When did the first Super Soaker models begin appearing on retail shelves?
Answer
1991
Although the official patent was not granted until 1997, commercial distribution of the Super Soaker began much earlier. The first models started appearing in stores around 1991, which demonstrates that sales and market penetration occurred while the patent process was still ongoing. This timeline highlights the distinction between the date of patent finalization and the date of commercial product launch, showing that intellectual property protection was finalized after the product had already begun to achieve market success.
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