Don’t let his less-than-impressive moniker fool you: Bumblebee is easily one of the most beloved characters in the entire Transformers franchise. What’s more, Bumblebee can trace his roots all the way back to 1984’s Generation 1 toyline, and was the second ever robot in disguise to feature in the associated animated TV series. Since then, he’s been part of the heroic Autobots’ team roster in several subsequent cartoons, as well as live-action movies, video games and comic books – so much so that it’s hard to imagine a Transformers adventure without him.
It’s fair to say we’ve learned quite a bit about Bumblebee over the years, with his recent self-titled big screen spin-off shedding even more light on his past exploits. Upon reviewing Bumblebee’s history, something that really stands out is just how unusual his anatomy is – even for a cybernetic alien life form able to shape-shift into a vehicle! Whether it’s in-universe factoids (like the cause of the vocal impediment that plagues the plucky Autobot in some of his incarnations) or real world trivia (like the staggering number of digital “parts” needed to build his CGI model), there’s a lot about Bumblebee’s body that beggars belief.
To celebrate the release of Bumblebee, we’ve combed through the last 34 years worth of Transformers stories across all media to isolate the very craziest facts about this popular character's anatomy. There were plenty to choose from, so we’ve whittled it down to include only the most fascinating findings.
Here are 20 Strange Details About Bumblebee's Anatomy.
He Has Had 8 (Main) Alternate Modes
If your only knowledge of the Transformers series is derived from the film franchise – and you haven’t yet made it to cinemas to see Bumblebee – you’ll be surprised to learn his original alternate mode was a Volkswagen Beetle. Although this (and not the Chevrolet Camaro mode seen in the movies) is arguably Bumblebee’s most iconic mode, it’s far from the only vehicular camouflage he’s adopted over the years.
On the contrary: Bumblebee has transformed into an AMC Pacer, a Suzuki Swift Sport, a Supermini police cruiser, a Chrysler ME 412 concept car and an Urbana 500 (a fictional model of muscle car). Then there are the instances where he’s based his alternate mode on non-terrestrial transports hailing from his homeworld, Cybertron, which we don’t even really have a name for!
He Once Had A Full-Body Re-Build
As the “baby brother” of the Autobots, Bumblebee has a bad habit of getting in over his head when trying to prove to his more experienced peers that he’s no longer an ineffectual rookie. Unfortunately, this brash behavior often has serious consequences for our hero, and he often doesn’t escape these precarious situations unscathed.
Indeed, Bumblebee has sustained some eye-wateringly brutal injuries over the years as a result of his recklessness. Like the damage he suffered at the hands of Superion – one of his fellow Autobots who was acting under the influence of an alien spore infection – which nearly proved fatal. Luckily, it was possible to reconstruct Bumblebee as a Throttlebot (a Transformers sub-species), and he assumed a new name, Goldbug, to match his new body.
He's Had 11 Different License Plates
The Autobots and their enemies, the Decepticons, rely on their alternate forms to blend in with their earthly surroundings. In order to fully maintain this ruse, Transformers on both sides have taken even the tiniest details into consideration. That’s why every robot in disguise able to transition into a road-based vehicle sports their own license plate – or in Bumblebee’s case, 11 different license plates across different media.
Amazingly, the movie version of Bumblebee alone has rocked eight different license plates. As a ‘76 Camaro in the first Transformers, his plate number was 489 PCE, while his upgraded Camaro Concept and SS forms are tagged with 900 STRA. Oddly, when Bumblebee was in robot form in that film (and its sequel, Revenge of the Fallen) his plate read 4NZZ454, although by Dark of the Moon, this inconsistency had mysteriously resolved itself.
He Communicates With Other Transformers Via Inter-Autobot Frequencies
As one of the younger, more high-spirited Autobots, Bumblebee is traditionally depicted as being an outspoken member of the team. However, that went out the window with the release of Michael Bay’s first Transformers flick, where Bumblebee was portrayed as being mute due to a pre-existing wound to his voice box. This left the poor 'bot unable to speak – though that didn’t mean he couldn’t communicate at all.
When interacting with his human ally Sam Witwicky, Bumblebee relied on carefully selected audio samples hijacked from radio and television signals. This wouldn’t do when it came to keeping his Autobot comrades in the loop, though. That’s why Bumblebee used a different method of expressing himself in these scenarios: inter-Autobot frequencies – the Transformers equivalent of sending an instant message!
His Arm-Mounted "Stingers" Weren't used In The Movies
Anyone who knows anything about filmmaking will tell you that plenty of concepts – even those that are finalized during pre-production – don’t make it onto the silver screen. Take Bumblebee’s arm-mounted “stingers," for example: these energy-based weapons were signed-off by director Michael Bay for inclusion in his Transformers movies, but were never actually incorporated into any of the films’ fight choreography.
That didn’t mean the idea went to waste, though. As fans who watched the Transformers Animated TV show can attest, the stingers were recycled for Bumblebee’s cartoon character model. The weapons – cool retractable barbs that extend from the Autobot’s hands and emit a shock – were featured frequently, more than making up for their absence on-screen.
He Has A Bee-Shaped Air Freshener When In Disguise
We’ve mentioned already that Transformers go to great lengths to ensure that their alternate forms are utterly convincing so that they can operate covertly. That’s why they even take the extreme measure of adding little details like license plates to their bumpers and decorative decals to their paintwork. It’s also why one of the components of Bumblebee’s Camaro disguise in the Transformers movies is an air freshener dangling from the rear-view mirror.
That said, we’re not sure if this particular touch was the smartest move, as – being a bee-shaped freshener – it kind of gives away his identity to any Decepticons who might be hunting for him! It’s also caused unintended problems in real life, too: merchandiser Alia Madden filed an $850,000 lawsuit against the filmmakers, alleging that the Bumblebee air freshener design illegally emulated one of her own.
His Mouth Plate (Not His Voice Box) Creates His Vocal Noises
Transformers: Prime is a computer-animated TV series that launched in 2010, and spotlighted the so-called “Team Prime” roster of Autobots: Optimus Prime, Arcee, Bulkhead, Ratchet, and Bumblebee. Although the series wasn’t a direct tie-in to Michael Bay’s film franchise, it was spearheaded by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, who penned the Transformers' first two big screen outings.
Unsurprisingly, more than a few concepts from the movies were carried across to Prime, most notably, Bumblebee’s oral impairment. However, Kurtzman and Orci didn’t fully retread old ground here, and revamped how our Autobot hero communicates. Rather than re-playing audio clips or employing inter-Autobot frequencies, Bumblebee uses a series of beeping noises to “speak” with his teammates, which are generated by his specially-manufactured face plate.
His CGI Model Is Made Of 7608 Individual Parts
The re-designed character models for the Autobots and Decepticons as they appear in the Transformers movies are drastically more complicated than their blocky, traditionally animated counterparts. In fact, the CGI models for the Transformers are incredibly complex. Just to create the digital version of Bumblebee alone required a whopping 7608 individual components, 1,511,727 polygons, 19,722 rig nodes, and 8094 texture maps.
The end result: robot warriors that looked undeniably more realistic than their cartoon counterparts – but that quickly became visually overwhelming when sharing the same scene. That’s why it's good that Bumblebee eturned to more Generation 1-inspired designs for Bumblebee and the other Transformers. It's exciting to watch action scenes where we can actually process what’s happening!
He Can Blow Himself Up At Will
In Transformers: The Last Knight, Bumblebee is inexplicably able to explosively self-destruct and then magnetically re-assemble himself at will. This ability comes out of nowhere – it’s not something we’ve seen him do in other media, and it’s never explained how it works at any point during the movie.
The best theory we’ve seen comes courtesy of the Transformers Wiki, which suggests that Bumblebee is somehow copying a capability demonstrated by the KSI drones in Age of Extinction. In that film, the drones were able disintegrate and then reintegrate as a means of facilitating repairs and transformation, and Bumblebee could be utilizing this in an offensive context, instead. Honestly, this self-destruct “magic trick” doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
He Is A Different Model Camaro In Every Movie
Michael Bay caused quite a stir when he swapped Bumblebee’s classic Volkswagen Beetle form for a Chevrolet Camaro in Transformers. What most viewers probably didn’t notice was that Bay didn’t merely revise Bumblebee’s alternate form once – he actually tweaked it in every sequel that followed.
Bumblebee upgrades from a ‘76 Camaro to a 2008 Concept in Transformers, then disguises himself as Z/28 in Revenge of the Fallen and an SS in Dark of the Moon. Next, Bumblebee rolls around as a 1967 Camaro and a more recent SS model in Age of Extinction, while he’s a custom-built 2016 Camaro in Last Knight. Director Travis Knight continues the tradition introduced by his predecessor in the Bumblebee spin-off, switching up Bumblebee’s alternate form by finally bringing the Autobot full circle back to his Volkswagen Beetle roots.
