Bumper (G1)

This article is about . For other uses of "Bumper", see Bumper (disambiguation)|The name or term "Bumper" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Bumper (disambiguation).}}
Bumper is an Autobot from the Generation 1 continuity family.
I have a name!

Bumper is a young and inexperienced Autobot, new to the war, but eager to do his part against the Decepticons. He is in the interesting position of looking up to Bumblebee, which makes Bumblebee feel more awkward than normal. Bumper has the worrying tendency to latch on to any potential role model that pays him mind, which sometimes leads to him biting off more than he can chew to impress them. While he often finds himself in over his head, Bumper's determination and flashes of courage may take him far one day.

Fiction

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Dreamwave Generation One continuity

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Bumper liked Bumblebee before it was cool.

Bumper was part of the crew of the shuttle Orion, under the command of Bumblebee. The ship was sent to Earth from Cybertron after Shockwave was overthrown to bring news and supplies to the Autobots left on the human planet. Unfortunately, on their routine mission, the Orion's crew crossed paths with one of Shockwave's creations, the super-clone Sunstorm. Night of the Combaticons After Bumblebee decided to form a temporary alliance with Starscream, Bumper defended his decision to the doubtful Brawn and Cliffjumper. Bumper then joined the party that attacked Sunstorm in order to attach an inhibitor onto him, aiming to drain the destructive energies that he produced. Skyfire

Later, he and Warpath were sent to retrieve several Autobots that Starscream had previously deactivated and "stored" at the bottom of a lake. They were interrupted by a heavily-armed platoon of EDC troops under the command of Marissa Faireborn, The Omega Effect who rounded them up within a transport hold and took them to an underground facility. Worried about their predicament, Warpath asked Bumper what was to become of them. Unfortunately, Bumper was as clueless as he was. Atonement The Autobots eventually arrived at a secret base, where their offline members were reactivated. The EDC explained that they needed the Autobots' help to investigate the disappearance of an entire town of people in San Desto, California.

Gee-whiz that’s some interesting foreshadowing! I sure hope nobody bankrupts the company with financial incompetence before this plot thread can develop!

Bumper was part of the squad sent in to San Desto, instantly earning the disdain of Sunstreaker (though Sunstreaker thinks that way about everyone). Bumper took a squad of EDC troopers into a movie theater to investigate an energy signature emanating from it. Inside, they were ambushed by the Insecticons and captured. Infestation When their captors left to take care of their new breed of Insecticlones, Bumper managed to break free and took a cerebro-shell. He then hid in the lab until the Insecticons returned, now with Sideswipe and Sunstreaker as their prisoners. Fearing that Bumper had fled to the surface, the Insecticons left once more, allowing Bumper to free his captured teammates. Bumper then used the taken cerebro-shell to disable Bombshell and shut down his mind-control network over both his human slaves and the Insecticlones, putting an end to the Insecticons' machinations in San Desto. Extermination

Bumper and the Autobots left the EDC behind to rejoin the rest of their group. Lost and Found They arrived at the future site of Autobot City, the construction of which was being supervised by Prowl. The Route of All Evil

It is likely that Bumper's heroism was not all it seemed: Bombshell was shown to be tinkering with his head, his escape was so convenient that it could well have been engineered, Bumper was the last to see Dorry and Cruz alive, and the final panel of the comic hints that there is a traitor within the group (a prominent car registration plate reads "TR8R-1")...

2005 IDW continuity

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Oh, like you live in a mansion.

Before the war, Bumper was part of stakeout team "Panorama 3" along with Fastback. They had the bad luck of being the ones who hit the right location for Megatron's next illegal pit-fight, and the even worse luck of bearing witness to his first fateful meeting with Soundwave. Their transmissions were jammed, and they were captured, interrogated, and killed in rather short order. Megatron Origin #2

They were given a fairly elaborate and rather well-attended funeral. They rated Alpha Trion's attendance, apparently. Megatron Origin #3

His name was listed as a choice for an Autobot mission. Wheelie got the nod instead. Spotlight: Wheelie

2019 IDW continuity

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First appearance: Transformers #18

Bumper was an enthusiastic rookie member of Security Operations who saw his first deployment in the aftermath of the Tether's fall. Partnered with Strongarm, the pair faced off with a couple of looters trying to take advantage of the chaos caused by the disaster. When Gauge was shot by one of the looters, her mentor Arcee rushed their position, downing one and sending the other running. Bumper moved in and arrested the defeated looter. Arcee/Greenlight: Run

For pity's sake, LEAVE BUMPER'S BRAIN ALONE!

Bumper and Strongarm were assigned to a unit under Nightbeat and observed as Prowl forcefully interrogated Singe for information on The Rise. This yielded a lead, and Bumper was part of the operation to infiltrate Swindle's. Being the least conspicuous, Bumper was chosen to scope the illegal establishment out as the others waited outside for word on any suspicious activity. Inside, Bumper spotted Mindwipe and Visper consorting with Swindle. Prowl radioed for him to leave before he was noticed, but Mindwipe intercepted Bumper and hypnotized him just as the others breached the door. Bumper attacked Prowl in an entranced rage but was non-lethally taken down by the experienced officer. Prowl told Strongarm to restrain Bumper until Mindwipe's brainwashing wore off, and to chastise him for not following Prowl's instructions to the letter when he came back to his senses. Swindle's

Bumper worked crowd control after Sentinel Prime ordered the captive Quake to be paraded through the streets. Prisoners He later stood guard in front of the Senate building as Sentinel Prime gave a speech denouncing the Ascenticon faction. Upon seeing the massive throng of people protesting outside, Bumper commented to an annoyed Prowl that there wasn't enough security personnel on-site to maintain control if things went wrong. Bumper watched as the crowd soon parted to allow Megatron and his fellow Ascenticon senators to enter the building. We Have Deceived You

Please... my son. He's very sick

After the newly-rebranded "Decepticons" seized the Senate hall and its occupants, Bumper was involved in the operation to take it back. Before being deployed, he was once again reprimanded by Prowl for his mistake with Mindwipe. After being told off by Strongarm, Prowl told them it would be rewarding if they ever managed to please him, a statement Bumper later agreed to, much to Strongarm's chagrin. When Ironhide, Groove, Backstreet and Chainclaw escaped the Senate, Bumper was there to witness it beside Strongarm and Pointblank. Unfortunately, Chainclaw was not fast enough to escape the enemy fire and was impaled by a slug from Clench's rail gun. Defying orders, Bumper jumped through the window of their hideout to rescue him, only for Chainclaw to be decapitated and killed by the next round of fire. Sideswipe jumped into the fray to rescue Bumper just before a third round of fire sliced off the little bot's arm. Just afterwards, Clench was blown up by Flak and Sidetrack. When the smoke cleared, Sideswipe was seen holding Bumper's unconscious body as Strongarm and Pointblank rushed towards them. Prime

"Who the hell is Bumper?"

Bumper recovered and was back on duty alongside Sideswipe and Strongarm as they provided security for an experiment Perceptor performed involving Jumpstream. He had received a new arm to replace the one lost during the Senate hall fight and proudly displayed it as "battle damage" to Sideswipe. Annoyed with Bumper's newfound hero worship of him, Sideswipe told him to go do a perimeter sweep of the building, which the rookie eagerly agreed to. Test Flight I

Bumper was on sentry duty when the Decepticons attacked Crystal City. He and his group opened fire at the horde of enemies at their gates until an explosion destroyed their high ground and they were confronted by some of Strika's Heavies. Sideswipe was determined to make a last stand, with the impressionable and terrified Bumper ready to back him up. However, Strongarm reminded Sideswipe of his responsibilities and he instead told the others to retreat while he covered them. Bumper and the others fell back to a secure bunker deeper within the city. A Dust of Crystals

After the Autobots began their trek to Darkmount, they were corralled by a Decepticon artillery barrage into the path of a horde of rust worms. Radical Time Bumper joined a group led by Chromia that attempted to scout an escape route, but they were cut off and turned back by airborne Decepticons that enforced the perimeter. They returned to the larger Autobot force and fought off the rust worms until a repurposed Insecticon clone swarm arrived to feast on the worms, allowing the Autobots to continue onward. End of Time

Humper?

Surviving a confrontation with Megatron and an imploder next, the Autobots finally arrived at Darkmount and began preparing for an inevitable Decepticon attack to prevent them from leaving the planet. Hunkered down behind ramparts and awaiting the battle, Bumper began nervously humming, which Sideswipe was initially annoyed by. The bigger Autobot quickly apologized and told Bumper to do whatever he pleased in the face of the coming fight. When the Decepticons attacked, Bumper and the others held the line until Computron made a last stand, buying the others time to board the Ark and blast off. Leaving Cybertron behind and headed for the Winged Moon, Bumper cheerfully suggested to Sideswipe and Strongarm that they ask Ironhide to join the Prime Guard. Sideswipe expressed hesitance, but Bumper assured his friend that he had his back. On approach to the Winged Moon, Bumper and the other Autobots listened to Optimus Prime deliver a speech about their future out among the stars. Fate of Cybertron

Toys

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The Transformers

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A mystery wrapped in a Familia.
Sold in the first year of the Hasbro The Transformers line, the toy that has come to be known as "Bumper" transforms into a "penny racer"-proportioned [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Mazda Familia|{{#if:||Mazda Familia}}]] 1500XG. It is one of the rarest toys in the original line and commands a pretty decent sum on the secondary market, due to its very unusual release.
This toy did not come on its own card, having only been found packed on Hasbro Cliffjumper cards in 1984<ref>"Bumblejumper MOC" at Super Toy Archive</ref> (it's not impossible that he was also available on Bumblebee cards, but to this day, no packaged example has surfaced). It is unknown just how many cases had a "Bumper" in them; presumably not many. In fact, this toy has never had an "official" Transformers release as its own character from Hasbro or Takara. The full story of this toy's inexplicable release is still unknown, and it's highly likely the mystery may never be solved, although a few factors point to this toy being intentionally added to the line by Hasbro early on<ref>"Bumblejumper is not a mistake!!" at Fred's Complete Transformers Variants and Variations Page!</ref>, though not likely as his own character (see Notes).
The only official separate-character Transformers releases of the mold were the versions released by Estrela in Brazil, which got unique painted packaging art and a full bio, potentially taken from a scrapped Hasbro release. It was known simply as "Sedan" and was cast in four color schemes, first two as the "Robocar" Sedan, then two more as the heroic "Optimus" Sedan.<ref>"Brazilian Transformers" at Super Toy Archive

</ref><ref>"Brazilian Blue Sedan (Bumblejumper)" at TF-1.com</ref>

The mold is originally from Takara's Microman Micro Change line, sold as the "MC-04 Mini CAR Robo 02 Familia 1500XG", available in yellow, red and blue.<ref>"Microchange MC-04 Red Mazda Familia 1500XG (Bumblejumper)" at TF-1.com</ref><ref>"1983 New Microman - Micro Change Series MC04 Mini CAR Robo 01-07 " at micromanforever.com (archived)</ref>
For years, the toy was referred to as "Bumblejumper" by fans, a [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}portmanteau|{{#if:||portmanteau}}]] of "Bumblebee" and "Cliffjumper", since he was believed to have been packaged on the cards for both of those Minicars. In the early 1990s, the shortened and more Transformers-like name "Bumper" began to propagate through the fandom. The name was made "official" for the toy when it was used in the first issue of Dreamwave's ongoing Transformers comic in 2004.
{{#if:The Transformers|The Transformers mold:|}} Bumper

{{#if:*Hasbro:

  • Estrela:
 style="text-align:{{{align}}};"|}}|
  • Hasbro:
  • Estrela:

{{#if:Kōjin Ōno
See also: Cliffjumper||-

Kōjin Ōno
See also: Cliffjumper|}}

Age of the Primes

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Alright, it's about ti—hey, what happened to my shoes!?
  • Ultra Magnus / Autobot Bumper VS Horri-Bull / Nemesis Prime (Multi-pack, 2025)
Age of the Primes Bumper is the first official toy of the character to be sold under the Transformers brand; it only took 41 years! He is a retooling of Studio Series Bumblebee, with a new head based on the toy above. He transforms into a vaguely VW Type 1-ish, Penny-Racer-proportioned car, with the roof and rear of a Mazda Familia 1500XG, in 23 steps. He includes a blaster which can be pegged onto the back of both modes.
His deco is only slightly changed from Bumblebee, primarily to make him resemble the original toy more than Bumblebee's toon-inspired deco. All of the gray plastic and paint has been replaced with jet black, his headlamps have been painted over in black to emulate his 1984 deco, plus his Autobot sigil is now silver-bordered. The yellow plastic is also brighter shade than Bumblebee's. On top of that, his pistol has been painted a darker gunmetal instead of bright silver.
He was only available as part of a box set alongside Ultra Magnus, Horri-Bull, and Nemesis Prime, which was made available for pre-order on June 6, 2025. This set was exclusive to Target in the US, with a portion of the run also sold through Hasbro Pulse.
This mold was further retooled into Studio Series Cliffjumper.
Designer commentary on Age of the Primes Bumper from Mark Maher on Instagram


Notes

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Estrela's "Sedan" card art. Probably not evidence of a lost Hasbro character.
  • It has been speculated that the Bumper mold was at some point intended to actually be his own character in the early development of the 1984 The Transformers toyline, but if this were ever true, the plans were dropped very early. His back-of-the-head sticker is the same as Cliffjumper's rather than a new design (the three Micro Change "penny racer" molds had stickers with their car model names in Japanese; the tech-detailing stickers were created specifically for Transformers), there is no mention of a seventh Mini Car in Bob Budiansky's early notes, no lost bio/Tech Spec, and no original art of "Bumper" has been found in Hasbro's archives.
    • The package art and bio on Estrela's Brazilian release of the mold, Sedan, has been cited as possible re-use from Hasbro materials. But Estrela created new art for all of its releases, both molds never released by Hasbro (namely the Eletrix and Bat-Robô) and the ones that were, recreating the original art as close as possible but omitting the Autobot symbols, replacing them with Estrela's stickers. Plus the bios for the Topspin and Twin Twist redecoes Salt-Man X and Salt-Man Z are wholly new, despite established Hasbro bios for the molds already existing.
  • An almost-realized BotCon exclusive from Fun Publications was a redeco of Prime Rumble/Frenzy into Bumper.<ref>BotCon 2014 attendee report</ref>
  • A 2021 Bumblebee toy transforms into an accurately-sculpted and correctly-colored remake of Bumper's original Generation 1/Choro Q alternate mode, but with a Bumblebee head.

Foreign names

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  • Japanese: Bumper (バンパー Banpā)

References

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<references />
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