The tooth brush tubes can crush/bend as well. PVC is pretty much indestructible. At least the thick walled stuff (schedule 40?).

For the busted scale? I'm going with the temperature extremes. It's been really cold out lately. Going from near zero into a heated warehouse and back out into the cold a few times could have parted an existing stress fracture. What was the scale material? This would be more likely with celluloid/plastic than wood?