Who remembers Fire Marshall Bill (Jim Carrey) from "In Living Color" going up to kids and saying "Is that a SUPER SOAKER?" with his lisp? Loved that show.
Edit: it appears my memory was a bit off - see comment by /u/TravellingMatt
i met him this last weekend. he actively supports First Robotics Competition, which is one of the most scientifically rigorous activities high schoolers can participate in. he was great.
He also invented the Nerf gun. The man is a god of childhood.
being an inventor, Johnson came up with another idea: replacing the water in the Super Soaker with a "toy [Nerf] projectile." In 1996, Johnson received patent US5553598 A[15] for "Pneumatic launcher for a toy projectile and the like." These Nerf toy guns have generated millions for Hasbro and Johnson.
Edit: We have been honored with a reply from Lonnie himself! “I brought Nerf dart guns into the mainstream. Prior to my participation they did not use pressurized air like the Super Soaker. Adding that to Nerf guns revolutionized the industry. But thank you none the less!”
Ripper7M on April 3rd, 2018 at 18:05 UTC »
Who remembers Fire Marshall Bill (Jim Carrey) from "In Living Color" going up to kids and saying "Is that a SUPER SOAKER?" with his lisp? Loved that show.
Edit: it appears my memory was a bit off - see comment by /u/TravellingMatt
cesarjulius on April 3rd, 2018 at 18:21 UTC »
i met him this last weekend. he actively supports First Robotics Competition, which is one of the most scientifically rigorous activities high schoolers can participate in. he was great.
xyzzzzy on April 3rd, 2018 at 20:29 UTC »
He also invented the Nerf gun. The man is a god of childhood.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lonnie_Johnson_(inventor)
Edit: We have been honored with a reply from Lonnie himself! “I brought Nerf dart guns into the mainstream. Prior to my participation they did not use pressurized air like the Super Soaker. Adding that to Nerf guns revolutionized the industry. But thank you none the less!”