Best Toys

Nerf toys first came into production in 1970 when a toy creator approached the development board of Parker Brothers with the idea for an indoor volleyball game. While they apparently weren’t on board with the idea as a whole, it made them aware of the marketability of a ball which children could play with indoors without damaging anything they hit.  It is out of this perceived necessity that the original Nerf ball was born. The orange foam ball was an overwhelming success with consumers, selling a reported four million toys within the first year of production. This success, over the years, has helped the product line of Nerf toys to evolve from its humble beginnings as a four inch ball to the vast conglomeration of balls, games and weapons that it is today.

Top 5 NERF Toys

Other Great Nerf N-Strike Bestsellers

NERF Footballs

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What are NERF Toys?

Although it’s not known for sure what exactly NERF stands for, sources indicate that it’s likely an acronym for Non Expanding Recreational Foam. This makes sense, however other explanations have been offered as to the origin of the name. There are many Nerf toys to choose from, and they range from balls to golf games, small pistols to large hip fired cannons.

Nerf guns are some of the safest toys around.  The projectile’s foam construction is soft and pliable, so impact with the body is no problem. The only thing kids need to be concerned with is their aim. The toys are manufactured with children’s safety in mind and, should a design flaw come to light, the company is expedient in reporting these problems and following up with the appropriate product warnings and, if necessary, a recall is issued without delay.

A very popular NERF toy is the Nerf Buzzsaw.  Three dense foam balls are placed in the loading tube on top of the weapon’s plastic frame. The operator then pulls back repeatedly on a light blue charging handle, which in turn builds up a certain amount of momentum in the device’s built in flywheel. When the trigger is pulled, the small green projectiles are released from their holding tube and dropped into the flywheel’s spinning paddles, sending the balls flying down the barrel of the weapon and out the end.

Another in the N-Strike line of NERF guns is called the Reactor. In appearance, it resembles a cross between a laser gun and a pistol grip shotgun, and also uses dense foam balls for ammunition. The rounds are powered by a hand operated air pump, which creates a buildup of air pressure in a holding chamber within the weapon’s barrel. When the trigger is pulled it releases the pressure, carrying the ball rapidly out of the end of the barrel.

A favorite NERF toy among boys is the Pocket Vortex. It’s a small football, available in several colors, with an interesting addition trailing behind the ergonomically designed body. Built into the back of the ball is a small stem, similar in length to the body of the ball itself, which flights are attached to. This characteristic makes the ball look not unlike a large dart, helping the ball fly straight and true, and helping even those with the most inexperienced of throwing arms to launch a perfect spiral into the waiting arms of his backyard comrades.

Why Do Boys Love Nerf Toys So Much?

Many activities have become extremely popular where the kids act out war scenarios and hold Nerf wars in groups with fellow Nerf gun enthusiasts. They can hunt down and shoot each other without being concerned about hurting each other or putting anyone’s eye out. Some of these competitions, held in warehouses and school gymnasiums, even go so far as to present the winning team trophies and awards for their valor and skills in combat.