Since we looked at the Super Powers collection of toys last week, I figured I'd continue the trend and look at some more DC Comics toys that ruled my life as a child. Now as most of you know, when Batman hit the big screens in '89 it was an all encompassing force that took the nation by storm. If it seems like I'm being over dramatic, just understand that I was a kid and Batman and superheroes were my life at that point......... It doesn't look like much has changed actually.
So when that Batman hit, it hit hard and we had Alfred in Diet Coke commercials, a shitty cereal I had to have, a nintendo game and of course the action figures. I feel so sorry for my mother because of the need I must of expressed to own these Batman figures, that were based on the movie that blew my young mind. So I gorged my self on bat merch and imagined endless scenarios in which my Batman figures would out smart, out punch and out fall down the stairs the Joker. Now this would be fine, but cut to '92 and to my mother's dread a sequel was made and the process began all over again. I don't think I've ever felt the kind of need that I once had as a child in going to different stores to see if I could get my greedy little hands on a different figure that was on the back of the toy's card or finding one that I hadn't known existed yet.
Now at this point Batman TAS was in full force and I don't know if it was the style change in the figures or what, but I never had an interest in getting these figures. It's possible as well that after the Batman Returns figures hit I realized that I didn't need or want any silly Batman figure that sported laser guns, a camouflage suit, or any other ridiculous thing that just didn't seem like Batman to me. So yeah, after the Batman Returns figures were over I was done with Batman toys until I was in my twenties. So for this Just For The Hell Of It Monday, I figured we'd take a look at the commercials that drove me batty, and put a serious dent in my mother's pocket book. Let's take a look and see if you can remember the figures you had and then you can call your parents and apologize.
Like last week I'm going to attempt to alienate my audience by talking a bit about the figures I had, but I'm not going to go overboard, just a couple of things I'd like to mention.
1. The Robin figure from Batman Returns is still one of my favorite action figures that was ever made. It really feels like they took that design to create the Dick Grayson costume for Batman TAS and it was my first real exposure to the Tim Drake-esque costume. It's a great figure and even though it came with a goofy grappling hook that attached to it's back, I still love it and it will be mine again.
2. Bruce Wayne's Custom Coupe was something magical to me as a child. You put Bruce Wayne in his car, pull on the back and the damn thing turned into a makeshift Batmobile and even the seat flipped around to reveal Batman behind the wheel. When I first saw the commercial for this I would of swore that some sort of wizard was behind this toy. While I don't feel the need to own it again, it was sure something that caught my imagination as a kid and blew me away.
3. The Batman Returns Batmobile. I never got to own the first Batman movie Batmobile, so when the sequel came out, I knew it was finally my time to get a hold on the Tim Burton Batmobile. Not only just a batmobile, but one that transformed into the thin bullet car from the movie. So yeah I got it and after playing with it for a few days I realized that I didn't need a thin bullet car batmobile. How many times can you really prop two books up together to make a thin alleyway just so you can make the thin bullet car feature exciting? I think the actual number is twelve. So yeah, that's it for me talking about these figures right now and it was fun taking a walk back in time, when my whole world was movies, cartoons and action figures............ Again it doesn't seem like much has changed, but the wonder that I felt will never be captured like it was back then.
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