Nerf darts are the catch-all term for any dart projectiles in the Hasbro-owned toy gun franchise Nerf. As many different Nerf guns utilise different types of ammunition, the term 'Nerf dart' specifically refers to small, cylindrical tubes topped with rubber ends that are designed to be a kid-friendly imitation of bullets for use in mock firefights.
The most universally recognised type of Nerf dart is the Elite Dart, a category of Nerf dart that was first released in 2012 coinciding with the launch of the N-Strike Elite series of Nerf toy guns. The standard Elite Dart is recognised by its blue cylindrical body and orange rubber tip, which has a hole inside it, likely to prevent choking if it were to be consumed.
These Elite Darts were designed to be direct improvements to the previous 'Streamline Dart', with upgades to their range, aerodynamic stability, and general accuracy. However, they share largely the same flaws as their Streamline predecessor, primarily the hole in the front causing the air in front of the bullet, as it naturally encounters air resistance, to be dragged through the hollow body of the bullet, deforming and thus unbalancing the dart.
Hasbro continues to manufacture these darts in spite of this design flaw in order to assure the safety of children who may consume the bullet accidentally, as despite their resemblance to conventional bullets fired by conventional firearms, Nerf ammunition, like the rest of the brand, is designed for non-lethal play instead of live fire combat. As such, their efficiency in both killing and as a general projectile are not prioritised.
The universality of the Elite Dart's design has resulted in many color variants being produced for Nerf toy weapons outside the initial N-Strike Series, such as the GlowStrike Dart (which would glow in the dark), the Message Dart (which was packaged with equipment that allowed for the writing of messages on the dart's body), and the Star Wars Dart (a collaboration dart produced for the Star Wars crossover line which came in red and blue colors signifying allegience to the First Order and the Resistance respectively).
