Apparently latex is subject to some sort of dry rot ...

[Ook]

My Yoda puppet is rotting like an uninitiated Jedi corpse.





I really loved this guy. A Yoda this size standing at the foot of my bookcase was like having a full size Yoda sitting there. Now I have to find another Yoda on a near 1:1 scale. I'd get the electronic one, but he's made of latex, too, and I've heard how easily they tear. Poor lil guy.

[Scott]

Wasn't that the issue on the LOTR Cave Trolls and the Original Talking Yodas as well?

[Ook]

Wasn't that the issue on the LOTR Cave Trolls and the Original Talking Yodas as well?

I don't know of any rot problem, but they definitely tore. I don't how many of both Yoda and the Troll I saw in stores with their faces torn off. Damn kids.

[DoctorPadawan]

I don't know if this would help, considering that it's already ripped, Ook, but you might want to try unscented talcum powder on anything else you have that is latex.  A lot of people who collect latex masks say that if you keep the latex item out of direct heat/sunlight and clean it with talcum powder on a semi-regular basis, it helps to prolong the life of said item.

I've done this myself with the Evil Dead "Book of the Dead" DVD from a few years back, and it has held up really well.  I don't know how well this would work on such a large piece, but it's the best I've got.

[Ook]

I wonder if I could get a new one and shellac it ... ?

[Jesse James]

Latex is VERY quick to break down unfortunately.  I've used it to work with molding/casting, and you're definitely not gonna get much mileage out of it.

That said, it may not be latex used on the Yoda or the Cave Trolls and the like...

It may just be a similar, and cheap rubber.  Wouldn't surprise me.  Later Trolls fixed the problem using a stronger material, generally a Silicone rubber that has a longer life I think (I also use these frequently in casting).  A means of maintaining the material can be the same way you maintain weather stripping on convertibles, by using silicone sprays.  It's a bitch but it could work. 

I hope that's able to help some?     Or at least give some reason for anger anyway.

[Ook]

Good point about the different rubbers; the elec Yoda and Cave Troll could be silicone or something else entire, for all I know. This puppet is definitely latex, though; it smells just like a balloon. Too bad it's not more durable. This was one of my favorite novelty items ever.

[Taminar]

Thanks for the talc tip.  My husband has a couple of Doctor Who masks (one latex, the other out of a much harder rubber) that started breaking down a few years ago.  The latex one is a total loss. He's still trying to save the other (a back-up mask made for the actor).  He's been searching the 'net for some way to preserve it, but no luck so far.