Bumblebee (Transformers)

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Bumblebee is the name of several fictional characters from the various Transformers universes.

Contents 1 Transformers: Generation 1 1.1 Animated series 1.1.1 Transformers: Headmasters 1.2 Marvel Comics 1.2.1 Marvel U.K. 1.2.2 Fun Publications 1.2.3 Transformers Battle Circuit 1.3 Books 1.4 Dreamwave Productions 1.5 Devil's Due Publishing 1.6 IDW Publishing 1.6.1 Main series 1.6.2 New Avengers/Transformers 1.6.3 Transformers: Evolutions 1.7 3H Enterprises 1.8 Transformers: Timelines 1.9 Toys 1.10 Other Media 2 Transformers: Armada 3 Transformers: Energon 4 2007 Transformers film 4.1 IDW Publishing 4.2 Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday 4.3 Target Robo-Vision 4.4 Movie plot 4.5 Video game 4.6 Movie toys 4.7 Non-transforming merchandise 5 Transformers Animated 5.1 Animated series 5.2 Toys 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Transformers: Generation 1

Transformers character
Bumblebee
Affiliation	Autobot
Japanese name	Bumble
Sub-Group	Mini-bots Throttlebots (as Goldbug) Pretenders Action Masters Go-Bots Deluxe Vehicles
Function	Espionage Espionage Director Spy
Motto	"The least likely can be the most dangerous." (Bumblebee) "To know others you must know yourself first." (Goldbug) "Data is power." (Classic)
Alternate Modes	Cybertronian Car 1952 Volkswagen Beetle AMC Pacer Motorcycle and Sidecar Train Engine Chrysler ME Four-Twelve (Classic Legends)
Series	Transformers: Generation 1 Transformers: Generation 2 Transformers: Titanium Transformers: Classics Transformers: Attacktix
English voice actor	Dan Gilvezan
Japanese voice actor	Yoku Shioya

Bumblebee (known as Bumble in Japan, Moscardo in Portugal, Űrdongó in Hungarian) is the "little brother" of the heroic Autobot faction, constantly striving to prove himself in the eyes of the taller, stronger robots that he respects - especially his leader, Optimus Prime. So strong is this admiration toward others, he takes risks that put him in danger. Although a bit of a wise-cracker, he is a capable and reliable messenger and spy, his small size allowing him to go places that his larger comrades cannot. He is highly fuel efficient, has great visual acuity, is particularly adaptable to undersea environments and transforms into a Volkswagen Beetle. He was later reconstructed in a stronger, more mature form as Goldbug.

Bumblebee is established as the smallest of the first year Autobots, but his actual size varies greatly in the various media, ranging from the same size as other Autobot cars to barely taller than a human. His only official height was in an early issue of the Marvel comics where it is stated he is 15 feet tall.

Bumblebee's primary function in the original Transformers animated series and comics was to serve as the "young" character with whom the youthful viewing audience could identify, and he would befriend the Autobots' primary human ally - the young son of the Witwicky family (Buster in the Marvel comic - see issue #1 - and Spike in the cartoon) - to this end, a concept that persists into the 2007 live-action film. Although a well-known character because of this, Bumblebee is quite unusual in that, unlike many other Transformers, his name has not been re-used and applied to unrelated characters throughout the ensuing twenty years of Transformers media, due to the loss of the trademark until recently. His role as the "young yellow character", however, has inspired other Transformers characters with the same role such as Cheetor and Hot Shot.

[edit] Animated series

Bumblebee holds the distinction of being the second-ever character to appear on-screen in the original Transformers animated series, while on a mission to recover a small clutch of energy conductors with Wheeljack, illustrating the energy crisis holding sway over their home planet of Cybertron. Bumblebee was subsequently among the Transformers aboard the Ark as it set off searching for new worlds and new energy sources, which crashed on Earth, causing the Transformers within to be trapped in stasis for four million years. Awakening in 1984, Bumblebee distinguished himself by helping Ironhide quell a raging river and using his small size to help Sparkplug Witwicky plant explosives in the midst of a Decepticon mining operation.

He later befriended Sparkplug's son Spike, but their first adventure together was not a pleasant one, as they were both kidnapped by the Decepticons, and Bumblebee was brainwashed into luring the other Autobots into a trap.

As a regular character throughout the show's first two seasons, spanning 1984-1985, Bumblebee's escapades were almost always carried out alongside Spike. His adventures have taken him back to Cybertron, to the prehistoric Dinobot Island, the sunken city of Sub-Atlantica, a world of alien giants, a debaucherous gambling asteroid locale and more. He has been scorched by acid rain, fought as a mindless gladiator, been mauled by a monstrous alien cat, quested for "robotic insecticide" and, in one of his most significant roles, was one of the few Autobots to survive a brainwashing scheme by the Decepticons, leaving it up to him to save his comrades.

In the episode 51, "Prime Target" the big game hunter Lord Cholmondeley captured a secret Soviet jet, leading to panic of possibly war. Cholmondeley then set his sights on the ultimate trophy, the head of Optimus Prime. In order to lure Optimus in Cholmondeley captured Bumblebee and several other Autobots. Optimus Prime accepted Cholmondeley's challenge and defeated the big game hunter and freed the Autobots.

In the episode 59, "Trans-Europe Express" a charity auto race from Paris France to Istanbul Turkey was held. The Autobots Bluestreak, Bumblebee, Sideswipe, Smokescreen, Sunstreaker, Tracks and Wheeljack participated along side several human racers including Augie Canay. Meanwhile Megatron had been able to discover the whereabouts of the Pearl of Bahudine, the power core of a Cybertronian weather control machine. Megatron had the Stunticons eliminate the Autobots from the race while stealing Augie's car to use it's experimental engine's metal to make a control device for the pearl. Bluestreak, Tracks, Bumblebee and Augie were able to stop the Decepticons by unleashing the power of the pearl, but to stop the pearl Bumblebee had to destroy it. Augie had the gold shell of the pearl sold and the money given to charity when he learned the race was a fake set up by the Decepticons merely to get his car.

By the time of The Transformers: The Movie, set in the Earth year 2005, the Autobots had been forced off of Cybertron, and Bumblebee and Spike manned Moonbase Two on one of the planet's satellites as the Autobots prepared a strike to take back the planet. The attack was scuppered by the sudden appearance of the giant planet-eating robot Unicron, who consumed Moonbase One as Spike and Bumblebee looked on in horror. As Unicron turned on their moon, the pair set a cache of explosives to detonate in his maw and abandoned the base in a small shuttle, but the detonation failed to even scratch the chaos-bringer and he inhaled their ship. Deep in his digestive system, the pair were trapped on a conveyor that would drop them in an acid vat, but they were saved by Spike's son Daniel, and they and the other Autobots escaped Unicron's body as it was destroyed through the power of the Autobot Matrix of Leadership.

Bumblebee was one of the few characters from the beginning of the series to continue appearing in the show's third season, set in 2006, where he could regularly be found performing duties in Autobot City on Earth. He and Spike were reunited for an old-school adventure when the ghost of Starscream invaded the city in order to steal the eyes of the giant Autobot Metroplex, but they were unable to stop the villain from accomplishing his task.

When the body of the deceased Optimus Prime was recovered from space by a pair of Transformer-hating human scientists who intended to use it to lure the Autobots into a trap, Bumblebee was part of the rescue team lead by Rodimus Prime to recover it. Entering the lab, some of the Transformers were exposed to rage-inducing alien spores that caused them to run wild, and although Bumblebee avoided infection, he was seriously damaged by the rampaging Superion. A member of the alien race called the Quintessons subsequently repaired and restored Optimus Prime to life in order to stop the "Hate Plague", and also worked his technical wizardry on Bumblebee. The little Autobot had been so severely damaged, however, that he required an entire reconstruction. In his new, shiny body, he commented that he had gone beyond just being Bumblebee, and was now a "gold bug", prompting Optimus Prime to redub him "Goldbug." As Goldbug, Bumblebee traveled with Optimus Prime to the planet of Chaar in order to secure a heat resistant alloy that could protect him from the plague, only to be infected on the mission and later cured when Prime used the power of the Matrix to purge the plague.

Goldbug also enjoyed a brief appearance in the fourth and final season of the series, defending Autobot City and Cybertron against a massive Decepticon attack. Because of a scene showing Bumblebee instead of Goldbug, it still makes him one of only nine characters to appear in all four seasons of the show.

After the animated series ended in the U.S. Bumblebee appeared in animated form in the commercial for the Classic Pretenders.

Bumblebee made a cameo in the pilot of the Transformers: Animated series on a historical video being viewed by Optimus Prime. This historical video was stock footage from the original animated series.

[edit] Transformers: Headmasters

He made several further appearances in the Japanese-exclusive series, Transformers: The Headmasters, which supplanted the fourth American series, and appeared to die while attempting to stop a metal-warping meteor from crashing into Cybertron, only to turn up alive and healthy later on in the series. The role of a young human and small Autobot friend in this series was taken over by Daniel and Wheelie.

[edit] Marvel Comics

When the Autobots and Decepticon awakened on Earth in 1984, Bumblebee was part of the first team of Autobots sent out to investigate the planet. Eager to be the first to encounter a local lifeform, Bumblebee unfortunately got his wish when he was injured in a battle with the Decepticons at a drive-in movie theater, and - stuck in car mode - was found by the young human, Buster Witwicky. Buster took him back to his family's automotive garage, where his father Sparkplug repaired the car, and was shocked when it transformed into a robot. Bumblebee arranged their first meeting with Optimus Prime, and his role as a "liaison" of sorts between the Autobots and humans continued as he participated in the first meetings with millionaire industrialist G. B. Blackrock, eventually leading to a deal between them that saw Blackrock supply the robots with fuel.

After some smaller roles showing new Autobot recruits around and searching for Decepticon activity, Bumblebee took the spotlight again when he came to question his usefulness to the Autobots, and abandoned them without explanation. Unfortunately, this occurred just as Decepticon leader Shockwave had targeted Bumblebee as the weakest link in the Autobots, planning to mind-control him and use him against his comrades. Taking refuge from Decepticon pursuit in a used car lot, Bumblebee was subsequently stolen by two teenagers, who took him on a joyride through the city. This attracted the attention of both Autobots and Decepticons, and after saving the teens from a Decepticon attack, Bumblebee himself was saved from them by the Autobots, convincing him of his worth to them.

When Bumblebee was assigned to watch over the launch of the mobile Power Station Alpha, also guarded by the daring special mission force G.I. Joe, a Decepticon attack prompted him to transform in order to save a civilian boy, only for the Joes to mistake him for a Decepticon and open fire, destroying him. Learning of their mistake and allying with the Autobots, the Joes set about trying to rebuild Bumblebee; with the aid of Autobot medic Ratchet, Bumblebee was reconstructed as Goldbug.

Charged with hunting down the petty criminal known as the Mechanic, who had stolen some Autobot equipment, Goldbug and Blaster opted instead to remove themselves from the tyrannical command of then-leader Grimlock. A run in with the Decepticon Triple Changers led to both robots becoming infected with the metal-eating disease known as the Scraplets, but with the help of human Charlie Fong and the Autobot Throttlebots, a cure was found in the form of water, and they were saved. Their respite was short-lived, however, when the group, low on fuel, was caught up to by the Protectobots, under Grimlock's command, and Blaster was captured. The abandoned, immobile Throttlebots, including Goldbug, were then captured by the government-sponsored Rapid Anti-robot Assault Team (RAAT), who intended their destruction. Sympathetic to their plight, RAAT operate Walter Barnett removed their brain components and installed them in toy cars while their bodies were destroyed.

After managing to escape the Predacons, Goldbug returned to the Autobots' volcano base, only to discover that the Ark had been restored and had blasted off. Blindsided by Decepticon leader Ratbat, Goldbug's toy body was blasted, but soon found by the Autobot Headmasters - freshly arrived from the planet Nebulos - who used their technology to construct his body for him again. The group soon learned that the brain patterns of Optimus Prime (who had died sometime before) had been preserved on computer disk by a human named Ethan Zachary, and Goldbug took the disk to Nebulos, where Prime was restored to life as a Powermaster.

Subsequently, Goldbug was among the Transformers who was deactivated while defending the Earth against the cosmically-powered Starscream. Bumblebee's body was seen among the deactivated Autobots Ratchet was doing his best to revive in Transformers #56, "Back from the Dead".

While Ratchet diligently worked to restore the deactivated Autobots to life, his attempts constantly met with failure. In the midst of his work, he was captured by believed-dead Decepticon leader Megatron, who demanded he rebuild Starscream as a Pretender. Ratchet succeeded in this task, but while Megatron left him unattended to observe Starscream's attack on Earth, he was able to use the prototype Pretender shells to restore to life Grimlock, Jazz and Goldbug, who he restored to being Bumblebee out of personal preference.

During a battle with the Decepticon Mayhem Attack Squad, Bumblebee, Jazz and Grimlock were transported to the center of Cybertron, where they discovered the slumbering form of their creator and deity, Primus. The battle that followed caused Primus to briefly awake with a scream, alerting his ancient enemy Unicron to his location. Aware that Unicron was now bearing down on Cybertron, the Autobots began a search for the Creation Matrix, the only force capable of stopping the chaos-bringer. Bumblebee, Jazz and Grimlock followed a lead to VsQz, third moon of the planet Cameron, where they ran afoul of both a monstrous creature created by the corrupted Matrix energy, and the mighty Decepticon Pretender, Thunderwing, who defeated them and claimed the Matrix for his own. They were later rescued by their fellow troops, and Thunderwing was defeated.

Bumblebee put in one further appearance in the U.S. Marvel comics. In a nightmare alternate universe where Unicron had destroyed Cybertron, and Galvatron and the Decepticons ruled Earth, Bumblebee was shown in flashback as one of the casualties of the Decepticon conquest, being killed by Scourge.

[edit] Marvel U.K.

In the expanded universe of the Transformers comic published exclusively in the U.K., which reprinted the American series with new stories spliced in between, Bumblebee had a lead role in several other stories. In one, he went AWOL to track down and capture Ravage, in the process running into a Decepticon trap and needing rescuing. Later on, he was part of the Dinobot Hunt; on his own, he rescued three Autobot prisoners and disabled the Decepticon's means of mentally controlling Sludge.

As the UK series did not reprint G.I. Joe and the Transformers (in which the above account of Bumblebee's transformation into Goldbug occurred) until much later, a new story was penned that reimagined the change in a very different way, as part of the UK's larger running time travel storyline. When the deranged future Decepticon leader Galvatron travelled back in time to 1987, the bounty hunter Death's Head pursued him. The mass-shifting inherent in the time-travel process caused the Autobot First Aid to be displaced to limbo when Death's Head arrived, which alerted Bumblebee to his presence. Wanting to keep the fact that he was in the past a secret, Death's Head blasted Bumblebee, completely destroying him, but his remains were soon happened upon by the Junkion, Wreck-Gar, also from the future. Putting his advanced mechanical skills to work, Wreck-Gar soon rebuilt Bumblebee as Goldbug and the upgraded Autobot joined in the battle against Galvatron, at one point facing him one-on-one (and losing) before Ultra Magnus intervened. Goldbug had a few additional adventures dealing with Galvatron's threat in other U.K.-exclusive stories.

After the time-and-space-shattering events of the Time Wars, the UK comic introduced an alternate timeline that chronicled the adventures of the Autobot Earthforce, a group of pro-active Autobots under Grimlock's command, who were dedicated to safeguarding Earth while Optimus Prime's contingent dealt with the threat of Unicron. Bumblebee was a member of the Earthforce, performing such notable missions as helping Ironhide stop the Decepticons' plan to rebuild Devastator as an individual being.

[edit] Fun Publications

Based on the Transformers Classics toy line, the Timelines 2007 story is set 15 years after the end of the Marvel Comics story (ignoring all events of the Marvel U.K. and Generation 2 comics). Megatron survived the crash of the Ark on Earth, reformatted himself into a new form and now leads Ramjet, Skywarp, Soundwave, Starscream and the Constructicons. Optimus Prime has also returned to Earth commanding Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, Grimlock, Jetfire, Mirage and Rodimus (formerly Hot Rod).

In Crossing Over, when the Cybertronians Skyfall and Landquake arrive on Earth unexpectedly Megatron attempts to destroy them, but Optimus Prime and his Autobots are able to drive Megatron away.

[edit] Transformers Battle Circuit

The Classic line appeared in a simple Flash-based video game on the Hasbro web site. In this one-on-one fighting game you press the right and left arrow keys to try to overpower your opponent. In the game you can play Rodimus, Bumblebee, Grimlock, Jetfire, Starscream, Astrotrain, Trypticon or Menasor. Optimus Prime and Megatron each appear as the boss you must defeat to win the game. ^[1]

[edit] Books

Bumblebee was featured in the 1985 audio and book adventure Satellite of Doom.

Bumblebee appeared in the 1986 story and coloring book The Lost Treasure of Cybertron by Marvel Books.

[edit] Dreamwave Productions

When Dreamwave Productions introduced their re-imagined version of Generation 1 continuity for the 21st Century, Bumblebee was present for the Autobots' new adventures once again. The War Within, set in Cybertron's past, chronicled Bumblebee's early adventures in the Battle of Altihex and the defense of Iacon in the face of an attack by Shockwave.

When Optimus Prime and Megatron vanished in an early spacebridge experiment, causing the Autobots and Decepticons to splinter into smaller factions, Bumblebee remained with the Autobots under Prowl's command.

As ever, Bumblebee was among the Transformers trapped in stasis aboard the crashed Ark who was reactivated on Earth in 1984. Although not depicted in fiction, the general events of the television series pilot seemed to take place in the Dreamwave continuity - with Bumblebee meeting and befriending Spike Witwicky.

The war on Earth ended in 1999, however, when the Autobots successfully defeated the Decepticons and attempted to transport them back to Cybertron aboard the Ark II. Thanks to sabotage orchestrated by American military general Robert Hallo, however, the Ark II exploded after exiting orbit, and the Transformers fell back to Earth. Hallo's plan to take control of them was foiled by his former partner Adam Rook, who rounded up several deactivated Transformers, Bumblebee among them, and put them under his control, intending to sell them on the black market as weapons of mass destruction. During the auctions, Bumblebee was among the Transformers sent to attack the Smitco Oil Refinery as a demonstration of their power. Megatron liberated himself from Rook's control and soon did the same to the other Decepticons, who took some pleasure in dismantling Bumblebee and the other Mini-Bots. Rescued by their reactivated Autobot comrades, Bumblebee and co. were soon hale and hearty again and dispatched to stop Megatron's plan to cyber-form the Earth with a metallic virus.

A year later, Shockwave arrived on Earth, having successfully unified Cybertron and intending to arrest Prime and Megatron's forces as war criminals. Bumblebee was among the Transformers captured by Shockwave, and was later part of the team who joined the underground Autobot resistance on Cybertron.

Following the liberation of Cybertron from Shockwave’s rule, Bumblebee was assigned to help reinforce Jazz’s team on Earth and was placed in command of the Autobot supply shuttle Orion, with a team under his command for the first time. Upon arriving in the Earth system from transwarp space, they witnessed the arrival of the deranged clone of Starscream, Sunstorm. When the resultant conflict with Sunstorm caused most of the Autobots and Decepticons on Earth to knocked out of commission, Bumblebee and Jetfire tracked the madman to beneath the Earth's surface, where Bumblebee was knocked out and saved by begrudging Starscream. Jetfire subsequently seemed to die battling Sunstorm, shaking Bumblebee's resolve so badly that he decided to leave the Autobots.

Turning to Spike for advice, the pair went on a drive in Cincinnati, where they debated responsibility and saved a woman from some muggers. Bumblebee apparently remained unconvinced, but Dreamwave's subsequently bankruptcy and closure left his story unfinished. The profile series, More Than Meets the Eye, featured entries for Bumblebee as both a Pretender and as Goldbug, but gave no in-story reason for his upgrades to these forms and they never appeared in the fiction of the series.

In the alternate Dreamwave Transformers/G.I. Joe storyline set in World War II, Bumblebee was formatted to turn into a motorcycle with sidecar.

[edit] Devil's Due Publishing

In the pages of Devil's Due's first G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers crossover, the evil terrorist organization Cobra were the first to uncover the Ark and the Transformers slumbering within it, capturing and reformatting a large number of them to use them as war machines. Bumblebee and Wheeljack were able to avoid this fate and contacted the team created to respond to the threat of Cobra, G.I. Joe, and helped to free his fellow Autobots. Unlike most Autobots, who had new alternate modes, Bumblebee and Wheeljack had their original Generation 1 alternate modes in this series.

In the second crossover, Bumblebee was among the Autobots sent back in time due to an accident with the space bridge computer Teletran-3. As part of a small group transported to the 1970's, Bumblebee was reformatted as a small economy car (this time, resembling an AMC Pacer) before the teamed-up Joes and Cobras returned all the Transformers to present-day Cybertron.

Bumblebee took center stage in the third crossover series, as he, Grimlock, Arcee and Perceptor were sent to Earth to aid G.I. Joe in removing the influence of Cybertronian technology on the planet. Sporting his original alternate mode again, he is shown to have something of a crush on Arcee. When Cobra attacked the base, the Autobots helped repel the Cobra Battle Android Trooper armies. Journeying to Cybertron to stop Serpentor, the mismatched group were ambushed first by Cannibalizers, then by Serpentor, Piranacon, Predaking and the Stunticons, with Bumblebee being badly injured as he ran right into Predaking's leg. He was then mercilessly executed by Serpentor, who would later comment that Bumblebee's death is the only thing that ever really made him feel emotion. Despite the character being notoriously difficult to kill, it seems his death is permanent, as Serpentor comments that he felt something leave him, most likely his spark. A statue to his memory was seen in the final issue. His death would continue to have repercussions, as seen in the fourth series where Prime insists on journeying to Earth personally rather than expose any of his troops to the same fate.

[edit] IDW Publishing

Fall of 2005 was the third re-launch for The Transformers comic series, this time under the management of IDW Publishing.

[edit] Main series

IDW's core universe was introduced with the six-issue mini-series, The Transformers: Infiltration, making it clear that the company's take on the Generation 1 universe was radically different. Bumblebee appears as a member of a small team of Autobots under the command of Prowl, operating in secret on Earth out of Ark-19. Still a Volkswagen Beetle, he (like the other Autobots) possesses the added ability to generate a "holo-matter" avatar of a young female to masquerade as a driver and to otherwise interact with humans. Working with Ratchet and a trio of young humans to search an abandoned Decepticon base, Bumblebee was able to take down Skywarp during a Decepticon attack, outthinking the Decepticon and shooting him out of the sky despite his teleportation system. After Blitzwing and Skywarp brought the base down, Bumblebee helped save the humans, despite commenting previously that they would be acceptable losses. As Megatron then engaged the traitorous Starscream in battle, Bumblebee did what he does best by spying on the fight; almost shot by the Battlechargers, he was saved by Prowl and Jazz. In the follow-up The Transformers: Escalation, he is left to run the Ark-19 on his own.

[edit] New Avengers/Transformers

Bumblebee, Jazz, Optimus Prime, Prowl and Ratchet are slated to appear in the upcoming New Avengers/Transformers crossover by Marvel Comics and IDW Publishing in 2007.

[edit] Transformers: Evolutions

IDW has also begun publishing of The Transformers: Evolutions, a series dedicated to featuring alternate-reality "Elseworlds"-style tales of the Transformers. The first installment, Hearts of Steel, placed the Transformers in battle on Earth prior to the Ice Age with the forms of transmetal prehistoric beasts. The Ice Age forced them to enter hibernation beneath the surface of the planet when it begins.

In the 1800s, Bumblebee was awakened when a pounding from above showers dirt on him. Expecting Decepticon activity, he was surprised to find that the source was humans building a railway. Curious about their train, he is almost caught by the humans, but hides by adopting the train's form as his alternate mode. Among the humans is the legendary John Henry, who is concerned that the train - a spike-driving device designed to lay railroad - is intended to replace him, and to placate his concerns, Bumblebee reveals his true form to him with the promise that he is only here to help. Through John Henry, Bumblebee learns that the Decepticons have reactivated and are pillaging trains as part of their newest plan. This scheme which is to travel to New York and obtain an electrical generator in hopes it will make them all powerful. After awakening some of his fellow Autobots, Henry and Bumblebee manage to thwart the Decepticons' plans, rerouting the railtrack they are using, causing the Decepticon train convoy to plunge into a chasm. After this Bumblebee and the other Autobots return to stasis.

[edit] 3H Enterprises

Bumblebee appeared in the voice actor play performed at BotCon 2004, in which a device built by Rhinox to stop Unicron from pulling victims from other dimensions inadvertently transported an Autobot shuttle under Bumblebee's command into the middle of a battle between Rattrap, Silverbolt, and Waspinator and a team of Unicron's agents. Bumblebee's shuttle is able to scoop up Rattrap and company when their ship is destroyed. After saving more of Unicron's victims from the Decepticons, Bumblebee's team returns to their own time.

[edit] Transformers: Timelines

In a possible future chronicled in the exclusive comic book available at BotCon 2005, Bumblebee featured as the espionage director of the Autobots. Having been on the trail of the Decepticon agent Flamewar for a long, long time, Bumblebee interrupted a communication between Flamewar and the Tripredacus Council and revealed that his agent, Ricochet, had installed a degenerative virus into Deathsaurus's clone army. With Flamewar now exposed, Bumblebee pointed out that she was nothing more than a liability to the Council, who blew her ship up.

[edit] Toys

• Generation 1 Mini-Bot Bumblebee Yellow (1984)

The toy which would become Bumblebee was originally released as part of the Japanese "Microchange" series, a subset of the Microman toyline, and was available in both yellow and red colors. The intention of the Microchange line was that the toys transformed into in-scale items - Bumblebee is designed to transform into a toy car, specifically a Penny Racer Volkswagen beetle, hence his slightly skewed proportions. This version of Bumblebee features Dunlop brand tires. The original Bumblebee sported a regular Autobot symbol, but later versions had a heat-sensitive rub-symbol that revealed the Autobot logo.

His mold is similar to that used for Cliffjumper, in that the transformation is the same, but the actual parts have different shapes and details.

• Generation 1 Mini-Bot Bumblebee Red (1984)

Released as part of the Transformers line, Bumblebee's red variation could also be purchased at retail, although its existence was never acknowledged by official media. He was also available in a wide variety of colors in other parts of the world, including blue, gold and silver. Bumblebee was available in the Mini-Vehicle assortment throughout its lifespan, from 1984 to 1986.

• McDonalds Bumblebee (1985)

One of the four original McDonalds Happy Meal Transformers toy from 1985, this toy was just a solid statue of the character in robot mode. Variants exist in red and blue colors.

• Decoy Bumblebee

A red rubber toy given away as a promotion.

• Goldbug (1987)

Released as part of the Throttlebots sub-group, Goldbug had a pull-back motor and simplistic transformation, but was proportioned more like an actual Volkswagen Beetle. Goldbug's head was directly based on the head of the original Bumblebee toy, making Bumblebee the second Transformer to be given a second toy, after Hot Rod.

• Pretender Classic Bumblebee (1989)

Still a Volkswagen Beetle, Bumblebee was seemingly equipped with off-road tires as he was upgraded into a Pretender. His head, however, was based on the original Cliffjumper toy, rather than Bumblebee's toy or cartoon/comic design. Armed with a gun that could be wielded in robot mode and plugged into the roof of his vehicle mode, and another gun for his shell, Bumblebee was also sold sans shell as a member of the K-Mart exclusive "Transformers: Legends" assortment.

• Action Master Bumblebee (1990)

This non-transforming action figure of Bumblebee blended the design of his original toy with his cartoon/comic design, and came armed with a Heli-Pack that transformed via a spring-loaded feature into a high-powered air rifle the figure could wield. According to his power plans Bumblebee sported an Anti-Decepticon Jamming Sensor, a Target Trajectory Calculator and a Photon Shock Burst Component. With this release, Bumblebee was made the only character to have had a figure representing him available in every year of the original Transformers toyline, from 1984 to 1990.

• Generation 2 Mini-Bot Bumblebee (1993)

A metallic gold redeco of the original Bumblebee toy. This version of Bumblebee sported tech specs identical to his first Generation 1 toy.

• Generation 2 Go-Bot Bumblebee (1995)

Released in the final year of the Transformers: Generation 2 toyline, Bumblebee was a gold, yellow and black redeco of the earlier figure High Beam, a member of the Go-Bot sub-group possessing free-wheeling axles for Hot Wheels-style play activitity. All Go-Bots have a 1:64 scale. The toy was later redecoed into the Botcon 1995 exclusive, Nightracer, and the Transformers: Robots in Disguise figure, Crosswise.

• Keychain Bumblebee (2001)

The original yellow version of Bumblebee was made into a keychain by adding a small plastic loop and metal keychain in 2001. This toy was recolored into Botcon exclusive Glyph in 2002. Blind packaged black versions of this toy were sold by Takara in Japan.

• Smallest Transformers Bumblebee (2003)

Among the blind packaged Transformers of the Smallest Transformer line was a tiny version of Generation 1 Bumblebee, standing only 1.75 inches tall. With his official height of 15 feet tall, this toy has a 1:103 scale.

• Reissue Bumblebee (2004)

This remold of the original yellow Bumblebee featured a new head mold which looked more like the animated series head. This toy was later recolored into the ehobby exclusive Decepticon Bug Bite.

• CybCon Bumblebee (2004)

An exclusive toy available at CybCon 2004 was Bumblebee. This original molded toy was supposed to represent Bumblebee Cybertronian form before coming to Earth. ^[2]

• Transformers: Alternators Bumblebee (unreleased)

As one of the earliest concepts designed for the 1:24 scale line, Transformers: Alternators, Bumblebee was reimagined as a new Volkswagen Beetle. Volkswagen's rejection of the pitch on the grounds that they did not want to associate their vehicles with war-themed media meant that the toy never progressed beyond the line-art phase, but the design was used for Bumblebee in the 2005 Transformers: Timelines comic book.

• Transformers: Titanium Bumblebee (2006)

After years of not possessing the "Bumblebee" name trademark, Hasbro finally regained the moniker in time to release a 3 inch tall die-cast non-transforming Bumblebee figure as part of the Transformers: Titanium line in 2006. This figure was very accurate to body style to the Generation 1 toy, but with the animated series head. With the official height of Bumblebee being 15 feet tall and this figure standing 3 inches tall, this figure is at 1:60 scale.

This toy was later recolored into Titanium Cliffjumper.

• Transformers: Classics Bumblebee (2006)

Released towards the end of 2006, Bumblebee has finally returned as a transforming figure as part of the Transformers: Classics toyline, designed as upgraded versions of classics characters. Unable to be an actual Volkswagen due to the company's position, as noted above, Bumblebee is nevertheless a small, stocky car which does not appear to be based on any single production model but rather an amalgamation of features from the Nissan Skyline C10 Station Wagon [1] He tows behind him a jetski trailer, the Wave Crusher, which transforms into a winged jetpack for the robot mode. Although Bumblebee sports a Fireblast of 4, he doesn't actually carry a gun. This toy was later repainted as Cliffjumper. The head sculpt is the same on both versions and is possibly the first Transformer head sculpt to depict a smile. With Bumblebee's height of 15 feet tall and the figure standing 4.75 inches tall, this figure is at 1:38 scale. This toy was designed by Alex Kubalsky. ^[3]

Two slight mold variants of this toy exist, with the raised part of the roof where the rub symbol being wider on later releases than the other. Although depicted with blue windows and headlights on the box, the toy has clear windows and headlights.

Bumblebee was initially sold individually, but later sold in a value pack with Classic Astrotrain.

• Reissue Bumblebee Keychain (2007)

Keychain Bumblebee was reissued on new backing cards saying "Heroes of Cybertron" in 2007 at Walmart stores.

• Classic Legends Bumblebee (2007)

First seen at BotCon 2006, the Micro series Bumblebee will be a yellow repaint of the Legends of Cybertron Hot Shot figure. The vehicle mode is based on a Chrysler ME 412 done at a scale of about 1:61.

A Chinese made bootleg of this toy was released in 2007 called "Super Change to United". This version of the toy was slightly redecoed and remolded so he could become the right leg of a Legends combiner with 4 other Legends bootlegs.

• Attacktix Bumblebee (2007)

Series 2 of the Transformers Attacktix figures included a Generation 1 Bumblebee figure.

• Slumblebee (2007)

A plush doll version of Bumblebee that transforms into car mode by simply pulling the car body from the back and folding the body inside out. Much like Classics Bumblebee, the car mode does not resemble the Volkswagen Beetle. [2]

• Transformers: Titanium 6 inch War Within Bumblebee (Unreleased)

A prototype of a 6 inch tall War Within Bumblebee/Cliffjumper figure was seen at a Hasbro factor tour in 2007. This figure had two different head sculpts, one for Bumblebee and one for Cliffjumper. This figure has yet to be released and seems to have been canceled. ^[4]

• Classic Bumblebee redeco (unreleased)

This redeco of Classic Bumblebee has black repacing the white paint, and slight changes in the plastic colors. Packaged togetehr with Premium Movie Bumblebee and Animated Bumblebee.

[edit] Other Media

• Bumblebee appears in the Robot Chicken episode "Junk in the Trunk." In the segment he's in, he is whipped by a towel used by Grimlock in the locker room and later appears at Optimus' bedside before he dies of prostate cancer.
• Maggie Simpson appeared as Bumblebee in one opening sequence to the Simpsons alongside the rest of the Simpson Family rendered as Autobots. ^[5]
• Classic Bumblebee was featured on the cover of the Transformers Club Magazine #14.

[edit] Transformers: Armada

The Armada character Perceptor is named Bumble (Bumblebee's Japanese name) in Japan. The Mini-Con Sparkplug is also a physical homage to the original Bumblebee.

[edit] Transformers: Energon

Bumblebee's likeness has made brief appearances in Transformers: Energon. He is seen standing next to Rodimus in a picture with other members of Rodimus' group, with an Autobot flag in the background.

It has been suggested that this section be split into a new article. (Discuss)

[edit] 2007 Transformers film

Transformers character
Bumblebee in the 2007 Transformers movie
Bumblebee
Affiliation	Autobot
Sub-Group	Deluxe Vehicles Micro Vehicles
Function	Scout
Motto	"The least likely can be the most dangerous."
Alternate Modes	Cybertronian Car 1976/2009 Chevrolet Camaro
Series	Transformers movie toys
English voice actor	Mark Ryan

Bumblebee makes an appearance as one of the Autobots in the 2007 live-action movie Transformers. Instead of a VW Beetle, he is a Chevrolet Camaro (the model year of which is upgraded in the movie). Due to a battle injury, he is rendered effectively mute, and communicates through use of selected playback of radio and television signals. The biography for the Decepticon Hardtop toy states that Hardtop and Bumblebee are old rivals and it was not Megatron who damaged Bumblebee's ability to speak, but a shot from Hardtop's gun. This, however, is in almost direct opposition of the movie's prequel.

Michael Bay stated in an early interview that Bumblebee stands about 17 feet tall ^[6], but the scale of his Deluxe concept toy suggests he stands closer to 18 feet tall. The official guide to the Transformers video game says he's 16 feet tall.

The vehicles used for Bumblebee, Ironhide, Jazz and Ratchet were put on display by General Motors at the 2007 Detroit River Walk Festival a little over a week before the U.S. release of the film.^[7]

In Hot Rod magazine's Nov. 2006 issue, Bumblebee was a feature article. Originally a worn-out 1969 Camaro, producers settled on a 1976 model.^[8] It is painted yellow with black stripes, primer and rust patches, riveted hood scoop, Cragar SS wheels up front, Eric Vaughn Real Wheels in the back, marine-grade vinyl seats, and even an eight-track player. The fifth-generation Camaro model was built using a 2006 Pontiac GTO by Saleen, the body was built from the same GM R&D molds that were used in the 2006 Camaro Concept. Early photos show that Bumblebee can transform his right arm into an plasma cannon and has missile launchers in his shoulders. In addition to his firearms, Bumblebee can extend an axe-like "stinger" from his wrist, in a similar fashion to how Optimus releases his sword. Bumblebee uses this in close-quarters combat. It was most notable in the video game. The 1976 Camaro movie vehicle was sold on eBay with a winning bid of U.S. $40,100.01.

[edit] IDW Publishing

The Transformers: Movie Prequel revealed that in the battle of Tyger Pax, Megatron's forces attacked searching for the Allspark. Bumblebee's squad (which included Arcee) attempt to hold off the Decepticons, but are eventually overwhelmed. They are captured and tortured by Swindle, with Megatron intervening personally to torture Bumblebee for information. However, they refuse to speak long enough for Prime's secret plan to take effect - launching the Allspark into outer space. Megatron attempts to pursue it, but Bumblebee stops him. An enraged Megatron rips Bumblebee's arms off and crushes his voice capacitor, promising to seize the Allspark for himself eventually. Bumblebee recovers and is repaired, although his voice is damaged beyond repair. Bumblebee then volunteered to head into space to stop Megatron from acquiring it.

Eventually arriving on Mars in his protoform mode, Bumblebee then proceeded to Earth in 2003, his arrival tracked by the Hubble space telescope.

Upon landing in New York City, Bumblebee assumes the form of a beat-up Chevrolet Camaro, all the while avoiding the agents of the government organization known as Sector 7, who refer to him as NBE-2 (or Non-Biological Extraterrestrial 2). Bumblebee then downloaded information on Captain Archibald Witwicky. Arriving at the asylum where he had once been incarcerated, he found it was now a dilapidated ruin. Damaged by a pursuing Barricade, he then found emissions of something like the Allspark - unaware he was heading into Sector 7's trap. However, their plan to capture him was thwarted when Starscream, Barricade and Blackout arrived. As the Decepticons shot Sector 7's trap to pieces, Bumblebee escaped, pursued by Barricade. He escaped - unaware the Decepticons had let him go so that they could follow him and see what he knew about the Allspark. He is last seen in the series heading for Tranquility, Nevada - home of Captain Witwicky's descendant Sam.

He also appeared in the official movie sequel comic called "The Reign of Starscream". ^[9]

[edit] Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday

Bumblebee also appeared in the prequel novel Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday. Here it was revealed he could still communicate with the other Autobots via digital link. Bumblebee was part of Prime's Autobot team searching for the Allspark, and was described as one of the Autobots' best scouts. He was sent after the human vessel Ghost-1 (reverse engineered from studies of Megatron) to make contact, but was ambushed and forced underground by Starscream. Encountering giant rock-chewing worms, he was saved by Optimus Prime. Heading into the atmosphere once again, he and Ratchet took on Barricade, but were unable to stop Starscream from destroying the human vessel.

[edit] Target Robo-Vision

According to his extended biography from the Target store exclusive Robo-Vision web site Hardtop came to Earth and uncovered the Witwicky home before any of the other Decepticons, but was unable to attack the Witwickys because Bumblebee found him first and buried under a hundred tons of rubble in the Rocky Mountains.

[edit] Movie plot

Bumblebee appears in the live-action Transformers movie in 2007, returning to his role as the friend of the Autobots' human ally - in this case, Sam Witwicky. Sam possesses the glasses of his great-great-grandfather Captain Archibald Witwicky, a famous explorer. Unknown to Sam, the glasses are engraved with the coordinates showing the location of the life-giving Allspark. Bumblebee is assigned to guard Sam from the Decepticons, and poses as a dilapidated 1976 Chevrolet Camaro as Sam and his father are buying a car for Sam. They eventually purchase Bumblebee, due in no small part to Bumblebee damaging every other car at the dealership to ensure his purchase.

Later, Bumblebee drives away from Sam's home to summon the Autobots. Sam thinks Bumblebee is being stolen, and chases the car on his bike. Sam then witnesses Bumblebee transforming into robot mode and reports it to the police, who believe he is on drugs.

Bumblebee returns to Sam and his crush Mikaela Banes and protects them from an attack by Barricade and Frenzy, earning Sam's trust. When Mikaela criticizes the poor condition of Bumblebee's vehicle mode, he scans a passing fifth-generation Camaro and transforms into the same model (in the comic adaptation he simply downloads information on the new model car over a wireless internet connection.) Bumblebee then drives Sam and Mikaela to an alley where they meet the other Autobots.

They return to Sam's house and retrieve the glasses, but a secret government organization, Sector 7, arrests Sam and Mikaela. The Autobots attempt to rescue them but Bumblebee is captured and taken by Sector 7. Sam eventually negotiates his release.

Bumblebee survives the massive battle at the film's climax, although he loses the use of his legs after helping Ironhide deflect missiles from Starscream. With Mikaela's aid, he is able to rejoin the battle supported by a tow truck, and destroys Brawl. After the battle, Bumblebee is fully repaired and asks to stay with Sam and is granted permission from both Sam and Optimus Prime. He is later seen alongside Ironhide, Ratchet, and Optimus watching the sunset at the end of the movie.

Bumblebee is voiced by Mark Ryan in the film, but he mostly speaks with his radio, having had his voice processor damaged (though his actual voice squeaks and whines laboriously through much of the movie). He also speaks with quotes from television shows and movies, in a way similar to Wreck-Gar from the 1986 film and season three of the G1 cartoon series. Screenwriter Roberto Orci explained Bumblebee regained his voice through the regenerative laser Ratchet fires at his neck as they meet, and it eventually works its magic by the end of the film. He agreed this was not made clear.^[10] It should be noted that Frenzy is regenerated upon coming into contact with the Allspark, and so it is entirely plausible that Bumblebee's voice, along with his legs, is also healed by the Allspark, though no mention of this is made in the film.

As a tribute to the original form of Bumblebee, a yellow Volkswagen Beetle appears next to him at the car dealership. Bumblebee damages the Beetle in order to ensure that Sam purchases him. He also has a bee-shaped air freshener attached to his rear view mirror with the words "bee-otch". The air freshener was the subject of a lawsuit for $850,000 due to its alleged resemblance to another design.^[11]

[edit] Video game

Bumblebee is a playable character, and is the most-used character in the Autobot campaign, where the character uses Bumblebee in 9 missions in the Autobot campaign, out of the total 18. He is playable in both the old and new camaro cars. Bumblebee also appears as a boss in the Decepticon campaign, with a radial blast attack.

[edit] Movie toys

• Movie Legends Bumblebee (2007)

Released as part of the first wave of Movie Legends toys, this 8 centimeter long Classic Camaro is 1/64 scale to the real vehicle.

A bootleg of this toy was manufacted by a toy maker in China called "Deform Formers". This version of the toy is nearly identical to the original toy, except it stands about 7 inches tall in robot mode and has the Autobot symbol removed.

• Movie Legends Bumblebee Scanning Version (2007)

A Japanese exclusive bundled with the September 2007 issue of Hyper Hobby magazine, this version of Legends Bumblebee is molded in transparent yellow, depicting him in scanning mode before being formatted into his alternate mode. [3]

• Movie Legends Bumblebee Metallic Version (2007)

A limited Japanese exclusive release that was available with pre-orders of the Transformers movie DVD.

• Movie Legends Bumblebee redeco (2008)

A repaint of Legends Bumblebee with battle damage. Comes in a 2-pack with Legends Class Scorponok. ^[12]

• Movie Jollibee Bumblebee (2007)

A kids meal toy promotional item available at Jollibee restaurants in the Philippines from June to July of 2007. This toy was a slightly enlarged and simplified version of the Movie Legends mold. ^[13]

• Movie Cyber Slammers Bumblebee (Classic Camaro) (2007)

A Scout Class toy designed for younger children, with a very simple transformation and a pull back motor. The upper portion of the vehicle pops up into robot mode when it hits an object.

• Movie Cyber Slammers Bumblebee (Camaro Concept) (2007)

Similar to the first version of Bumblebee, only with the new Camaro design.

• Movie Fast Action Battlers Plasma Punch Bumblebee (Camaro Concept) (2007)

A Deluxe Class transforming toy with simplified transformation for younger children. Features launching plasma bolt projectile.

• Movie Deluxe Class Bumblebee (Classic Camaro) (2007)

A Deluxe class toy with a detailed transformation and Automorph technology. Aside from black stripes, Bumblebee is decorated with burn marks all over, signifying battle damage rather than his dirty, rusted-up condition depicted in the film. The Japanese version released by Takara Tomy comes with clear blue plastic windows and projectiles. This toy is 14 centimeters long in vehicle mode. This toy was designed by Alex Kubalsky. ^[14]

This mold was made into a Chinese bootleg figure in late 2007 under the name Distortion Hornet.

• Movie Deluxe Class Metallic Bumblebee (Classic Camaro) (2007)

A Lawson exclusive in Japan. This Deluxe toy is repainted in metallic gold with black stripes. [4]

• Movie Deluxe Class Bumblebee vs. Barricade: First Encounter (2007)

A Wal-Mart exclusive gift set featuring Deluxe Bumblebee (Classic Camaro) and Barricade. [5]

• Movie Deluxe Class Bumblebee (Camaro Concept) (2007)

Like the Classic Camaro version, this Deluxe toy features Automorph technology and a complex transformation. Comes with a laser cannon that opens to become a clear blue blade. Arguably the closest transforming toy in resembling his film counterpart, this Deluxe Bumblebee is the fastest-selling in the entire movie toy line and has been fetching large numbers on eBay. This toy is about 14 centimeters long in vehicle mode. With a real Concept Camaro being 473 centimeters long this toy has a scale of about 1/32. With the toy standing 16 centimeters tall in robot mode, the real robot would stand about 18 feet tall.

Also released in red as Cliffjumper.

• Movie Deluxe Class Bumblebee Repaint (Camaro Concept) (2008)

A Target exclusive, packaged in robot mode and inside a clear, cylindrical package. Features light blue highlights on parts of the robot's body to simulate the Allspark's effects.

• Movie Premium Deluxe Class Bumblebee (Camaro Concept) (2008)

Similar to the Deluxe Bumblebee released a year prior, but with notable differences. First, the head is sculpted in Armored mode. Second, the car mode is in a metallic yellow finish with more detailed black stripes. And third, the limbs and Plasma Cannon are molded in gray instead of black. ^[15]

• Movie Deluxe Class Stealth Bumblebee(2008)

A repaint of Deluxe Class Bumblebee with black stripes and yellow body colors switched.

• Movie Deluxe Class Bumblebee: Evolution of a Hero (2007)

A Target exclusive, featuring both versions of Deluxe Bumblebee. The Camaro Concept in this package is a "battle damaged" repaint. [6]

• Screen Battles: Capture of Bumblebee Deluxe Class set (2007)

Deluxe Bumblebee (Camaro Concept) comes packaged in this mini-diorama with figurines of Agent Simmons and two Sector 7 operatives. Unlike the regular packaged version, this version of Bumblebee has his limbs molded in gray instead of black, and his mouth has been painted silver as well^[16]. [7]

• Screen Battles: Final Stand Deluxe Class set (2007)

This package includes the Deluxe Classic Camaro Bumblebee (though Bumblebee was towed as a Concept Camaro in the movie) and Deluxe-class Autobot Longarm. While some of the labels on Longarm are more movie-accurate than his first regular release, the figure of Bumblebee provided cannot transform and has limited poseability^[17].

• Movie Ultimate Bumblebee (2007)

The largest - and effectively, the most expensive - Transformers movie toy in the market. This represents Bumblebee's New Camaro form, and it also has eyes that light up, creates sounds (robotic transformations and voices), and stands up to more than 12 inches tall in height. The arms and door "wings" also move at the push of a button. Plays more than 17 different sounds and nine samples of songs, including "Whip It" by Devo. Oddly enough, this version of Bumblebee is less accurate than the Movie Deluxe Bumblebee (Camaro Concept). [8] The toy is mistransformed in the package, and all promo photos of the figure made the same mistake, presenting the car hood as a solid block resting on Bumblebee's chest. In reality, it splits up into five separate pieces to fold and collapse into a more movie-like appearance.

A Wal-Mart exclusive version was bundled with Deluxe Class Decepticon Brawl and Scorponok. ^[18]

Ultimate Bumblebee was among the toys chosen as "12 Best toys of 2007" by Parija B. Kavilanz, senior writer at CNNMoney.com. ^[19]

• Micro IR Bumblebee (Camaro Concept) (2007)

A RadioShack exclusive. This micro Radio-controlled car moves forward and back, and features simple transformation to robot mode. The gun-shaped controller doubles as a ball-point pen. [9]

• 3D Battle Card Game Bumblebee (2007)

Bumblebee is among the characters which appeared in the 1st wave of Transformers 3D Battle Card Game by Wizards of the Coast.

[edit] Non-transforming merchandise

• Movie Cyber Stompin' Bumblebee (2007)

This is a large, non-transforming toy than can create sound effects and play a sample of the original Transformers theme song.

• Movie Robot Replicas Bumblebee (2007)

A poseable, non-transforming action figure that comes with a Plasma Cannon that can be attached on either arm.

• Movie Robot Replicas Bumblebee Screen Battle: Final Stand (2007)

A legless version of Robot Replicas Bumblebee comes packaged in this mini-diorama with Deluxe Class Longarm (which is decorated with "Mike's Towing" labels as seen on the film instead of "Orson's Towing" on the regular packaged version). In addition, Longarm has a Mikaela figurine inside the driver's compartment. [10]

• Movie Unleashed Bumblebee (2007)

A fully detailed, non-transforming sculpture featuring Bumblebee in an action pose. A Kmart exclusive version includes Issue #1 of the movie prequel comic book. [11]

• 2-in-1 Beamers Bumblebee (2007)

A fully detailed sculpt of Bumblebee's head that doubles as an LED flashlight and night light. Also emits sound effects at the push of a button.

• Beatmix Bumblebee (2007)

This is a large, non-transforming unit that can be connected to an iPod or other MP3 player. He dances, lights up, plays the music in the player, and can add Transformers movie sound effects to said music.

• XMODS Evolution Bumblebee (Camaro Concept) (2007)

A RadioShack exclusive. This Radio-controlled car is part of the XMODS line, featuring digital proportional steering and upgradeable parts. A weapons & light kit is also available, featuring a hood-mounted machine gun and door-mounted missile launchers. [12]

• ZipZaps Micro RC Bumblebee (Camaro Concept) (2007)

A RadioShack exclusive. Part of the ZipZaps line, this is a micro Radio-controlled car that runs on a rechargeable battery (the controller doubles as the charger). [13]

[edit] Transformers Animated

Transformers character
Bumblebee
Affiliation	Autobot
Sub-Group	Deluxe Vehicles
Function	Speedster
Motto	"Enough talk. It's time for action!"
Alternate Modes	Cybertronian car Combat police detectives car
Series	Transformers: Animated
English voice actor	Bumper Robinson

Bumblebee appears in the Transformers: Animated series in 2008 as a combat police detectives car.

Bumblebee has a retractable face plate he uses when he goes into combat and a retractable weapon (called "energy stingers") in both hands. He can use the wheels on his feet in robot mode as motorized roller blades.

The character of Bumblebee in Animated is described as a hot headed racing young Autobot, making him more akin to Armada Hot Shot than the original Bumblebee. He does however retain the traditional warm-heartedness and human-friendly attitude of the original due to his friendship with Sari Sumdac and Bulkhead.

[edit] Animated series

In the episode "Autoboot Camp", Bumblebee has flashbacks to his days as an Autobot trainee. During training, he met Bulkhead, Longarm, Ironhide, and Wasp. The group was under the command of Drill seargent Sentinel Minor, who gave Bumblebee his name (after calling him a "bumbler"). Bumblebee would often say or do the wrong thing, resulting in the entire platoon receiving Transformation sit-ups as a result, which made him unpopular with Wasp and Ironhide. One day, Bumblebee heard someone communicating with Megatron. Believing the traitor to be Wasp, Bumblebee (with help from Longarm) discovered evidence in Wasp's locker. For discovering the traitor, Sentinel was prepared to give Bumblebee Elite Guard membership. However, Bumblebee gave up that chance by taking the rap for Bulkhead, who had previously knocked a building onto Sentinel, and was about to be removed from training, joining his new friend as a Space Bridge techinician.

In the episode "Total Meltdown", Bumblebee is coerced by Prometheus Black into fighting a bio-enhanced human. During the battle, some of his hydraulic fluid is spilled. Black experiments on the fluid, but accidentally spills it on himself, transforming him into the corrosive Meltdown.

In the episode "Nanosec", Bumblebee's self-proclaimed title as "fastest thing on wheels" is threatened by Nanosec, a super speedster crook on a deadly mission that could destroy all of Detroit. Bumblebee defeats him using new jet boosters, and some forward thinking.

In the episode "Along Came a Spider", Bumblebee is attacked by the Decepticon Blackarachnia, who absorbs his stinger powers for a brief period.

In episode 14, "Nature Calls", Prowl, Bumblebee and Sari Sumdac get more than they bargained for when they head out to the remote woods to investigate a mysterious Cybertronian energy signal. The signal came from some mutant space barnacles latched on to Megatron's body. Before the barnacles were defeated, it infected Prowl, who in turn infected Bumblebee. They were both saved by Sari using a hot water hose.

In the season finale, "Megatron Rising, Pt.I", Bumblebee got a serious lashing out from Optimus and ran away to find Sari, but not before telling Prime that he wasn't much of a good leader. He then disobeying Optimus to take on Starscream alone. He was overpowered even when Megatron used a mechanical arm to throw Starscream outside. Starscream hit Bumblebee with a laser and sent him cliff hanging. Bumblebee was rescued by his fellow Autobots, and in the subsequent battle with the Decepticons, used his greatest weapon, his obnoxiousness, to trick Blitzwing into changing into tank mode in mid-air, causing him to fall into the ocean

In the episode "Velocity", Bumblebee particiates in underground races in hopes of beating a mysterious blue race car. When the Decepticon Blitzwing arrives to recover an Allspark fragment, Bumblebee is assisted by the Blue racer.

In the episode "SUV: Society of Ultimate Villainy" Bumblebee attempts to apprehend Detroit's new crime society, and the Decepticon Swindle by himself. When Swindle betrays the Society and freezes all technology in Detroit, Bumblebee is forced to team up with the criminals to stop him.

[edit] Toys

• Animated Activators Bumblebee (2008/unreleased)

A Scout class toy with a one-touch transformation. ^[20]

• Animated Activators Patrol Bumblebee (2008/unreleased)

A redeco of Animated Activator Bumblebee in black in white police car colors. ^[21]

• Animated Deluxe Bumblebee (2008)

A Deluxe sized toy of Animated Bumblebee was displayed by Hasbro at the 2007 SDCC.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Generation 1 Bumblebee's Data File on Seibertron.com
• Bumblebee Official Myspace
• ToyBin G1 Toy Gallery
• tfu.info's entry on Bumblebee
• VW model painted to match Bumblebee
• Concept Chevrolet Camaro alleged to be Bumblebee's form in the Transformers Movie
• Bumblebee toy galleries
• Bumblebee Concept Chevrolet Camaro toy gallery