Rare Hulk stretch toy sells for £3,000 at auction

The Marvel Hulk figure sold for £3,000 at an auction in Hertfordshire

A stretch toy figure of Marvel's The Hulk, said to be "one of the rarest stretch toys in existence", has sold for £3,900.

The toy was sold at Excalibur Auctions, in Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, on Saturday having been expected to fetch between £3,000 and £5,000.

It is said to be one of only 30 examples of the original Hulk stretch figure from 1979 known to still exist.

"We were excited to offer this rare piece of nostalgia today, which set a UK auction record for a figure of its kind," said Jonathan Torode, from the auction house.

The toy was originally a variant of Kenner's "Stretch Armstrong" line and was later licensed by Denys Fisher in the UK

"We saw competitive bidding on the phones and internet, with it finally winning out to a UK private collector, where we hope it will be as cherished by its new owner as much as it has been by its previous one."

It was produced by toymaker Denys Fisher and came directly from its original owner.

The Hulk figure was manufactured in Thorp Arch, near Wetherby, West Yorkshire, and was sold in limited quantities only in the UK.

This angry, green-skinned figure was owned by a child whose mother knew someone who worked for Denys Fisher, and purchased one of the first off the production line.

Excalibur said the figure came with its original instructions and had never been offered for sale since it was first bought in 1979.