Nerf Fencing Swords

Earlier this week, I ran across this picture on line and a flood of memories hit me.

For Christmas in 1992, my brother and I received a set of Nerf Fencing Swords. The swords were popular in the late 80’s and had been reissued in a snazzy Nerf box like this:

What made these swords so much fun is there was a series of targets around the hilt that you had to aim for to win each bout. Of course, this was quite difficult so we eventually decided to start using the swords to slap each other in the head and face.

I don’t recall who gifted us the swords, but I do know it was at my grandmother’s house in Pilot Mountain that we received. She lived in an large home built in the late 1700’s and had plenty of space to have epic sword fights. My brother and I went to town, dodging, standing on couches, and just having a blast, when one of us bumped a table and then suddenly there was a large crash. When I turned around, I saw an unpainted Elvis bust in pieces of on the floor.

I’m not 100% this was the bust, but it was very similar if not this one.

My grandmother, was a laid back woman, and she was very indifferent about it. She picked it up, looked to see if it was repairable, and spent more time calming me down from freaking out and feeling terrible about breaking something. My uncle on the other hand, who lived with her, went on full guilt trip mode. He went on and on about how it was irreplaceable and if we ever found one, we wouldn’t find one that was unpainted. On and on he piled up the guilt on a nine year old and six year old, but my grandmother never wavered. It was just was a bust and no one was hurt.

When I went looking for a photo, I found dozens upon dozens of unpainted Elvis busts from the 60’s through the 80’s, for just a few dollars online. I wish I had thought to take look on eBay before my grandmother passed. I think it would have made her smiled.

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