Posted By Dan Greenfield on Mar 30, 2025 | 3 comments

It’s the Caped Crusader’s 86th anniversary!

A selection of Batman items throughout the decades, including a few bonus ones!

By CHRIS FRANKLIN

Batman. The Caped Crusader. The Darknight Detective. The creation of Bob Kane and Bill Finger has conquered all media, from the original comics to comic strips, movie serials, TV series, animation, and of course theatrical films. But perhaps the biggest testament to his eternal staying power is his ability to move merchandise. From the boom of his epoch-making TV series debut in 1966, the Masked Manhunter has rarely been absent from toy shelves. Bruce Wayne’s own in-universe proclivity for bat-branding makes his alter ego the perfect choice for licensees to produce untold products bearing his likeness, and all his wonderful toys.

It’s Batman’s 86th anniversary — Detective Comics #27 came out March 30, 1939 — and since we celebrated his crimefighting partner Robin in similar fashion, it’s only fitting that we shine the Batsignal on 13 fun examples of Batman in figural form over the course of his storied legend. Some are instantly recognizable, and others more obscure, but they capture the ever-evolving essence of one of fiction’s greatest and most enduring creations.

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Hand Puppet (Ideal, 1966). While not as colorful as the accompanying Robin model, Ideal’s Batman hand puppet still captures the Silver Age Caped Crusader well. There’s the slightest hint of Adam West to the sculpt too, which just makes it pitch-perfect for the era.

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Ceramic Bank (Lego, 1966). This bank from Lego (not that one) has Batman in a more traditional stance than his partner, with the Cowled Crimebuster triumphantly posing with hands on hips. Note the circular bat-symbol on his chest, before it evolved into the more recognizable oval.

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Captain Action (Ideal 1966). Perhaps THE piece of ’60s Batmania merchandise, two years after Hasbro introduced the world to the first action figure G.I. Joe, Ideal countered with the first superhero in that toy genre, Captain Action. Outfit and equipment sets were offered to change the somewhat militaristic Captain into popular comic, TV and comic strip heroes, but the best-seller by far was Batman. It was 1966, after all!

While Ideal made some strange choices with the suit, such as the odd printed diagonal black stripes and blue utility belt, kids of the 1960s didn’t care. They could act out their favorite adventures with this pioneering figure/outfit combo.

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World’s Greatest Super Heroes/Pocket Super Heroes (Mego, 1972-1982). This side of their iconic Spider-Man, the second version of Mego’s 8-inch Batman from their World’s Greatest Super Heroes line of action figures is perhaps the quintessential Mego figure. But that doesn’t take away from the earlier removeable cowl version, with the Bruce Wayne head beneath. Mego produced a Batman figure in every format they created, including the 3.75-inch Pocket Super Heroes, and two distinct versions in their 12 1/2-inch range.

The later Magnetic Batman has a sculpt more befitting the character’s “grim avenger of the night” persona which returned in the ’70s, and even somewhat foreshadows Batman’s look in Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight.

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Batman figure (Chemtoy, 1974). Mego may have had a lock on articulated Batman figures in the ’70s, but other companies weaseled around this by making static figures. Rack Toy manufacturer Chemtoy adapted the classic Carmine Infantino/Murphy Anderson art of Batman with hands on hip into 3D form. The paints are crude, but the sculpt is a sold interpretation. The packaging seems to swipe and redraw artwork from prolific Batman artist Irv Novick.

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Skydiving Parachutist (Azrak Hamway International, 1976). During the 1970s, Azrak-Hamway International (or AHI) produced a fleet of cheap Batman vehicles and other toys at affordable prices. Like Chemtoy, they mowed a bit of Mego’s grass by making static figures of DC and Marvel superheroes, selling them with thin plastic parachutes and launchers. Since Batman was frequently seen flying about in his Batplane and Batcopter, it made sense for him to be packed with a parachute. Superman, not so much.

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Knock-Off Bootleg Figure (Unknown Manufacturer and Year). Given his popularity, it’s no surprise Batman has had hundreds if not thousands of unlicensed bootleg figures produced over the years. This Batman is clearly based on Mego’s head sculpt, but what’s fascinating about him is minus the gaudy silver gloves, he’s a pretty solid interpretation of what Batman looked like in Italian printed comics for years. McFarlane recently produced a red-suited Adam West Batman figure based on the Italian movie poster from the 1966 Batman film. What I really love about this one is the well-done swipe of Carmine Infantino and Murphy Anderson’s box art from the 1965 Aurora Batman model kit!

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Superoi Junior / Super Jrs. (Galba/ Baravelli, 1980). While the US saw the release of the Protecto Super Jrs. squeak toys, Italian toymaker Galba, a branch of manufacturer/distributor Baravelli, issued a series of delightfully adorable articulated dolls based on the Super Jrs. character designs. The gorgeous box design also evokes the look of Mego’s World’s Greatest Super Heroes line. But I ask you, has the Caped Crusader ever looked so… cuddly?

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Super Powers (Kenner, 1984). Of course, Kenner was going to include Batman in the first series of their game-changing Super Powers Collection. Like nearly every figure in the line, they perfectly captured the Batman of the late Bronze Age. Grim and determined, but not yet emotionally crippled. Batman and his cast got more love than any characters in the line, including Robin, Joker, Penguin, Mister Freeze, the Batcopter, and, in this writer’s opinion, the greatest toy Batmobile ever made!

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Shadow Wing Batman: The Dark Knight Collection (Kenner, 1990). Batmania returned in 1989, perhaps bigger than ever with the release of Tim Burton’s big-budget Batman film. Fledgling Toy Biz secured the action figure rights, and while those figures have their charms, the QC was a definite dip from Kenner’s Super Powers Collection. Kenner got the license back in 1990, and although the character range was extremely limited in The Dark Knight Collection, they offered the best figural interpretations of Michael Keaton’s intricately nuanced portrayals of both Bruce Wayne and Batman.

Shadow Wing Batman is a standout, with an action feature straight out of the Super Powers line that also mimics Keaton’s impressive cape work in the film.

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Combat Belt Batman – Batman: The Animated Series (Kenner, 1992). As big as the 1989 Batman film was, the animated series it spawned has proven to be even more influential in many ways. Batman: The Animated Series presented perhaps the ultimate version of the Caped Crusader, distilling everything that came before into a cohesive whole that is often greater than its progenitors. Kids and collectors alike flocked to Kenner’s perfectly realized action figure line. Although gimmicky weapons and endless multi-colored Batman variants eventually eroded that goodwill, the first few series were magical.

I was lucky to have the only “regular” Batman from the initial series signed by the voice of the Dark Knight himself, the late, great Kevin Conroy. For several generations of fans, Conroy IS Batman, bringing every conceivable layer of that complex character to the forefront, and providing the Caped Crusader with something often lacking in his tales — a visceral and relatable humanity.

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Batman Classic TV Series (Hot Toys, 2014). Like the accompanying Robin figure released by Hot Toys, their Batman based on the classic 1966 TV series and film is like owning a miniature, posable Adam West. He comes compete with a utility belt full of accessories, right down to his Shark Repellent Bat Spray.  Looking at the figure, you can almost hear the stern but warm tones of West’s reassuring voice, riding that line between over-the-top squareness and a sincere sense of moral goodness.

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DC Multiverse – Silver Age Batman & Ace the Bathound (McFarlane Toys, 2024). By all accounts, Mezco should get this spot for their excellent One:12 Collective Golden Age Batman figure, but I’ve heavily featured that figure in a recent article, so we’ll save the last Batsignal spotlight for another recent figure harkening back to days gone by, McFarlane Toys’ DC Multiverse Silver Age Batman.

Capturing a synthesized version of the character based on the look of his late 1950s artists, this Caped Crusader has the ever-present perma-shadow on his forehead, and a very nice posable cloth cape. But the icing on this Bat-cake is his trusty friend, Ace the Bathound, who honestly looks pretty intimidating! Who says the Silver Age was silly?!?

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MORE

— ROBIN’s 85-Year History Through 13 CLASSIC COLLECTIBLES. Click here.

— Dig This Gallery of Glorious BATMAN Golden Age Covers — MEZCO Style. 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 JLUCast. Check out his illustrative and design work at chrisfranklincreative.com.