Posted By Dan Greenfield on Jan 7, 2026 | 9 comments

BATMAN ’66 WEEK: How it might have been — whether you were there or not…

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Welcome to BATMAN ’66 WEEK, celebrating the 60th anniversary of the beloved TV show starring Adam West! All week, we’ll be presenting daily tributes and features, leading up to Jan. 12 — the premiere date itself — when we’ll roll out a brand-new TOP 13 BATMAN ’66 EPISODE COUNTDOWN, voted upon by a panel of the most knowledgeable Bat-experts around. Click here for the COMPLETE INDEX. — Dan

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By CHRIS FRANKLIN

I have always felt I was born 10 to 15 years later than I should have been. I gravitate toward music, TV, and movies a decade older than me. Being born in late 1974, I wasn’t around when Batmania 1.0 hit in 1966 after the explosive debut of the Batman television series on Jan. 12 of that year. In the ’70s Batman was everywhere, as if he always had been. He was a part of everyday life for me and many of my generation, appearing on hundreds of products thanks to never-ending reruns of the TV series, as well as old and new animation offerings featuring the character also available on the old boob tube.

In 1989, I would get a taste of what the kids of the 1960s felt when the second wave of Batmania hit in earnest, thanks to the release of the blockbuster film from Tim Burton. By then, I was a teenager, and a dedicated collector, picking up old and new Batman merchandise of all shapes and sizes. But despite that, I have always felt a kinship to the kids of the ’60s and wondered how exciting it must have been to live in THAT moment. When the entire world seemed to love your favorite character just as much as you and saw fit to festoon your every waking moment with Bat-paraphernalia.

With that in mind, I will join in the celebration of BATMAN ’66 WEEK by looking at a variety of Bat-merchandise released in that epochal year of 1966 and imagine a typical day in the life of a Batman fan, and all the products that may have been part of their routine. If I don’t get things quite right, my apologies to readers and fellow contributors who actually lived this. But please indulge my fantasy nostalgia for a period I wasn’t fortunate enough to know personally.

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Fact Toothpaste

You awaken on a typical Wednesday school day and brush your teeth with the new Fact toothpaste you talked your mom into buying. She was moved by the promise of cavity prevention. You wanted the sweet Batman and Robin mail-in posters you saw advertised on the most recent Batman episode, pitched to you by none other than Alfred himself!

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All-Star Dairy Juice

From out of the refrigerator, you pull cartons of two fruity drinks. But are you in more of a lemon mood, or a “Peninsula Fruit” mood (whatever that means)? Taste aside, both have a nice cut-out standee of Batman on the side. But the lemon one has a card featuring one of your favorite Bat-foes, the Riddler. The other has a Bat-mask that looks entirely too small for your head. So, you go with the lemon and Riddler.

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Drinking Glasses

Now for another tough decision: Batman or Robin? Which glass do you pick to contain your beverage choice? The Robin glass is far more colorful, but since you chose lemon, the blue and gray of Batman will pop better. You opt for the Caped Crusader.

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Milk Glass Mugs

As you wolf down your juice and sugary cereal, across the table you notice your Dad has once again decided to use your Batman mug to drink his morning coffee. It was probably an absent-minded decision with no ill intention. But you know if he keeps doing that, the coffee is going to stain what your Mom called “milk glass”! And Batman’s mug has one side with the old logo with no circle around it! GAH!!!

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Standard Plastics Products Inc. Binder

Time for school, so you rush to your room and cram your last-minute homework into your Batman binder. But first you must erase the Batman and monster doodles you drew all over your assignment. Miss Dunn is sure to mark off points for your bonus creativity!

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Buttons and Keyring

You then place your binder into your book satchel, covered in Batman buttons, including the one declaring you a “Charter Member of the Batman & Robin Society.” This is an honor bestowed upon few, in your estimation! Your Mom insisted you put a spare house key on your new Batman/Robin keyring. Like she’d ever NOT be at the house when you got home!

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Aladdin Lunchbox

You are the envy of the cafeteria with your new Batman lunchbox. Boys stare at you in a jealous rage. Girls swoon. And your Mom came through, packing a bologna sandwich and Campbell’s Chicken Noodle soup, saving you from the school’s mystery meat once more.

There is some discussion among your classmates on why the Batmobile doesn’t look like the one on TV. You inform the less enlightened that the Batmobile of the comics also looks different, and you’ve seen different ones in some of the Batman Annuals you have. They scoff, but you know you’re right.

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Lego Banks

Speaking of comics, the school lunch options were so bad, you didn’t buy any extras. So, more money for comics later in the week! For safe keeping, you store them in your Batman bank. You choose Batman over Robin for this task, because, c’mon, obviously Batman is tougher. The Robin bank is cool, but why is he taking his mask off? Your friend down the street Todd Welch has a poster with a similar image. Weird.

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Official Batman Bat Chute

An afternoon of play went bad when your “friend” Terry Shirley threw your Batman Bat-Chute figure up into the water maple tree in your backyard. You told him not to do it, but he did it anyway. The parachute and the cape didn’t survive, and now all you have left is the figure itself. Just for that, you’re keeping the pack of Batman bubble gum cards you bought together.

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Ideal Justice League of America/Batman Figures

After packing up your toys and heading home, you realize Grover McDuffy “accidentally” picked up your Justice League Batman figure. He knows you have the painted one, and he has the inferior one that’s just peach-colored plastic. You’ll make sure to get it back tomorrow. He’s liable to lose the cape otherwise!

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Ideal Hand Puppets

It’s almost 7:30… time for Batman! You look over your room to see if there’s anything you’ll need to play along with tonight’s episode. You consider the Batman and Robin hand puppets, but you caught your Dad giving you a look last time you played with those. As if to say, “You’re too old for that.”

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Ben Cooper Play Suit

Instead, you opt to dress the part. If kids were envious of your Batman lunch box, they were green-eyed monsters when it came to your official Ben Cooper playsuit! Sure, you wish “BATMAN” wasn’t written across the chest, but otherwise, it’s groovy. The hood and mask are fine, but you have something better…

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Ideal Helmet

Your Batman helmet really makes you look like the Caped Crusader! You could probably fit a second kid’s head in there, but at least there’s room to grow. Now you’re ready for the latest episode! And you can look forward to talking about it at school with your friends tomorrow, pondering how the Dynamic Duo may get out of the death-trap this week!

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MORE

— The Complete BATMAN ’66 WEEK INDEX of Features. Click here.

— MORRISON MONDAYS: The BATMAN ’66 Debut Episode You DIDN’T See. Click here.

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13th Dimension contributor CHRIS FRANKLIN is a graphic designer, illustrator, writer, and podcaster, who co-hosts and produces several shows on the Fire and Water Podcast Network, including Superman Movie Minute. Check out his illustrative and design work at chrisfranklincreative.com.