Stretch Armstrong

Stretch Armstrong

Type	Action figure
Company	Kenner, Denys Fisher, and Hasbro
Country	United States
Availability	1976–1997, 2016-present
Materials	Plastic, rubber and gel

Stretch Armstrong is a large, gel-filled action figure first introduced in 1976 by Kenner.^[1] In 2016, at the New York Toy Fair, Hasbro announced the return of the Stretch Armstrong toy in its original 1976 design.

History

Stretch Armstrong is an action figure in the shape of a short, well-muscled blonde man wearing a black speedo. The doll's most notable feature was that it could be stretched from its original size (about 15 inches) to four or five feet. (If a tear did develop, it could be fixed with an adhesive bandage. Information on how to repair Stretch can be found inside the instruction booklet that was originally inside his box.) The original Armstrong figure was held in place inside its box by two polystyrene inserts; it could be placed back inside the box for storage.

The original Stretch Armstrong figure was conceived and developed by Bill Armasmith, and was in production from 1976 until 1980 when production was stopped. The original 1970s Stretch is very collectible now and commands high prices on the secondary collectors' market, selling for hundreds, even thousands of dollars. However, finding one in mint condition is hard. Through storage and play, the figure can become damaged and rendered useless. There are still Original Stretch Armstrongs that have survived the passing of time and are remarkably preserved through sheer luck or being stored at the correct temperature. The figure keeps best at room temperature so thirty years later, collectors are still using Stretch.

Stretch Armstrong is made of latex rubber filled with gelled corn syrup, which allows it to retain shape for a short time before shrinking to its original shape.^[2]

Similar releases

An estimated 67 different versions from Japan, Germany, Italy, France, Australia, and other countries released Stretch Armstrong variations between 1976 and the 1990s.^[3]

• Stretch X-Ray (1977), had an over-sized exposed brain and an alien-looking face with a transparent form that showed its internal organs
• Harbert Sport Mister Muscolo, 1977 Italian version of Stretch Armstrong^[4]
• Lili Ledy El Hombre Elastico, Mexican version of Stretch Armstrong^[4]
• Tsukuda Mr. X, Japanese version of Stretch Armstrong^[4]
• Stretch Monster, a reptilian green nemesis released by Kenner in 1978
• Harbert Sport Mister Mostro, Italian version of Stretch Monster^[4]
• Tsukuda Stretch Monster, Japanese version^[4]
• Stretch Ollie and Stretch Olivia, male and female octopuses (colored blue and pink, respectively) which had the same face shape but the only difference was their color. Kenner issued both weeks apart but Ollie was more popular. The Denys Fisher UK toy company issued Ollie and Olivia in smaller boxes than their American counterparts, saving on shelf space. The figures are rare to come by now.
• Deny's Fisher Stretch Incredible Hulk^[4]
• Mego Elastic Donald Duck (1980)^[4]
• Mego Elastic Mickey Mouse (1980)
• Mego Elastic Batman^[4]
• Mego Elastic Incredible Hulk^[4]
• Mego Elastic Plastic Man (1979)^[4]
• Kenner Stretch Serpent^[4]
• Cap Toys Fetch Armstrong, Stretch Armstrong's pliable canine counterpart, released in the early 1990s
• Kenner/Hasbro Super Stretch Mask^[4]
• Cap Toys Stretch Vac-Man
• ToyQuest Super Morphman

The last two were filled with a granular solid in place of the viscous liquid found in the other figures. A vacuum pump, which attached to the heads of these figures, removed the air from within, which "froze" the toy in its stretched position.^[2]

Stretch Armstrong was reissued in the 1990s by Cap Toys, with a canine sidekick, "Fetch Armstrong".^[1][5] The reissue stretch Armstrong had a more comical exaggerated face and mouth and had on a t-shirt and shorts. This new reissue figure was introduced in 1993 and 1994 version exist with slightly different art work. He also has an evil brother named Evil X-ray Wretch Armstrong who has a skull face, sports a mohawk, and also stretches. Wretch Armstrong seems to be a redesigned, smaller remake of Stretch X-Ray but in reality looks nothing like the 1970s version. Evil X-ray Wretch Armstrong is only 7 inches tall whereas Stretch X-ray was over 12 inches tall.

Adaptations

In the early 90's Disney begin to there film version of the heroric stretchy toy. Greg Erb, co-writer of the Disney early version of the script Created a more basic idea saying "The story was, a Tim Allen kind of single dad, who is a research scientist, and is trying to balance his work life with raising his two kids and he’s stretched too thin. When he inadvertently accidentally takes one of his experimental serums and gets stretchy powers and has to adjust to it in everyday life. It was a family comedy not a superhero movie.” After the first draft wasn't a success and the studio had yet to find there "Stretch Armstrong" another Screenwriter Michael Kalesniko wrote another version after Greg Erb left the production. Kalesniko said "My version took place in San Francisco because I wanted to use the bridge and those streets. I wanted to stretch the living hell out of him. At one point, he saves an armored truck that goes off the bridge. There were all these big fun set pieces. There is one where he stretches so high that he is past the fuselage of a jet.” After countless scripts and Cap Toys being bought up by Hasbro plus the rights the film was abandoned.

In 2008, Universal Studios signed a deal with Hasbro to create another film based on Stretch Armstrong from a screenplay written by Nicholas Stoller.^[6] It was announced from the studios co-chairman Donna Langley that Taylor Lautner would star as Armstrong and that the film would be in 3-D. She stated that "with Lautner's success energy and athleticism he is a perfect fit to a unlikely hero." Producer Brian Grazer stated "Stretch Armstrong is a character I have wanted to see on screen for a long time ... It’s a story about a guy stretching ... the limits of what is possible to become all that he can be."^[7][8] Another script was being made by writer Steve Oedekerk introducing the character in the form of an uptight spy who stumbles across a stretching formula, which he takes and now must adjust to his New found abilities when fighting crime and in his everyday life.

Two years later, after the excitement drummed up by the Studios ideas for the character, Relativity Media announced that they had picked up the film after it was dropped by Universal and set a new release date of April 11, 2014.^[9] Planning to make the film more serious than originally intended by Universal, Relativity hired The Manchurian Candidate writer Dean Georgaris to write a new script,^[10] dropped Lautner, and hired Breck Eisner to direct.^[11] The film origin story was going to introduce an overwhelmed high schooler and the life-or-death consequences he was going to face after undergoing a transformation granting him superhuman abilities. Production was scheduled to start filming on May 15, 2013, in Montreal but by October 2013, both the studio and Hasbro had abandoned the film to work on other projects.^[12]

After four attempted films for Stretch Armstrong, the property was picked up by Netflix for a full 26-episode order as an animated series, making it the first deal between the company and the streaming service. This superhero action/comedy animated series will follow an over-scheduled teenager named Jake Armstrong and his two best friends as they go into action when the trio are inadvertently accidentally exposed to an experimental chemical making them flexible and become Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters— a team of stretchable superheroes who must work together and embark on a series of adventures to expand beyond the confines of their lives. The series is expected to debut in 2017.^[13]

References

{{http://m.mentalfloss.com/article.php?id=69454}}

External links

• Kenner Stretch Armstrong Catalog from 1978
• Collector website
• Fansite and photos of Super Morphman at X-entertainment.com
• Evil X-Ray Wretch Armstrong video
• Stretch Armstrong at CollectToys.Net
• Stretch Armstrong at the Internet Movie Database