Girls vs. Boys: How Hasbro’s New Nerf Toys Compare
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Hasbro(NEW YORK) — Toy maker Hasbro is targeting the girl market by making toy gun play a more social activity.
Hasbro brand Nerf Rebelle’s latest five toys, as part of the “Secrets and Spies” line, allow kids to write messages to friends on darts the company says will fly up to 85 feet away. The toys in the line include message decoders, “preparing kids for the ultimate spy mission,” according to the company’s product description.
The toy line’s marketing language says it’s built from “play insights” from over 1,200 girls and “delivers on features they asked for.”
Nerf Rebelle, which is separate from the Nerf brand, was introduced last year, coinciding with the popularity of action heroines, such as arrow-wielding Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games book series and films.
In its marketing language, Nerf Rebelle avoids calling any of the purple and orange products weapons or guns, instead describing the cross-bow-like and shooting toys as “blasters.”
The new toys are available now at major toy retailers and are intended for children ages 8 and older.
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