Nerf
NERF(or sometimes Nerf) is a type of toy, created for safe indoor play, that either shoots or is made of foam-like material. Most of the toys are a variety of foam-based weaponry, but there were also several different types of NERF toys, such as balls for sports like football, basketball, and others. The most famous of the toys are the "dart guns" (also known as blasters) that shoot projectiles made from NERF foam. Since many such items were released throughout the 1980s, they often featured bright neon colors and soft textures similar to the flagship NERF ball. The product slogan frequently used in advertising was "It's NERF or nothing!"
Origin of the term
It has been mentioned that NERF stands for "non-expanding recreational foam", but it has not been verified.[1]
The Oxford English Dictionary states that the word is "apparently an arbitrary formation", but adds that it may be derived from the verb "nerf", referring to the practice of bumping another vehicle in racing, which dates to no later than 1953.[2]
NERF material
NERF is made from a solid, spongy cellular material produced by the reaction of polyester with a diisocyanate while carbon dioxide is liberated by the reaction of a carboxyl with the isocyanate. Polyester resin 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.[3]
History
Parker Brothers originally developed NERF, beginning with a four-inch (102 mm) polyurethane foam ball. In 1969, Reyn Guyer, a games inventor also responsible for Twister, 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."[4] The ball filled a strong consumer need and by the year's end more than four million NERF balls had been sold.[5] 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 "NERFoop" 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 the "ball" to Kenner Products, a sister company, in 1991,[6] when Hasbro acquired the NERF line through the acquisition of the Tonka Corporation.[7] Over the years, the company has continued to expand the line, adding new looks to existing products. The current line of NERF products range from various sport balls, blasters with both dart and ball ammunition, and, now, onto even video game accessories.[8]
Products
NERF has a wide range of foam balls that are molded to look like various sports balls. They are designed with different color schemes and features, and are less likely to cause damage since they are made from NERF material. The company also makes NERF Blasters, which are toy guns used to shoot ammunition made of the NERF Material in ball and dart form. [9] These can be used for NERF wars, which is similar to paintball or laser tag games, but use NERF blasters instead.[10] There is a growing trend of modifying Nerf blasters to make them more powerful and making the darts, called "Stefans".
Nerf also has video game accessories for the Sony PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS Lite and the Nintendo Wii.[11] NERF worked with Pelican Accessories to create a light, soft controller for the Playstation 2,[12] for the Nintendo DS Lite, a protective case [13] and for the Wii Remote a protective case, [14] and other attachments to resemble sports equipment.[15]
In popular culture
NERF has been featured on several television series, including Inside the Actors Studio, The Simpsons, and Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide. On Inside the Actors Studio, Robin Williams compared having "an honorary degree from Juilliard" to "having a NERF vibrator". Homer, on a The Simpsons episode, described a car of his design as "powerful like a gorilla, yet soft and yielding like a NERF ball". In the children's show Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, Ned shoots the school's security cameras with a NERF Maverick Rev-6. Also, on the VH1 special I Love Toys, NERF was ranked as the number 23 toy out of 100.
NERF has also been mentioned by stand-up comedians, such as Ray Romano, who suggested that cars should be made from the material to prevent injuries in accidents. There is also a "Snurf"-gun mentioned in the User Friendly comic strip, which has been said is a reference to a NERF-gun.
"Dart Wars", a NERF based competition, is played in various high schools across America. These are usually tournament based competitions with teams of four to five students. Dart Wars is usually an underground group, often frowned upon by school administrations and local police forces. [16]
Dart Tag
Dart Tag is a game where you can use almost any kind of Nerf Dart Tag product to play all kinds of games in the instructions. First, the 'revolver' has an automatic rotating barrel so that when you pull back the spring-loaded slide, it will shoot without the need to place darts in the blaster. The Magstrike blaster has an air tank where you pump air about 20-30 times to shoot 10 darts in a magazine. The strikefire blaster is a close range blaster made for small arenas with obstacles. Most of the vests have two sides where you can shoot from behind. With the strikefire vest, you can only shoot from the front. The point zones on the vests are 10, 20, and 50 points. The target on the back of the vests can only be identified by the game played and is the biggest target; the smallest would be the 50 point zone. The most popular game for Dart Tag is "Countdown". You can go to any score for countdown and it is popular to most people. Sometimes people will combine games, such as, the game, "Immobilizer", which you would fire at two color spots on the shoulders of the vests and you cannot use that arm to shoot, and combining "Countdown" with it, so you can win either by hitting both shoulders or reaching the score spoken of at the beginning of the game.
N-Strike Arsenal
The N-Strike Arsenal is a game to improve your skills, such as: speed, aiming, and long-distance shooting. Some of the products are:
Secret Strike AS-1: The Secret Strike is an air powered blaster that can shoot about 30 feet away and has a cut-out target to practice. Skill improvement: Stealth and aiming.
Nite Finder EX-3: The night finder has a built in laser beam to find your target. Skill improvement: Aiming
Maverick: A blaster that has a cocking mechanism and a rotating barrel. Skill improvement: Speed
Firefly Rev-8: A blaster that has a special paper in the rotating barrel that lets you know where you shoot. Darts light up and dim when shot and glow in the dark. Skill improvement: Aiming
Longshot CS-6: The longshot is 2 blasters in one. It is over three feet long and hs a blaster with a 6 dart reload clip and a single shot blaster. It also has an accuracy scope that is detacahable, though unlike real scopes, does not magnify . Skill improvement: Aiming, long-distance shooting.
Disk Shot: The disk shot has a blaster with a wireless remote that can signal when to shoot the disk in the air. It will shoot straight up or to a side. Skill Improvement: Aiming
Recon CS-6: The Recon is an amazing gun with a clip that goes into the gun. It has a light beam for hidden targets, a shoulder stock to hold an extra clip and for long range shots and a barrel extension to shoot farther, even though it does not. Skill improvements: Aiming, Long-distance shooting.
A green light used in dark settings can be attached to most N-Strike arsenal.
See also
- Nerf Arena Blast, a video game based on a NERF war
- Nerf (computer gaming), a gaming term that came from the NERF toys
References
- ^ Please report this problem
- ^ ""Nerf"". The Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition. 1989. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
- ^ Timeless Toys: It's National Chemistry WeeK
- ^ http://www.theplaymakers.com/welcome/archives/n2.jpg
- ^ The History of Toys
- ^ The story of Parker Brothers
- ^ The history of Hasbro, Inc
- ^ NERF - Welcome to Hasbro's Official NERF site
- ^ NERF - Product Search
- ^ Nerf Wars
- ^ Pelican's Nerf Wireless Controller for PS2 - Gearlog
- ^ IGN: Pelican NERF PS2 Controller
- ^ Faced with Nerf or nothing, we choose Nerf - DS Fanboy
- ^ IGN: Pelican Wiimote NERF Sleeve Exclusive Review
- ^ IGN: Pelican Wii Nerf Sports Pack
- ^ Teens' Nerf guns raise ruckus
