A Complete History of the Super Soaker

“Wetter is better.” Never has a marketing campaign worked so well on yours truly. The original Super Soaker 50 was the true great gift lust (well, that and a by-then unpurchaseable Fireball Island game) my version of Ralphie’s Red Ryder. And nothing was sweeter than that moment on my [9th? 10th?] mid-June birthday…which is a pretty great time to get a giant pressurized neon water gun.    

Need Supply takes a stab at an oral history of the blessed machine. It begins, 

S-U-P-E-R S-O-A-K-E-R. For ’90s kids, no two words emblazoned in neon triggered the same joyous reaction. The TV ads were everywhere, a comically irate camp counselor screaming: “WETTER IS BETTER!” Summer days were spent outside, hiding behind minivans, lawn furniture, and tree trunks. And there were kamikaze missions—running around in tight combat formation, soaking everything until tanks ran dry.

The sprint back to the hose was equally tense. Who could fill their tank first before the water started flying again? Was there a cease-fire in place? (Do 9 year-olds honor cease-fires?)

You remember, right? Of course you do. Check out the full piece for a serious summer flashback:

The Super Soaker by Austin Bryant [Need Supply Co.]