Nerful
Encyclopedia
Nerfuls were a line of toy figures
produced by Parker Brothers
in the 1980s
. They were typically constructed of three or four pieces including a spherical vinyl
head and a bowl-shaped body in which the head would sit. The web has a few sites devoted to serving collectors
of this product line of toys, and the figures can still be bought at internet auction sites.
submitted a series of patents which would later become known as the Nerfuls.
The tag line for this product line was "They're a ball to be around!"
According to their marketing
, Nerfuls are a "group of bouncy, colorful little creatures who love fast action and great fun! They've traveled far from their tiny planet
, Erf, just so they can roll around, bounce around, and always be around children. Make Nerfuls your friend and keep the good times rolling!"
"When you take away the top and bottom of any Nerfuls 3-piece figure you'll have a real ball. Each round little face is a ball for rolling, spinning, tossing and catching. But what makes Nerfuls even more fun to be around is the way you can take them apart and put them together in all sorts of silly ways!"
Barty Ball - Father of the Ball family
Betty Ball - Mother of the Ball family
Bitsy Ball - Teenage Daughter
Budy Ball - Son of the Ball family
Oficial Boby - Sunglasses wearing policeman
Michy - Cool cat
Billy Ball - Father of the Ball family
Betty Ball - Mother of the Ball family
Bessie Ball - Teenage Daughter
Benny Ball - Son of the Ball family
Bobby - Sunglasses wearing policeman
Scratch - Cool cat who plays tricks on Fetch
Fetch - Budd Ball's true-blue ball terrier
Astro - Commander of the Erf to Earth Shuttle
Bart Ball - Father of the Ball family
Betty Ball - Mother of the Ball family
Bitsy Ball - Teenage Daughter
Budd Ball - Son of the Ball family
Officer Bob - Sunglasses wearing policeman
Scratch - Cool cat who plays tricks on Fetch
Fetch - Budd Ball's true-blue ball terrier
Captain Nerfuls - Commander of the Erf to Earth Shuttle
on skates
Speedy with Tricycle - Wannabe Hero on a trike
Frankie with Wagon - Daredevil on a red wagon
Stewie the Rabbit - Smart-alec rabbit on skateboard
According to their marketing, "Nerfuls On Wheels are fast movers! Snap on any Nerfuls 3-piece figure and they're off and rolling."
There were four Nerfuls On Wheels. Each one was just like the original 3-piece Nerfuls, only with an added toy to ride on. Stewie was known as Stevie in the UK set.
offer Nerfuls. The first one offered was simply named "13th Character". This came from him literally being the 13th Nerful in production as he came after the eight original Nerfuls and the four Nerfuls On Wheels. he is referred to by collectors as "Visor Guy" because of his blue visor
. Tumbles the Gymnast was offered in 1987 and Honey Bear just after that (exclusively in the UK).
There were also plans for a second series of four Nerfuls On Wheels which again never made it any further than trade show production. This set included Goggles with skiis, Baby Nerfuls with Buggy, Captain Kook with Bathtub and Road Hog with Pork Chopper.
Sparky the Nerful came riding in the Fire Truck and Windy cruised in the Convertible (in the UK, Windy's vehicle was called a Buggy).
Other Vehicles included the Round Town Camper (known as the Caravan in the UK) which came with the Rocking Rowboat and Campy the Nerful. There was also the Round Town Rescue Squad, which came complete with a Fire Station, figure Action Launcher, Safety Net, Wagon, Fire Extinguisher and Action Slide.
Nerfuls - one each of the brother and the sister.
Action figure
An action figure is a posable character figurine, made of plastic or other materials, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, video game, or television program. These action figures are usually marketed towards boys and male collectors...
produced by Parker Brothers
Parker Brothers
Parker Brothers is a toy and game manufacturer and brand. Since 1883, the company has published more than 1,800 games; among their best known products are Monopoly, Cluedo , Sorry, Risk, Trivial Pursuit, Ouija, Aggravation, and Probe...
in the 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
. They were typically constructed of three or four pieces including a spherical vinyl
Polyvinyl chloride
Polyvinyl chloride, commonly abbreviated PVC, is a thermoplastic polymer. It is a vinyl polymer constructed of repeating vinyl groups having one hydrogen replaced by chloride. Polyvinyl chloride is the third most widely produced plastic, after polyethylene and polypropylene. PVC is widely used in...
head and a bowl-shaped body in which the head would sit. The web has a few sites devoted to serving collectors
Collecting
The hobby of collecting includes seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining whatever items are of interest to the individual collector. Some collectors are generalists, accumulating merchandise, or stamps from all countries of the world...
of this product line of toys, and the figures can still be bought at internet auction sites.
Introduction
In the mid 1980s, Bonnie ZacherleBonnie Zacherle
Bonnie D. Zacherle is an American illustrator and designer who now resides in Warrenton, Virginia. She is the daughter of US Army Col. George H. Zacherle, Jr. and Betty Jane Zacherle of Carlisle, PA...
submitted a series of patents which would later become known as the Nerfuls.
The tag line for this product line was "They're a ball to be around!"
According to their marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
, Nerfuls are a "group of bouncy, colorful little creatures who love fast action and great fun! They've traveled far from their tiny planet
Planet
A planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
, Erf, just so they can roll around, bounce around, and always be around children. Make Nerfuls your friend and keep the good times rolling!"
"When you take away the top and bottom of any Nerfuls 3-piece figure you'll have a real ball. Each round little face is a ball for rolling, spinning, tossing and catching. But what makes Nerfuls even more fun to be around is the way you can take them apart and put them together in all sorts of silly ways!"
3-piece Characters
There were eight characters in the original series of Nerfuls. The UK had slightly different names from the USA. In Argentina there were only six characters released (no Astro or Fetch). They were made out of slightly harder plastic, weren't painted as well and some colors differed. Three of them also came on skates (like Katie from Nerfuls On Wheels). On the boxes the skates were all yellow, but seem to be either blue or red. Also, Barty's head was actually Fetch's!Barty Ball - Father of the Ball family
Betty Ball - Mother of the Ball family
Bitsy Ball - Teenage Daughter
Budy Ball - Son of the Ball family
Oficial Boby - Sunglasses wearing policeman
Michy - Cool cat
Billy Ball - Father of the Ball family
Betty Ball - Mother of the Ball family
Bessie Ball - Teenage Daughter
Benny Ball - Son of the Ball family
Bobby - Sunglasses wearing policeman
Scratch - Cool cat who plays tricks on Fetch
Fetch - Budd Ball's true-blue ball terrier
Astro - Commander of the Erf to Earth Shuttle
Bart Ball - Father of the Ball family
Betty Ball - Mother of the Ball family
Bitsy Ball - Teenage Daughter
Budd Ball - Son of the Ball family
Officer Bob - Sunglasses wearing policeman
Scratch - Cool cat who plays tricks on Fetch
Fetch - Budd Ball's true-blue ball terrier
Captain Nerfuls - Commander of the Erf to Earth Shuttle
Four Piece Nerfuls on wheels
Katie with Skates - TomboyTomboy
A tomboy is a girl who exhibits characteristics or behaviors considered typical of the gender role of a boy, including the wearing of typically masculine-oriented clothes and engaging in games and activities that are often physical in nature, and which are considered in many cultures to be the...
on skates
Speedy with Tricycle - Wannabe Hero on a trike
Frankie with Wagon - Daredevil on a red wagon
Stewie the Rabbit - Smart-alec rabbit on skateboard
According to their marketing, "Nerfuls On Wheels are fast movers! Snap on any Nerfuls 3-piece figure and they're off and rolling."
There were four Nerfuls On Wheels. Each one was just like the original 3-piece Nerfuls, only with an added toy to ride on. Stewie was known as Stevie in the UK set.
Exclusive Mail-Order Characters
There were three exclusive Mail OrderMail order
Mail order is a term which describes the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote method such as through a telephone call or web site. Then, the products are delivered to the customer...
offer Nerfuls. The first one offered was simply named "13th Character". This came from him literally being the 13th Nerful in production as he came after the eight original Nerfuls and the four Nerfuls On Wheels. he is referred to by collectors as "Visor Guy" because of his blue visor
Visor
A visor is a surface that protects the eyes, such as shading them from the sun or other bright light or protecting them from objects....
. Tumbles the Gymnast was offered in 1987 and Honey Bear just after that (exclusively in the UK).
Extremely Rare Characters
There were plans for a second series of four 3-piece Nerfuls that never made it any further than the trade shows. They included Honey Bear, Karate Chip, Princess Deb and Tina TooToo. Honey Bear was the only one from this series to make it into small production (as a mail-in figure).There were also plans for a second series of four Nerfuls On Wheels which again never made it any further than trade show production. This set included Goggles with skiis, Baby Nerfuls with Buggy, Captain Kook with Bathtub and Road Hog with Pork Chopper.
Round Town Village
When the Nerfuls arrived from Erf, they moved right into their new home called Round Town Village. The Nerfuls Round Town Action Playset was an inclusive playset with the Nerfuls Round House, Pet Store & Police Station. It also came with the Nerfuls Spinning Cafe, Round Trip Elevator, Action Slides, Round Windows and its own Nerful, "Ned the Neighbour".Vehicles
There were two Soft Vehicle Nerfuls which included a 2-piece Nerful and accompanying vehicle.Sparky the Nerful came riding in the Fire Truck and Windy cruised in the Convertible (in the UK, Windy's vehicle was called a Buggy).
Other Vehicles included the Round Town Camper (known as the Caravan in the UK) which came with the Rocking Rowboat and Campy the Nerful. There was also the Round Town Rescue Squad, which came complete with a Fire Station, figure Action Launcher, Safety Net, Wagon, Fire Extinguisher and Action Slide.
Accessories
There were two small playsets made for the Nerfuls, the Bopper and the Spinner (each came with a Nerfuls ball-face). Additional accessories included a Card Game, Belly Floppers Game, Books, Puzzles, Storybook & Cassette. There were also two plushPlush
Plush is a textile having a cut nap or pile the same as fustian or velvet.Originally the pile of plush consisted of mohair or worsted yarn, but now silk by itself or with a cotton backing is used for plush, the distinction from velvet being found in the longer and less dense pile of plush...
Nerfuls - one each of the brother and the sister.