Bamf

Bamf
Nightcrawler cast as a Bamf in Kitty Pryde's bedtime story. Art by Dave Cockrum.
Publication information
First appearance	Uncanny X-Men #153 (January 1982)
Created by	Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum

Bamf (originally Bampf^[1]) (pronounced /ˈbæmf/) is a term from the Marvel Universe.

Sound

"Bamf" in the Marvel Universe relates to the X-Men 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...").

Race

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), similar to plush versions of Nightcrawler seen in many issues, which various characters own (also called "Bamfs"). Kitty Pryde, Illyana Rasputin, and Amanda Sefton, among others, have been shown owning Bamf dolls. It is unknown if Nightcrawler makes the dolls himself, if he employs someone else to make them for him, or if some outside source makes them and he merely purchases them.

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. Here, he discovers that female Bamfs don't look the same as male bamfs, they are taller and look very much like female versions of Nightcrawler himself.

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.

References