When Mork & Mindy hit the airwaves in 1978, audiences didn’t know what hit them. An alien from the planet Ork, a sweet schoolteacher from Boulder, Colorado, and a whole lot of intergalactic misunderstanding—what could go wrong? Everything, of course. And that’s exactly why it worked.
Mork, played with otherworldly genius by Robin Williams, brought a manic energy to sitcoms that no one had ever seen before. His constant movement, nonsensical logic, and wild improvisations made him impossible to ignore. But what made the show more than just a one-man spectacle was his chemistry with Mindy, played by the always grounded and charming Pam Dawber. Together, they created a perfect comedic odd couple: chaos and calm, absurdity and affection.
Their funniest moments weren’t just gags or punchlines—they were genuine interactions between two very different beings trying to make a connection. Whether Mork was learning about Earth customs in the most hilariously backwards ways or Mindy was trying to explain dating without getting vaporized, their scenes together had a magic all their own.
Here are the ten funniest Mork and Mindy interactions—moments that show just how delightfully weird, warm, and wonderfully funny their alien-human friendship truly was.
#10: Mork Learns to Shake Hands—And Headbutts Instead (“Pilot”)
It all started with one gloriously awkward greeting. When Mork first meets Mindy in the pilot episode, she extends her hand to shake—and instead of shaking back, he slams his forehead into hers. “Nanu Nanu!” he exclaims cheerfully, as Mindy recoils in stunned confusion.
This first interaction sets the tone for everything that follows. Mork’s idea of a handshake is actually the Orkan way of saying hello—a full-on headbutt that’s more shocking than polite. But what makes the scene hilarious isn’t just the physical comedy. It’s Mindy’s reaction. She doesn’t scream or run away—she just blinks, rubs her forehead, and says, “Okay, you’re… different.”
Robin Williams delivers the line with such childlike glee that it becomes instantly infectious. Meanwhile, Pam Dawber grounds the scene with the perfect mix of skepticism and warmth. That delicate balance between bizarre and believable is what makes their chemistry so strong from the very beginning.
This isn’t just a funny first encounter—it’s a blueprint for their entire relationship. Mork doesn’t understand Earth customs, and Mindy doesn’t understand Mork, but somehow, they both lean in anyway. That headbutt wasn’t just a joke—it was an invitation to one of the most unique friendships in sitcom history.
#9: Mork Tries to Go on a Date—Orkan Style (“Mork’s First Date”)
When Mork decides it’s time to try dating, Mindy volunteers to help him understand the basics of romance on Earth. Unfortunately, Mork’s only point of reference is Orkan courtship—which includes things like fish slapping, synchronized hopping, and offering toenail clippings as a sign of affection. Romantic? Not exactly.
The episode escalates hilariously as Mork prepares for his “date” with Mindy like it’s an alien ritual. He dresses in mismatched Earth attire (“Is this fashionable or fatal?”), and when Mindy gently explains that flowers and conversation are usually a good start, Mork shows up at her door with a bouquet of broccoli and begins speaking in pig Latin backwards.
Mindy’s reactions are priceless part amused, part horrified, part charmed. Robin Williams is at his comedic best here, inventing Orkan dating customs on the fly and throwing his body into every absurd gesture with wild abandon. He kisses her hand and accidentally sneezes on it. He brings her a “love rock” (which is actually a bowling ball), and when Mindy finally says, “Mork, you don’t have to be anything but yourself,” he genuinely beams.
What makes this interaction so funny—and sweet—is how it blends chaos with connection. Mork’s attempts at wooing may be ridiculous, but they’re rooted in sincerity. And Mindy, ever the patient Earthling, sees the heart behind the headstands. It’s a date disaster of galactic proportions—and a comedic gem.
#8: Mork Imitates Earth Celebrities—and Gets Stuck (“Mork Goes Public”)
When Mork starts watching Earth TV to study human behavior, he becomes obsessed with celebrity impressions. He mimics everyone from John Wayne to Popeye to Humphrey Bogart—all in a rapid-fire montage that’s equal parts impressive and ridiculous. But when he accidentally gets “stuck” in character mode, Mindy has to figure out how to reset her alien roommate’s brain before he permanently becomes a cartoon hybrid.
Robin Williams’ manic energy is on full display here as he cycles through dozens of impressions in a single scene, sometimes blending them into wild combinations—imagine Popeye doing Shakespeare or John Wayne ordering Chinese food. Mindy, exasperated but entertained, tries everything from slapping him to bribing him with cookies to break the cycle.
The highlight? When Mork slips into a Marlon Brando impression and dramatically weeps on the couch, cradling a cantaloupe. Mindy stares and says, “That’s it. We’re canceling cable.”
The brilliance of this scene lies in how well Pam Dawber plays the straight woman to Williams’ whirlwind performance. Her reactions—eye rolls, sarcastic asides, genuine concern—anchor the madness and make the humor land even harder.
It’s a perfect encapsulation of their dynamic: Mork explodes with unpredictable energy, and Mindy keeps the rocket from crashing. The celebrity spree may be nonsense, but their interaction is pure comic chemistry.
#7: Mork Tries to Babysit—and Puts the Baby in a Plant Pot (“Mork the Babysitter”)
When Mindy agrees to babysit for a friend, Mork offers to help—because how hard could taking care of a baby be? The answer: hilariously hard. Mork, with his Orkan logic, decides the baby would be more comfortable in a “natural habitat,” so he swaddles it in a fern pot and starts singing lullabies in dolphin noises.
Mindy walks in mid-song, sees the baby tucked between two begonias, and gasps, “Mork! That’s not a bassinet, that’s a ficus!”
The episode spirals into one laugh after another as Mork uses Orkan parenting techniques: bouncing the baby upside down to “stimulate brain growth,” reading it calculus equations as bedtime stories, and burping it by yodeling. Robin Williams gives an improv clinic with his rapid-fire physical gags, and Pam Dawber’s reactions only make it better—equal parts panic and suppressed laughter.
What makes this moment shine is how genuinely earnest Mork is. He doesn’t mean harm; he just truly thinks these methods are best. And when the baby laughs at his goofy faces, Mork beams with pride, saying, “See, Mindy? He likes me! He thinks I’m his Uncle Alien!”
In the end, Mindy gently explains the dos and don’ts, and Mork apologizes with a stuffed pterodactyl. It’s a perfectly chaotic parenting misadventure—with just the right amount of heart.
#6: Mork Explains Human Emotions—Using Food Props (“Mork Learns to Feel”)
In a moment of heartfelt hilarity, Mork tries to understand the complexity of human emotions… by assigning each one a food item. Anger is a jalapeño, sadness is a soggy pancake, love is cotton candy, and confusion? That’s a hard-boiled egg he accidentally sits on.
As Mindy watches in awe (and mild horror), Mork sets up a “feelings buffet” in the living room, inviting her to take a “bite” of each emotion while he performs increasingly exaggerated monologues. He weeps dramatically while holding the pancake, then bites the cotton candy and spins around singing love songs in gibberish.
Mindy tries to teach him real emotional vocabulary, but every time she gets serious, he pulls out another fruit metaphor or yells “Touché, flan!” and bows.
What makes this scene unforgettable is how well it illustrates Mork’s way of understanding humanity. It’s bonkers—but it’s how he learns. And Mindy’s willingness to engage with the madness, while slowly guiding him toward genuine understanding, is what makes their relationship work.
By the end, Mork sits quietly, holding the egg and whispering, “This is confusion… and sometimes, I just don’t know what to do with it.”
It’s hilarious and surprisingly poignant—a moment where silliness and sincerity swirl together, just like every great Mork and Mindy exchange.
#5: Mork Meets a Washing Machine—and Thinks It’s Alive (“Mork Gets Mindy”)
Mork’s wide-eyed wonder at Earth’s technology is always hilarious, but nothing beats the time he has a full-blown existential debate with a washing machine. After putting his clothes in Mindy’s washer for the first time, Mork mistakes the appliance for a “spinning cave beast that eats socks.”
The machine starts its cycle, and Mork gasps, bows to it, and begins speaking Orkan to calm it down. Mindy walks in to find him draping offerings of laundry soap around the machine’s lid like it’s a deity. “I think it’s angry, Mindy—it tried to eat my underpants!”
Pam Dawber plays it perfectly, sighing and calmly explaining how spin cycles work while Mork insists the machine is plotting against him. He even names it “Whirlo,” and later attempts to apologize to it for overloading it with too many socks.
What makes this scene so brilliant is how it combines Robin Williams’ improvisational genius with a situation that’s just believable enough in the world of Mork & Mindy. Mork’s commitment to misunderstanding the mundane elevates an everyday appliance into an absurd comedic set piece.
By the time Mindy convinces him to let the machine “do its job,” Mork salutes it. “Farewell, Whirlo. Spin with honor.” It’s a moment of pure, wonderfully weird gold.
#4: Mork Discovers Jealousy—And Tries to Mark His Territory (“Mork’s Mixed Emotions”)
When Mindy starts spending time with an old college friend, Mork experiences jealousy for the first time—and handles it like a territorial Orkan animal. He follows them on their lunch date dressed in camouflage, plants a “Mindy is Mine” flag in the backyard, and starts growling at the suitor like a jealous poodle with interstellar rage.
The funniest scene? Mork interrupting their dinner by climbing into the restaurant aquarium and declaring, “As an Orkan, I must defend my bondmate’s honor!” while slapping his chest and attempting to duel the date with a lobster bib.
Mindy, trying not to laugh (and failing), pulls him aside and gently tries to explain that jealousy is normal—but stalking and territorial displays are not. Mork’s reply? “So… I’m not supposed to hiss at people she hugs?”
Robin Williams hits every note of physical comedy, while Pam Dawber grounds the emotion with genuine warmth. She reassures him: “Mork, you don’t have to be weird to show you care. You just have to be… you.”
This moment perfectly blends the show’s signature chaos with emotional resonance. Mork learns that emotions can be messy but expressing them doesn’t mean going full alien ninja at a salad bar. And we get to see the hilarious—and oddly sweet—depths of his affection for Mindy.
#3: Mork and Mindy Try to Dance—With Wildly Different Ideas (“Mork Dances on the Ceiling”)
When Mindy tries to teach Mork how to dance at a friend’s wedding, she expects a slow waltz. What she gets is Mork inventing intergalactic breakdancing, flailing limbs, and literal ceiling dancing thanks to anti-gravity boots he “borrowed” from the Orkan consulate.
The scene starts sweet—Mindy placing his hands on her waist, leading him gently. “Just follow my steps,” she says. But Mork hears that as “invent a new style,” and within seconds he’s spinning on the floor, swinging from the chandelier, and moonwalking vertically up a wall.
The best moment? Mork flinging Mindy into the air like a carnival ride—and catching her with a feather pillow he whips out of his sleeve. “I call it the lunar tango!” he beams.
Mindy’s exasperation quickly gives way to laughter. “You know, if we ever opened a dance studio,” she says, “we’d go out of business… but we’d never be bored.”
What makes this moment shine is the way it exaggerates both characters’ strengths: Mork’s boundless physicality and Mindy’s patience paired with dry wit. It’s a comedic pas de deux where chaos and calm move in perfect sync—well, almost.
And in the end, even though they’re not in rhythm, they’re definitely in harmony.
#2: Mork Gives Birth to an Egg—And Mindy Has Questions (“Mork’s Greatest Hit”)
Mork decides he wants to leave something behind for future Orkans to study, so he “lays” an egg containing all his thoughts, memories, and personality traits. Mindy walks in to find him crouched on the couch, sweating, groaning, and shouting “Push, push, PUSH!”—at himself.
When the egg finally arrives (with a trumpet fanfare, naturally), Mork proudly holds it up like Rafiki in The Lion King and exclaims, “Behold! My mind-child!”
Mindy’s reaction is one of the show’s best: half horrified, half hysterical. “Mork… you laid an egg… on my couch?”
Mork proceeds to treat the egg like a newborn, swaddling it and singing lullabies while explaining that on Ork, they don’t need hospitals or diapers—just a warm sock drawer and a name that begins with a number.
Robin Williams’ commitment to the bit is unmatched—he coos at the egg, argues with it, and even scolds it for “inheriting his rebellious streak.” Meanwhile, Pam Dawber brings the perfect blend of disbelief and maternal warmth as she humors his newest absurdity.
This moment is peak Mork & Mindy: totally bonkers, wildly original, and anchored by genuine affection. It’s not every sitcom that can turn an egg-laying alien into a touching metaphor for legacy—and still make you laugh until you snort.
#1: Mork and Mindy Say “I Love You” the Orkan Way (“Mork in Love”)
In one of the series’ most iconic and tender episodes, Mork finally realizes he has romantic feelings for Mindy. But when he tries to say “I love you,” he stammers, panics, and instead begins speaking fluent Orkan—backwards.
Mindy looks confused, until he explains: “On Ork, we don’t say it with words. We say it with sound… and dance… and sometimes, interpretive kazoo solos.”
He then proceeds to perform the most bizarre, heartfelt “love declaration” ever: flapping his arms, spinning in circles, doing a duck walk, and finishing with a kiss on her elbow—because “that’s where Orkans keep their hearts.”
Mindy doesn’t laugh. She just quietly walks up, kisses his elbow, and says, “I love you too, Mork.”
The room goes silent. Mork’s eyes go wide, and he whispers, “Shazbot… that felt real.”
This scene is the heart of the entire show. Beneath the jokes and gibberish is the truth: love doesn’t have to make sense to be real. Mork’s alien expression of emotion and Mindy’s acceptance of it are what define their relationship—and what made audiences fall in love with them both.
It’s weird. It’s wonderful. It’s everything Mork & Mindy was at its best.
Mork & Mindy wasn’t just about a wacky alien in rainbow suspenders—it was about the beautiful, chaotic, hilarious collision of two worlds. Mork’s manic energy and Mindy’s grounded charm gave us one of television’s most delightfully mismatched duos. Through every egg-laying, ceiling-dancing, backwards-talking moment, they showed us that connection transcends logic—and that laughter is the most universal language of all.
From laugh-out-loud misunderstandings to tender intergalactic declarations, these ten interactions are proof that when Earthlings and Orkans unite, comedy magic happens. Nanu-nanu, indeed.
