Booker, Catch! — Three-panel comic of Elizabeth tossing a car to Booker

Booker, Catch!

2013catchphraseclassic

Published October 23, 2026

"Booker, Catch!" is Elizabeth's trademark line from BioShock Infinite, spoken by the AI companion whenever she tosses her partner ammo, salt or coins during fights across Columbia. Within three weeks of the March 2013 release, Tumblr artists were drawing webcomics about her nonstop item-tossing, and by October a Nerdist live-action sketch had widened the joke beyond the Bioshock fandom.

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Overview

Most posts play on Elizabeth's uncanny timing and bottomless pockets, with the AI companion lobbing a med kit or a fistful of silver eagles at Booker mid-firefight, often seconds after he actually needed it1. Fan artists drew her hurling increasingly ridiculous objects at the player, while animators looped her voice line into Source Filmmaker shorts and Grand Theft Auto IV machinima2.

The gag works because the game interrupts combat with the toss animation and the shouted line, which fans found both endearing and gameplay-breaking3. Jokes focus on the physical comedy of a tween girl casually chucking a loaded pistol across a rooftop battle, or on how Elizabeth never seems to run out of ammo despite having no visible inventory4.

Origin & Background

Platform
BioShock Infinite / Tumblr (viral spread)
Date
2013

Elizabeth voices "Booker, Catch!" throughout BioShock Infinite, released by Irrational Games on March 26, 2013. Her role as a passive companion means she supplies Booker DeWitt with med kits, ammo, salt and currency whenever his resources run low, usually shouting the line as she throws the item at him3.

The earliest known fan post came on April 4, 2013, when Tumblr user wip (doubleleaf) uploaded a webcomic that teased Elizabeth's role as a bottomless supply closet for the player4. Eight days later, on April 12, Tumblr user katiicombs posted an animated GIF of the toss animation, which gathered over 4,500 notes over the following two years2.

How It Spread

On April 21, 2013, redditor jaycrew reposted the katiicombs GIF to r/gaming, where it earned 1,736 points at 90% upvoted and 460 comments before being archived1. FunnyJunk user danjazown reposted the wip webcomic on June 14, 2013, picking up over 33,800 views and 806 upvotes5.

The line moved into video content on May 31, 2013, when the Inside Gaming channel uploaded a Let's Play of Grand Theft Auto IV modded with BioShock Infinite skins. Guest Oliver Vaquer, who voiced Robert Lutece in the original game, impersonated Elizabeth and repeated "Booker, Catch!" throughout the clip, which gathered over 1.6 million views within two years3. On October 8, 2013, Nerdist uploaded a live-action parody titled "BOOKER, CATCH!" that reached roughly 305,000 views by September 20153.

Source Filmmaker artists kept the joke going into 2014. YouTuber FoxTail8000 uploaded a tribute on February 12, 2014, that reused audio from the Inside Gaming clip and gathered over 80,500 views in its first year6. Across these reposts, the catchphrase settled in as an in-joke among BioShock fans whenever a tossed item appeared in any other game or film3.

Timeline

2013-03-26

BioShock Infinite launches, with Elizabeth voicing "Booker, Catch!" during item hand-offs.

2013-04-04

Tumblr user wip (doubleleaf) posts a webcomic poking at Elizabeth's role as a supply companion.

2013-04-12

Tumblr user katiicombs posts an animated GIF of the toss animation that later gathers 4,500+ notes.

2013-04-21

Redditor jaycrew shares the GIF to r/gaming, where it earns 1,736 points and 460 comments.

2013-05-31

Inside Gaming uploads a GTA IV mod video with Oliver Vaquer repeatedly shouting the line, reaching 1.6 million views.

2013-06-14

FunnyJunk user danjazown reposts the wip webcomic, which gathers 33,800+ views and 806 upvotes.

2013-10-08

Nerdist uploads a live-action parody titled "BOOKER, CATCH!" that reaches around 305,000 views.

2014-02-12

YouTuber FoxTail8000 uploads a Source Filmmaker short reusing the Inside Gaming audio.

How to Use This Meme

In practice, fans typically caption Elizabeth art or in-game screenshots with the line, or splice her "Booker, Catch!" audio over footage from unrelated games and films where a character hands something off. A common convention is to show the tossed item arriving late, missing entirely, or being something absurd like a sandwich instead of ammo1.

Frequently Asked Questions