Unicorn Power Popper
Hog Wild Toys
$20
20' (slow balls)
Two balls per second
Stupid Silly Fun
Unicorn Power Popper Review
April 19, 2019Sometimes, you find special things that bring you instant joy. They may not even be that useful, but they’re great nonetheless. Power Poppers are one such toy. Made by Hog Wild Toys, they work like the Nerf Reactors of old, where pumping an inner and outer tube together compresses air and shoots balls out of an orifice of slightly smaller diameter. They only claim ranges of twenty feet, but they pretty much cover the whimsical side of foam object blasting.
That is, until they made a unicorn that you load by stuffing balls into its butt, and showed it off at Toy Fair. THEN it reached a new level of madness, and I can’t help but love it.
Simply Magical
The Unicorn Power Popper comes in a colorful package, with eight rainbow-colored balls included. The legs of the unicorn serve as the handles for pumping the blaster. A round rubber ring at the front serves as the sealing orifice, letting the user build pressure until the ball blasters free. In case you’re interested, the balls measure roughly 1 1/8″. Occasionally you’ll find off brand balls that measure close enough to work as well as the original after all.
The real gem, however, comes in reloading. Two buttons on the tail release it from its normal position. You can then push in several balls to reload the main tube, and drop the tail back down to seal. Make sure you press the tail down firmly, however. Not doing so will make the tail fly up from the pressure buildup.
SECURE YOUR TAIL SO THAT YOU DON’T HAVE A FARTING UNICORN.
Performance
As the box claims, you can technically get up to 20′ of range out of a Power Popper. It takes some strength and a good angle, but it’s possible. However, if you’re already using this, you’re not worried about range. There’s really no point in using a chronograph.
As a natural slam-fire blaster, you can manage to get two balls per second out of the Popper.
Last Thoughts
Is it a useful blaster? Compared to most blaster options, no. Is it fun, though? Naturally, yes. It’s the sort of blaster I would use (and will use this weekend, come to think of it) in the first mission of HvZ. A blaster with decent rate of fire that is just completely silly? Sign me up.
Sure, it’s not for everyone. But, as I would say about many other blasters perceived as “inferior”…IT’S SO STUPID, I LOVE IT!