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 a different type of foam than 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]
The term Nerf is also used as a derogatory verb or adjective. Example: That car is just a Nerfed version of the original.
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]
NERF 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]
Larami Toys was also purchased by and absorbed into Hasbro along with all of their relevant patents around 1996. The SuperMAXX line of blasters that Larami had designed would be rebadged as Nerf brand blasters. One noteworthy patent was for a safety feature that is present in almost all Nerf products today. A valve that closes off the flow of air should anything other than the intended ammunition be loaded. This device is otherwise known to the Nerf community as an "Air Restrictor"[9] and is typically removed in order to improve the optimal performance of a blaster.
Nerf weapons
A NERF Weapon or "Blaster" is generally considered to be anything that launches foam projectiles or is itself primarily constructed out of foam. A variety of ammunition types exist, from foam balls, to arrows, to the most widely recognized small suction cup darts.
Many blasters have been released over the years under a multitude of names, colors and sizes.[10]
The energy needed to fire the foam ammunition is supplied through various different mechanisms.
- Spring-loaded Plunger: Effectively a syringe that includes a spring and usually a catch mechanism of some kind that is linked to a trigger.
- Pneumatic Pump: A basic pneumatic pump with a check valve (similar to a bike pump) is used to pressurize a reservoir. The reservoir has a simple relief valve built into it that is linked to the trigger. When the trigger is pulled the relief valve exhausts the pressurized air into the barrel to fire the foam projectile.
- Motorized Flywheel: Two rubber-lined wheels are arranged parallel to each other and powered by an electric motor. Darts are forced between the flywheels and pitched.
NERF wars
Main Article: NERF wars
A NERF war is an organized gathering that primarily involves shooting other people with NERF weapons of varying types, sizes, brands, and levels of modification[11]. Typically in some sort of organized fashion around an agreed upon game type.
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. [12]
See also
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
- ^ Air Restrictor Patent
- ^ NERF Blaster List
- ^ Nerf Blaster Modification
- ^ Teens' Nerf guns raise ruckus
