Nerf
Encyclopedia
Nerf is a toy brand created by Parker Brothers
and currently owned by Hasbro
. The acronym NERF stands for "Non-Expanding Recreational Foam". Most of the toys are a variety of foam-based weaponry, but there are also several different types of Nerf toys, such as balls for sports like football
, basketball
, and others. The most notable of the toys are the dart guns (referred to by Hasbro as "blasters") that shoot ammunition made from Nerf foam. Since many such items were released throughout the 1970s, Nerf products often feature bright neon colors and soft textures similar to the flagship Nerf ball. The slogan frequently used from the 1990s advertising
until now is "It's Nerf or nothin'!".
Outside the United States
, only the blasters (and subsidiary brands such as Super Soaker
and Lazer Tag
) are currently marketed as Nerf products. In Japan, Nerf blasters are imported and distributed by Takara Tomy
.
reacts with a compound while CO2 is simultaneously released by another reaction. It is this gas that creates open pockets within the polyurethane
that, in turn, makes the material soft and light.
originally developed Nerf, beginning with a four-inch (102 mm) polyurethane
foam ball. In 1969, Reyn Guyer, a games inventor, came to the company with a volleyball game that was safe for indoor play. After studying the game carefully, Parker Brothers decided to eliminate everything but the foam ball. In 1970, the Nerf ball was introduced as the "world's first official indoor ball". Marketed that one can "Throw it indoors; you can't damage lamps or break windows. You can't hurt babies or old people." The ball filled a strong consumer need and by the year's end, more than four million Nerf balls had been sold. The four-inch (102 mm) ball was followed closely by a large version called "Super Nerf Ball". Shortly after, in 1972, a basketball game called "Nerfhoop" and the Nerf football joined the family. The football quickly became the most popular Nerf ball.
The company continued to add to the Nerf line until they handed control to Kenner
Products, a sister company, in 1991, when Hasbro
acquired the Nerf line through the acquisition of the Tonka
Corporation. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, the Nerf brand served under the subsidiaries OddzOn and Larami
before Hasbro took full control of the brand.
Over the years, Nerf has continued to expand the line, adding new looks to existing products. The current line of Nerf products range from various sport balls, foam blasters, and now onto video games and accessories.
. A sub-line known as Vortex (not to be confused with the blaster sub-line of the same name) consists of footballs with tail fins attached on one end, resembling torpedoes
and designed to fly at longer distances.
that can stick to Nerf vests, another tipped with suction cups designed to stick to smooth surfaces, a streamline dart designed to fit in magazines, a sonic dart that emits a whistling sound when shot and color variations of the darts including camouflage and glow in the dark. The Nerf blaster line consists of two main sub-lines: N-Strike and Dart Tag.
On September 2011, Hasbro introduced a third sub-line of Nerf blasters called Vortex. These blasters fire small green discs made of soft plastic covered in foam with a range of up to 70 feet.
/Paramount
film Thor
.
, Super Soaker is a popular line of water gun
s. Recently, Hasbro has released a line of Nerf-branded Super Soaker blasters.
toy line from the mid-1980s, is also currently part of the Nerf banner.
, Nintendo DSi
, Nintendo DS Lite
and the Nintendo Wii
. Visionary Media, Inc. released the first-person shooter Nerf Arena Blast
(or NAB, sometimes Arena Blast) in 1999. EA Games
, in association with Hasbro, released the 2008 video game Nerf N-Strike
and its 2009 sequel Nerf N-Strike Elite
. Both games feature the Switch Shot EX-3, which doubles as a functional dart gun and a Wii Remote
accessory.
in New York City
.
Parker Brothers
Parker Brothers is a toy and game manufacturer and brand. Since 1883, the company has published more than 1,800 games; among their best known products are Monopoly, Cluedo , Sorry, Risk, Trivial Pursuit, Ouija, Aggravation, and Probe...
and currently owned by Hasbro
Hasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
. The acronym NERF stands for "Non-Expanding Recreational Foam". Most of the toys are a variety of foam-based weaponry, but there are also several different types of Nerf toys, such as balls for sports like football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, and others. The most notable of the toys are the dart guns (referred to by Hasbro as "blasters") that shoot ammunition made from Nerf foam. Since many such items were released throughout the 1970s, Nerf products often feature bright neon colors and soft textures similar to the flagship Nerf ball. The slogan frequently used from the 1990s advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
until now is "It's Nerf or nothin'!".
Outside the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, only the blasters (and subsidiary brands such as Super Soaker
Super Soaker
Super Soaker is a brand of recreational water gun, first sold in 1990 by Larami and now produced by Hasbro under the Nerf brand. Invented by Lonnie Johnson on November 13, 1989, the first Super Soaker, the Super Soaker 50, was originally called the Power Drencher...
and Lazer Tag
Lazer Tag
Lazer Tag is a brand name for the infrared pursuit game generically known as "laser tag," "lasertag," or "lazertag."The brand name was created by the toy company Worlds Of Wonder in 1986, appearing at approximately the same time as the home version of the Photon brand.The Lazer Tag brand name was...
) are currently marketed as Nerf products. In Japan, Nerf blasters are imported and distributed by Takara Tomy
Takara Tomy
is a Japanese toy, children's merchandise and entertainment company created from the March 2006 merger of two companies: Tomy and long-time rival, Takara...
.
Nerf material
Nerf foam is made from a solid, spongy cellular material. Polyester resinPolyester resin
Polyester resins are unsaturated resins formed by the reaction of dibasic organic acids and polyhydric alcohols. Polyester resins are used in sheet moulding compound, bulk moulding compound and the toner of laser printers...
reacts with a compound while CO2 is simultaneously released by another reaction. It is this gas that creates open pockets within the polyurethane
Polyurethane
A polyurethane is any polymer composed of a chain of organic units joined by carbamate links. Polyurethane polymers are formed through step-growth polymerization, by reacting a monomer with another monomer in the presence of a catalyst.Polyurethanes are...
that, in turn, makes the material soft and light.
History
Parker BrothersParker Brothers
Parker Brothers is a toy and game manufacturer and brand. Since 1883, the company has published more than 1,800 games; among their best known products are Monopoly, Cluedo , Sorry, Risk, Trivial Pursuit, Ouija, Aggravation, and Probe...
originally developed Nerf, beginning with a four-inch (102 mm) polyurethane
Polyurethane
A polyurethane is any polymer composed of a chain of organic units joined by carbamate links. Polyurethane polymers are formed through step-growth polymerization, by reacting a monomer with another monomer in the presence of a catalyst.Polyurethanes are...
foam ball. In 1969, Reyn Guyer, a games inventor, came to the company with a volleyball game that was safe for indoor play. After studying the game carefully, Parker Brothers decided to eliminate everything but the foam ball. In 1970, the Nerf ball was introduced as the "world's first official indoor ball". Marketed that one can "Throw it indoors; you can't damage lamps or break windows. You can't hurt babies or old people." The ball filled a strong consumer need and by the year's end, more than four million Nerf balls had been sold. The four-inch (102 mm) ball was followed closely by a large version called "Super Nerf Ball". Shortly after, in 1972, a basketball game called "Nerfhoop" and the Nerf football joined the family. The football quickly became the most popular Nerf ball.
The company continued to add to the Nerf line until they handed control to Kenner
Kenner
Kenner Products was a toy company founded in 1947 by three brothers, Albert, Phillip, and Joseph L. Steiner, in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, and was named after the street where the original corporate offices were located, which is just north of Cincinnati's Union Terminal.Kenner introduced its...
Products, a sister company, in 1991, when Hasbro
Hasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
acquired the Nerf line through the acquisition of the Tonka
Tonka
Tonka is an American toy company most known for its signature toy trucks and construction equipment.-History:On September 18, 1946 Mound Metalcraft was created in Mound, Minnesota with three men as partners, Lynn Everett Baker , Avery F. Crounse, and Alvin F. Tesch. The first products produced by...
Corporation. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, the Nerf brand served under the subsidiaries OddzOn and Larami
Larami
Larami Corp. was founded in 1947 and was a toy company whose products usually ranged from the cost of .39 to .99. Larami Corp. was eventually acquired by Hasbro Inc., becoming Larami Inc. in 1995. The Larami company name was finally retired in 2002....
before Hasbro took full control of the brand.
Over the years, Nerf has continued to expand the line, adding new looks to existing products. The current line of Nerf products range from various sport balls, foam blasters, and now onto video games and accessories.
Products
Nerf Sports
Nerf has a wide range of foam balls that are molded to look like various sports balls. This line is currently marketed as Nerf Sports or N-Sports. They are designed with different color schemes and features; some of their footballs feature color schemes and logos licensed by the NFLNational Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. A sub-line known as Vortex (not to be confused with the blaster sub-line of the same name) consists of footballs with tail fins attached on one end, resembling torpedoes
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
and designed to fly at longer distances.
Nerf Blasters
Currently, the company's most popular products are Nerf Blasters, which are toy guns used to shoot foam darts, (consisting of streamline, dart tag, whistler, and suction) balls, or arrows. Various forms of dart ammunition are available, including a variety tipped with VelcroVelcro
Velcro is the brand name of the first commercially marketed fabric hook-and-loop fastener, invented in 1948 by the Swiss electrical engineer George de Mestral...
that can stick to Nerf vests, another tipped with suction cups designed to stick to smooth surfaces, a streamline dart designed to fit in magazines, a sonic dart that emits a whistling sound when shot and color variations of the darts including camouflage and glow in the dark. The Nerf blaster line consists of two main sub-lines: N-Strike and Dart Tag.
On September 2011, Hasbro introduced a third sub-line of Nerf blasters called Vortex. These blasters fire small green discs made of soft plastic covered in foam with a range of up to 70 feet.
Nerf N-Force
The N-Force line consists of swords and melee weapons made of the same Nerf material. These include: Vendetta Double Sword, Thunder Fury broadsword, Shadow Fury basic sword, Marauder broad longsword, Warlock battleaxe, Battlemaster three-flanged mace, Klaw hatchet and the StoneWall Shield plus short sword. The swords can fit into the back sheath of the Nerf N-Strike tactical vest and the Nerf N-Strike bandolier kit. Hasbro also released N-Force-style toy weapons for the 2011 MarvelMarvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
/Paramount
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
film Thor
Thor (film)
Thor is a 2011 American superhero film based on the comic book character of the same name published by Marvel Comics. It is the fourth film released as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe...
.
Super Soaker
Originally owned and marketed by LaramiLarami
Larami Corp. was founded in 1947 and was a toy company whose products usually ranged from the cost of .39 to .99. Larami Corp. was eventually acquired by Hasbro Inc., becoming Larami Inc. in 1995. The Larami company name was finally retired in 2002....
, Super Soaker is a popular line of water gun
Water gun
A water gun is a type of toy designed to shoot water. Similar to water balloons, the primary purpose of the toy is to soak another person in a game such as water warfare....
s. Recently, Hasbro has released a line of Nerf-branded Super Soaker blasters.
Lazer Tag
Lazer Tag, a popular laser tagLaser tag
Laser tag is a team or individual sport or recreational activity where players attempt to score points by tagging targets, typically with a hand-held infrared-emitting targeting device. Infrared-sensitive targets are commonly worn by each player and are sometimes integrated within the arena in...
toy line from the mid-1980s, is also currently part of the Nerf banner.
Video games
Nerf has also produced video game accessories for the PlayStation 2PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, Nintendo DSi
Nintendo DSi
The is a handheld game system created by Nintendo and launched in 2008 and 2009 in Japan, North America, PAL territories, and other regions. It is the third iteration of the Nintendo DS, and its primary market rival is Sony's PlayStation Portable...
, Nintendo DS Lite
Nintendo DS Lite
The is a dual-screen handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It is a slimmer, brighter, and more lightweight redesign of the Nintendo DS, designed to be aesthetically sleeker, while taking styling cues from the Game Boy Advance SP, and to appeal to broader commercial audiences...
and the Nintendo Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
. Visionary Media, Inc. released the first-person shooter Nerf Arena Blast
Nerf Arena Blast
Nerf Arena Blast is a first-person shooter developed by the now-defunct Visionary Media Inc. in 1999, and was touted as a "family-friendly alternative to Unreal Tournament"...
(or NAB, sometimes Arena Blast) in 1999. EA Games
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
, in association with Hasbro, released the 2008 video game Nerf N-Strike
Nerf N-Strike
Nerf N-Strike is a video game developed by EA Salt Lake and published by Electronic Arts for the Nintendo DS and Wii. The game is a rail shooter and focuses on the NERF line of toy dart blasters. It has an optional unique blaster for gameplay called the Nerf Switch Shot EX-3, that can either be...
and its 2009 sequel Nerf N-Strike Elite
Nerf N-Strike Elite
Nerf N-Strike Elite is a 2009 on-rails shoot 'em up for Nintendo Wii and sequel to the 2008 Nerf N-Strike. Like its predecessor, the game is bundled with one N-Strike Switch Shot EX-3...
. Both games feature the Switch Shot EX-3, which doubles as a functional dart gun and a Wii Remote
Wii Remote
The , also known as the Wiimote, is the primary controller for Nintendo's Wii console. A main feature of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via gesture recognition and pointing through the use of accelerometer and...
accessory.
Awards
In 2011, the Nerf N-Strike Stampede ECS was awarded "Boy Toy of the Year" and the Nerf Super Soaker Shot Blast won "Outdoor Toy of the Year" at the 11th Annual Toy of the Year Awards, which is held at the American International Toy FairAmerican International Toy Fair
The American International Toy Fair is one of a few major toy industry trade shows held around the world. It is held annually in mid February in New York City's Toy Center, located at 23rd Street at the crossover of Fifth Avenue and Broadway and at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, and is...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.