A bombel shape

Bombel ([bom-bel]) is a shape that has no intrinsic meaning and which became a sensation as it began to appear for no reason on flags, posters, T-shirts and in other everyday contexts.

Bombel on a computer terminal

The shape appeared on the Internet somewhere in the 1970s and was the first defined digital shape after the basic pixel.

The inventor of the shape is unknown, although it is possible that it came into existence as either a mistake, a random drawing by a kid or a deeply conceptual work by a genius artist.

It became prevalent in the 90s and has been popular ever since. A number of bombel-themed clubs have appeared throughout the world. A famous Hollywood actor had opened a restaurant which had bombel featured in the logo. The restaurant eventually went out of business due to poor management. Economists speculate that any business eventually foils.

The whole point of a bombel shape is that it looks like nothing in particular and, thus, has no obvious meaning.

It can be argued that using a shape with no meaning may actually signal certain things, such as wanting to unite without bringing in any ideology or disagreements or just wanting smalltalk. A person carrying a bombel flag may wish to demonstrate that he bears no message at this time.

A bombel T-shirt

Bombel can frequently be seen in graffiti. However, there is a tradition to obfuscate the shape, so that complete strangers will not be exposed to it. Sometimes, significant effort is required to deduce the shape from subtle hints.

Bombel in graffiti

Although the correct pronunciation is [bom-bel], with an emphasis on the first syllable, veterans of the scene will tend to emphasize the second syllable instead, to stress their experience and stature.