Page protected with pending changes

Nerf

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Nerf (disambiguation).
"Tech Target" redirects here. For technology media company, see TechTarget.

NERF
Nerf logo.svg
Product typeToy weapons
OwnerHasbro
CountryUnited States
Introduced1969; 52 years ago (1969)
MarketsWorldwide
Previous owners
Tagline
  • "It's Nerf or Nothin'!" (current)
  • "Accept No Substitutes" (current 2)
  • "This Is How We Play" (current 3)
  • "Enlist, Engage, Enforce" (N-Strike)
  • "The Wetter the Better" (Super Soaker)
Websitewww.nerf.com

Nerf is a toy brand formed by Parker Brothers and currently owned by Hasbro. Most of the toys are a variety of foam-based weaponry, with other Nerf products including balls for sports such as American football, basketball, and baseball. The most notable of the toys are their dart guns (referred to by Hasbro as "blasters") that shoot ammunition made from "Nerf foam" (partially reticulated polyether type polyurethane foam).[1] Their primary slogan, first introduced in the 1990s, is "It's Nerf or Nothin'!". Annual revenues under the Nerf brand are approximately US$400 million.[2]

History[]

Original Nerf (styled NeRF) logo (1969–1990)

Parker Brothers originally developed Nerf, beginning with a 4-inch (100 mm) polyurethane foam ball. In 1969, Reyn Guyer, a Minnesota-based games inventor, came to the company with a football game that was safe for indoor play, and after studying it 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", the name "Nerf" being a slang term for the foam padding used in off-roading.[3] Marketing slogans promised that one can "Throw it indoors; you can't damage lamps or break windows. You can't hurt babies or old people."[4] Some of the first TV commercials for the balls were joint promotions with General Foods' Kool-Aid drink mix, with Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones and Michael Nesmith of the Monkees playing with the balls on a living room soundstage (Kool-Aid sponsored the 1969-70 Saturday morning reruns of the Monkees' 1966-67 TV series). The ball filled a strong consumer need and by the year's end, more than four million Nerf balls had been sold.[5] The 4-inch (100 mm) ball was followed by a large version called the "Super Nerf Ball". Shortly after, in 1972, a basketball game called "Nerfoop" and the Nerf football (developed by longtime NFL kicker Fred Cox[6][7]) joined the family, with the latter quickly becoming Nerf's most popular ball.[8]

The company continued to add to the Nerf line until they handed control to Kenner Products, a sister company. In 1987, Kenner was bought by the Tonka Corporation, which itself was purchased by [9] Hasbro in 1991, who then became the owner of Nerf.[10] Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, the Nerf brand served under the subsidiaries OddzOn and Larami before Hasbro took full control of the brand.[11]

Over the years, Nerf has continued to expand the line, adding new looks to existing products, with later lines of Nerf products ranging from sport balls and foam dart blasters to video games and accessories.[12]

In February 2013, Hasbro announced the release of its "Rebelle" line, a sub-line aimed at girls, with its first products released in fall of 2013.[13]

In November 2013, POW! Books published The Ultimate Nerf Blaster Book. Written by Nathaniel Marunas, the book highlights the history of Nerf and provides details on every N-Strike, Dart Tag, and Vortex blaster produced at the time of the book's release.[14][15]

In 2015, the Rival line of blasters was first released. The first products released were the Rival Apollo XV-700 and the Rival Zeus MXV-1200. These blasters fire a new type of ammunition, known as "High Impact Rounds", which are small foam balls that can reach a higher velocity than foam darts. The Rival line is targeted towards an older audience, with each product listing the age of 14+ on the box.[citation needed]

In 2021, the Hyper line of blasters was announced.[16] Initial products included the Hyper Rush-40, Hyper Siege-50, and Hyper Mach-100. Hyper rounds are similar in design to Rival rounds, but are smaller and made of a thermoplastic elastomer material that is more rubber-like than the foam used in Rival rounds.[17]

Products[]

Nerf Sports[]

The Nerf Sports (or N-Sports) line is a wide range of foam balls that resemble real sports balls. They are designed with different color schemes and features, with some of their footballs featuring color schemes and logos of the NFL. In addition, the tail-fins characteristic of Nerf Sports' Vortex sub-line (not to be confused with the blaster sub-line of the same name) cause the foam footballs of which it is comprised to resemble torpedoes and the American Ketchum grenade allowing it to fly greater distances.[18]

Nerf Blasters[]

Main article: Nerf Blaster

Nerf's most popular product type are Nerf blasters,[19] which are toy plastic guns that shoot foam darts. These darts have different-style tips, including Velcro-tipped in order to stick to Nerf vests (typically shipped with Dart Tag blasters), suction cup darts designed to stick to smooth surfaces, streamlined darts to fit into magazines (referred to as clips by Nerf), some able to whistle in flight, Darts may also have different colors, such as colors that reflect certain sub-lines, camouflage, and glow in the dark. Most Nerf blasters also have rails, known as tactical rails, which can accommodate different attachments, as well as special adapters such barrel and stock adapters. The "N-strike" sub-line was launched in 2004, and is styled more like a real weapon than previous Nerf products.[19] It was updated in 2012 as N-Strike Elite.[20]

Nerf N-Strike Elite Darts

N-Strike Elite[]

The N-Strike line was launched in 2003. Most blasters of the N-Strike line feature a yellow and black color scheme, although some blasters feature a red and gray or an all-over blue color scheme. The series was succeeded in 2012 by the N-Strike Elite line, featuring upgraded internal mechanisms for better performance, updated darts known as Elite darts, and a new blue, orange and white color scheme.[citation needed]

Dart Tag[]

The Dart Tag line was launched in 2004 marketed as a competitive game-style line. Many of these Dart Tag blasters were included with eye protection, targets, and vests in order for the included velcro-tipped darts to stick to them. The series was discontinued in 2013.[citation needed]

Vortex[]

In September 2011, Hasbro launched the Vortex series, featuring blasters that fire small foam discs made of soft plastic covered in foam. In May 2018, Nerf re-released the series as Vortex VTX, featuring the same projectiles but in green and blue to match the new color schemes of its updated blasters. The Vortex blasters have a firing range of up to 60 feet.[21]

Rebelle[]

Rebelle was predominantly aimed at the female demographic, sporting pink, purple and teal colors.[22]

Zombie Strike[]

The Zombie Strike line was launched in 2013, and is geared for fans of Humans vs. Zombies games.[23] All blasters have a distinct zombie apocalypse theme, with newer blasters featuring a DIY aesthetic.[citation needed]

Doomlands 2169[]

Doomlands 2169, commonly shortened to Doomlands, is a series of Nerf blasters that was released on August 1, 2015.

The Doomlands 2169 series is themed after a post-apocalyptic future set in the year 2169, hence the name. The official plot explains that, after Earth was hit by a deadly asteroid, life and civilization begins anew, and survivors must fend off raiders and new monstrous creatures. Its blasters feature a more modern and futuristic design, with clear parts (similar to the Clear Series) that show the firing mechanisms of the blasters.

The series also has a YouTube mini-series that follows the story the products represent, revolving around the main protagonist named "the Doomlander".

It currently has 11 blasters.

Modulus[]

The Nerf Modulus series is a sub-line of the N-Strike Elite series, featuring heavily customizable blasters and a number of accessories. These blasters are typically white, gray, and green.

Rival[]

Nerf Rival blasters (branded as RIVAL) fire small foam balls referred to by Nerf as "High Impact Rounds", but usually referred to as “Rival Balls” by the nerfing community.[citation needed] Nerf Rival blasters are targeted towards an older target market than Nerf's better-known dart blasters.[24] Nerf Rival blasters come in three colors, white, red, and blue, and are engineered to fire further and more precisely than blasters featured in other Nerf lines. Within this series is a subseries called "Phantom Corps", which was first released in spring 2017. In Phantom Corps, the series has its own Nerf blasters, but also sports white reshells of some of the original red and blue blasters, which are altered slightly but are still recognizable as the originals. The Phantom Corps subline includes removable colored banners with the blasters so that the user can switch teams without having to buy a new blaster. A new series in 2019 was the Nerf Rival Edge series, featuring a greater emphasis on "sharpshooting" and precision blasters.[citation needed]

Nitro[]

In 2017, Hasbro released the Nerf Nitro line, which consists of blasters that fire foam cars into obstacles and stunt ramps.[25]

Alpha Strike[]

Introduced in August 2019, Nerf Alpha Strike is a blaster line priced lower than the standard N-Strike Elite line.[26]

Ultra[]

Released in September 2019, Nerf Ultra (branded as ULTRA) blasters fire a new, propriety dart design that is marketed as "THE FARTHEST FLYING DART EVER. Darts can travel up to 120 feet."[27] The new Ultra darts are constructed from a lightweight foam that is notably different from traditional darts in that they are made with closed-cell, rather than open-cell foam. This construction allows for fins to be molded into the rear of the darts. Size-wise, Ultra darts are between N-Strike Elite darts and Mega darts in diameter, but shorter than both in length. They cannot be fired from any previous Nerf line or off-brand compatible blasters, nor can any other lines' darts be fired from Ultra blasters. This design was created in response to the growing number of third-party darts, including exact knockoffs from China, available for N-Strike Elite blasters at a much lower cost than Nerf-brand darts.[28]

The first blaster in the Ultra line was the Nerf Ultra One, a drum-fed (25-dart capacity), flywheel design with integral (non-detachable) stock and fixed barrel with no N-Strike barrel attachments. It is compatible with rail-mounted Nerf attachments via two tactical rails on top. The blaster is painted in a white, black, and orange color scheme with a distinctive raised gold "ULTRA" label on the right side (the raised logo is repeated on the left side, but in white, rather than gold). The second blaster was the Ultra Two, which is a 6-round capacity flywheel system revolver, which loads from the back of the blaster, as there is no open place in front. Like the One, the Two comes in the same white, black, and orange color scheme, and the "ULTRA'" label on the side. It is also the first electronic revolver-style blaster since the 2012 N-Strike Elite Stockade.

Hyper

Released in 2021, Nerf Hyper (branded as HYPER) blasters fire a dimpled, spherical round similar to that of the Rival round but smaller in size and made of a thermoplastic elastomer material. The Hyper line of blasters were the first sold by Nerf that included safety glasses in the box.[17]

Nerf N-Force[]

The N-Force line consisted of foam swords and melee weapons. The swords can fit into the back sheath of the Nerf N-Strike tactical vest and the Nerf N-Strike bandolier kit.[29]

In 2011, Hasbro released special edition N-Force weapons to promote the Marvel Comics/Paramount Pictures film Thor. This line consists of Thor's Hammer,[30] Thor's Sword and Odin's Sword. The Armor of Asgard Thor Battle Hammer was re-released alongside a new, electronic version called Thor Thunder Clash Hammer for The Avengers film in 2012.

In 2013, Hasbro released the Snake Eyes Blade of Justice for the film G.I. Joe: Retaliation.[31]

Super Soaker[]

Main article: Super Soaker

Originally owned and marketed by Larami, Super Soaker is a popular line of water guns. Recently, Hasbro has released a line of Nerf-branded Super Soaker blasters.[32]

Lazer Tag[]

Main article: Lazer Tag

Lazer Tag, a popular laser tag toy line from the mid-1980s, is also currently part of the Nerf banner.[33] The current generation of Lazer Tag blasters attach to iPhones or iPod Touch units for enhanced playability.[34]

Nerf Dog[]

In June 2013, Hasbro and Grammercy Products unveiled Nerf Dog, a line of Nerf-inspired canine retrieving toys made of rubber, nylon and plastic. Nerf Dog was launched at Walmart stores, and debuted at pet specialty stores in Fall 2013.[35][36]

Based in Secaucus, N.J., Gramercy Products, Inc. is the manufacturer of Nerf Dog products.[37]

The Nerf Dog toy line launch included a long-distance ball thrower that can propel a toy up to 250 feet and will feature extra-tough Nylon construction and stitching that is three times as strong as traditional dog toys. The entire range will include toys made of rubber, nylon and Thermo Plastic Rubber (TPR) ranging from $5 to $15.[38]

The Nerf Dog Tennis Ball Blaster mimics traditional Nerf blaster designs and shoots a ball up to 50 feet in the air. The toy uses special softer balls to reduce the risk of injury.[39]

Video games[]

Nerf has also produced video game accessories for the PlayStation 2, Nintendo DSi, DS Lite, 3DS and the Wii.[40] 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[41] and its 2009 sequel Nerf N-Strike Elite. Both games feature the Switch Shot EX-3, which doubles as a functional dart blaster and a Wii Remote accessory.[42] In June 2019, Raw Thrills released the Nerf Arcade game.[43] Nerf Legends is set to release in October 2021 for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Microsoft Windows.[44]

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 Fair in New York City.[45]

In 2014, the Nerf Zombie Strike Crossfire Bow won the award for "Best Action Toy" at the 2014 U.K. Toy Fair.[46]

Legal issues[]

In June 2010, Hasbro sued Buzz Bee Toys and Lanard Toys for patent violation of its Nerf and Super Soaker brands. The lawsuit stated that Buzz Bee and Lanard infringed two U.S. patents for the Nerf N-Strike Disc Shot blaster, while Buzz Bee infringed on a Super Soaker patent.[47] In November of that year, Hasbro won its patent case against Buzz Bee with the latter banned from producing certain water guns.[48]

In April 2012, Hasbro contacted the Australia-based fan blog "Urban Taggers" for leaking information on unreleased Nerf products found on the Chinese marketplace website Taobao.[49] Hasbro allegedly tricked one of the bloggers into disclosing his home address for their lawyers to mail him a cease and desist letter. The incident resulted in fans setting up a campaign on Facebook boycotting Hasbro.[50]

See also[]

  • Nerf war
  • Nerf (video gaming), term referencing the Nerf brand of toys

References[]

  1. ^ Meltzer, Yale L. (1976). Foamed Plastics: Recent Developments. p. 182.
  2. ^ Rodriguez, Ashley (December 5, 2015). "All of the reasons Nerf is back on top this holiday season" (Quartz (publication)). Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  3. ^ "Nerf Story". Reyn Guyer. January 3, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  4. ^ "Best Nerf Gun Reviews for 2018". Nerfz. Archived from the original on October 28, 2015. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
  5. ^ "The History of Toys". History.com. January 4, 2008. Archived from the original on October 28, 2007. Retrieved November 7, 2009.
  6. ^ "Ex-Vikings kicker Fred Cox, inventor of Nerf football, dies at 80". ESPN.com. November 21, 2019. Archived from the original on November 22, 2019. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  7. ^ Smyde, Joe (October 4, 1989). "Fred Cox not kicking; Nerf football sales keeping him for life". The Pittsburgh Press. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  8. ^ "Who Needs an Indoor Ball? YOU Do, Apparently". GIZMODO. Archived from the original on August 27, 2010. Retrieved September 1, 2010.
  9. ^ "The story of Parker Brothers". Hasbro.com. Archived from the original on October 30, 2008. Retrieved November 7, 2009.
  10. ^ "The history of Hasbro, Inc" (PDF). Hasbro.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved November 7, 2009.
  11. ^ "NC News - Larami Takes the Helm". Nerfcenter.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2012. Retrieved September 22, 2011.
  12. ^ "NERF - Welcome to Hasbro's Official NERF site". Hasbro. July 15, 2008. Archived from the original on November 13, 2008. Retrieved November 7, 2009.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  13. ^ Busis, Hillary (February 8, 2013). "Hasbro introduces Nerf Rebelle line for girls, starting with the Heartbreaker bow -- EXCLUSIVE". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on February 11, 2013. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  14. ^ "NERF: The Ultimate Blaster Book". powerHouse Books. Archived from the original on January 3, 2014. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  15. ^ Mixson, Colin (December 2, 2013). "Master blaster: Prospect Heights dad wrote the book on Nerf". The Brooklyn Paper. Archived from the original on January 3, 2014. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  16. ^ "Iconic NERF brand Unveils a Revolutionary New Performance Segment" (Press release). February 25, 2021. Archived from the original on July 3, 2021. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b Hollister, Sean (September 8, 2021). "Nerf Hyper Review: Where The Rubber Meets The Foam". The Verge. New York: Vox Media. Retrieved September 9, 2021. Check |archive-url= value (help)
  18. ^ "Nerf Sports". Hasbro. Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
  19. ^ Jump up to: a b Pinkerton, Lindsey (April 3, 2009). "The Top 10 Nerf Guns of All Time". Popular Mechanics. Archived from the original on June 6, 2013. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  20. ^ Fagone, Jason (September 8, 2012). "How Nerf Became the World's Best Purveyor of Big Guns for Kids". Wired. Archived from the original on May 2, 2017. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  21. ^ "Nerf Vortex Lumitron Blaster". Hasbro. Archived from the original on April 5, 2012. Retrieved October 12, 2015.https://web.archive.org/web/20151226132933/http://www.hasbro.com/nerf
  22. ^ Greenwald, Will (June 28, 2013). "Nerf Tips iPhone Scope, Rebelle Line For Girls, Lots More Guns Mainly bows and used for sending messages". PC Magazine. Archived from the original on August 9, 2013. Retrieved August 3, 2013.
  23. ^ Bricken, Rob (July 11, 2013). "Prepare for a Nerf apocalypse with the new Zombie Strike line!". Io9. Archived from the original on July 14, 2013. Retrieved August 3, 2013.
  24. ^ Hollister, Sean. "THE ENGINEERS BUILDING RIDICULOUS DART BLASTERS THAT NERF WON'T TOUCH". www.theverge.com. The Verge. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  25. ^ Robertson, Andy (January 27, 2017). "'Nerf Nitro' Shoots Cars Not Darts". Forbes. Archived from the original on August 10, 2017. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
  26. ^ Guynes, Jared (July 2, 2019). "Global Reveal - Nerf Alphastrike 2019 - All Blasters tested & variations shown!". YouTube. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  27. ^ "Nerf Ultra One Blaster". Hasbro. Archived from the original on October 3, 2019. Retrieved October 3, 2019.https://nerf.hasbro.com/en-us/ultra
  28. ^ "Parents, Beware: Nerf's Newest Blasters Won't Fire Knockoff Darts". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on October 3, 2019. Retrieved October 3, 2019.https://www.wsj.com/articles/parents-beware-nerfs-newest-blasters-wont-fire-knockoff-darts-11569240001
  29. ^ "Nerf N-Force". Hasbro. Archived from the original on February 5, 2011. Retrieved January 6, 2011.
  30. ^ "Armor of Asgard Thor Hammer by Hasbro". Marvel.com. Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
  31. ^ "G.I. Joe: Retaliation Nerf Snake Eyes Blade of Justice". Time to Play. Archived from the original on June 2, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  32. ^ "Super Soaker". Hasbro. Archived from the original on October 17, 2014. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
  33. ^ "Lazer Tag Nerf Two-Player Battle System". Hasbro. Archived from the original on January 3, 2011. Retrieved January 20, 2011.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  34. ^ Terrence O'Brien. "Hasbro reinvents Lazer Tag for the smartphone generation, lets you live out your Doom-fueled fantasies". Engadget. AOL. Archived from the original on January 20, 2018. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  35. ^ "Nerf Dog Debuts". Global License!. June 18, 2013. Archived from the original on August 17, 2013. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
  36. ^ Irwin, Tanya (June 20, 2013). "Hasbro Launches Nerf Dog". MediaPost. Archived from the original on July 26, 2013. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
  37. ^ Gazdik, Tanya. "Hasbro Launches Nerf Dog". Marketing Daily. Archived from the original on April 5, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  38. ^ "Hasbro to Launch Nerf Dog Toys". Gifts and Dec. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  39. ^ "10 must-have gifts for your pets this holiday season". Yahoo News. Archived from the original on April 26, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  40. ^ "Pelican NERF PS2 Controller". IGN. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved January 23, 2011.
  41. ^ "IGN: Pelican Wiimote NERF Sleeve Exclusive Review". IGN. Archived from the original on July 4, 2009. Retrieved November 7, 2009.
  42. ^ "Nerf N-Strike Elite Review". IGN. November 3, 2009. Archived from the original on January 11, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2011.
  43. ^ Kleiman, Joe. "Hasbro and Raw Thrills collaborate on NERF ARCADE". InPark Magazine. Archived from the original on May 16, 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  44. ^ "NERF Legends announced for PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC". Gematsu. August 11, 2021.
  45. ^ Per-Lee, Myra. "The 11 Best Toys of 2011". InventorSpot. Archived from the original on February 17, 2011. Retrieved February 15, 2011.
  46. ^ "U.K. Toy Fair: 2014 Toy Winners Announced". Global License!. January 21, 2014. Archived from the original on January 30, 2014. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
  47. ^ "Hasbro Sues Buzz Bee Toys and Lanard Over Patents". Reuters. June 2, 2010. Archived from the original on January 1, 2011. Retrieved January 25, 2011.
  48. ^ "Hasbro Wins Patent Case Against Buzz Bee". Reuters. October 30, 2010. Archived from the original on December 4, 2010. Retrieved January 25, 2011.
  49. ^ Biggs, John (April 25, 2012). "Hasbro Goes After Blogger in IP Theft Case". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on January 21, 2013. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
  50. ^ Crook, Andrew (April 24, 2012). "Nerf guns at 10 paces: Hasbro faces boycott after siccing lawyers onto fan site". Crikey. Archived from the original on May 13, 2013. Retrieved January 24, 2013.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""