| Bamf | |
|---|---|
Nightcrawler surprises Spider-Man by teleporting in front of him. |
Bamf ( /ˈbæmf/), originally Bampf,[1] is a onomatopoeic term from the Marvel Universe.
"Bamf" in the Marvel Universe is onomatopoeia relating to the fictional character Nightcrawler and the resulting sound he makes when he teleports. The sound is caused by air rushing into the space where Nightcrawler's body once was.[1] It has been borrowed as a teleport sound by fans and a generic term for teleporting in general ("...and then he bamfed out..."). The sound has become a standard in pop culture.[2]
| Bamf | |
|---|---|
Nightcrawler cast as a "Bamf" in Kitty Pryde's bedtime story. Art by Dave Cockrum. |
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| Publication information | |
| First appearance | Uncanny X-Men #153 (January 1982) |
| Created by | Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum |
In Uncanny X-Men #153, Kitty Pryde tells a fairy tale to six-year old Illyana Rasputin, which includes a race of creatures called "Bamfs." Bamfs are small, super deformed versions of Nightcrawler (even wearing similar clothes to his classic costume). One of the Bamfs enters the story after catching sight of Pirate Kitty, on whom he developed an instant crush, when she and her entourage landed on Bamf Island. He subsequently joins her team and aids in taking down Princess Jean (the fairy tale equivalent of Jean Grey), aka Dark Phoenix.
Later, in the first Nightcrawler limited series, Nightcrawler is sent to another universe that is identical to Kitty's fairy tale, and there he encounters the Bamfs, including the heroic Bamf from Kitty's tale. Nightcrawler discovers that female Bamfs do not look the same as male bamfs; they are taller and look very much like female versions of himself. The male Bamfs are lecherous, flirtatious and skirt-chasing, making them rather tiring company in the presence of attractive females.
Even before Kitty's fairy tale, plush versions of Nightcrawler, also called "Bamfs", had appeared in many X-Men issues. Kitty Pryde, Illyana Rasputin, Jubilation Lee and Amanda Sefton, among others, have been shown owning Bamf dolls. It is unknown whether Nightcrawler makes the dolls himself, whether he employs someone else to make them for him, or whether some outside source makes them and he merely purchases them. In the comic Exiles, a stuffed Bamf is seen in the bedroom of Nocturne, the child of Nightcrawler and the Scarlet Witch from another reality.
The Bamfs reappeared at the newly opened Jean Grey School of Higher Learning, infesting the school after Vice Principal Beast accidentally opened a portal to their home reality on the school's first day open. Headmaster Wolverine is the head of a "Bamf Hunting Club." [3]