Nerfuls

"They're a ball to be around!"

Nerfuls is a series of Nerf figurines and playsets that began in 1985.

Details
Nerfuls are small, bouncy balls with faces and personalities. They can be customized and accessories with included clothing-style accessories, such as hats and outfits. They can also be placed onto additional accessories, like skateboards, trucks, and beds, in order to be played with.

On the back of their packaging, it is explained that Nerfuls are from the planet Erf, having traveled here to play with kids.

Two launcher-type accessories were released to be used with Nerfuls: the Spinner and the Bopper.

History
At the time of the Nerfuls series of products, the Nerf brand was being produced by Parker-Kenner Products, with both production companies having been merged together by General Mills. As such, releases in the United States were marked with the Parker Brothers logo, while in Europe, they had the Kenner Products logo.

For a limited time in 1989, four Nerfuls (Bitsy Ball, Fetch, Scratch, and Officer Bob) were available in Burger King kids meals.

Another promotion was done through General Mills (who owned the Nerf brand at the time) and Cheerios. One Nerful was included with marked boxes of Cheerios, unique to the promotion.

A second set of Nerfuls was planned to be released, but was ultimately scrapped. Some of these products were produced, but not sold in stores. One planned Nerful, Honey Bear, was included as a mail-order exclusive in Europe, after the second wave was cancelled.

Trivia

 * Many Nerful characters were named after Parker Brothers workers working on the series.
 * Some Nerfuls have different names outside of the United States. This includes:
 * Astro, Europe (Captain Nerfuls)
 * Benny Ball (Budd Ball)
 * Bessie Ball (Bitsy Ball)
 * Billy Ball (Bart Ball)
 * Bobby (Officer Bob)
 * Stewie (Stevie)
 * Additionally, many accessories and products had alternate names for international release:
 * Buggy (Soft Convertible)
 * Fire Truck (Soft Fire Truck)
 * Village (Round Town Village)
 * Caravan (Round Town Camper)