Stretch Armstrong
"S-t-r-e-t-c-h him and he returns to normal size!"
By Euphrates



The Research and Development meeting was running long on time, and short on ideas. 
Finally, a nervous fellow stood up and said, "I have an idea for a new super hero.  
He should be made of a material that will allow children to stretch his limbs up to 4 times 
the width of his body, and they'll snap right back into place!  His accessories should be a
pair of shorts and a Stretch 0 Graph!"  If that wasn't enough to get the guy tossed out on his bottom, he added, 
"...and we should also make a stretchy Pink Octopus, a Monster and a 
see-thru Alien with x-ray vision!"  Can you imagine the silence after that?  For some reason I
don't imagine hearty back-slaps and congratulatory hair ruffles.


But Kenner listened, and in 1976, they introduced their new hero, Stretch Armstrong, to the 
world, and the youth of America responded.  For a few post-bicentennial summers, boys 
everywhere were testing the endurance of Stretch and his enemies.  That is until the limbs started
to harden or get small cracks in them, causing the miracle stretch-enabling goop to leak out, 
and Stretch to fail to live up to his name.


It goes without saying that these boys are a tough find today.  A nice Stretch, with no
leaks, no skin hardening, good wrestling mat and bandaids (to address small leaks) can bring $75-$150.  The hard-to-find Monster can bring much more.
If you find a Stretch figure in the box, make sure that there are no goop leaks.  The 
compound would actually eat holes in the styrofoam inserts, much like 
Thingmaker's Plastigoop 
from the '60s.  In the early '90s, Stretch was reintroduced with a buff, wrestling-influenced 
physique and a dog for a sidekick named Fetch Armstrong.  Even these figures can fetch 
$30-$40 today.


Somewhere, an old Kenner employee sits in his chair, rocking, with a knowing half-smile
on his face.


Vintage and Modern Stretch Armstrong Figures and Accessories
Stretch Fetch Armstrong - Cap Toys
Stretch Ninja - Cap Toys
Stretch Armstrong - Kenner
Stretch Armstrong Car - Cap Toys
Stretch 'Ems - similar product by Justoys
Stretch Ollie the Octopus - Kenner
Stretch Olivia the Octopus - Kenner
Stretch Monster - Kenner
Stretch Vac Man w/Pump - Cap Toys
Stretch X-Ray - Kenner











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