Way Back WhensDay: WWF Stretch Wrestlers

WWF LJN Stretch Wrestlers

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

When I was much, much younger my brother and I had a Stretch Armstrong doll (yes, I'm comfortable saying doll) as well as his nemesis the Stretch Monster.  They were lots of fun, but at one point, they each busted open and the gelled corn syrup inside oozed out, rendering the toy useless.

Hot Rod

So for whatever reason, in the late 80's, I decided that the newly released LJN Stretch Wrestlers had to join my collection of bendable figures and standard ones.  I only had two of the eight WWF Superstars that were released in the series.  "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat did battle from time to time at my house.  King Kong Bundy, Hulk Hogan, George "The Animal" Steele, Junkyard Dog, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, and "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff were also made in stretch form.

Busted figures

The figures were fun for a bit, but in no way particle when it came to having matches.  Sure they movable, unlike the LJN figures that preceded them.  But they were heavy and clunky.  And there's the issue of them tearing open.  

Eventually I stopped playing with my toys and packed them away in my closet. I'm a pack rat, so when I went to pull out my Piper (not a sexual thing) he had busted open and was losing his innards.  It was more of a dust/sand product and not the syrupy stuff inside Stretch Armstrong.

I wish the Stretch Wrestlers would have stood the test of time, as I like incorporating old toys in my videos and blogs.  They were fun while they lasted, but unfortunately my figures didn't last very long.