Source: Anstoy

Last week, Hasbro made headlines after the company unveiled its NERF Pro GelFire Mythic blaster, its entry into a growing category of toy blasters that release projectile rounds made of super absorbent polymer (essentially, gel).

While Hasbro says that its blasters contain patented technology to set them apart from others on the market, the category of “gel blasters,” “bead blasters,” or “gel bead blasters” is hardly new — but the buzz surrounding the entry of a major toymaker into the category legitimized it and secured mainstream interest in what has, until recently, been a fringe effort.

While its exact origins are muddy, the gel blaster category first began to make waves in South Asia, Australia, and New Zealand around 2018. In the U.S., companies such as Gel Blaster and SplatRball launched in 2020, followed by Anstoy and Gel Storm. Prime Time Toys — manufacturer of Dart Zone — launched its own brand, Hydro Strike, this spring.

Now, recent events, including clashes between police and individuals “armed” with toy blasters, have drawn eyes to the category just as it’s starting to catch on, and that could lead to major trouble in the toy department.

Source: NYPD

On July 21, the New York Police Department (NYPD) issued a statement banning bead blasters in New York City by categorizing them as air rifles similar to an Airsoft gun.

Bead Blasters shoot gel water beads propelled by a spring-loaded air pump, making them an air rifle. Air rifles are a violation in NYC & are unlawful to possess.

Violators found in possession of these will be issued a criminal summons & the weapon will be confiscated.

NYPD

The statement, which uses an image of the SplatRball SRB400 Full- and Semi-Automatic Water Bead Blaster (sold at Walmart), comes alongside news that an off-duty corrections officer was charged with murder after shooting a Bronx teenager who was brandishing a bead blaster that was mistaken for an actual firearm. The SRB400 was also at the center of an incident in Minnesota in which four teens were charged with disorderly conduct for allegedly firing water beads at a high school basketball team.

Just last week, a Georgia teen was indicted for bringing — and firing — a SplatRball blaster to school, and Cleveland Police released a statement that a bead blaster of some type may have played a role in a murder last month.

Source: Ocala Police Department

Back in March, the Ocala Police Department in Ocala, Florida, issued a warning after a viral TikTok challenge dubbed the “Orbeez Challenge,” named for Spin Master’s super-absorbent Orbeez beads [Editor’s note: Spin Master does not make blasters, but Orbeez’s former owner, The Maya Group, once marketed a blaster under the Xploderz brand back in 2012.], led to injuries and arrests. Just a day later, a teen in Clovis, California was charged with a hate crime involving the use of a similar blaster.

An Anstoy marketing handout touts blasters based on the AK-47 and M4 machine guns. | Source: Anstoy

One big issue at hand is that while most of the products in the category, including those offered by NERF and Gel Blaster, are unmistakably toys, there are some companies that are manufacturing toys that appear to be genuine firearms.

There is a major difference in approach and marketing.

The tech-driven, sci-fi-inspired Gel Blaster Starfire | Source: Gel Blaster

“We are all about getting kids outside off their devices — nothing violent — nothing that looks like a gun,” says Steve Starobinsky, chief revenue officer and sales team lead at Gel Blaster, the first company to make a big push into the U.S. market two years ago following a successful Kickstarter launch and continued retail rollout.

“At Gel Blaster, we are committed to encouraging gameplay between family and friends through the use of our tech-driven, sci-fi-designed blasters,” Starobinsky says. “Our blasters have been cognitively designed to encourage fantasy play in a non-threatening manner. It saddens us to see this exciting new addition to outdoor gameplay take on a negative image. Through proper gameplay, our blasters can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Our hearts go out to any and all families who have been negatively impacted by any product from this new category in the toy market.”

If any of this sounds familiar, it might be because the toy industry has faced similar challenges relating to toy blasters for decades.

Most notably, the long-defunct LJN famously marketed a line of ultra-realistic water blasters under the Entertech brand, complete with the tagline: “The look! The feel! The sound! So real!” The line, which debuted in 1985, was marred by controversy after several kids were killed by police officers while playing with their toys and robbers used Entertech water guns in California and Boston.

The Entertech problems led to the common adoption of orange tips on toy guns and blasters while LJN later opted to produce Entertech products in a variety of non-realistic color schemes.

In response to recent events and the NYPD ban on gel bead blasters, SplatRball republished the NYPD image on its social media platforms and updated its website with a warning on the homepage:

WARNING: Do not take SplatRBall Blasters to any school or federal properties. Do not aim at or blast people or animals. Do not brandish or paint SplatRBall blasters to look like a firearm.

SplatRBall

Gel-based water bead blasters are designed to give kids and families of all ages an outdoor play option, just like foam dart blasters, water blasters, or laser tag games. The question becomes whether the recent rash of misuse by bad actors results in a swift end to the category.

Australia’s Gold Coast Bulletin recently said that “ultra-realistic gel blasters” are “a deadly threat,” and the NYPD tweeted an assortment of blasters that were confiscated over the weekend, including an Anstoy Desert Eagle that had its orange tip and safety clips removed.

Segway’s Ninebot Mecha Kit fires “toy water bullets” from dual, side-mounted, trigger-activated blaster cannons. | Source: Segway

In the meantime, the water bead category continues to evolve. Segway offers a Ninebot Mecha Kit that turns a scooter into a mobile “tank” of sorts that blasts “toy water bullets” from dual, side-mounted blaster cannons.

The Toy Book will continue to monitor developments within the category and report with future updates.

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.

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