Meaning
What does Glomping mean?
Glomping is a way of hugging someone by running up to them and jumping on them, almost like a tackle.
It is an over-the-top and very enthusiastic way of greeting someone. The term is mostly used in animes and mangas, because people usually do not violently jump and pounce unexpectedly on random people.
Also, there are terms for the person “glomping” and for the other individual that gets “glomped”, which are “glomper” and “glompee”.
Origin
What's the origin of Glomping?
“Glomping” was already a thing in comics and in different kinds of animations, before it was even called “glomping”.
For instance, in the famous comic strip, Calvin and Hobbes, Hobbes loves to “glomp” Calvin every time he returns home from school.
However, the first time “glomping” was recorded was in 1993 by Viz Media, the company who helped popularize manga in the USA.
Spread & Usage
How did Glomping spread?
Even though “Glomping” is most common among anime and manga fans, it has spread to other fandoms, including furries and bronies.
Thanks to manga fans and fandoms, the term started to spread and receive more recognition online around the 1990s-2000s on internet forums and social media platforms.
Also, there are multiple videos on the topic on Youtube, such as “The art of glomping” which now has over 11,000 views since 2009.