The old-school outdoor air rocket is getting an upgrade for 2023.

As The Toy Association’s 2023 Preview event in Dallas, Wow! Stuff quietly showed off a new innovation that it’s set to unleash at retail next year. HYPR Rockets feature a trio of kid-safe, soft-tipped rockets that are launched by stomping on the included air pad. While it’s based on a classic play pattern, a patented switch system offers kids the choice of launching their rockets in Turbo Mode or standard mode.

“The category is firmly established and the play pattern is just great, but there has been little innovation here for many years,” says Kenny McAndrew, head of product development at Wow! Stuff. “When we watched kids choose their favorite outdoor toy to play with from all the well-known brands the majority ended up hogging the air rockets. Each kid tried to out-distance their friends.”

According to McAndrew, the space race posited a challenge: What would happen if kids could boost their rocket’s performance? That led to the development of the Turbo Boost switch.

Wow! Stuff says that its HYPR Rocket 500 is “The fastest, farthest flying toy rocket in its category.”

Retailers interested in stocking the HYPR 500 ($19.99) or Duelling HYPR 500 $29.99 should contact [email protected] for more information.

The HYPR Rockets are set to lift off this spring.

The Toy Book 29th November 2022