Bow:Nerf Rebelle | Heartbreaker Bow

Reyn Guyer, developer of Milton-Bradley's popular Twister floor game, sought to create a similar game involving a Stone-Age theme, stepping stones, play money, and soft, light "rocks" made of foam and used to ward off one's opponents. The game was never developed, but Guyer discovered that the "rock" he fashioned from mattress foam worked great as an indoor, too-light-to-harm-anything game ball. Parker Brothers, the game manufacturer released the Nerf Ball in 1969. The late 1980s, Parker Brothers bagan releasing Nerf Blasters--gadgets that projected Nerf darts and disks into the air. In 2014, Nerf developed blasters designed in pinks and purples specifically to appeal to girls. Called Nerf Rebelle, these blasters represent a trend in toy manufacture that repurposes traditional boy-oriented weapons into toys that reflect the new heroines of pop culture. Princesses are passe. The new heroines, Katniss of the "Hunger Games," the Black Widow of "The Avengers," and Tris of "Divergent," take charge and aim and shoot. Nerf's bow and arrow, called Heartbreaker, and its pristol-like Sweet Revenge Blaster encourage girls to express aggression--suitably styled in pink, gold trim, and swirls, of course.