27 replies to this topic

[Viper]

I'm confused as to the origins of the brand name nerf. I've seen french movie titles with the word nerf in it and buffy also known as nerf herder. But I really have no clue what it means.

[NerfMonkey]

Maybe it was just made up. It doesn't necessarily have to have any connection with anything. Maybe it stands for something. Maybe it does have something to do with French. I have no idea. But things don't always have to have any meaning, right? It just wouldn't be the same if they were called "Merf guns," now would it?

[Langley]

It may be like Kodak, which was a brand name specially engineered to mean nothing.

[parmaster320]

Hey maybe you're going somewhere with that French thing. After all, French backwards is hcnerf. I don't know, I just notice things like that.

[3nerfiteers]

Some sort of Abbriviation, National Education Research forum, New Economy Research forum. I think there is some military abbreviation to it too. What was the name of that website where you could find the abbreviatation of words?

[Gamefreak]

Some sort of Abbriviation, National Education Research forum, New Economy Research forum. I think there is some military abbreviation to it too. What was the name of that website where you could find the abbreviatation of words.

Plop

Edited by Gamefreak, 04 March 2005 - 05:58 PM.

[Arcanis]

Dictionary.com listing

[okto]

I've seen french movie titles with the word nerf in it and buffy also known as nerf herder. But I really have no clue what it means.

'Nerf' means nerve in French.

[last man standin]

Hmm... Maybe the company is owned by a Nuerotic, European, Riddling Fanatic, who thought of what I just said and, liking riddles, named his company after it, but didn't tell anyone.

[nerfcrusader]

perhaps it was a family name, I highly doubt it though.

[okto]

Perhaps it just sounded good and foam-y.
Tylenol doesn't mean anything. Neither does Pepsi. Brand names don't have to have any sort of etymology or meaning.

[Tinkerer]

  After all, French backwards is hcnerf.  I don't know, I just notice things like that.

Well, Embargo spelled backwards is "o grab me"

In star wars, a Nerf is some kind of livestock

I remember "Nerf" being refered to as some kind of substance, I don't remember where though.

[One Man Clan]

Straight from the horses mouth.....

One of Parker Brothers' most successful ventures in the seventies 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 executives decided to eliminate everything but the foam ball. In 1970 the NERF® Ball was introduced as the "world's first official indoor ball." It didn't harm furniture, windows or people.

Obviously, the ball filled a strong consumer need since by the year's end, more than four million NERF balls had been sold.

Parker Brothers wasn't about to stop. 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 "King of the Gridiron" and the largest selling football in the world. The company continued to add to the NERF® line until they handed the "ball" to Kenner Products, a sister company, in 1991.


http://www.hasbro.co.../dn/default.cfm

ALSO, in the early days Dr. Lonnie Johnson, the inventor of Super Soaker, was resposible for the design and other R&D of nerf blasters. Nowadays the awesome team at Hasbro has stepped it up to design and develop the Nerf lines we love so much.

Edited by One Man Clan, 04 March 2005 - 10:21 PM.

[MattPaintballer]

Nerf is another word for foam. This started I think when the company made those indoor pocket footballs? For example, "Hey, look at that nerf pillow!" Also, nerf is a slang-ish verb that means to diminish, make worse, or lower value. "Dude, why did Blizzard nerf the damage on the Marine? Now it's useless to get them!" Nerf Herder, a compound word including Nerf, is a noun referring to some dumbass who thinks he is a musician. In this context, the word 'nerf' should not be capitalized because that dork is giving us REAL Nerfers a bad name.

[Viper]

For all of those ebayers out there: Why do we have nerf bars for trucks? Where did that name originate. I think nerf being reffered to as a substance was that physics paper the guy wrote about it. This discussion is very insightful and fruitful, keep up othe good work fellas!

Edited by Viper, 05 March 2005 - 12:16 AM.

[Renegade]

Here is an interview with the guy who developed the name and concept for Nerf. It doesn't say what it means though.

Edited by Renegade, 05 March 2005 - 12:39 AM.

[parmaster320]

Hey Viper, I know what you mean on those nerf bar things. It pisses me off when I'm searching for Nerf guns on ebay and like 1000 auctions come up for nerf bars. I don't even know what they are and I don't have a truck so I don't care. They are stealing our awesome name.

[AirApache]

I think "Nerf" refers to the biochemical substance carboxyl-ethylonoglonerferate-19, a normally extremely dense substance, but when its expanded through an oxidizing process, it creates this sort of squishy substance, and the manufacturers cut it to the shape that suits them.

Just a guess.

AA

[THIRST]

Known but not loved on dozens of worlds, the humble nerf has a deserved reputation as a smelly, ill-tempered beast that resists herding, despite zoologists' insistence in classifying it as a herd animal. Though they fight among themselves almost as much as they fight their keepers, they do tend toward herd behavior, standing together for comfort and safety against predators.

Nerfs rarely grow over a meter and a half long, but their horns and powerful kicks still make them worthy of respect among ranchers. The species originated on Alderaan, but the exquisite taste of nerf steaks and the nerfs' adaptability soon allowed herders to transplant herds onto several Core Worlds and well into the colony systems. Production increased to meet demand for all the Core systems, but nerf meat and wool rarely make it out into the Mid Rim or beyond. Planets farther out usually have their own local favorites, and most ranchers would rather raise banthas who have gentler dispositions and are gentler on the nose.

Mountain Grown Variety
The nerfs on the rocky colony planet of Fennesa have adapted to the mountainous terrain over their several thousand years there. More nimble than their flatland cousins, these nerfs live on the rocky mountain slopes, eating the grass and thistled scrubs that grow between rocks. While the typical "plains" nerf is kept in pens and let out to pasture only when necessary, nerf herders of the mountainous persuasion leave their herds out nearly year-round. They usually keep rams and ewes on separate mountains as a safety precaution, but by using their sticks to keep a herd on its own mountain, the herders keep them corralled and protected from predators with topography.

Getting nerfs off the mountain for shearing or slaughter is (no pun intended) the downside to this scheme. Mountain nerfs are incorrigible hiders. Most Fennesa mountains are riddled with shallow caves and rocky overhangs, where the nerfs hide for weeks. This isn't a problem until herders have to drive the herd down to the barns for shearing and health inspections. Some herders have experimented with tracking devices, but most still do it the old-fashioned way: hunting the nerfs down one by one, dragging them out of their holes, and sending them on to the herd below.

Fighting within a herd is more dangerous on elevated terrain. The nerf rams seldom hurt each other while butting heads, but the Fennesa Nerf Herding Council estimates that each year about 5.6 rams out of a thousand are lost due to falls. Although herders clear a mountain of predators before they release a herd onto it, the occasional wounded or dead ram at the bottom attracts scavengers who also enjoy a good nerf steak (very rare).

A healthy mountain nerf can defend itself from these nuisances with its horns, its surprisingly powerful kicks, and its spittle. Mountain nerf spittle is not only foul smelling but also slightly acidic, leaving a sting and a red mark on the unlucky target.

Once their primary weapons have been deployed, nerfs prefer to bolt away from unfamiliar creatures. On loose rock, this has been known to start landslides. Animal behaviorists disagree on whether this is an intentional defense ploy by the mountain nerfs. Most predators prefer to attack from above, making the ploy useless. On the other hand, the nerfs are quick and show a willingness to run past predators to reach higher ground. Whether this is clever or stupid remains debatable.

And there you have it, the nerf.

THIRST

LIGHTNING BOLT!! LIGHTNING BOLT!!

Edited by THIRST, 05 March 2005 - 10:51 AM.

[okto]

EDIT
Sorry, there was unnecessary stuff here.

Edited by okto, 06 March 2005 - 02:32 PM.

[NerfMonkey]

Geez, cool down. So it definitely doesn't mean anything, then okto?

[AirApache]

okto, you're obviously mistaken. Did you not read my post?

[okto]

Nope. Read as far as nerf bars, saw THIRST's big long post about animals, and that's all.
I stand corrected. My apologies.

Edited by okto, 06 March 2005 - 02:33 PM.

[flamebo388]

Actully, THIRST's post was about the nerfs in star wars I believe, which is basicly a new name for cows or rams in star wars. Makes no sense to us nerfers but to those who know more about star wars than in just whats in the movies it's perfectly logical. I happen to have read alot of the books and theres a few mentions of nerf herds in them.

[Talio]

Alright read OMC's post, he explains it. Someone invented the certian type of foam and called it Nerf, so do us all a favor and let this topic die.

Okto, this is your last chance. If I see one more dick post from you, you're gonna be spending alot of time at NHQ.

http://www.answers.com/nerf&r=67

Thats what google says it is. So just stop this nonsence babbling.

Talio.

PS. Thrist - Why you....two faced...scruffy looking....nerf hearder!