Nerf is a brand of Parker Brothers and later Hasbro that specializes in the development of sports toys as well as toy weaponry.
Nerf toys are made of a special type of foam that allows for safety, so that when children play with the toys they cannot be harmed by shooting each other with the toys.
When the Super Powers franchise was coming out during the eighties with the famous toyline from Kenner, Nerf released a toy to tie-in with that line.