves, Harry for the Chicago Cubs. When the two teams played each other, Skip would conclude his WTBS broadcast with "Good night, Dad." Harry over at WGN would say either "Good night, Skip" or "Go to bed, Skip."
- An enthusiastic but reckless fan tried to pull this during the last stages of the 2021 Tour de France when she walked out in front of the cameras filming the approaching bikers with a big cardboard sign reading "Allez opi, omi" ("Hi, grandpa and grandma"). Unfortunately the sign clipped one of the bikers and knocked him over, resulting in a huge chain of crashes completely derailing the race until they could get things sorted out. Suffice to say, the stunt was not appreciated.
Stand Up Comedy
- Bill Cosby had a bit talking about a father who spends lots of time with his son practicing football, training to the point where he's the star college athlete and on TV, where he says this line.
Cosby: Well, you don't mind that. You know who taught him.
Tabletop Games
- Wraith: The Oblivion has a special use of the Inhabit Arcanoi (which allows possessing and manipulating objects, in particular machines) called "Hi, mom!" where the Wraith project themselves into a video screen so nearby Quick (living people) can see them. If the screen has speakers attached, they can also communicate audibly.
Video Games
- In Team Fortress 2, The Scout has this as one of his domination lines.
- In Tomodachi Life, during the Mii News segments, one of the Miis on the street might say "Hi Mom! Send money!".
Webcomics
- In an Arthur, King of Time and Space strip written for the Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards, in which Arthur and Merlin announce the nominees for Outstanding Long Form Comic, Acheron of Inverloch says "Hi, mom!" when his strip is announced.
- A Running Gag in Dead Marlo is Harvey Breaking the Fourth Wall to greet his mom.
- Evil Diva: On Family Feud!
Web Video
- From Sonic Adventure 2 (in 4 minutes): "I told you, my name is SHADOW! *sees camera* Hey I'm on TV! *waving* Hi, mom!"
- NFL Films compiled a montage of players doing this, set to music ... the Hi Mom Aria.
Western Animation
- In the Ed, Edd n Eddy episode "Floss Yer Ed", as Eddy tries to knock out Ed to get money from his loose tooth, the former screams "Say 'Whiplash'!", to which the latter cries out "Hi, Mom!" in his true non-sequitur form right before Double D distracts him and Eddy punches himself in the face instead.
- In one episode of Family Guy, Chris being interviewed, asks the newscaster if he can say hi to his mom. When said he can, he shouts "Hi Mom!" to Lois, who is standing just off-screen.
- Parodied in another episode. "Can I say "Hi" to my friend? Hi, Jesus!"
Jesus (watching TV): No way! (gets a phone call) Hello? I know, I saw! - Played quite straight in the first radio Gorillaz interview, where 2D introduces himself by saying, "Hi, um, I'm 2D. I'm the singer, I play the piano, and I need the toilet. Hello mum! You listening to the radio? Mum?"
- Kaeloo: Played with in the episode "Let's Play Danger Island Survivor", Stumpy looks at the camera during a game show and wonders if it is a webcam or a TV camera, but decides to do this anyway.
Stumpy: Hello? Am I on? Mama!
- Inverted in the Circus Episode, where Stumpy's mom sees him on TV and calls him from home on the phone.
- Appears in the Little Shop episode "I Loathe a Parade". Seymour, in a fire hydrant costume in a fire hose parade (just go with it) not only says this when Audrey points out TV cameras, but also says "It's me. Your son."
- The Powerpuff Girls (1998): In the episode "Uh Oh Dynamo", a fellow at Mt. Rushmore shouts "Hi Mom!" This comes back later when the Fish Balloon monster lands on the monument after being beaten, and the guy once more shouts "Hi!"
- Done in an episode of Rocko's Modern Life with a daytime talk show. Similar to the Family Guy example, Heffer wants to say hi to his mother who is part of the studio audience. This actually becomes a plot point, as Heffer's mother later calls out Rocko and Heffer for their petty feud (they're on a Jerry Springer-esque talk show because of a Forgotten Birthday).
- Recurring in The Simpsons during Kent Brockman's news.
- Sonic the Hedgehog (SatAM): Tails and Rotor are confronted with a surveillance orb. It's just Robotnik and Snively at the other end, but Tails says hi to his mom.
- The South Park episode "Red Man's Greed" combines this with Real Life:
Stan: ...Dude, who the hell are you?
Alex: Alex. Alex Glick. (Beat) I got to come on and do the guest voice thingy.
Kyle: What?! Get the hell out of here!
Alex: (walks off-screen waving) Hi Mom! Hi Dad! Hi Joe! - The Real Ghostbusters episode "Halloween II 1/2" had Slimer say "Hi, ma" while testing the camera Egon strapped to him in order to spy on Samhain's fortress.
- The Magic School Bus: While on Gerri Poverri's show, after he finishes speaking, Tim briefly turns to the camera to say "Hi mom!"
