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(Redirected from 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 weapons, but there were also several different types of NERF toys, such as balls for sports like football, basketball, and others. The most famous weapons are the "dart guns" (also known as blasters) that shoot projectiles made from NERF foam. As many such items were released throughout the 1990s, they often featured bright neon colors and, of course, soft textures similar to the flagship NERF ball. The product slogan frequently used in advertising was "It's NERF or nothing!"
The NERF brand has also, recently, expanded to video game accessories, including padding for the Nintendo DS Lite and controllers for the PlayStation 2.[1][2]
The exact origin of the term "NERF" is unknown. It is rumored to have been inspired by ''Star Wars'' creatures called "nerfs", but this is not possible, as the NERF brand was created in 1969, eight years before the release of ''Star Wars''. [3]. It has also been mentioned that NERF stands for "non-expanding recreational foam", but it has not been verified.[4]
Parker Brothers,began with a four-inch polyurethane foam ball. In 1969, 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 you can "Throw it indoors; you can't damage lamps or break windows. You cant hurt babies or old people"[5]. The ball filled a strong consumer need since by the year's end, and more than four million NERF balls had been sold.[6] The four-inch 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 fast 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.[3]
In 1991 Hasbro acquired the NERF line through the acquisition of the Tonka Corporation, including its Kenner Products and Parker Brothers divisions. [8]Over the years continuing to expand the line and add new looks to existing products. The current line of NERF products range from various NERF sport balls, blasters with NERF dart and ball ammunition, to even video game accessories.[9]
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.[10]
A NERF war can be played in teams or "every man for himself". There are two main types of NERF wars: basic and revival. In a basic war, when a competitor gets hit, he or she is out. Some circles play that competitors can get hit twice before being out.[11] A revival war is the same, except that the player gets "revived", or can come back into the game, when the player who killed him or her dies.[12]
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 himself 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 revolver.
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.
★ Nerf Arena Blast, a video game based on a NERF war
★ Nerf (computer gaming), a gaming term that came from the NERF toys
★ NERF Tech Target, a NERF target
1. http://www.gearlog.com/2006/11/pelicans_nerf_wireless_control.php
2. http://www.dsfanboy.com/2007/05/08/faced-with-nerf-or-nothing-we-choose-nerf/
3. http://www.hasbro.com/default.cfm?page=ci_history_pb
4. http://slang.acronymfinder.com/af-query.asp?string=on&acronym=FOAM&s=r
5. http://www.theplaymakers.com/welcome/archives/n2.jpg
6. http://www.history.com/exhibits/toys/gijoe.html
7. http://www.hasbro.com/default.cfm?page=ci_history_pb
8. http://www.hasbro.com/default.cfm?page=ci_history_hasbro
9. http://www.hasbro.com/nerf
10. http://www.theplaymakers.com/welcome/archives/000168.html
11. http://members.tripod.com/NERF_Wars/basicwar.htm
12. http://members.tripod.com/NERF_Wars/revival.htm
★ Hasbro's NERF website
thumb
'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 weapons, but there were also several different types of NERF toys, such as balls for sports like football, basketball, and others. The most famous weapons are the "dart guns" (also known as blasters) that shoot projectiles made from NERF foam. As many such items were released throughout the 1990s, they often featured bright neon colors and, of course, soft textures similar to the flagship NERF ball. The product slogan frequently used in advertising was "It's NERF or nothing!"
The NERF brand has also, recently, expanded to video game accessories, including padding for the Nintendo DS Lite and controllers for the PlayStation 2.[1][2]
| Contents |
| Origin of the term |
| History |
| Parker Brothers develops NERF |
| Hasbro acquires NERF |
| NERF material |
| NERF wars |
| In popular culture |
| See also |
| References |
| External links |
Origin of the term
The exact origin of the term "NERF" is unknown. It is rumored to have been inspired by ''Star Wars'' creatures called "nerfs", but this is not possible, as the NERF brand was created in 1969, eight years before the release of ''Star Wars''. [3]. It has also been mentioned that NERF stands for "non-expanding recreational foam", but it has not been verified.[4]
History
Parker Brothers develops NERF
Original NERF Ball Developed by Parker Brothers
Parker Brothers,began with a four-inch polyurethane foam ball. In 1969, 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 you can "Throw it indoors; you can't damage lamps or break windows. You cant hurt babies or old people"[5]. The ball filled a strong consumer need since by the year's end, and more than four million NERF balls had been sold.[6] The four-inch 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 fast 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.[3]
Hasbro acquires NERF
In 1991 Hasbro acquired the NERF line through the acquisition of the Tonka Corporation, including its Kenner Products and Parker Brothers divisions. [8]Over the years continuing to expand the line and add new looks to existing products. The current line of NERF products range from various NERF sport balls, blasters with NERF dart and ball ammunition, to even video game accessories.[9]
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.[10]
NERF wars
A NERF war can be played in teams or "every man for himself". There are two main types of NERF wars: basic and revival. In a basic war, when a competitor gets hit, he or she is out. Some circles play that competitors can get hit twice before being out.[11] A revival war is the same, except that the player gets "revived", or can come back into the game, when the player who killed him or her dies.[12]
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 himself 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 revolver.
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.
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
★ NERF Tech Target, a NERF target
References
1. http://www.gearlog.com/2006/11/pelicans_nerf_wireless_control.php
2. http://www.dsfanboy.com/2007/05/08/faced-with-nerf-or-nothing-we-choose-nerf/
3. http://www.hasbro.com/default.cfm?page=ci_history_pb
4. http://slang.acronymfinder.com/af-query.asp?string=on&acronym=FOAM&s=r
5. http://www.theplaymakers.com/welcome/archives/n2.jpg
6. http://www.history.com/exhibits/toys/gijoe.html
7. http://www.hasbro.com/default.cfm?page=ci_history_pb
8. http://www.hasbro.com/default.cfm?page=ci_history_hasbro
9. http://www.hasbro.com/nerf
10. http://www.theplaymakers.com/welcome/archives/000168.html
11. http://members.tripod.com/NERF_Wars/basicwar.htm
12. http://members.tripod.com/NERF_Wars/revival.htm
External links
★ Hasbro's NERF website
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