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John's wife Sarah as 'the Yeti' (2007)

running joke · status: running joke (last seen 2025) · last event: variation (2025-01-07)

In the first days of Brotherhood 2.0 in January 2007 John compared his wife Sarah to the Yeti, prominent in their folklore but rarely sighted, and the brothers called her the Yeti in video after video through 2009, with John insisting viewers would never see her. The nickname came back now and then into the 2010s, and in 2025 John called his dog Potato the new Yeti.

Told alongside: John and Sarah move to Indianapolis (2007) · 'In your pants' suffix game (2007) · Hank: write a song every two weeks (2007 challenge from John) · John proposes to Sarah with a book inscribed by Hendrik Hertzberg (2008) · John asks whether he and Sarah should get a puppy and what to name it (2007) · The brothers' Wikipedia pronunciation dispute (2007) · Hank's crush on Helen Hunt (2007) · The Art Assignment: Sarah's PBS Digital Studios show (2013)

About: Sarah Urist Green, Yeti, Katherine Green

date event what video
2007-01-02 first use John says his wife Sarah will not appear and compares her to the Yeti: prominent in their folklore, rarely sighted. (playful) Brotherhood 2.0: January 2nd 00:00:37
2007-01-08 callback Sarah interrupts off camera and John identifies her as the Yeti; he then questions her with her answers left out. (playful) Brotherhood 2.0: January 8, 2007 00:00:58
2007-01-22 callback John introduces Sarah's voice on the footage as 'the voice of the yeti'. (playful) Brotherhood 2.0, January 22, 2007 00:00:52
2007-01-29 callback Hank says Katherine is not quite the Yeti that John's wife is and occasionally comes out in public. (playful) Brotherhood 2.0: January 29th 00:00:50
2007-01-30 callback John hopes the Yeti will do some drawings for the picture book. (playful, hedged) Brotherhood 2.0: January 30, 2007 00:01:22
2007-02-01 callback John recalls being in this Savannah park with the Yeti a year ago and says he misses her. (playful) Brotherhood 2.0, February 1, 2007 00:00:13
2007-02-21 callback John uses Sarah as 'the Yeti' in his brain-Wikipedia example. (playful) February 21st, 2007: The Wikipedia in Your Mind 00:01:13
2007-03-05 callback John says he is filming from the Yeti's childhood bedroom. (playful) Brotherhood 2.0: March 5, 2007: Hank's Punishment 00:00:00
2007-03-07 callback John calls Sarah 'the Yeti' while describing her stressful master's thesis. Brotherhood 2.0: March 7, 2007: Stress 00:01:51
2007-03-13 callback John says he misses the Yeti (Sarah) while looking at a cheesy but sentimental glass etching. Brotherhood 2.0: March 13, 2007: Denver 00:01:53
2007-03-27 callback John calls Sarah 'the Yeti', who spends 12 hours a day at the hospital with him. (playful) March 26th: Thanks 00:00:00
2007-04-02 callback John calls Sarah 'the Yeti' while walking through the Ramble. (playful) Brotherhood 2.0: April 2nd: Punishments in the Ramble 00:00:10
2007-04-23 callback Hank addresses John's wife Sarah as 'the Yeti', whom he knows is watching. (playful) April 23rd: Celebrity 00:03:04
2007-04-27 callback Hank calls John's wife Sarah 'the Yeti' when reporting she got a job. (playful) April 27th: Bad Day,,, 00:01:49
2007-04-30 callback John calls his wife Sarah 'the Yeti'. (playful) Brotherhood 2.0: April 30: Hellos from Los Angeles 00:01:40
2007-05-10 callback John again calls Sarah 'the Yeti' when describing the house hunt. (playful) Brotherhood 2.0: May 10: House Hunted? 00:00:03
2007-05-16 callback John again calls Sarah 'the Yeti' in his P.S. (playful) Brotherhood 2.0: May 16: Beating the EBO into the ground 00:02:47
2007-05-18 callback John again calls Sarah 'the Yeti'. (playful) Brotherhood 2.0: May 18: How to Write a Book Proposal 00:00:00
2007-05-22 callback John again calls Sarah 'the Yeti'. (playful) May 22: Brotherhood 2.0 in Amsterdam 00:01:49
2007-05-23 callback Hank dedicates his song to Sarah as 'the Yeti'. (playful) May 23rd: Miniature Soccer Team 00:00:11
2007-05-24 callback John refers to Sarah as 'the Yeti' when deferring her response to Hank's song. (playful) Brotherhood 2.0: May 24: How to Happy Dance 00:02:22
2007-05-29 callback John again calls Sarah 'the Yeti' while describing the packing. (playful) Brotherhood 2.0: May 29: The Goth Scene and Evil Ladies 00:00:37
2007-05-30 callback Referring to John's last video, Hank calls the Yeti amazing and says he is undone. (playful) → refers to Brotherhood 2.0: May 29: The Goth Scene and Evil Ladies May 30th: Ranavalona and Clean Coal 00:02:38
2007-05-31 callback John again calls Sarah 'the Yeti', out of town. (playful) Brotherhood 2.0: May 31: Yogurt eating 00:00:00
2007-06-06 callback John records in the bathroom so as not to wake 'the Yeti', noting Yetis get cranky when woken early. (playful) June 6th: Lindsay Lohan's Bikini and My Pants 00:00:10
2007-06-08 callback The house tour includes 'the Ghost of the Yeti'. (playful) Brotherhood 2.0: June 8: Studying the Clues 00:01:45
2007-06-11 callback Hank notes that John has 'a Yeti' (Sarah) with him. (playful) June 11: SURPRISE 00:01:41
2007-06-19 callback Hank calls John's wife Sarah 'The Yeti'. June 19: GOOD LUCK JOHN 00:02:56
2007-07-09 callback John says the Yeti's objection to him sawing off his leg is a deal-breaker. (playful) July 9: The Punishment Fiasco 00:02:47
2007-07-10 callback Hank says the Yeti doesn't want a husband with an inverse mohawk. (playful) July 10: Embarassing Photographs 00:00:34
2007-07-23 callback John calls Sarah 'the Yeti' when telling of their trip to the antiques fair. (playful) July 23rd: The Tickling of the Innards 00:00:33
2007-07-25 callback John says 'the Yeti' will be mad about the Silly String on the carpet. (playful) July 25: Brotherhood 2.0's Youtube Comments Are Answered! 00:03:29
2007-08-02 callback John calls his wife 'the Yeti', who can veto any punishment. (playful) August 2nd: Airports and Box Fans 00:02:19
2007-08-06 callback John refers to his wife as 'the Yeti', who vetoes the punishment. (playful) August 6th: JK Rowling and I Will ... Be Punished 00:00:43
2007-08-08 callback John says 'thank God I ended up with the Yeti'. August 8th: The Lawn and the Fury 00:01:47
2007-08-10 callback John goes 'on the trail of the Yeti', treating his wife as the creature. (joke) August 10th: Bears!!!! 00:00:00
2007-08-27 callback Hank refers to Sarah as 'the Yeti'. (playful) August 27th: Thanks Yous and Cameos 00:02:05
2007-08-29 callback Hank's song calls Sarah 'the Yeti'. (playful) August 29th: Goodbye 29 Year Old John 00:01:17
2007-08-30 callback Asked why Sarah is called the Yeti, the brothers joke she is so hairy. (joke) August 30th: A Secret Project for Nerdfighters 00:00:45
2007-09-04 callback John refers to Sarah as 'the Yeti'. September 4th: Negative Suck Cubed Equals Awesome 00:02:46
2007-09-20 callback John imagines the Yeti coming home to wacky string on the carpet and postponing the baby date. (playful) Sept. 20th: Wacky String 00:02:19
2007-09-24 callback John calls Sarah 'the Yeti' when predicting how unhappy she will be about the car key. (playful) September 24: Airports and M. T. Anderson 00:00:43
2007-09-28 callback John calls Sarah 'the Yeti', noting 5:15 a.m. is not the time to give a Yeti bad news. (playful) September 28th: Nerdfighting!!! 00:01:10
2007-10-02 callback John calls Sarah 'the yeti' announcing her birthday is tomorrow. (playful) Oct. 2nd: Brotherhood 2.0 on the Road (Literally) 00:02:28
2007-10-03 callback Hank dedicates his song to 'the Yeti' because it is her birthday. (playful) Oct 3rd: Baby I Sold Your Dog On EBay 00:00:29
2007-11-21 callback John lists 'one beautiful yeti' (his wife) among the things he is thankful for. (playful) November 21st: What I'm Grateful For 00:01:40
2007-12-04 callback Asked what the Yeti looks like, John says she looks kind of like a kitten wrestling a rainbow. (joke) December 4th: Question Tuesday!!!! 00:02:48
2008-02-21 callback John says the Yeti is 28, and that seeing her would take money for a long expedition to Nepal. (playful) People Who Love Giraffes Who Love Giraffes 00:02:58
2008-03-04 callback John says the Yeti isn't seen because her cute would break the camera. (playful) SETTING THE QUESTION TUESDAY WORLD RECORD 00:02:22
2008-04-14 callback John reports the Yeti is sick and shows her asleep on a whispered safari. (playful) PAPER TOWNS-TACULAR 00:02:10
2008-04-21 callback A viewer asks whether John would want the Yeti, as a vampire, to bite him; John claims he might be a vampire already. (joke) Belated Book-tacular Questions 00:02:30
2008-04-28 callback John reports the Yeti watched one of their videos and doesn't get some of the jokes. (playful) Ranting and Giving Stuff Away 00:01:17
2008-05-18 callback John refers to his wife as the Yeti, who vetoed naming the puppy Bubbles. A CUTETACULAR INTRODUCTION! 00:00:49
2008-05-19 callback John refers to his wife as the Yeti when recalling their move to Indianapolis. Three Things 00:00:36
2008-05-20 callback John refers to his wife as the Yeti: his last words would be to tell her he loves her; they have been married two years. Guys Love Giraffe Love 00:02:13
2008-05-30 callback John says the tour will occasionally feature the Yeti. (playful) The Dread Pirate Fireball Roberts! (And Housekeeping) 00:00:48
2008-06-26 callback Nerdfighters' second request was to see more of 'the Yeti'; Sarah answers off camera. (playful) Don't Suck on That Bone 00:00:00
2008-07-13 callback John refers to his wife as 'the Yeti' while they try to make Willy turn his head. (playful) Willy's Elusive Head Turn 00:01:13
2008-08-06 callback John says he proposed to the Yeti by having Hendrik Hertzberg, a writer she likes whom he met at a conference, sign a book to Sarah asking "Will you marry John Green?". Question Tuesday Returns (on a Wednesday) 00:02:09
2008-09-04 callback John lists "the Yeti" among the guests at the Paper Towns launch party. (playful) Paper Towns Tour Dates! 00:01:43
2008-09-10 callback John calls Sarah "the Yetis" when saying the song made the household happy. (playful) Willy Listening to His Song 00:02:37
2008-09-23 callback John says the Yeti will be at many tour events, unless he has been making her up all this time. (playful) Paper Towns and Touring Question Tuesday 00:03:09
2008-10-11 (said on 2008-10-10, implied) callback John says if Y were always a vowel there would be no Yeti and he would be alone in the world. (joke) Question Friday 00:02:37
2008-10-14 callback John cites "the yeti" as one reason a romance with Margo would be weird. (joke) Paper Towns Reading 00:00:00
2008-11-03 callback They miss the Yeti but are coming home to her the next day for the Election Day Spectacular in Greenwood, Indiana. Hank and John from the Road 00:02:18
2008-11-27 callback John asks whether there is a Yeti down there and hopes it will one day be normal to call your wife a Yeti. (joke) Thanksgiving in Asheville 00:01:13
2009-05-13 callback Showing a card drawn with Katherine, John and the Yeti, Hank jokes that the Yeti is invisible in her coat. (playful) My Birthday Rocks 00:02:06
2009-06-30 callback John recalls that he did not ask the Yeti to marry him himself: he had Hendrik Hertzberg do it when signing John's copy of his book Politics. Nerdfighter MARRIAGE PROPOSAL 00:00:39
2009-08-10 (said on 2009-08-09, implied) callback John can't show cooking-school footage because the Yeti is in all of it, and showing her would collapse Nerdfighteria. (playful) HipPOTATOmus 00:00:23
2009-08-11 callback Asked again to show the Yeti, John says he has explained before that he cannot: her cuteness would break viewers' computers. (playful) The Island of Nerdfighteria? 00:01:39
2009-09-27 callback John calls Sarah 'the Yeti' recalling their early dates, and again when she rules out his unbuttoned second button. (playful) TV For Chickens 00:00:00
2009-11-29 callback John calls on his wife Sarah as 'the Yeti' to answer whether a woman needs a man to feel whole. (playful) John Reviews Twilight and New Moon 00:01:36
2009-12-15 callback John announces that 'the Yeti' is going to have 'a little Yeti'. (playful) In Which A Secret Is Revealed 00:03:43
2009-12-27 callback Asked about 'the Yeti', John says she is his wife; Hank says the same of 'the Katherine'. (playful) How To Be a Nerdfighter: A Vlogbrothers FAQ 00:02:55
2010-09-29 callback John says that three years ago he and Sarah (the Yeti) moved from New York City to Indianapolis, where more space meant buying a lot of furniture. MY FRIEND CHESTER 00:00:43
2010-12-29 callback John calls Sarah 'the Yeti' (her childhood bedroom). Baby on the Road: Thoughts from Places 00:00:00
2011-01-07 callback Asked if viewers will ever see the Yeti, John consults a mock 'Yeti Researcher' magazine and says they never will. (playful) CONCUSSED Question Friday 00:01:48
2011-10-05 callback John says the Yeti sits with him while he signs and sometimes 'Yetis' the signed sheets with Yeti drawings. (playful) SIGNING MADNESS 00:01:24
2011-10-19 callback Asked about a Hanklerfished and Yetified copy of The Fault in Our Stars, John says there will be only one. (playful) Question Wed — THE COVER OF THE FAULT IN OUR STARS! 00:02:30
2011-11-02 callback A fan painting shows John with Henry and a Yeti; John adds that to new viewers he is 'married to a yeti'. (playful) LECTROJOG! 00:02:15
2012-04-17 callback A viewer's question calls John's wife 'the Yeti'; John answers that she was in eighth grade when he first saw her. Thoughts on Romance and Sex in an Airport 00:01:38
2012-12-04 callback John signs off saying he has to call the Yeti to tell her the good news. Time for AWESOME 00:03:24
2014-02-21 callback Hank calls Sarah 'the Yeti' when noting she now has a YouTube channel: who would have guessed? (playful) Ranting about Books 00:03:52
2015-01-06 (said on 2015-01-05, implied) callback John jokes it is becoming harder to make the case that the Yeti is a yeti. (joke) AFC Wimbledon v. Liverpool: Thoughts from the Greatest Game on Earth 00:00:19
2015-09-29 callback Touring the wall, John plays on Sarah's nickname: 'speaking of the Yeti', there is a yeti on the wall too. (playful) Writing, Walling, Racing, and Wizard Schooling 00:01:45
2025-01-07 variation Filming the dog Potato, John calls him the new Yeti. (joke) The Format but it hurts to stand up 00:00:50

Dates are upload dates, which set the order. Where the speaker gives a different recording date in the video, it is added as "said on YYYY-MM-DD, implied" (derived from the date said in the video).

What is said about it

30 statements, by date (the events above are the turns of the thread; these are the details).

  • 2007-01-02 · Brotherhood 2.0: January 2nd — John says his wife Sarah does not wish to take part; like the Yeti she will feature in many stories but will rarely be seen. (playful) — 00:00:37
  • 2007-01-22 · Brotherhood 2.0, January 22, 2007 — John shows footage Sarah started filming shortly after the call, promising the voice of 'the yeti'; it records exclamations of disbelief and thanks. (playful) — 00:00:52
  • 2007-01-29 · Brotherhood 2.0: January 29th — Hank says John will get to see his wife Katherine, who, unlike John's wife the Yeti, occasionally comes out in public. (playful) — 00:00:50
  • 2007-02-01 · Brotherhood 2.0, February 1, 2007 — John: At the Savannah River, John says a year ago he was in this park with the Yeti; now he is alone, misses her and is sad. (playful) — 00:00:13
  • 2007-03-27 · March 26th: Thanks — John says Sarah, 'the Yeti', spends 12 hours a day with him in the hospital. — 00:00:42
  • 2007-05-10 · Brotherhood 2.0: May 10: House Hunted? — John: In a skit John confirms they saw a house with a tree house and a downstairs bar with two beers on tap, but Sarah insisted they need bedrooms. (playful) — 00:00:03
  • 2007-05-16 · Brotherhood 2.0: May 16: Beating the EBO into the ground — John: In a P.S. John says the Yeti has just officially become 'a master' and shows photos he took from a distance. — 00:02:47
  • 2007-06-06 · June 6th: Lindsay Lohan's Bikini and My Pants — John records from a La Quinta Inn bathroom in Indianapolis, very early, so as not to wake the Yeti; he guesses they stayed there to save money. (playful) — 00:00:10
  • 2007-06-11 · June 11: SURPRISE — Hank notes that John, unlike him, has his 'Yeti' (Sarah) with him at the reunion. (playful) — 00:01:41
  • 2007-06-19 · June 19: GOOD LUCK JOHN — Hank talked to the Yeti; she and John were in a moving truck trying to get out of New York on the way to Indianapolis. — 00:02:56
  • 2007-07-09 · July 9: The Punishment Fiasco — John says nerdfighters sometimes suggest maniacal punishments (a public happy dance 200 times, then sawing off a leg); his own objection shouldn't count, but the Yeti's is a deal-breaker. (playful) — 00:02:47
  • 2007-07-10 · July 10: Embarassing Photographs — Hank liked the idea of himself getting a mohawk and John an inverse mohawk, but accepts 'for now' that the Yeti doesn't want it, warning it might still happen. (playful) — 00:00:34
  • 2007-08-02 · August 2nd: Airports and Box Fans — John says he looks forward to everyone's punishment suggestions and reminds Hank that if the Yeti vetoes one, he doesn't have to do it. (playful) — 00:02:19
  • 2007-08-06 · August 6th: JK Rowling and I Will ... Be Punished — announcement: John reports the Yeti has vetoed the ex-girlfriend punishment, feeling he has tortured his exes enough with radio pieces 'and all of that stuff'. — 00:00:43
  • 2007-08-10 · August 10th: Bears!!!! — John pretends to be on the trail of the Yeti, showing a 'Yeti footprint' and glimpsing her as she escapes. (joke) — 00:00:00
  • 2007-09-04 · September 4th: Negative Suck Cubed Equals Awesome — John thanks Hank and Katherine for visiting last week (week of 27 August 2007); he and the Yeti had a great time. — 00:02:46
  • 2007-11-21 · November 21st: What I'm Grateful For — John also lists snow in Missoula, two functioning eyes, three Nerdfighter T-shirts, 'one beautiful yeti' (his wife) and Hank's songwriting. (playful) — 00:01:40
  • 2008-03-04 · SETTING THE QUESTION TUESDAY WORLD RECORD — John: The Yeti isn't seen on camera because, John says, her cute would break the camera. (playful) — 00:02:22
  • 2008-04-28 · Ranting and Giving Stuff Away — John: The Yeti told John she doesn't get some of the brothers' jokes; John welcomes new Nerdfighters and says it will all make sense later. — 00:01:17
  • 2008-05-18 · A CUTETACULAR INTRODUCTION! — John: The real reason for the absence: John and the Yeti have made an extraordinary, unbelievably time-consuming acquisition, a puppy. — 00:00:46
  • 2008-05-19 · Three Things — John recalls that on moving to Indianapolis last year (2007) he and the Yeti found their gigantic front lawn a waste of space, energy and water and wanted native plants and vegetables instead. — 00:00:36
  • 2008-05-20 · Guys Love Giraffe Love — John says his last words would probably tell the Yeti he loves her; they have been married two years today, and he thanks Hank and Katherine for sustainably farmed flowers. — 00:02:13
  • 2008-06-26 · Don't Suck on That Bone — John frames the video as doing ten things the Nerdfighters asked of him; the first two were to see more of Willy and more of the Yeti (Sarah). — 00:00:00
  • 2008-07-13 · Willy's Elusive Head Turn — John and the Yeti try on camera to get Willy to do the head turn with new noises, without quite succeeding. (playful) — 00:01:13
  • 2008-09-23 · Paper Towns and Touring Question Tuesday — John says the Yeti will be at many of the events, unless he has been making her up all along. (playful) — 00:03:09
  • 2008-10-14 · Paper Towns Reading — John tells a Margo figure a romance between them would not work, citing the yeti, the age difference and that she is his fictional creation. (joke) — 00:00:00
  • 2009-08-10 (said on 2009-08-09, implied) · HipPOTATOmus — John can show little footage because the Yeti is in all of it, and showing her would make Nerdfighteria collapse. (playful) — 00:00:23
  • 2011-10-05 · SIGNING MADNESS — John: The Yeti (Sarah) sits with John watching TV at night while he signs and, when bored, draws Yetis on some of the signed sheets. (playful) — 00:01:24
  • 2011-10-19 · Question Wed — THE COVER OF THE FAULT IN OUR STARS! — John: There will be exactly one Hanklerfished and Yetified copy of The Fault in Our Stars. (playful) — 00:02:30
  • 2011-11-02 · LECTROJOG! — John shows the painting behind him: he rides a smoking French llama in a Swoodilypoopers jersey, with Henry and a Yeti, labelled the adventures of John Green. — 00:02:15