The Accuracy of the Nerf Super Soaker Logo .:
By: iSoaker.com | Posted: 20140211
The Revolution
1991 Super Soaker 50 Logo Art
The Super Soaker brand changed the world of water warfare thanks to the revolutionary, pressurized Super Soaker 50 and its many subsequent variants.
Logo from 1993 Super Soaker packaging
Even the branding and logo highlights the fact that these water blasters used "Air Pressure" and came witha "OFFICIAL Seal of Quality" on every box.
During the rise of the Constant Pressure Series which, to many water warfare enthusiast, signifies the current pinnacle in stock water warfare technoloogy, little had changed with the underlying Super Soaker logo.
Logo from 1998 Super Soaker material
Notable new water blaster designs from 1998 include the Super Soaker CPS 3000 and Super Soaker CPS 1500.
However, unbeknownst to the water warfare community during the time, the ones in charge of developing the original Super Soaker models had a limited contract and were eventually relieved of their roles for the 2003 Super Soaker line.
Logo from 2003 Super Soaker material
2003 was also the year of the E.E.S. Series. The Super Soaker logo also saw its first major change since its beginning back in 1991. While the logo lost some of its original brightness, the water blasters in 2003 had lost of their previous power.
Over the next several years, the Super Soaker brand seemed to be having an identity crisis. The logo went through some new iteration every other year or so. I recall some members of the water warfare community commenting on the newer Super Soaker logos, believing that bigger, better changes were in store and that they were glad that Super Soaker had finally ditched their original colors.
2004 Super Soaker Logo
Notable new water blaster designs for 2004 include the Super Soaker Triple Aggressor and Super Soaker Hydro Blade.
2006 Super Soaker Logo
Notable new water blaster designs for 2006 include the Super Soaker Defender and Super Soaker Oozinator.
2008 Super Soaker Logo
Notable new water blaster designs released in 2008 were the Super Soaker Quick Blast and Super Soaker Bottle Shot.
Who would have guessed that shedding the original logo would be tied to shedding water blaster performance?
Nerf Appears
2010 Super Soaker Logo
2010 Nerf Logo on Super Soaker Product Packaging
While not apparent in the above logo capture, 2010 was the first year that the Nerf logo appeared, albeit separate on the packaging. This was tied to the release of new water blaster designs like the Nerf Super Soaker Shot Blast and Nerf Super Soaker Rattler.
2014 Nerf Super Soaker Logo
As can be seen, for 2014, "Super Soaker" is now fully captured by Nerf branding in its logo styling. For this year, we have water blasters like the Nerf Super Soaker Tri-Strike Crossbow and Nerf Super Soaker Hydrostorm.
What's in a Name?
According to the Urban Dictionary, "Nerf" is defined as "To make worse or weaken, usually in the context of weakening something in order to balance out a game." This definition likely rises from the fact that Nerf began as being soft, foam-based toys that offered children a means to play with items whose actual counterparts are not necessarily as kid-friendly. For the Super Soaker brand, not only has its name been Nerf-ed, but their performance compared to te original Super Soaker brand water blasters appears to be Nerf-ed as well.
The 2014 Nerf Super Soaker product line is the worst insult thusfar to the online water warfare community that developed during the rise of the original Super Soaker brand. Not only are there absolutely no pressurized water blasters for the 2014 Nerf Super Soaker line, but even their pump-action blasters have performance issues.
As can be seen by the evolution of the logo above tied to the loss of water blaster performance in the line, the Nerf Super Soaker logo truly reflects its products. With the "Super Soaker" brand a truly Nerfed version of its former self, I would not be surprised to see the logo to continue diminishing its "Super Soaker" side. Of course, should Hasbro Inc. decide, it has the capability to create great water blasters again truly worthy of the "Super Soaker" name, but we can only hope with a dose of wishful thinking.
