The Evolving History of Nerf: From Soft Fun to Guns Guns Guns!

[@knyghtlyte]

Have we ever solved the mystery as to who kept taking bites out of every Nerf football?

[@chrislongbeard]

It was the dog. (Said in a muffled voice)

[@MalcolmTurnerKing]

Little Sisters 😂

[@pantheonvideo]

Now i'm hungry.

[@chrisbaker8533]

It was the same kid that ate paste or their buggers.

[@justinrgray4979]

Don’t lie; it was you

[@jinpei05]

Anyone here remember the Nerf Vortex football with the tail that made it fly super far and later versions with a built-in howler whistle? That thing was crazy awesome.

[@redbyrd64]

It’s used by airsoft players as a bunker buster

[@Jumbleman5]

I had the purple whistle one. However I never got it to work since I was a nerd who couldn't manage to throw a damn thing. I stuck with the nerf guns after that.

[@robonintendo]

I 'member

[@arceyes]

Yeah when it launched here in the late 90’s I worked at a toy store over the Christmas holidays and our manager told us to go play catch with the Vortex in the mall. The things flew off the shelves.

[@GlenNewsome]

My kids play with that at the pool in the summer..

[@daverage4729]

That Hasbro symbol with fangs, NEVER gets old. Lmao!!!

[@BBHood217]

'Til the day when all are one.

[@spoonimefan]

​@@BBHood217: "Till all are *guns*" *Looks at Hasbro-owned Megatron*

[@spoonimefan]

​@@BBHood217: Possible alternates now-- "Hasbro: You're/You'll be nerfed or nothin'" or "We'll Nerf you 'till your nothing"

[@judgedrekk2981]

one nerf to rule them all!

[@ElectricIguana]

The sharpshooter was sick, and surprisingly accurate. I could turn the tv off with it!

[@tonybarrett8543]

Not sure if that's a good thing for a toy 🤔 😂

[@SidBurn]

they reissued it, you can buy it brand new again (uses mega darts now)

[@popculturehero]

Earliest Nerf thing I can remember were the nerf swords with little shield targets on the wrist guard. Interesting to consider that nerf and super soaker redefined what toy guns could look like. They really shaped the esthetic of 90s toys. The colors and the high tech industrial curves, preparing for futuristic war.

[@miguelvelez7221]

As a kid of the 80's there's actually some tragic events that opened the market up for toy firearms that were so brightly colored and also so obviously not a real gun in design. The channel did cover it in depth but the short of it is that there were some accidental shootings of kids who were brandishing the then state of the art battery powered water guns made by Intertek. All models VERY convincing looking from not to far away. Very detailed and colored to look like a pulverized black coating. I owned three of their variants in the realistic color scheme. Then... Poof. They were gone off shelves. The hottest thing in neighborhood play combat was just gone. Thus we enter the Super Soaker and Nerf Gun 90's.Those two products filling a niche that had a big opening in it for some time.

[@JohnnyBGoode9]

Whoever wrote the intro deserves a firm pat on the back, there was some solid wordplay in there.

[@jerryharris6342]

Whoever wrote that outro should be suing Dan shortly.

[@WaitingtoHit]

@@jerryharris6342 Parody is protected under copyright law.

[@jerryharris6342]

@@WaitingtoHit Lawyers aren't funny.

[@WaitingtoHit]

@@jerryharris6342 I agree, but neither are jokes devoid of logic.

[@olyrhys8724]

“Hasbro: ‘til all are guns.” I see you, Dan. One of the best Toy Galaxy vids ever - and that’s a high bar😊

[@ClaudiosCollection]

Some of my favorite childhood memories were playing Nerf wars with my brother and friends. It was always a planned spectacle, and we'd prepare our Nerf blasters and ammo darts the night before. Great times. Thanks for the wicked video, Dan!

[@m00k61]

SWEET! I'm part of a modding and nerf war community. It's been an actual life saving hobby for me and I own way too many blasters lol. From high powered 3d printed designs to goofy, gimmicky Nerf brand blasters.

[@m00k61]

Also I'm 42. You're never too old to get absolutely stoked shooting a high powered and or high rate of fire blaster.

[@TenRingGaming]

I'm 48 and have a Worker Seagull carbine on the way. 😂

[@m00k61]

@@TenRingGaming turned 43 since. Still love the hobby lol

[@ArsenicPants84]

dang! I had a bunch of Nerfles when I was a kid, but until this video I had no idea what they were!

[@maxordman4100]

I’m a huge Nerf fan! I have had several Nerf guns, bouncy balls, and Super Soakers over the years. Unfortunately I don’t still have all the ones I had as a child but I do still have a strong collection. Thanks so much for doing this video! Nerf is amazing and it’s part of so many young people’s lives. I knew for sure that you would do a video about them eventually and it certainly didn’t disappoint! I will always love Nerf! My mom was never into it. It’s one of many things I’m super happy to disagree with her on!

[@johnediii]

I worked at Toys R Us in 1991 and the hottest thing was the Nerf Bow and Arrow. We couldn't keep them in stock and we actually had waiting lists. I managed to get one because I worked there.

[@designatedred]

The "Hasbro: Til All Are One" joke got me good lol. Major props.

[@barnoldo2877]

Nerf basket ball goal on the back of your bed room door was a must!!

[@ScottGladstein]

I'm watching Secret Base's massive video series on the Vikings so I was ready for the connection. Wild crossover.

[@MrColinWarde]

Wow Dan, that was a riot! 😂 you guys are excellent!

[@joeblankenship377]

That Nerf Spiral football, the one that looked like the ship from Flight of the Navigator, was one of the all-time best footballs for backyard games. Super easy to throw a solid spiral and easy to catch.

[@jonasquinn7977]

I need a movie about young Dan’s Nerf adventures

[@ZombieEater73]

I had the Nerf Boomerang back somewhere around 84. Loved it though I must have in the 6 months of owning it made a successful throw-and-catch maybe 3 times. 😁

[@TimewiseChubert]

Same here. The boomerang was super fun to make other people your target but I don’t remember doing a successful throw-and-catch. So I was wondering if it actually worked or just just a gimmick. 😂

[@nine_tails137]

The Nerf gun ads always fascinated me, because of the different ways to fire foam darts. I still remember the Nerf Arrow Storm commercial, where that one kid was going power crazy, to the point of tying another kid to a bullseye.

[@speculative]

Oh man, I forgot about Nerfals. I never had any, but I remember them by their unique expressions/ design.

[@KabutoRX]

The Nerf Bow and Arrow song is forever engraved in my head.

[@jnerdsblog]

8:30 holy crap; core memory unlocked

[@ZXaber78]

Nerf has my heart and I want it back.

[@WhispyWoods.]

The rabbit Nerfle was one of my favorite toys as a kid. What a rush to see those again.

[@madcat2296]

If I had a nickel every time I watched a video by a KZbin channel starting with "Secret" that talked about the Minnesota Vikings connection with Nerf footballs in August 2023, I'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.

[@johnm.withersiv4352]

I'll rewatch the wonderful history of Nerf a few times to be sure, but it seems to have missed Murf the Nerf mascot. Although, I'm not sure Murph has been seen since the initial announcement of the dart covered mascot in 2022. Maybe he'll be an urban legend. Maybe he never existed at all.

[@SerialK1986]

The use of the Michael Rosen "noise" clip at 4:15 caught me off guard, I thought you people at Secret Galaxy only knew how to make fart jokes and Gen X humor, I'm impressed, hehe.

[@astrozombiac3535]

3 arrows was all I needed,has to be the best outro so far

[@KnowNothingNerd]

I totally forgot about Nerfuls.... I had a few of those. Could never remember what they were called, thanks for the reminder!

[@versebuchanan512]

Not Everyone Returns Fire No Eyes= Regrettable Fun Now Ethan's REALLY Fucked

[@mjdoombreed]

Hasbro, til all are one. Even better the second time around!

[@robertthompson5084]

Kids were playing with stick guns and playing cowboys and Indians well before any advertisements on TV.

[@alexgeorge501]

"It's NERF or NOTHING!" I'll never forget that infamous catchphrase they used for some of their ads!

[@stephen3164]

I completely forgot about Nerfles! I had a couple of those - probably played with them daily for a few weeks until I lost them and then completely forgot they ever existed. There were SO MANY new toys coming out every week,it seemed that in the 80’s KB and TRU were THE place to go and see what’s new!

[@Jakk3113]

I own more than 100 Nerf blasters and belong to 3 clubs between Indianapolis and Columbus. Nerf has gone competitive with the BTA and HvZ. Short darts and 150fps+ are the future.

[@subunderground]

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed hearing the word "balls" throughout this video.

[@iamfuturetrunks]

What stinks is that we used to have those great super soakers that could hold quite a bit of water and shoot very far. Then Nerf bought up the rights and we haven't see. Any since then. I still have one of my original ones that I have used to get some hard to reach pigeons that keep crapping at one spot on out house. If I didn't have that super soaker idk what I would do to get rid of them nonleathaly.

[@jondurrett9277]

We bought a few nerf brand super soakers when all of the summer stuff was hitting the shelves. The nerf brand super soakers are horrible. The original ones could be pumped up forever and hold pressure. The new ones don't hold pressure for nothing and they leak like crazy. I miss the original super soakers.

[@Markimark151]

Nerf balls were so popular in school PE class! We used played with Nerf footballs, because they had better grip for kids! Also there was Nerf gun indoor arena for adults in my mall, before they closed it due to safety concerns.

[@bumbleguppy]

I remember we all had to have the Nerf basketball hoop with a bracket that slipped over the top of a standard interior door that came with a single orange nerf ball.

[@jeremylatham1160]

Yes my favorite pastime

[@stephen3164]

I would be scolded for being too rowdy playing nerf basketball in my room. I now have one in my room as an adult, though we hid the ball so the dog wouldn’t eat it, and immediately lost it. So now it’s just a decorative hoop.

[@bumbleguppy]

@@stephen3164 sometimes you just can't win, man :D

[@leonigama5597]

good job about The History of Nerf Series Collection

[@darktetsuya]

I remember the bow and the pump blaster (8:50) "Favorite way to simulate combat?" I was super into laser tag for a bit there was a local place called 'laser force' that had red and yellow-and-back backpacks I was always partial to the red 'firebird' one if it was available. may have to see if something like that is here where I live now!

[@bushwacka666]

Secret Galaxy continues to be educational as well as entertaining. I always thought that the bow & arrow was the only Nerf product I ever had (well, that and the "Nerf Arena Blast" video game.) But as it turns out, we also had a couple of those "Nerful" toys in the house, (I particularly remember the rabbit-looking one on the skateboard,) though I never knew what they were called or where they'd come from - I never would've imagined they were linked with Nerf. Another childhood mystery solved. Thanks guys!

[@jamesmoss3424]

I remember playing Nerf when I was a kid and it's still lots of fun today. 😀👍

[@TraumaRider]

Omg i loved my Laser Tag Setup. I wanted the helmet at one point, but Santa never got it for me.

[@Gappasaurus]

Oh man, I had so much Nerf growing up, from the plain ol’ foam ball & finger poppers to the rocket launcher tank & boomerang… 40 years later and i still have that commercial in my head 😅 🎶 _Boom, boom, boom, Nerf Boomerang!_ 🎶 9:39 Lonnie Johnson? Wasn’t that the “School of Sound Effects” guy from the _Hey Vern, It's Ernest!_ TV show? 😄 Edit: 5:33 Ahhhhh, much better 😊

[@NevTheDeranged]

You're thinking of Lonnie Don, whose range of high quality audio effects in unmatched in the business.

[@Gappasaurus]

@@NevTheDeranged Lol, yes! “You take the meaty part of your hand…” 🤣

[@btetschner]

Love that NERF foam ball and hoop and also that NERF football! NERF made everything so much more fun!

[@SuperSpeed21]

Its always Nerf or nothing. I feel like I have too much nerf blasters but at the same time, not enough.

[@billdefranza4927]

OMG, was that The Monkees? They were a HUGE influence on the Beatles. You can totally hear it.

[@rouenrobinson]

Was Peter Tork sick that day, since he missed out on the commercial?

[@SecretGalaxyTV]

He was out of the band at that time.

[@bronsonjohnson9019]

I remember having one you pumped like an air rifle, we reglued the tips on. That thing left welts.

[@libratigerpictures]

When are you guys gonna do a deep dive on JASON OF STAR COMMAND?!

[@reiddutchess9955]

Few things made me happier as a kid than a fresh nerf gun

[@CarlosLopez-oc9nh]

Wow some story behind the product thank you for the vid

[@vermontmike9800]

My Nerf boomerang always wound up on neighbors roofs.

[@itsagundam79]

The Nerf sports line should really just be rebranded ROOFS. It's all gonna end up there from a wayward toss or a sudden gust of wind.

[@SidBurn]

great summary as always, concise and detailed!

[@MrBeardsley]

Dartmouth, eh? Why am I not surprised the man behind Nerf went to a party college.

[@tranwc]

❤LMFAO! 50yrs old and still buying nerf blasters on a regular basis. My parents prohibited "war toys" growing up, so here we are.

[@QuestionMan]

Damn that Nerf Boomerang. Never could get that to work right. Thus was born my cynicism and hostility towards advertising.

[@natsune09]

Bonus Nerf fact: Nerf made the protective "wheel" that housed the camera used in 'Friday the 13th part 8: Jason Takes Manhattan' used for the POV shot of the head rolling down and into the dumpster.

[@CitrusXVA]

Growing up, I envied people with Nerf blasters. The only ones I ever got a hold of were broken ones that were otherwise thrown out. The good news is that my imagination was firing on all cylinders and that junk helped inspire the direction of stories I wrote as a kid and teenager.

[@Bflorio12]

I had the Nerf bow and arrow, the Nerf Vortex, the Nerf football, the Nerf Basketball, some version of the Nerf baseball that had a vinyl around it instead of foam and of course, the original Nerf ball.

[@Bflorio12]

oh wait, I may have had Nerf fencing swords too!

[@shawnawesome7770]

I had nerf table hockey when it came out. also indoor mini golf. Was super fun.

[@jaylerd]

One time I brought a nerge handgun onto a plan and got stopped by security. I fired it to show them they were idiots and it was a toy - dad was upset. But they let me bring it on anyway. That was a good gun.

[@AlexRFightgames]

Thanks for rescuing the cat and taking the fight back to those actually responsible. Justice.

[@gundambassexe31]

I saw several nerf commercials in the 90s to 2000s lol

[@cruxofthecookie]

I do not have dyslexia, but every time I read that word is is FREN.

[@glarryg2318]

My older brother had the Nerf bow and arrow. We would set up elaborate shooting galleries of He-Man and G.I. Joe figures and keep score, with tougher shots earning more points. We banged those arrow tips so much we had to reinforce them with duct tape, and even then they were in danger of falling apart.

[@homelee665]

What you identify as the "Nerf N-Strike" is actually the Unity Power System. It consisted of the Titan, Hornet, and Scout blasters combined. The N-Strike series had many more blasters. But overall, a great video!

[@pong86r]

completely forgot how innocent nerf used to be. but i did NOT FORGET how gaddammned great Tiger lazer tag was!

[@megagene]

This video reminded me that I had a green and white Nerf football when I was a little kid that I haven't thought about in 35 years.

[@tenebrousoul9368]

Thank you guys for fixing that glitch! Much appreciated 👍

[@bastien-]

I was waiting for a Nerf-Based "I WARNED YOU...!"

[@baditude41]

The Nerf Boomerangs were the best. I wish they still sold them in stores.

[@RogerPyoko]

I never had Nerf guns growing up, only ever playing with them at friend's houses. The closest I ever came to owning one was when Hasbro decided to have some fun with Megatron had him transform into a (non working) Nerf Maverick for their Classics line in 2006.

[@NathanMarchandAuthor]

My younger sister and I still have a tradition of ambushing each other with Nerf guns on Christmas Day.

[@xnflg3074]

ya know, i honestly never once considered how risque twister would've been when it first came out haha

[@RichLuciano1]

Years ago a friend invited me to the Red Hat building in Research Triangle Park. He told me they had a line item in its budget for Nerf guns. They had these things all over. Lots of randon gun fights.

[@azraelcales]

Had quite a few Nerf products growing up. Now that I'm an adult I go with Xshot. 😎😝

[@Matthew_Raymond]

No love for Dart Zone or BuzzBee?

[@linamishima]

One of the more bonkers Nerf things was, following the success of Unreal Tournament, there was a Nerf branded and styled deathmatch FPS game o.O

[@NevTheDeranged]

I have a huge NERF arsenal, and on my birthday I used to rent out a bouncy castle emporium and invite all my friends for a giant all out NERF war. Good times. Now I'm old and decrepit. I should probably donate my arsenal to some kids...

[@captlazer5509]

Dan was an intense kid.

[@spoonimefan]

You mean *awesome* kid!

[@captlazer5509]

@@spoonimefan awesomely *intense* as John J Rambo Jr.

[@EinDose]

Oh hello, other side of that one bit about the Nerf football in Secret Base's Minnesota Vikings series!

[@disky01]

I own quite a few Nerf guns and I appreciate your commentary on how Nerf might affect the perception of guns as toys. I have to wonder how many adults who treat their guns like toys today may have grown up with Nerf as a gateway. Not that I didn't enjoy growing up with violent '80s media but I'd wager that there are plenty of people our age who may have taken it to heart.

[@TJ52359]

I know a few gun guys who Nerf with their Kids... they instill Trigger discipline from day one

[@disky01]

@@TJ52359 Trigger discipline isn't really what I'm talking about. It's more about the lack of respect for the fact that they own a device designed for killing human beings. So many people I know who own guns seem to glorify them as if they're sports cars or video games or some other frivolous thing, when they're nowhere near the same. That is why American gun culture terrifies me. Many of the most enthusiastic fans don't have the maturity necessary for it.

[@TJ52359]

@@disky01 1st Rule of Firearms is The Gun is Loaded until YOU verify it isn't. 2nd Rule of Firearms do not point a Gun at ANYTHING you do not wish to destroy to quote Alan Ladd in Shane A gun is a tool, Marian; no better or no worse than any other tool: an axe, a shovel or anything. A gun is as good or as bad as the man using it. " So many people I know... " then you need to get to know Better people

[@startrekmike]

@@TJ52359 I know some folks who handle gun ownership pretty well but I also know some that are very much part of modern "gun culture" where they get super into the hyper-consumerist side of things while also letting the gun community dictate their politics (even outside of gun related issues). The commenter above may need to "know better people" but that doesn't change that a good chunk of the gun community (at least in America, I have no experience with gun cultures outside of that) has become unhinged and have made firearms ownership their entire political, social, and personal identity.

[@jeffersonderrickson5371]

Well, that racing parallel makes nerf herder make sense...as Lucas was a hot rod enthusiast.

[@chrislongbeard]

By the time nerf guns (ahem blasters) came out I was playing with real guns. And thanks for reminding me of nerfles, just another thing to look for on ebay

[@QuestionMan]

When it comes to guns as toys, it's Nerf or . . .well, guns, actually.

[@finish_my_projects]

Normalizing guns as toys is something we need very much again

[@sdelmonte]

Second video i have watched this month to mention Fred Cox and the Nerf football. Check out Jon Bois's history of the Minnesota Vikings and his waxing eloquent about the importance of the Nerf football to American culture.

[@RedWagonDioramas]

Well done Dan. ‘Till all are guns… really enjoyed this one.

[@kerosoldier]

My first nerf blaster was the bow and arrow. Still a fan.

[@MJRLHobbyStuff]

Man, I had the original ball shooting tube. Good times

[@redbyrd64]

Wrong laser tag commercial. The Lazer Tag that Tiger was selling was the Lazer Tag Team Ops, then the Lazer Tag Phoenix LTX, which was rebranded under the Nerf Logo.

[@SaturdayAdventures]

My brother had the bow & arrow. It was so badass.

[@j.t492]

We had one of the weirder NERF products, the NERF Fencing set.

[@jondurrett9277]

I still buy nerf blasters and im anxiously waiting for the pro stryfe to come out

[@walterlopez5054]

I'm reminded of the nerf arms race i accidentally started with a former roommate. Once upon a time I found myself drunk, in a walmart at 3 am. And on a whim bought a nerf Maverick. After a week or so of pestering my roommate with it. He went and got one of the break apart rifle sets to fight back. On my next paycheck I went and got the Vulcan and proceeded to mow him down with belt fed foam fury.

[@user-zx8de8op9l]

I was 15 years old when the Nerf gun came out. My 7 year younger brother never had one I don't think. I had the basketball hoop, football, soccer ball, and ping pong, baseball. I do remember the Vortex football.

[@RandomEntry13013]

It's weird that what nerf IS has changed, (bars, balls, guns, game patches) but its meaning has basically stayed the same, making something dangerous safer. Think about it, won't you?

[@benjaminmuratore9341]

I had a nerf gun growing up. It was one I remembered seeing commercials for on television, and to fire it you had to cock it like a shotgun, though it only fired one dart at a time. Also, am I the only one who finds it strange that's there's never been any kind of nerf cartoon or tv show? You would think they'd have made one during the 80's or 90's, but there was nothing. Even the early/mid 2000's would've been a sensible time for one. Heck, talk of a nerf feature film would probably make perfect sense at this point.

[@bethetroubleyouwant]

I love that video games took the brunt of why violence was in the rise with kids but not Literal Guns for KIDS!