A Super Soaker is a toy blaster that fires water. Since Super Soakers were very popular for a long time, the word “super soaker” can also refer to any pressurized toy water gun. The good news about Super Soaker is that it has yet to disappear despite things coming and going. Instead, it has simply undergone a rebranding.
Among their various types, some blasters are eventually discontinued. It happened for no other reason than that a better blaster line was created or the weapon failed to live up to expectations set by the general audience. Some of them might have been limited editions that you could only get your hands on if you had to buy one or could find one for sale online.
Yet, certain blasters have been quietly taken off the shelves for various reasons you might only be aware of if you were keeping up with the times. We’ll look more closely at specific details of Super Soakers in this article. Let’s start now!
History of Super Soaker
NASA and US Air Force engineer Lonnie Johnson developed the Super Soaker. Johnson came up with the idea for the toy in 1982. It happened after he conducted trials using a heat pump and several sink-mounted nozzles, for which he applied for a patent in 1984. In 1989, Laramie purchased the Power Drencher, the Super Soaker’s initial birth.
In 1990, Laramie created the toy and distributed it. To prevent copyright issues with another toy with the same name, the brand was renamed Super Soaker in 1991. Following this rebranding, the Super Soaker brand rose to fame. It became the sought-after new summer toy.
Laramie began an aggressive advertising campaign to promote its new items’ $10 price tag. The company saw a return on its investment. They sold over 27 million Super Soakers during their first three years on the market. In various new models each year, the blaster underwent modifications such as:
- increased its water-carrying capacity,
- changed the direction of the water stream
- extended its range.
Hasbro was fascinated by the Super Soaker’s success. The massive toy company bought Larami and used Super Soakers in its Nerf toy range.
Notably, the 1996 release of the CPS series introduced new “Constant Pressure System” internals. They were based on elastic materials. A year later, the original CPS 2000 soaker had a soft redesign to match the performance of newer CPS soakers. It’s because of the highly powerful spray of water that was produced as a result.
Hasbro bought Laramie in 1995 to make toys under their brand. Until 2002, Laramie produced toys and goods under the Super Soaker brand before closing down permanently. Hasbro would instead manufacture Super Soakers internally. The brand remained an independent, stand-alone business until 2010 when it merged with the Nerf brand.
After Super Soaker was taken up by Nerf, the releases of Super Soaker moved away from traditional air pressure or elastic pressure. Since 2011, many soakers have been produced that are either double-action squirt blasters or piston-pressurized.
The 2011 Thunderstorm is the first motorized Super Soaker. The H20ps series and the 2020 and 2021 ranges of Super Soakers under the Nerf brand are exceptions to this rule. They purposely use air power to pay tribute to classic soakers.
The Super Soaker was honored with a Toy Hall of Fame induction in 2015. Since their release, Super Soakers have come in more than 175 different models and sold over 200 million water blasters. The Super Soaker had a significant impact on neighborhood play.
The golden period of Super Soaker
The Super Soaker was continuously improved from 1991 to 2002, increasing power. There were some water pressure problems along the road. Some people reported injuries and spread claims of someone’s eye bursting out.
As a result, we noticed a slight decrease in water pressure after 1996. It’s because toy guns and safety issues persist in the media and society.
However, the Super Soaker’s popularity was unaffected by this. For kids who wished to switch from their dart blasters to water, Super Soakers did an excellent job. Despite the reduced pressure, it provided hours of cool summer fun.
Did Super Soaker end in 2009?
Super Soaker technically vanished in 2009, though. What occurred was that Hasbro added the Nerf moniker to the Super Soaker brand. Thus turning them into Nerf Super Soakers rather than plain old Super Soakers.
Of course, this does not imply that Johnson quit when Hasbro acquired Laramie. Johnson contributed to the evolution of the Super Soaker line throughout the years. He was also in charge of aiding in the creation of a few Nerf dart blasters.
Simply put, Nerf Super Soaker has replaced Super Soaker despite its still technically existing.
Causes of the CPS 2000 gun disappearance
Laramie introduced the Super Soaker CPS 2000 in 1996. The water gun belongs to the Constant Pressure System (CPS) class. It was the CPS line’s earliest design, which started with just one blaster. Despite being a terrifying look, it was widely acknowledged to be powerful. It depletes its pressure chamber too quickly and requires frequent pumping. Laramie did not make any public announcements or acknowledge any changes when the CPS 2000 was updated shortly after.
Four more CPS blasters were introduced after the CPS 2000 was discontinued after two years. They are:
- CPS 1000
- CPS 1500
- CPS 2500
- CPS 3000
The CPS 1200, 1700, 2700, and 3200 models took their place after an additional two years. The 2100 and 4100 were the final CPS versions after two years.
The issue wasn’t really with the blaster in and of itself. Instead, societal interference and negative gossip were mainly to blame for modifying water blaster manufacturing processes.
In the past, Johnson was looking for businesses to adopt his blaster and create it on a larger scale. At that time, the toy gun industry still made items that looked exactly like real guns.
Police officers had difficulty because sometimes they mistake these replica guns for genuine ones. According to reports, some criminals also used imitation guns to commit actual crimes. It was because the two kinds of weapons looked identical.
We all know that when negative news and public opinion combine, the subject faces significant change. Both toy guns and water guns started to go out of style due to these improvements. This made it impossible for many of the major businesses at the time to recover.
The market was reborn when Johnson and Laramie introduced the Power Drencher in 1989.
Were there any remaining issues?
In reality, after these products were made public, violent incidents continued. The news was filled with stories about water gun fights that turned violent. Another incident involved using a water gun loaded with bleach to inflict minor burns on someone. Even the bus driver was shot while operating the vehicle.
The brand survived these tragic circumstances despite calls to outlaw Super Soakers. The Super Soaker CPS 2000’s reputation was damaged by stories and rumors about the potential harm the water blaster may do. This led to its covert removal from manufacturing.
Players claimed that whenever the water stream from the blaster made direct contact with their heads, it caused issues. It includes bruising, disorientation, blurred vision, and a stinging sensation on their skin.
Ultimately, the Super Soaker CPS 2000 was prohibited after being discontinued due to its extreme power.
There is an urban myth that is both unlikely and incredibly memorable. In contrast, the fact that someone’s eye came out of their socket when the blaster was fired at their head up close is unproven.
After receiving so much bad press and reports, Larami worked to stop producing the Super Soaker CPS 2000. They have reduced performance and given us some of the blasters we have today.
Is the CPS 2000 Super Soaker prohibited?
The CPS 2000 is the first elastic-pressure super soaker ever produced and can contain 3.1 liters of water. It was first made available in 1996.
After multiple injuries were brought on by the CPS 2000 super soaker’s improper use, the product was banned in 2001. The CPS 2000 super soaker had enough force to damage and break the skin. The product was typically misused by people who would fill the reservoir with water and strike other people as hard as possible.
Has Super Soaker closed its doors for business?
Laramie closed its doors in 2002 and sold the Super Soaker brand to Hasbro. In 2010, the two businesses teamed up and again went by Nerf Soaker. For those of us who were born in the 1990s, this is fantastic news. But Super Soaker did not go out of business.
Conclusion
Nerf still makes products for the Nerf Super Soaker line. Indeed, recent releases include the XP50-AP. But the XP20-AP and the XP30-AP were previously made available but have since been recalled.
There is still lots of fun with this range of wildly popular water blasters! It’s due to outstanding Nerf Super Soakers like the Hydra and the Soakzooka.
The good news about Super Soaker is that it’s still around, even though certain issues came up. Just the branding has changed over time. This article should have provided more details about how the Super Soaker line has gone throughout the years and where these fan favorites are now.