--- title: "Melissa & Doug vs Nerf: Which is more popular by branded search in New Zealand?" description: "Which is more popular in search, Melissa & Doug or Nerf? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Toy brands set in New Zealand. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/melissa-and-doug-vs-nerf" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Melissa & Doug vs Nerf: Which is more popular by branded search in New Zealand? Which is more popular in search, Melissa & Doug or Nerf? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Toy brands set in New Zealand. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Compared**: Melissa & Doug and Nerf - **Competitive set**: Toy brands - **Market**: New Zealand - **Month measured**: Aug 2026 - **Melissa & Doug Share of Search**: 0.91% - **Nerf Share of Search**: 0.6% ## Which is more popular in search, Melissa & Doug or Nerf? - In August 2026, Melissa & Doug had more branded searches than Nerf among toy brands in New Zealand. Melissa & Doug was estimated to have 1.5K branded searches compared to Nerf’s 970, and held a 0.91% Share of Search versus Nerf’s 0.6%. - The lead changed hands 2 times in the 11 months ending August 2026: Nerf took it in November 2025, Melissa & Doug took it in June 2026. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Melissa & Doug’s estimated Share of Search among toy brands in New Zealand moved from 0.8% to 0.91%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.2K to 1.5K. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Nerf’s estimated Share of Search among toy brands in New Zealand moved from 0.73% to 0.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.1K to 970. ## How did search popularity change for New Zealand toy brands in August 2026? - In August 2026, Melissa & Doug fell from 6th to 7th among toy brands in New Zealand. ## Month by month | Month | Melissa & Doug estimated searches | Melissa & Doug Share of Search | Melissa & Doug rank | Nerf estimated searches | Nerf Share of Search | Nerf rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 1.2K | 0.8% | 7 | 1.1K | 0.73% | 8 | | Nov 2025 | 1.5K | 0.79% | 8 | 1.5K | 0.8% | 7 | | Dec 2025 | 1.1K | 0.49% | 8 | 1.6K | 0.72% | 7 | | Jan 2026 | 840 | 0.49% | 8 | 1K | 0.6% | 7 | | Feb 2026 | 580 | 0.47% | 8 | 820 | 0.67% | 7 | | Mar 2026 | 690 | 0.56% | 8 | 790 | 0.64% | 7 | | Apr 2026 | 730 | 0.55% | 8 | 830 | 0.62% | 7 | | May 2026 | 710 | 0.5% | 8 | 950 | 0.66% | 7 | | Jun 2026 | 920 | 0.63% | 7 | 780 | 0.54% | 8 | | Jul 2026 | 1.7K | 1.2% | 6 | 980 | 0.69% | 8 | | Aug 2026 | 1.5K | 0.91% | 7 | 970 | 0.6% | 8 | | Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Melissa & Doug’s and Nerf’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading. - **Melissa & Doug**: Measured on the search terms “ice cream set melissa and doug”, “melissa & doug”, “melissa & doug 100 wood blocks set”, “melissa & doug ice cream counter”, “melissa & doug nz”, “melissa & doug puzzles”, “melissa & doug scoop & serve ice cream counter”, “melissa & doug toy”, “melissa & doug water wow”, “melissa and doug ice cream”, “melissa and doug toy”, “melissa and doug wooden toys”, “melissa doug”, “melissa doug set”, “melissa doug toy”, “melissaanddoug com”, “melissadoug” and “melissadoug toys”, summed into one figure. - **Nerf**: Measured on the search terms “kmart nerf”, “nerf”, “nerf near me”, “nerf nz”, “nerf online”, “nerf set” and “nerf toy”, summed into one figure. - [Melissa & Doug profile](/demand/nz/brands/melissa-and-doug) - [Nerf profile](/demand/nz/brands/nerf) - [All toy brands in New Zealand](/demand/nz/categories/nz-toy-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 8 brands. ## Methodology - [How is branded search demand measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Which is more popular in search, Melissa & Doug or Nerf? In August 2026, Melissa & Doug had more branded searches than Nerf among toy brands in New Zealand. Melissa & Doug was estimated to have 1.5K branded searches compared to Nerf’s 970, and held a 0.91% Share of Search versus Nerf’s 0.6%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Melissa & Doug vs Nerf: Which is more popular by branded search in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/melissa-and-doug-vs-nerf This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/melissa-and-doug-vs-nerf. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.