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Hasbro has been trying for years to bring 70s toy staple Stretch Armstrong to modern audiences, with a big screen movie starring Taylor Lautner coming closest to actualization.  But after years of development, the project fell apart and there have been no further updates to indicate that the project was back on track.  But ‘Stretch Armstrong’ is about to meet modern audiences via Netflix.  Hasbro and Netflix will present a new animated series featuring the elastic hero in 2017.

Director of Global Kids Content, Andy Yeatman announced:

“With roughly half of our 75 million members regularly watching kids content, we’re happy to expand our original slate with these three great series.  We know kids love Netflix and that’s in part because they never really outgrow us. We program and recommend new TV shows and movies from preschool through their teen years and into adulthood.”

The new show will star an overextended teen named Jake Armstrong and his buddies, who will collectively been known as the Flex Fighters after they are exposed to a rare chemical that gives them the ability to stretch, like the classic toy.

‘Stretch Armstrong’ is slated to premiere along with two other Netflix original kids shows, another animated series ‘Lalaloopsy’ a musical cartoon based on the popular dolls and ‘The Greenhouse’, a live action show aimed at older tweens.

The Stretch Armstrong toy was originally produced in 1976 by Kenner, the same toy company that later produced the ‘Star Wars’ collection and later ‘Super Powers’ based on DC Comics and ‘M.A.S.K.’ among other brands.  Kenner was eventually bought out by Hasbro.  The malleable technology used to create the Stretch Armstrong toy was used on various spinoffs including stretchy version of various super heroes, including, fittingly, DC’s Plastic Man.

Stretch Armstrong remained in production in one form or another until 1989.  Though not announced, presumably Hasbro will create a new toy version of Stretch Armstrong to cash in on the cartoon.  (Otherwise, what’s the point?)

Are you a child of the 70s?  Are you excited that Stretch Armstrong is being prepared for a new generation?

Source: Deadline