Showerthought: My dad swore by the original Stretch Armstrong from 1976 and I finally get why

He kept telling me the new versions don't stretch as well and rip easier. I didn't believe him until I found one at a garage sale in St. Louis for 3 bucks last month. The old one stretches a full 4 feet without any tearing while the 2020 one I bought for my nephew gave out after 20 pulls. The rubber compound is just different, thicker, less plasticky. Anyone else notice old action figures and toys held up way longer than the reboots?

2 comments

2 Comments

dianagreen2d ago

Actually, the original Stretch Armstrong came out in 1974, not 1976. I remember because my older brother got one for Christmas that year and it was a big deal. That said, you're totally right about the quality difference. The old rubber compound was a lot thicker and had more latex in it, so it could handle the stretching way better. The new ones use a cheaper vinyl mix that gets stressed out and splits after a while. I've got a 1974 one in my basement that still stretches out fine, while the 2016 reboot I tried felt like it was gonna tear on the second pull... really disappointing.

joseph_murray82d ago

...and that's exactly what I found with my own dad's old toys. He had a Mego action figure from the 70s, one of the Planet of the Apes ones, and the plastic on that thing is still flexible and solid. I bought the modern reissue a few years back and the arm snapped clean off just trying to pose it. It's not just the rubber, I think they used a different mold or something. The old stuff had a real weight to it, like you could tell it was built to last. The new stuff feels hollow and brittle right out of the package.