Editing Bumper (character)

{{character infobox
|image=[[File:BumperDKRDSArtwork.png|200px]]<br>Bumper, as he appears in ''Diddy Kong Racing DS''
|full_name=Bumper the Badger
|species=Badger
|first_appearance=''[[Diddy Kong Racing]]'' ([[List of games by date#1997|1997]])
|latest_appearance= ''[[Diddy Kong Racing DS]]'' ([[List of games by date#2007|2007]])
|portrayed_by= Lee Schuneman<ref>{{cite|title=''GamesTM'' Issue 134 ("The 25 Greatest Nintendo Games")|date=April 2013|page=58}}</ref>
}}
{{quote|Badgers don't stink, no matter what anyone else says.|Bumper|[[Nintendo Power]]}}<ref>{{cite|title=''[[Nintendo Power]]'' Volume 102|page=29|publisher=Nintendo of America|language=American English|date=November 1997}}</ref>
'''Bumper''' is a badger and one of the playable characters in ''[[Diddy Kong Racing]]'' and [[Diddy Kong Racing DS|its Nintendo DS remake]]. He also appeared in various ''[[Super Mario (franchise)|Super Mario]]'' media released only in Japan, but this stopped in 2002, when the rights of Bumper were transferred to {{wp|Microsoft}}, following their acquisition of [[Rare Ltd.]]

He is described across multiple supplemental material to ''Diddy Kong Racing'' as a lover of speed, thrills and races. A promotional e-mail by [[Rare Ltd.]] in 2004 to promote the release of ''{{wp|Conker: Live & Reloaded}}'' implied that one of the racers from ''Diddy Kong Racing'' had been jailed.<ref>{{cite|archive=web.archive.org/web/20080804094926/http://www.the-nextlevel.com/feature/conkers-public-address|title=Conker's Public Address|publisher=The Next Level|accessdate=December 3, 2017}}</ref> An instance on the Rare Ltd. website in 2012 further confirmed that the imprisoned individual in question had been "Bumper the badger".<ref>{{cite|archive=web.archive.org/web/20140210121309/http://rare.co.uk/blog/2012/05/18/mini-scribes-may-18-2012|title=Rare Mini-Scribes: May 18, 2012|accessdate=December 3, 2017}}</ref> A tweet made by Rare Ltd. in 2021 in response to a joke made by the Super Mario Wiki account on X added that Bumper at some point in time was put on parole, and that he was superficially apologetic for his actions.<ref>{{cite|quote=Oh, Bumper's been a free badger (well, on parole) for a while now and he's superficially sorry for all those bad things he did.|archive=web.archive.org/web/20211006193931/https://twitter.com/RareLtd/status/1445797744640208896|author=RareLtd|publisher=X|date=October 6, 2021|accessdate=October 6, 2021}}</ref>

==History==
===Concept and creation===
[[File:BumperOG.png|thumb|left|Early model for a blue Bumper]]
An early design of Bumper was shared online by [[Kevin Bayliss]], former [[Rare Ltd.|Rare]] graphic and character designer that worked on ''Diddy Kong Racing''.<ref>{{cite|author=TCRF|url=tcrf.net/Development:Diddy_Kong_Racing|title=Development:Diddy Kong Racing|publisher=The Cutting Room Floor}}</ref><ref>{{cite|url=x.com/render_archive/status/1445174824553394182|title=Some diddy kong racing test renders shared by kev bayliss on tik tok|author=@render_archive|publisher=X|accessdate=April 4, 2024}}</ref>{{better source}} This early incarnation of Bumper was seemingly colored blue.
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===''Diddy Kong Racing'' / ''Diddy Kong Racing DS''===
Bumper was one of many characters whom [[Timber]] contacted for help to stop [[Wizpig]] from taking over [[Timber's Island]]. Bumper's theme instrument on the character selection menu is a {{wp|steel guitar}}. Bumper has average speed, acceleration, and turning abilities. His top speed without bananas is 56.5 mph, like with [[Conker]] and Timber. His vehicle color is yellow. Bumper had very few changes in the Nintendo DS remake, such as a more matured voice.

===''Mario no Bōken Land''===
Bumper makes a small non-speaking cameo in the ''Diddy Kong Racing'' segment of ''[[Mario no Bōken Land]]'', titled "Go Go Diddy!". He is shown competing in a race, in his car, in second place.

===''4-koma Gag Battle''===
Bumper appears throughout the ''[[4-koma Gag Battle]]'' manga adaptation of ''Diddy Kong Racing''.

===''Mario Artist: Paint Studio''===
His ''Diddy Kong Racing'' artwork appears as a stamp in ''[[Mario Artist: Paint Studio]]''.
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===Unused appearances===
A "Dark" version of Bumper would have appeared in the ''[[Diddy Kong Racing Adventure]]'', which was a rejected pitch for a ''Diddy Kong Racing'' sequel. He would have used mud tornadoes as his special move.

==Profile and statistics==
===''Diddy Kong Racing''===
*'''Character stats'''
**'''Weight:''' Middle
**'''Acceleration:''' 2.5/5
**'''Handling:''' 2.5/5
**'''Top Speed:''' 3/5
**'''Vehicle Color:''' Yellow
*'''Instruction booklet bio''': "''(Medium acceleration, medium weight, good handling, medium top speed) Unlike most of his kind, Bumper the badger prefers speed and thrills to a quiet nocturnal lifestyle. He gets even more worked up than his friends when he realizes how much racing and excitement will be involved in the crusade to get rid of Wizpig...''"<ref>{{cite|title=''Diddy Kong Racing'' instruction booklet|page=24|publisher=Nintendo of America|author=Nintendo|date=1997}}</ref>
*'''[[Nintendo Power#Player's Guides|Player's Guide]]''': "''Recruited by Timber to join the resistance against Wizpig, this burly badger is ready to take on all comers. It’s not just his sense of justice that’s spurring him on, though. He’s in it as much for the sheer thrill of racing as anything else.''"<ref>{{cite|title=''Diddy Kong Racing'' Nintendo Player's Guide|author=Swan, Leslie|language=American English|publisher=Nintendo of America|date=1997|page=6}}</ref>
*'''''[[Nintendo Power]]'' Volume 103''': "''Bumper the badger breaks from the time-honored badger traditions of burrowing and sleeping twenty hours a day. This fellow lives for speed. Although all his starts put him in the middle range, he has good handling in every vehicle. With Bumper, you may never need to choose another driver.''"<ref>{{cite|title=''Nintendo Power'' Volume 103|page=15|date=December 1997|language=American English|publisher=Nintendo of America}}</ref>
*'''Diddy's Drivers Ed''': "''Bumper's a light-heavyweight who does well on courses where there isn't a lot of turning required. His handling is slightly better than Conker's, but his acceleration is not as good.''"<ref>{{cite|archive=web.archive.org/web/19981206065714/http://www.dkr.com/driversed.html|title=Diddy's Drivers Ed|publisher=dkr.com|accessdate=March 28, 2023}}</ref>
*'''''Nintendo 64 Game Secrets, 1999 Edition:''''' "''Trending toward the heavy end of the weight spectrum, Bumper suffers from slightly sluggish handling and lower-than-average acceleration (but not by much). On the plus side, he’s got a higher top speed than any animal but Banjo or Krunch. His added weight and relatively midground attributes make him a good candidate for any Hover race, especially as long as there are no extremely tight corners.''"<ref>{{cite|date=April 7, 1999|title=''Nintendo 64 Game Secrets, 1999 Edition Prima's Official Strategy Guide''|publisher=[[Prima Games]]|isbn=978-0761521037|page=36}}</ref>
*'''Rarewhere''': "''Unlike most of his kind, Bumper the badger prefers speed and thrills to a quiet nocturnal lifestyle, and he gets even more worked up than his friends when he realises how much racing and excitement will be involved in the crusade to get rid of old snout-face Wizpig!''"<ref>{{cite|archive=web.archive.org/web/19980705005250/http://www.rare.co.uk/recent/games/racing/castlist/cast_bumper.html|title=Rarewhere: DKR Cast List|publisher=Rarewhere|accessdate=March 28, 2023}}</ref>

===''Diddy Kong Racing DS''===
*'''Character stats'''
**'''Speed:''' 3/5
**'''Acceleration:''' 2/5
**'''Handling:''' 3/5

==Gallery==
{{main-gallery}}
<gallery>
Bumper.jpg|''[[Diddy Kong Racing]]''
DKRJPNC.png|''Diddy Kong Racing'' (Japanese commercial)
BumperBoken.jpg|''[[Mario no Bōken Land]]''
Bumper4k.png|''[[4-koma Gag Battle]]''
Bumper DKRDS art.jpg|''[[Diddy Kong Racing DS]]''
</gallery>

==Names in other languages==
{{foreign names
|Jap=バンパー
|JapR=Banpā
|JapM=Bumper
|Fre=Bumper<ref>{{cite|url=www.nintendo64ever.com/Scans-Magazine,52,Le-Magazine-Officiel-Nintendo-03.html|title=Official Nintendo french magazine N3|page=25}}</ref>
}}

==References==
<references/>

{{DKR}}
[[Category:Carnivorans]]
[[Category:Playable characters]]
[[Category:Third-party characters]]
[[Category:Donkey Kong allies]]
[[Category:Diddy Kong Racing characters]]
[[de:Bumper (Charakter)]]