Nerf made its debut in a form of a polyurethane foam ball that was dubbed, “The World’s First Indoor Ball” in 1969. The Nerf ball was a hit, and the creators, Parker Brothers contracted with Reyn Guyer to create even more foam games.
While Parker Brothers wasn’t as enthusiastic about the actual games, they adored the idea of foam toys that kids could play indoors. The more memorable toys were likely the Nerf football, which debuted in 1972. Over the years, the Nerf brand changed ownership several times.
Nerf’s major hit for a whole generation of children was the introduction of foam weaponry. Nerf introduced Blast-A-Ball in 1989, which were small cannons that fired golfball-sized foam projectiles, however in 1991 the release of the Nerf Bow and Arrow confirmed the reputation as the armorer of children everywhere. Nerf further expanded its arsenal of blasters into ones that fired missiles, balls, and suction-cup darts in the 90s.
Nerf blasters now are more advanced, some have higher capacities and some now are fully automatic, much more sophisticated and refined from the ancient Blast-A-Ball.
Foam Flinging Blogging! 