Vintage PENGUIN TOYS & MEMORABILIA Batman Villian

Here's a nice assortment of Vintage Batman Toys and Memorabilia featuring The super-villian THE PENGUIN. The 1st item, & probably the rarest, is the Penguin Batman Model Kit made by Aurora in 1966. This is an extremely RARE kit that you don't see everyday! I love the vintage graphics on the box. The next item is a 45 rpm Record where the sleeve is die-cut to the shape of the Penguin graphic, very cool! Plus, both songs are sort of "Penguin Related". The 3rd picture shows the Super-RARE PENGUIN PEZ Candy Dispenser. This was released by Pez in ©1976 & the unusual thing about it is the head is made out of rubber. In the same "rubber head" Super Hero set they also made Wonder Woman, The Joker, Batman, & Batgirl. The last photo shows a RARE 1970's Penguin Mego Action Figure 8" Doll in the original box. These Megos were usually "carded" so seeing one in the box is a treat. I mean, this baby belongs in a Vintage Toy Museum! Be sure to check the BAT-BLOG ARCHIVES for many more Batman Vintage Toys including Corgi, Mattel, Ideal, TransOgram, Marx, Kenner, & many more!

MEGO BATMAN & ROBIN Vintage Toy TV Commercials

Here's a nice video showing not one, but THREE, Vintage 1970's Toy TV Commercials for Mego Action Figures, the World's Greatest Super Heroes! Be sure to check the BAT-BLOG ARCHIVES for many more Vintage Toys & TV Commercials!!

ORIGINAL COMIC BOOK ART : Cover, Detective Comics # 450

Here's the original comic book art for the cover to Batman's DETECTIVE COMICS # 450. Done by classic comic book artist Dick Giordano. We have always been a big fan of his work & this baby is a masterpiece!! Be sure to click-on the picture up above for a larger, more detailed, photo. That's where you can really see alot of the fine details...nice! Also, Remember to check the BAT-BLOG ARCHIVES for many more Batman artists & covers!

Assortment of RARE Vintage 1960's Batman Memorabilia

The BAT-BLOG covers everything Batman but our main focus is the area of collecting. We sometimes cover news about the comic books, both old & new, but our favorite things are the awesome Vintage Batman Toys & Memorabilia. Here are a few examples of some RARE 60's items, mainly from 1966. The 1st item is a photo of the RARE & highly collectible 1966 AURORA Slot Car of the Batmobile from the TV Series, shown in it's original box. This is a Bat-Fan favorite & also desired by many slot car collectors for it's beauty & history. The next item is a fun coloring book featuring Robin as the main character on the cover. This was published by Whitman in 1966. The last, & most RARE item, is a felt pennant of Batman & Robin that was a souvenir of Saskatoon, Canada! We hope you have enjoyed seeing these rare beauties & hope you return often for more! Also, Be sure to check the BAT-BLOG ARCHIVES for many more Rare Vintage Toys & Memorabilia....See you tommorrow!

BATMAN LEGO TOYS VIDEO GAME To Be Released for Playstation 2!!

Because of the success of both the Star Wars Lego Video Game AND the Batman Lego Toys Warner Brothers has announced they will be releasing BATMAN LEGO : The Video Game in 2008. Check back with us for news in the future. It will 1st be released for the Playstation 2 (PS2) & then for all the other formats later ( like X-Box & Wii ). Here's a prototype graphic of the game box....we can't wait!!

BATMAN CHECKS & ADDRESS LABELS - FUNNY!

I just opened a new bank account the other day & needed some checks. While surfing thru a webpage called CHECKS IN THE MAIL I found some Batman checks & address label sets. Actually they are DC Comics Super Hero checks & labels. Ya see, they make you also buy Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, & Flash. But, the checks & Labels with Batman are pretty cool! Here's a link to check them out ( no pun intended ). Once there, look on the left & click on "Cartoon Sets".

http://www.citm.com

FRED HEMBECK'S Wacky Comic Book Cover Re-Creations!

Shown up above is a classic comic book cover re-creation by Fred Hembeck. For this one he did the 1st appearance of Batman in Detective Comics # 27, an icon. We're proud to say that Fred is a good friend of the BAT-BLOG & we actually hope he sees this post! I think he would be tickled pink about it, ha ha. If you're a Hembeck Fan then be sure to check out our BAT-LINKS PAGE for a link to his famous FRED SEZ Blog & also remember to search eBay where Fred sometimes sells the Original Art of his classic comic cook recreations!

Batman Wacky Wallpaper Wednesday! VINTAGE BATWOMAN ON HER BAT-CYCLE

REMEMBER : Every Wednesday is "Wacky Wallpaper Wednesday" at the BAT-BLOG!! Each week we try to theme the wallpaper in a way so that everybody gets something they like. This time we thought we would use the crazy theory "Something old, something new". The 1st wallpaper, featuring vintage 1940's graphics of Batwoman on her Bat-Cycle, was actually made by a BAT-BLOG Reader & sent to us thru our Bat-Blog Message Board! I know it sounds kinda corny but it was actually a very proud moment for us here, ha ha. He did a great job on it & we really love the "Golden Age" Batman! The 2nd wallpaper is a more recent version of Batman & we like the gothic buildings with the moonlight behind him, pretty cool. Both of these would look great for a MySpace Layout but if you're looking for something else be sure to check our BATMAN WALLPAPER PAGE, the link button is on the top/right of this page. Also, be sure to check the BAT-BLOG ARCHIVES for 50+ wallpapers posted in the past!

DVD Review : THE BATMAN VS DRACULA Animated Movie

The other day some friends & I visited our local video store because we heard they were having a wacky clearance sale on used movies. I was really excited to find THE BATMAN VS DRACULA Animated Movie on DVD! This is a newer movie ( 2005 ) that I had not seen before & didn't own yet, plus it was only $4.00! It's based on the newer THE BATMAN cartoon & while I'm not a huge fan of that show I heard this movie was pretty good. Plus, it's Batman! Anyway I watched it yesterday & surprisingly it's really enjoyable. I feel it's a movie I can suggest owning because the animation quality is very good. The sound effects are cool & very well done. The story isn't too bad either. Basically it features a "new villian" called Dracula. It's filled with alot of folklore about the classic monster & would be really great to watch around Halloween. I don't wanna give away too much of the plot but basically Dracula is accidently brought back to life in Gotham by the Penguin who has just recently escaped from Arkham Asylum. The Joker is also on the loose & creates some problems. Dracula goes about making vampire zombies out of the Gotham City citizens & because of reports of a "Bat" the media starts to blame Batman for the crimes. The voice talent for the movies is really great too. Rino Romano returns as the voice of Batman / Bruce Wayne & does a great job. Peter Stormare is the voice of Dracula & does a decent "ethnic accent" helping Dracula seem like the eurotrash he is, ha ha! Tara Strong is the voice of Vicki Vale. Tara is a cartoon voice legend having done the voice of Batgirl on the earlier Batman: The Animated Series. She is a main character on the Powerpuff Girls & also adds her voices to a few main characters on the new DRAWN TOGETHER cartoon. Tom Kenny does a great job as The Penguin & adds alot of humor to the character. I was kinda surprised by Kevin Michael Richardson's version of The Joker. I thought Joker's voice would be done by longtime "Joker Voice Guy" Mark Hammel ( Yes, Luke Skywalker ) but Kevin does a great job! Finally, Alastair Duncan returns to do the voice of Alfred & has great sarcastic wit that is needed for the role. The movie runs about 84 minutes. The DVD also includes some extras which are mostly filler except for a neat documentry on the voice talent & their process of bringing the characters to life. I highly reccommend renting or buying this soon to be Bat-Classic! One last note: There's a special version of the DVD which is sold with 2 exclusive PVC figures of Batman & Dracula, something to look out for.

BATMAN ARTIST MARSHALL ROGERS DIES AT 57

According to a report from the NEWSARAMA FORUM Marshall Rogers, famed Batman Artist, died Saturday ( March 24th, 2007 ) at the age of 57. No one knows yet exactly how he died & it is kinda shocking because of his young age. His 1st Batman art appearance was in the AUG 1977 Issue of Detective Comics #471 ( Shown in the photo, on the left side, with the Hugo Strange cover.) He had a very precise art style that was sharp & clear. He pencilled Batman & usually teamed up with inker Terry Austin. I used to really love his work as a kid & still do. The BAT-BLOG would like to extent our deepest condolences to his family & friends, he will be greatly missed. Here's a link to the MARSHALL ROGERS FAN PAGE, be sure to check out the ORIGINALS section for some great examples of his work.

http://mrogers21.tripod.com/main/index.htm

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY Saturday May 5th, 2007

Remember that on Saturday May 5th, 2007 it's FREE COMIC BOOK DAY! For anyone living under a rock the last few years FREE COMIC BOOK DAY is an event that happens at most comic book stores where they have a huge assortment of FREE comic books that they give away for free. This has been an attempt by the comic book industry to gain new customers because it's such a rough market. So, remember to hit your friendly neighborhood comic shop that day & while you're there maybe buy a few Batman comics!

Custom Batmobile Car - 1970's Corvette?

Here's a photo sent in to the BAT-BLOG with NO information at all. Ha Ha, Nothing....just the photo ( we still appreciate it ). But the picture explains alot & looks like a great job at customizing what we think is a 1970's Corvette. We also love the interior with the Bat-Symbol on the steering wheel & the TV Monitor where the glove box should be. Whoever did this did an incredible job & we wish this baby was in our garage! Vrooom Vrooom!

Original Batman Comic Book Panels That Are Funny!

Here are 2 panels from actual Batman comic books that are kinda funny, ha ha! These were done in a time when they were meant to be innocent but now have a hidden meaning. Be sure to check the BAT-BLOG Message Board for more humor photos!

Classic Batman Comic Book Cover : 1939 Detective Comics # 29

Here's the front & back cover to the Classic Batman Comic Book DETECTIVE COMICS # 29, from July 1939...beautiful!!

1966 BATMAN TV SERIES Video : BAT-GADGETS!

BATMAN TIN TOY ROBOTS : Vintage 1960's Japanese & Brand New Custom Toy

Shown in the 1st photo is an original 1960's BATMAN TIN TOY ROBOT from Japan that is a holy grail to all toy collectors. It's shown with the original box, which is probably 100 times more RARE than the actual toy, ha ha!! The 2nd photo is a brand new BATMAN ROBOT Custom Toy made by a friend of the Bat-Blog & being sold on eBay. ( Sorry, By the time you read this it might have already sold ). We are all really impressed with how well-done both the robot toy & box are made. We mean, the head looks exactly like Adam West & the Bat-Belt has some really great detailing...nice job!! Be sure to check the BAT-BLOG ARCHIVES for many more Custom & Vintage Batman Toys!!

BATMANIA Batman Fan 1960's Fanzine Magazine

Now, these Batman Fan magazines are EXTREMELY RARE! Here's a set of BATMANIA Batman Fanzines, Issues # 1 thru 19. This was a magazine for Batman Fans published by artist / writer BILJO WHITE in the mid 60's, about 2 yrs before the Batman TV Series premiered in 1966. This was a grass-roots level publication that covered everything Batman. Sort of like the BAT-BLOG in magazine form, ha ha! Please click on the photo up above to enlarge it to a giant-sized photo. I put it up this big so that you could enjoy the incredible artwork by Biljo White. He did all the covers & from a graphic art point of view they are super great!! My favorite is issue #4 which shows Batman & Robin racing away in the Batmobile & it's shown at a weird angle you never see. Many more of them are really great too & we hope you enjoy this RARE chance to see these extremely hard-to-find masterpieces!! Be sure to check back with the BAT-BLOG often for more Batman eye-candy...See y'all tommorrow!!

SUPER-RARE Vintage 60's Batman Weapon Toys!!

In this quick posting we wanted to present 2 very ultra-rare Vintage 1960's Batman Toys that are toy weapons for crime fighting! The 1st one is a Batman Water Pistol Toy Gun made by Lincoln International ©1966. It's shown here on a beautiful display card with the toy attached, drool, drool! The 2nd photo is of a cool "foreign market" Batman toy called BATI-ESPOSAS & as you can see they are a pair of play hand-cuffs, or I guess, "Bat-Cuffs". These were marketed in Argentina & are quite RARE also!! The Bat-Blog would like to thank our friend Ramiro for sending the "bat-cuffs" photo. If any other readers have some cool personal photos to share of anything Batman-related then please do so!

Be sure to check the BAT-BLOG ARCHIVES for many many more RARE vintage Batman Toys!!

RARE Batman & Robin SUPER JUNIORS Vintage 1978 Rubber Vinyl Squeeze Toys

Who's the cutest little Batman & Robin ever? You are, Yes you are! Here's a set of two Batman & Robin 7" tall rubber-vinyl dolls that if you squeeze they make a sqweeky-sound like a dog toy, ha ha! These were made in 1978 for the foreign market & are called "Super Juniors". This was Warner Brothers' attempt to present some DC Comics characters as little kids but it must have never taken off. Also in this set were a Superman & Wonder Woman ( not shown ). It's sort of a mystery as to what other Super Juniors products were produced. I know that there is some "Super Juniors Contact-Sheet Paper" made in Italy. It featured the 4 characters listed above plus Green Arrow, Green Lantern, & maybe a few other characters. Other than the dolls & contact paper I'm not sure what else they made so if you have something in this wacky "Super Jrs" series then please send more info & especially a photo if ya got it!

Batman-Related Tattoo Picture JOKER Brian Bolland Art

Here's an extremely well-done Batman Tattoo photo sent in by a reader who got The Joker on his right calf. This was inspired by the art work of Brian Bolland ( shown on right ) from the classic Batman / Joker graphic novel, The Killing Joke.

Be sure to check the BAT-BLOG ARCHIVES for many more Batman Tattoos!

BAT-BLOG's Wacky Wallpaper Wednesday!

Every Wednesday at the BAT-BLOG we present two Batman Wallpapers you can use to brighten your desktop or use in a MySpace layout! Today we thought we would post some pictures of Batman Toys. One is a Vintage 1970's Mego ROBIN THE BOY WONDER Action Figure 8" Doll on original blister-card. The 2nd one is the NEW Batman Action Figure from the DC SUPER FRIENDS collection. This will be released from Mattel in 2007. Be sure to check the BAT-BLOG ARCHIVES & BAT-BLOG WALLPAPER PAGE for many many more Batman Desktop Wallpapers!!

Batman Classic Comic Book Cover # 106

Today I came across a really great vintage Batman comic book cover & it made me think, "Why I have not thought if this before...duh!". So, every now & then I'm gonna showcase a really wonderful Batman cover for fans who enjoy great art work!! This is the cover to Batman #106. It's kinda weird to see a cover price of 10 cents.

Life-Sized Batman Lego Statue at F.A.O. Schwarz Toy Store

The famous toy store F.A.O. Schwarz has gone through a major make-over. Now they specialize in high-end very expensive toys for millionaires & the elite! One of their offerings this year is gonna be a Life-Sized Batman Statue made entirely from Lego™ bricks. He measures about 6'6" tall. This item is extremely cool & is on every toy collectors wish list. The price, $27,000.00. Yes, you read that right, twenty-seven thousand dollars!! If anybody wants to buy this for me ( for Christmas maybe ) then e-mail me & I'll send you my shipping address info, ha ha!

BATMAN 1970's NEWSPAPER COMIC STRIP Original Art

Here's a lovely example of some Original Batman Newspaper Comic Strip Art from January 4th, 1971. ( Be sure to click the small picture up above for a larger photo. ) It mainly features Bruce Wayne but one panel has his trusty Butler Alfred...nice art work too!! The BAT-BLOG would like to personally thank Steven for sending us this wonderful picture. It's pretty cool & we're sure the readers will enjoy this obscure piece of Batman History! Be sure to check the BAT-BLOG ARCHIVES for more Original Art featuring Batman!

Vintage 1980's BATMAN & ROBIN SUPER POWERS ACTION FIGURE By Kenner

The year was 1984. The year of George Orwell's BIG BROTHER. A classic toy company, named Kenner, came out with a line of action figures called the SUPER POWERS COLLECTION. Shown up above is the Batman action figure made for the "Foriegn Market". They were re-named SUPER AMIGOS & featured both Spanish & English languages. The 2nd picture shows the Batman action figure on the RARE "Slim Card" & a Robin action figure on the regular card with blister-pack bubble. They made alot of action figures in this series, which we will showcase later, but our favorites of course are the Batman & Robin ones. They also made The Joker, Penguin, Superman, Green Lantern, Flash, Green Arrow, Plasticman, Hawkman, & even Clark Kent...wayyy too many to list here! Remember to click on the pictures up above for larger, more detailed, photos! Also, Be sure to check the BAT-BLOG ARCHIVES for many more Vintage Batman Toys like Mego, Kenner, Corgi, Marx, Hot Wheels, Transogram, Ideal, etc...

SUPER FRIENDS Animated Cartoon Model Sheet for Batman

In 1973 a famous comic book artist named Alex Toth was hired to create "the look" of the characters for the SUPER FRIENDS Animated Cartoon TV Series. Here's the MODEL SHEET for Batman....a great piece of ART!

Be sure to check the BAT-BLOG ARCHIVES for more original comic art related to Batman!

1966 BATMAN TV SHOW TRAILER Made Like Modern Day Movie

Someone made this for YouTube & it's hilarious! It's footage from the 1966 Batman TV Show re-edited like it was a modern day trailer with quick editing & new music effects....funny!

1970's DC SUPERHERO MUSICAL CERAMIC FIGURINES

WOW, This pic ( click the pic above for a larger more detailed photo ) was sent to us from a loyal BAT-BLOG Reader named John. He must have the greatest collection ever! Here are some Super-Rare 1970's DC SUPERHERO & VILLIAN Musical Ceramic Figurines that you wind-up on the bottom to start slowly spinning & playing music!! As a kid I remember these being offered in the catalogs & I really wanted a few of them so I'm gonna have to track them down now! These figurines are beautiful works of art!! John's photo shows The Penguin, Catwoman, Batman & Robin, Superman ( Hey, what's he doing here, ha ha ), The Riddler, & The Joker. Thanx John, for torturing me!! But seriously, this is a really great photo, I appreciate that & know my readers will too!! If anyone else has some wacky Batman Photos to share them please send them to us.

Vintage 1966 Batman Toys Sales Catalog Pictures

Here's a group of pictures taken out of some really cool & Super-RARE Batman Toys from a 1966 Toy Sales Catalog. This was an industry publication for people who owned toy stores in the 60's & they could order stock from it. Shown in the pics are some extremely RARE Batman Toys like: Batman Bullhorn & Batman on a Stick, made by Bayshore Industries. Some Batman & Robin Society 3 1/2" Buttons with Display Box, made by Button World Mfg, Co. The Official Batman Hat made by Arlington Hat Co. The last picture shows some very RARE items made by the Irwin Corp: The injection-molded plastic Batman Plane, Batman Helicopter, Batman Ride-On Bike, & Batman Club Horn with header card!! OK, now the Society Button is kinda common to find but everything else is a total holy grail piece because they are almost non-existant! Click on the small picture up above for a larger, more detailed photo so you can start drooling! Drool, drool!! Be sure to check the BAT-BLOG ARCHIVES, located on the right-side of the blog, for many more Vintage Batman Toys!!

Vintage 1966 Batman Toys - Plush Doll, Hankercheif, & Purse!

Shown up above are three really great & super-rare Vintage Batman Toys I recently received pix of. The 1st one is a Batman Plush Doll made by The Commonwealth Co in 1966. He measures about 18" tall & is pretty huge, like a big teddy bear! The 2nd photo is a child's hankerchief sent in by a loyal BAT-BLOG reader named John ( Thanx John! ). Even though the item is slightly faded it's still very hard to find & I love the vintage graphics anyway! OK, Now, I think the last item is the best & the most RARE! It's a Black Leather Purse in the shape of the Bat-Symbol & still has it's original sticker which is always gone! My lady collects Vintage Purses & would flip over this, it's really really cool! Be sure to check the BAT-BLOG ARCHIVES for many more Vintage Batman Toys & Collectibles! The Archives are located on the right-side of this blog!

Batman Video : Drawing The Joker w/ Computer

BOB KANE With Micheal Keaton 1989 Batman & Original Art

A few weeks ago we published a photo of the BOB KANE Gravesite Marker & it created alot of response. For the small amount of people who don't know who he is Bob Kane is the guy who co-created Batman in mid-1939. Bob Kane & Bill Finger presented Batman for the 1st time in Detective Comics #27, May, 1939. Here's a photo of Bob with Batman ( Micheal Keaton ) in 1989 ( the 50th Anniversery of the character ) during the 1st movie by Tim Burton. Below that is an original art sketch attributed to Bob Kane, seen on eBay! As a last minute deal we've also posted a photo of the classic comic book cover to Detective Comics #27, Batman's First Appearance! This baby is an ICON of comic book history!!

BATMAN BLACK & WHITE GRAPHICS Wacky Wallpaper Thursday?!

OK, This is kinda funny, ha ha! For over 6 months the BAT-BLOG has posted 2 Batman Desktop Wallpapers EVERY SINGLE WEDNESDAY! But, yesterday we totally forgot...sorry! We did some really interesting posts yesterday but totally forgot about "Wallpaper Wednesday"! So, today, I am posting THREE really great ones today to make up for it!! It won't happen again, I hope, ha ha ha! Remember, we have a Batman Wallpaper page, the link is on the right-side of the BAT-BLOG. We also have a ton of Batman-related Desktop Wallpapers posted in the actual blog, just look thru the BAT-BLOG ARCHIVES, also on the right-side. These are really great for decorating your PC desktop or using in a MySpace layout!

Batman, The Animated Series ROBIN DRAGSTER & BATCAVE!

OK, The BAT-BLOG is really dedicated to showcasing Vintage Batman Toys & we even try to cover brand new releases for current collectors but one area we have sort of neglicted lately are the wonderful toys from the Animated Series. I mean, that's kinda weird because we really really LOVE that cartoon, it's a Classic! So, up above are 2 photos of some really hard-to-find BTAS Toys. The 1st one is a vehicle made for the line of action figures. It's called the ROBIN DRAGSTER. Now, no one really knows the story of why this thing is so RARE but it had to do with it being cancelled for safety reasons or maybe it was only made for the Canadian Market...something weird like that! Now, in my personal collection I don't have this "In The Box" but I do have it "Loose, missing some parts". But that's the joy of collecting Vintage Batman Toys is that there is sooo much stuff out there it always keeps ya busy looking for more! I truely believe that even if you were a billionare like Bruce Wayne you still couldn't collect everything Batman! The next photo is another action figure accessory called THE BATCAVE COMMAND CENTER. Now, the reason this thing is kinda semi-rare is that it is so HUGE & GIANT that alot of collectors don't have space for it, ha ha. But, it is pretty cool & we love the graphics on the box!! Be sure to check the BAT-BLOG ARCHIVES for many more wonderful Vintage Batman Toys by Kenner Action Figures, Ideal, Mego Dolls, Marx, TransOgram, Corgi Cars, Mattel Hot Wheels, etc...!!

DC SUPER FRIENDS Action Figures By Mattel 2007, Updated

We reported here recently about the new line of toys from Mattel called DC SUPER FRIENDS, which are sort of a kiddie-version of DC Comics Superheroes. Well, Here's some more photos from the 2007 TOY FAIR of what more of the Batman Toys are gonna look like & we love 'em!! I mean, they're also gonna make Aquaman, Superman, Green Lantern, etc...but who cares! ( Click the above photo for a larger, more detailed, picture! )

ADAM WEST BATMAN TV SHOW CUSTOM TOY DOLL By Martin!

Over at the BAT-BLOG Message Board we have a member, and friend from the UK, named Martin who, in his spare time, likes to make custom toys of Batman characters that he wished toy companies would make, but don't. The photo up above is one of his current creations where he took a 12" action figure doll & made it look like Adam West's Batman from the classic TV Series. All of us here at the BAT-BLOG are extremely impressed with all of this guy's stuff. We mean, these are WORKS OF ART! The attention to detail is insane. We love the Bat-Belt with the authentic pouchs & brass belt buckle. The gloves, boots, cape, chest emblem are all top-notch! He said he got the head off eBay from a guy who makes "Custom Heads" of classic characters. Martin received this item unpainted & done it himself, a really great job too!! If you're a fan of cool custom toy work then you need to check out his other pieces he did that are featured in our Message Boards. He re-vamped a Mego Batmobile to look exactly like the 1966 TV Show version. He also made some Mego Doll-sized creations of Catwoman, Batman, & Robin from the TV Series (Adam West & Burt Ward!). We want to thank Martin for his contributions & we also wanna invite all our readers to join the Message Baords to give us your imput! Thanx! ( Click the photo for a larger, more detailed, picture ).

Flashback 1988 : DECIDE IF ROBIN LIVES OR DIES!!

In 1988 DC Comics created a campain for readers to decide if Robin lives or dies!! You might remember that in the Batman comic books they had a storyline called A DEATH IN THE FAMILY where at the end of one issue the new Robin had been trapped by the Joker & then they had a cliffhanger as to what would happen to him. Then, DC Comics published a full-page ad in most of their comics giving you, the reader, a 1-900 number to call to decide if he lived or died. I vividly remember when this was going on & it was kinda creepy. This was not the classic Dick Grayson Robin we all love but a new bratty kid Batman sort of adopted to be the new Robin. Alot of people didn't like him because of his attitude. Anyway, the votes were real close but everyone decided that ROBIN SHOULD DIE! In the next issue of Batman they did just that. The Joker beat Robin to death with a crowbar! Here's the full-page ad they ran...it's a dark piece of Batman comic book history.

THE BATMAN Ultra ShadowTek Action Figures NEW From Mattel™

Recently, at TOY FAIR 2007, Mattel™ showcased a few of the NEW Ultra ShadowTek Action Figures for The Batman Cartoon TV Series. There's gonna be a Scuba Assault Batman, Flight Strike Robin, Bane ( Villian ), and Ninja Warrior Batman. We can't wait till these come out because they look pretty cool! Be sure to check back with the BAT-BLOG often for more current toy news! Also, be sure to check the BAT-BLOG ARCHIVES for more toys...see ya tommorrow!

TOPPS 1960's COMIC BOOK FOLDEES Trading Cards

In the 1960's the Topps Company made a series of Trading Cards called COMIC BOOK FOLDEES. These featured various DC Comics Heroes & Villians on trading cards that could be folded to make different scenes. Basically it's a large card with 3 surfaces. The center surface had a picture of the character. The 2 surfaces on either side had preferations to cut so that there would be "flaps" on each side to fold over. The flaps have the head, torso, & legs of different characters that you could mix & match. Look at the picture on the top of the display box, kinda gives you an idea. There were 44 cards to the complete set & these babies are extremely RARE & very sought out by many collectors!

Custom BATMAN STYLE PC Computer Tower!

"Atomic Batteries To Power, Turbines To Speed..." Here's a new product from Sansun that every Bat-Fan & super computer nerd has to have! ( I mean "nerd" in a good way, ha ha ). This is a custom ATX Middle Tower made to look just like Batman!! Oh man, this thing is awesome!! It comes in different colors: Red, Blue, Silver & black. The specs for this can be found at their main website: http://www.sansungroup.com.tw/sansun/sansun.html

Vintage 1984 Kenner SUPER POWERS TV Commercial : Batman Action Figure & Batmobile Vehicle Toy

RARE Vintage 1950's Batman & Robin Ingersoll Pocket Watch

Here's a nice reference photo of the SUPER-RARE 1957 Batman & Robin Pocket Watch made by Ingersoll. I love the vintage graphics & it's really unusual to find ANY Batman merchandise pre-1966. Most Batman collectibles start from 1966 & it's really hard to find anything from the 1940's & 50's. Ingersoll was a classic watch company known for making great character watches. In fact, they almost went out of business during the depression except they had a great idea to make the very 1st Mickey Mouse Watch, the 1st character watch! The sales of that item went thru the roof & saved the company! This one featuring Batman & Robin is extremely RARE & sought out by both Batman Fans & Character Watch Collectors as a holy grail. They usually bring about $500+ in auction, loose. Be sure to check previous posts in the BAT-BLOG ARCHIVES for many more Rare & Unusual Vintage Batman Items & Toys like Ideal, Mego, Kenner, Transogram, Marx, Corgi, etc...

Vintage 1993 BATMAN THE ANIMATED SERIES Diecast Cars By ERTL

I know that today Corgi Toys & Mattel Hot Wheels are making some really great diecast cars of Batman but about 14 years ago a company called Ertl was making some really wonderful diecast vehicles for Batman : The Animated Series. They did the beautiful Art Deco style Batmobile from that now Classic Cartoon. They also did a Gotham City Police Helicopter, The Bat-Jet, Bruce Wayne's Car, The Bat-Boat/Submarine, & even the Bat-Bike! They were really nice quality & look great too. You can find these vehicles today on eBay pretty easily, here's a photo of all SIX in the set.

Vintage 1966 BATMAN Foreign Movie Poster From BELGIUM

Here's a great photo sent into the BAT-BLOG by a loyal reader who lives in the UK. He told us he bought this Vintage 1966 Batman Movie Poster while on vacation & it's from Belgium. He said it's quite RARE & we have to agree with him on that! Also, we love the vintage graphics....way cool!! Thanx for sending us the photo to share & if anyone else has some cool pics then please send them today!

DC Comics BATTLEAGUE Game Action Figures MATTEL

This 2007 there's gonna be a new game in town called DC Comics BATTLEAGUE by Mattel. I'm not quite sure if I wanna play the action-adventure game but I do love the figures! They are sort of like HEROCLIX but wayyy bigger. Plus the boxes they come in will convert to buildings. They are also gonna have a few vehicles like the Batmobile. They're really very well detailed & they're also gonna make alot of the Batman-Related Characters too like Batman, Robin, Penguin, Joker, Batgirl, Harley Quinn, Catwoman, Two-Face, Riddler, etc...I have seen about 3 versions of Joker so it sounds like they're gonna go nuts with the assortments. We have some more pictures in the BAT-BLOG Message Board.

Batman & Robin FUNNY HUMOR PICTURES Photos

Every now & then we like to post some really funny & humorous Batman-related pictures we come across on the internet. They don't really need explaining, just check 'em out and laugh....enjoy! Also, Remember to check the BAT-BLOG ARCHIVES for many more funny humor photos!!

Wacky Wallpaper Wednesday ROBIN ( Burt Ward ) & RIDDLER

It's Wednesday again & you know what that means...WACKY WALLPAPER WEDNESDAY! Please feel free to use these 2 wonderful Batman Wallpapers to brighten-up your PC Desktop or use as a background for your MySpace Page! The 1st one features Burt Ward as Robin, The Boy Wonder but with a twist! He's listening to a modern-day Apple iPod, ha ha. The 2nd picture is a really cool graphic I found of the Riddler. Finding ANY kind of Riddler graphic to use was a nightmare! Ya see, too make these wallpapers I need very large & very sharp graphics, this is the ONLY one I could find of the Riddler that was any good....hope ya like it. Be sure to check our BAT-BLOG WALLPAPER PAGE for many more wallpapers & you can dig thru the BAT-BLOG ARCHIVES for many more that are not featured there...enjoy!

Vintage Batman and Robin TV Commercial from 1987

RARE Vintage 1960's Corgi Car HUSKY EXTRA GIFT PACK Batmobile with Batboat & Trailer

Here's a wonderful photo of the SUPER-RARE 1960's Corgi Die-Cast Toy Cars HUSKY EXTRA Batman Batmobile & Batboat GIFT SET #5002, Mint on Original Card. The photo shows the front / back of the blisterpack card with wonderful vintage graphics. It came with the 1966 style Batmobile, Bat-Boat, & Trailer too!! Be sure to check the BAT-BLOG ARCHIVES for many more Vintage Batman Toys including Corgi, Marx, Mego, Kenner, Ideal, Transogram, etc...

NEW 2007 Hot Wheels THE BATMAN TWO-PACK SET Batmobile + Joker & Riddlers Cars

I was running thru Target the other night trying to find the 1966 Batmobile Hot Wheels Car & didn't find a single one! But, I did find these 2 NEW Hot Wheels TWO-PACKS from THE BATMAN featuring the newer version Batmobile with a very small figure & very cool villian car. There are 2 different ones: The Joker's Last Laugh & The Riddler's Rampage. I really like the packaging, the tiny figures, & the cars but it kinda sucks that they make you buy the Batmobile twice! But, the Batmobile is the newer "cartoon version" & it is pretty cool! Be sure to check the BAT-BLOG ARCHIVES for more news about current Batman toy releases!

BATMAN BEGINS Desktop Wallpapers

Here are 2 very nice BATMAN BEGINS Wallpapers you can use to brighten your desktop or use as a background in a MySpace layout! One features a sharp photo of the Tumbler Batmobile & the other one is of Christian Bale dressed as the Batman! Be sure to check the BAT-BLOG ARCHIVES for many more wallpapers posted in the past, every Wednesday is WACKY WALLPAPER WEDNESDAY here at the BAT-BLOG! We also have a BATMAN WALLPAPER Page you can find the link button to that on the right-side of this blog.

RARE Vintage X-15 BATMOBILE Tricycle By MATTEL

Here's a really nice photo sent in by a loyal BAT-BLOG Reader of the SUPER-RARE Vintage "X-15 BATMOBILE" Tricycle made by Mattel in the 1960's. This is an extremely cool Bat-Collectible that is very very hard-to-find! We think it was made during the 1966 TV Series so that's cool. Thanx to Johnny for sending us the photos! Be sure to check the BAT-BLOG ARCHIVES for many more Vintage Batman Toys like Corgi, Ideal, Marx, Transogram, Mego, etc...