Vintage 1990 Parker Brothers NERF Bow N' Arrow with original arrow missiles

Great condition with two correct, original arrow darts and fully functioning! This is the VERY FIRST non-ball projectile toy NERF ever released. We also have another one IOB, super clean, fully functioning, with three original arrow missiles. Here's the backstory on why the 1990 NERF Bow 'N Arrow is such a critically important branch in NERF evolution.

We now have two pre-teen boys in our chaotic house. NERF guns are huge. Next to LEGOs (many thanks to Ole Kirk Christensen), NERF guns are everything to our boys. So this got us wondering . . . when did NERF guns come out? We decided to explore this subject and put up some memories for everyone to reminisce and enjoy.

WE certainly didn't grow up with NERF guns. Born in 1972, I distinctly remember getting NERF foam balls in their little boxes and thinking this was amazing stuff. Then footballs, and basketballs, daaaaaaaaaam! We had no idea. The first NERF blaster was made in 1989 while I was filling out college applications, fully nineteen years after the creation of the humble NERF Ball of my youth. I missed the boat on the whole NERF gun thing til my kiddos now. But I have seen the light!

Anyhoo, the first NERF device to fire a round of any kind was the 1989 Blast-a-Ball, which fired balls by pumping the carrying handle forwards. NERF released a sequel blaster the next year, which held more balls than the Blast-a-Ball. In '91 they released the SlingShot. We have most all of these available here in our shop. Ball blasters became a staple of the Nerf arsenal at that point in time.

Back to the history . . . In '90 NERF introduced its first missile/non-ball firing toy, this here Bow 'N Arrow set. This is the first booger to crawl out of NERF's primordial ooze on its way to becoming the ubiquitous maker of toy foam dart guns. The ball blasters were the first simple organisms swimming in the ooze, but the Bow 'N Arrow was the first to crawl out and begin the real evolution.

NERF continued to make ball-firing devices for a little while thereafter, including the '94 Ripsaw Blaster (we have several of those as well), etc. Then NERF went all in in '92 with the release of its first "gun," so to speak. The first NERF blaster to use a form of dart was the Sharpshooter, a 50s-sci-fi-looking pea shooter which fired foam darts with small fins on the ends. The Sharpshooter proved to be incredibly popular, and began NERF's production of dart blasters, or "guns" such as those over which I am constantly tripping all over our house.

Missiles had less of an impact on the product line in the early '90s, so are comparatively more rare. Very few NERF blasters, such as the Missilestorm, NB-1 Missile Blaster, '93 Pocket Rocket, and the 1994 Nerf Action Switchfire, were compatible with NERF's missiles. The majority of these missile shooters also received very negative reviews, leading to their demise in favor of arrow- or dart-firing blasters. The ball shooters like this Slingshot also quickly fell by the wayside once the demand for NERF "guns" took off in '92.

At the end of the day this Bow 'N Arrow is an important part of any NERF collection. We have this loose example priced for a nice entry point.