Origin of the word "Fwoomp"

I've been using it since aroundabout '99 actually. While not the originator m'self, I'm fairly certain it can be traced back to a furry inflation fan when he and I were discussing silly things like helium grenades. Well, it just seemed like too much fun not to slip into casual conversation for everything else.

Are we sure it wasn't around before then, it seems pretty likely back in the halcyon days of Marvel comics. I think a bean bag (or other soft object) fight would involve a fair bit of fwoomping.

Seems too ubiquitous to be traced back to someone from our community in the time since the internet began.

I want to run with that helium grenade idea btw? :)

http://us-p.vclart.net/vcl/Artists/Doug-Winger/fwoomp.JPG

I'm pretty sure the word has been around for ages and ages, before the internet most likely. Like the Batman words that were mentioned, it's an example of a literary term called "onomatopeia" which is defined as the formation of words by imitating sounds. An early English example of this is the word "meow" for the sound a cat makes. There aren't any Latin or Greek root words or anything involved in the origin of the word, that's just what it sounds like when you try to imitate a cat using English phonetics.

I would bet that there are other versions of "fwoomp" for other languages, like maybe the French say "fouffe" instead or something like that, or maybe the Germans say "luftwaffe." Because their languages use different sounds, they would imitate the sound using a word that better fits their way of speaking.

- "Gosh, Mr. Peabody. Inflation fetishists sure get onto some strange topics!"
- "Indubitably, Sherman. Indubitably."

Wren :)

I heard it from Big Horse's drawing, which may or may not have been informed by Sievert, but I'm glad to see him chiming in, because I was going to blame him. :)

I might well do Siev

Also, interesting 'meow' fact. The French say 'Maom!'

Also just laughed at the idea of German people saying 'air force' for fwoomp :) Maybe Miss Barcode has some interesting german fwoomp-esque words?

More French ones could be "Ba-Da-Bleu!" or "Ba-Da-Bloompe" (thinks of "Autowash" among other things from 'The Fifth Element').

As I suggested at the other discussion, cartoonist Don Martin of Mad Comic fame is a likely suspect, if not for "Fwoomp" itself then at least the style or some quite similar comic sound effect (for which he was renowned).

In fact after Re-Googling with a different phrase I found this listing of his sounds - http://www.collectmad.com/madcoversite/index-dmd.html .

Assuming the list is complete it turns out that "Fwoof" and "Foomp" were two of his, so these may have been the inspiration for whoever first used "Fwoomp".

Going through some of the long list there are some other inflation-friendly sounding ones too.

"Bloit", "Floon" and "Foom" for a start, and there are probably more further down either as is or with a little Scrabble work to fit the particular context.

I think the sound of Fwoomp is similar to having something large inflate with air at a certain rate sort of like a billowing out sail. It aslo is sort of the sound something that is inflated makes when it is hit lightly.

It could also be the sound certain materials make when inflated (like the skin of a baloon).