More often than not, mascots are cute and cuddly. The kind of creatures that children will run up to looking for pictures or that will try to keep smiles on the faces of fans, even when the home team is getting blown out. Then there’s Murph, Hasbro’s new mascot for NERF products.
Murph is in the same school of mascot as The Philadelphia Flyers Mascot, Gritty, or Pierre and King Cake Baby, who both came courtesy of the New Orleans Pelicans.
Hasbro has just introduced, and this is not a joke, their new nightmarish mascot for NERF brand products named "Murph."
Murph's terrifying catchphrase is "unleash the play in you."
Here is Murph: pic.twitter.com/THZYb02sKY
— Alex Zalben (@azalben) June 17, 2022
This brought about a divided reaction among potential consumers.
There were some dissenters.
https://twitter.com/horriblychris/status/1537912376636321793
The roller brush from my car wash came to life and is haunting my dreams. https://t.co/iC2JkqnS5h
— Firr (@Firr) June 17, 2022
But don’t feel bad for Murph. He (or she, we really don’t know for sure) has plenty of fans, as well. In fact, while several people were freaked out by Murph, far more people loved him.
he looks huggable stfu i wanna give him a hug https://t.co/luj13DZDbF
—
jordan robin 1312 (MOVED TO TUMBLR) (@CL0CKWORKPUPPET) June 17, 2022
https://twitter.com/alisontheperson/status/1537899600748482566
Not all reactions fell into the positive or negative category. There were other observations.
That is the love child of Cousin Itt and a Koosh Ball https://t.co/mAA9qqejPA
— VICTORY LIGHTS IN BIO (@rockcandy87) June 17, 2022
Just ask yourself… How does Murph eat? https://t.co/so8q2hFbq1
— Kwame Opam (@kwameopam) June 17, 2022
he's hot ♥️ hope he got a booty that don't quit https://t.co/cCEFQ2ODkG
— T A N U K I ☆ I N ☆ B I O (@gnarlyanimal) June 17, 2022
Well, there you have it. Truth be told, getting a consensus about a product is a challenging, possibly impossible venture. Heck, go up to 1,000 people and tell them that the sky is blue and chances are, you’ll get at least a few people arguing with you.
No, the goal when releasing a product should not be consensus, but buzz. If people are talking, more often than not, that’s a good thing. Murph definitely has people talking.