12 Bizarre Pieces Of Trivia About WWE Action Figures

3. LJN Stretch Figures "Break It Down" In A Different Way

Being a completionist can be one of the worst things for a collector. In addition to all the small variants of figures, right down to the packaging they come in, it can be particularly grueling when some of the items you're collecting just don't hold up over time. Such is the case of the LJN Stretch Wrestlers line, which- like the Stretch Armstrong figures they emulated- were basically rubbery sacks full of gelled corn syrup which allowed them to briefly retain their shape after being stretched, squashed, etc. Unfortunately, the same syrup which empowered their gimmick was also their greatest weakness. In addition to the wear and tear which can potentially result in the figures being ripped, the syrup itself does not hold up well over time. In particular, changes to the temperature at which the figures are kept can cause the syrup within to expand, cracking the rubbery skin of the figures. As a result, some figures can come broken right out of the box, making for a set of figures that was already hard to find in good condition even more so. One seller on eBay even explains how he had sold the entire set for over a grand, only to have them returned after customs searched them upon finding them covered in a white powder: "What apparently happened, as I have no other explanation, is that the air pressure in the plane caused them to expand, bursting them at the knees. Every single one burst at the knees. LJN used corn starch as filler, which is harmless."