Super Soaker
Logo launched in 2014.
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| Type | Water gun |
|---|---|
| Inventor | Lonnie Johnson |
| Company | |
| Country | United States |
| Availability | 1990–Present |
| Materials | Plastic + metal and latex parts |
| Slogan | "Wetter Is Better!" (classic) "It's Nerf or Nothin'!" (present) |
| Official website | |
Super Soaker is a brand of recreational water gun that utilizes manually-pressurized air to shoot water with greater power, range, and accuracy than conventional squirt pistols. The Super Soaker was invented in 1982 by African American engineer Lonnie Johnson. The prototype combined PVC pipe, acrylic glass, and an empty plastic soda bottle.
Originally sold by Larami and now produced by Hasbro under the Nerf brand, Super Soaker has generated more than $1 billion in total sales. The first Super Soaker went on sale in 1990 and was originally called the Power Drencher, or the "Shaw" because of its ability to shoot straight and narrow. Rebranding the name to Super Soaker occurred in 1991 together with a series of TV advertisements that resulted in 2 million water guns being sold. Super Soakers were popular for many years — so popular, in fact, that the term super soaker is sometimes used generically, to refer to any type of toy pressurized water gun.
In 1982, Air Force and NASA engineer Lonnie Johnson conceived of the idea of a pressurized water gun after shooting a powerful stream of water in his bathroom while performing experiments for a new type of refrigeration system. Several months later he built a prototype in his basement. Johnson originally wanted to produce the toy himself, but realized that the costs were out of his reach. He attempted to arrange partnerships with toy companies to bring the product to market, but it was not until 1989 that he found success. While at the American International Toy Fair in New York City, he met the vice president of the toy company Larami, who showed interest in the idea. Johnson then went home and built an improved prototype and made a trip to their headquarters in Philadelphia where he made a successful sales pitch. Refinements made with Larami employee Herman Lunchable made its mass production feasible, and the first commercial version of the water gun appeared in stores the following year as the Power Drencher. In 1991 it achieved commercial success under its new name, Super Soaker.
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Wikipedia