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The Puff

Phrase used in 2008 and 2014.

Origin on the channel: John introduces 'the puff' he does when stressed and says his puff level tracks his stress level. — Brotherhood 2.0: May 8th: House Hunters 00:02:10

in-group term (bit) · in 43 videos, 2007–2025 · peak 2009 (13 videos) · last heard 2025

Videos per year: 2007: 8 · 2008: 9 · 2009: 13 · 2010: 1 · 2011: 3 · 2014: 1 · 2015: 3 · 2017: 1 · 2021: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2025: 1

Forms heard

How the speakers say this one item, as transcribed from the videos, in order of first appearance.

form videos first heard last heard
“the puff” 13 2007-05-08 · Brotherhood 2.0: May 8th: House Hunters 00:02:10 2025-06-10 · 90,000,000 Lives for $20 00:05:21
“puff” 26 2007-05-25 · May 25th: FreeMonkey's Tour 00:01:57 2023-12-24 · John and Hank Hanging Out but they Keep Getting Younger and More Pixelated 02:18:41
“puffy” 1 2009-11-03 · This Machine Pwns n00bs! 00:03:19

Every video

2007

date video use what is said
2007-05-08 Brotherhood 2.0: May 8th: House Hunters 00:02:10 origin John introduces 'the puff' he does when stressed and says his puff level tracks his stress level.
2007-05-16 Brotherhood 2.0: May 16: Beating the EBO into the ground 00:00:10 callback John notes his puff level is high, with lots of puff on the sides.
2007-05-25 May 25th: FreeMonkey's Tour 00:01:57 callback Showing his new haircut, Hank reports that puff levels are lower.
2007-06-20 Brotherhood 2.0: June 20: Moving 00:00:03 callback John says his puff levels are high after the move.
2007-07-11 Brotherhood 2.0: Harry and the Potters are Nerdfighters! 00:00:11 callback John measures his 'puff levels', high in one spot.
2007-09-28 September 28th: Nerdfighting!!! 00:00:41 callback In the fans' puppet show, a line reports that 'Puff levels are extremely high' during the car-key confession.
2007-10-08 October 8th: Zombies v. Unicorns 00:00:00 callback John says his puff levels are high, this time because he needs a haircut rather than from stress.
2007-11-26 Nov. 26th: Writing Advice (And Notes on Surnameless Tiffany) 00:00:00 callback John says his puff levels are a little high today, while he is stressed about the Paper Towns revision.

2008

date video use what is said
2008-02-14 The Puff Pwns Gravity 00:00:00 variant John refuses a haircut in order to beat his all-time personal best puff level, set when he was two.
2008-02-21 People Who Love Giraffes Who Love Giraffes 00:00:13 callback John says the puff continues to grow but he is losing the will and expects it to be gone soon.
2008-02-26 Best Wishes! 00:00:37 callback Puff levels have gone down considerably after a barber leaves John nearly bald.
2008-04-08 Nerdfighting in Bangladesh 00:00:00 callback John greets the Puff after not seeing it in a while.
2008-05-18 A CUTETACULAR INTRODUCTION! 00:00:02 callback John's barber agrees to cut his hair but refuses to cut his puff.
2008-05-30 The Dread Pirate Fireball Roberts! (And Housekeeping) 00:00:00 callback John says he has a lot of puff for someone with a haircut ten days ago, but the puff alone isn't funny enough any more.
2008-08-06 Question Tuesday Returns (on a Wednesday) 00:01:40 callback John offers "As the Puff Riseth: The John Green Story" as an autobiography title.
2008-09-21 The Pwning of Oprah 00:02:45 callback John says his puff levels are, for once, caused by joy.
2008-09-23 Paper Towns and Touring Question Tuesday 00:00:00 callback Stressed about the release, John says he needed a haircut to get the puff under control.

2009

date video use what is said
2009-03-08 PEEPS for Bangladesh 00:00:00 callback John mentions the unexpected reappearance of his puff.
2009-04-21 Question Tuesday 00:01:40 callback John denies his puff is an homage to Edward Cullen: the puff chooses you.
2009-05-03 Important (Temporary) Video 00:00:00 callback John imagines viewers asking why his puff levels are so high.
2009-05-10 What Could You Do with a Poe Bust?! 00:00:38 callback Holding the Poe bust in front of his face, John compliments 'Edgar' on his lovely puff (John's hair showing above the bust).
2009-07-26 Volunteering (In Your Pants) 00:00:00 callback John declines to discuss 'the damage recently inflicted upon the puff'.
2009-08-06 Robert Pattinson and DJ Railstone 00:00:00 callback John praises Robert Pattinson's 'majestic puff' and says he made puff cool again, so he is kind of John's hero.
2009-08-30 100 QUESTIONS ANSWERED!!!!!!! 00:00:03 callback Viewers ask how many puffs a puff would puff and how long John has had the puff.
2009-09-25 Fake John Green : New Album : Shirts 00:00:29 callback Among the Fake John Green photoshops Hank lists one of John 'finally admitting that the puff is a wig'.
2009-11-01 NaNoWriMo!!! 00:00:00 callback John says his puff has grown so big it is three puffs, and apologizes if it distracts.
2009-11-03 This Machine Pwns n00bs! 00:03:19 callback John calls himself 'the puffy brother' against Hank the pinup brother. · “puffy”
2009-11-08 H1N1 Vaccine Fears 00:00:00 callback John announces 'no more puff'.
2009-12-23 Amazing Christmas Facts With John and Hank 00:03:53 callback The brothers end with a 'puff fight', comparing puffs.
2009-12-27 How To Be a Nerdfighter: A Vlogbrothers FAQ 00:02:10 callback John explains his puff level: the puff in his hair rises as he gets more stressed.

2010

date video use what is said
2010-07-05 With Esther 00:01:10 callback John and Esther's friends try a 'puff fight' that turns into a head-butting contest; the outtake ends on John's 'fair bit of puff'.

2011

date video use what is said
2011-02-04 QUESTION FRIDAY: Spelling is Hard Edition 00:01:46 callback Asked if he uses hair product, John says no: the puff needs hair product like Hank needs caffeine.
2011-05-23 Eating the Unicorn 00:00:09 callback John says he had to put the puff on vacation because he is getting ready for the very fancy Venice Biennale.
2011-10-05 SIGNING MADNESS 00:00:00 callback John opens with 'Puff levels are high' and later warns puff levels may stay high for a month.

2014

date video use what is said
2014-05-12 Perfect Puff and Endless Interviews: Touring and Hollywood Press Junkets 00:00:48 mention After early hair and makeup ('a lot of work to wrangle the puff'), John found hours of press-junket interviews weird: a new TV interviewer every five minutes, for hours.

2015

date video use what is said
2015-02-17 Places I've Never Been 00:00:09 callback John reads a comment saying 'the puff' seems to have migrated south for the winter, i.e. to his beard.
2015-08-18 The Cold War of Nerdfighteria 00:01:26 origin John objects to Census question 25, 'Who has better hair, Hank or John?', and launches a mock campaign for his hair against Hank's.
2015-08-21 Book Towers for Miles 00:00:07 callback Hank says his hair was winning the Census hair question every day until John's unnecessarily negative campaign, and is now losing; if it loses, democracy itself stands indicted.

2017

date video use what is said
2017-06-06 My Favorite Subreddits: Joy, Wonder, Knowledge, and Birds with Arms 00:00:04 callback John says he hasn't been getting much sleep lately and, as Hank can probably tell, his puff levels are a little high.

2021

date video use what is said
2021-03-09 Hank Rebranded Without Any of Us Noticing 00:00:00 callback John notes that his puff levels remain near record levels.
2021-03-16 How a Book Cover Gets Designed 00:00:00 callback After teasing a second major development at the end of the video, John says in the description he got a haircut, ending the 'puff nightmare' of 2021.

2023

date video use what is said
2023-12-24 John and Hank Hanging Out but they Keep Getting Younger and More Pixelated 02:18:41 mention A Nerdfighter dictionary lightning round defines puppy-sized elephants, stuff on heads, French the llama, puff levels, Decepticons, the Giant Squid of Anger, tiny chicken disease, secret siblings, in your pants and the gang sign.

2025

date video use what is said
2025-06-10 90,000,000 Lives for $20 00:05:21 callback John says the puff is out of control, but so are his stress levels.