Posted By Dan Greenfield on Dec 23, 2024 | 12 comments

MORRISON MONDAYS meets TOYHEM — once more!

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Welcome to MORRISON MONDAYS and welcome to TOYHEM! For the sixth straight holiday season, we’re bringing you a series of features and columns celebrating the toys of our youth, which often made for the best memories this time of year. And Bill’s here for the festivities! Click here to check out the complete index of stories — and have a Merry Christmas, a Happy Chanukah and Happy Holidays! — Dan

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By BILL MORRISON

Even the most casual Batman fan knows that the Dark Knight doesn’t use guns. Sure, he was shown packing a pistol a handful of times in his first year. But DC’s editorial director Whitney Ellsworth is said to have laid down the law and forbade the Caped Crusader from carrying and using a firearm after seeing Batman exclaim, “Much as I hate to take human life, I’m afraid this time it’s necessary!” and then firing a machine gun at a truck carrying one of Dr. Hugo Strange’s monsters in Batman #1.

In Batman #4, this edict was officially delivered to readers in a caption box that declared “The Batman never carries or kills with a gun!” The rule was bent or broken a few times over the years, such as on the wartime cover of Batman #15, which shows the Dynamic Duo operating a military machine gun, but in general the no-gun decree was codified as early as 1941 and became an integral part of Batman’s character.

By 1966 when Batmania gripped the world and licensees lined up to produce a bat-zillion bat-toys, you would think that toy guns would have been banned from DC’s list of approved merchandise for kids, right? Well, such was not the case. Whoever was in charge of approving the plans of licensees at DC seems to have missed the memo about Batman’s aversion to guns, and several toy guns hit the market over the years, seemingly with the Caped Crusader’s seal of approval. And I’m not referring to gun-like gadgets such as grappling guns, Batarang blasters, or sonic neutralizers. I’m talking about toys that resemble hand-held lethal weapons!

My fascination for the fact that these contradictory toys were actually made is endless! I have a handful of them in my collection, and even if it means putting off our kitchen remodel, I’ll continue to add more as I find them (I hope my wife, Kayre doesn’t read this!) So, for my final TOYHEM article of the year, here are a few of the scofflaw Batman toys that broke the rules!

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There may be disagreement as to whether or not the “Authentic Speargun” that is a featured item in this 1989 Batman Accessory Playset qualifies as a lethal gun. But since spear guns are mainly used to kill fish, I’m including it in deference to founding member of the Terrible Trio, Gunther Hardwick, aka The Shark.

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This 1966 Batman “Batzooka” Pop Gun is from England and comes complete with “Bat Bullets” and villain targets. It bears absolutely no resemblance to a real bazooka, but is basically a western-style six-shooter mounted on a rifle stock. And it has Bat Bullets, did I mention that? Bat Bullets.

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One of the holy grails of Batman collectibles is the 1966 Ideal Utility Belt, and though I won’t own one in the original box until my investment in Blockbuster Video pays off, I do have the pistol that was included as one of the accessories. Although it has a bit of a sci-fi look to it, it’s listed on the box simply as “Bat-Gun Launcher,” and the thing it launches are lethal Bat-Rocket Grenades!

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Speaking of which, this Ideal Batman Helmet was available as part of a boxed set that included a plastic cape, and one that also added the utility belt, but this is the version that was marketed solo in a plastic bag with a header card. So, there’s no gun included here, but check out the custom graphics that show the caped Crusader wearing the Ideal Utility Belt with the pistol in plain view on his hip!

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This 1966 Marx Picture Pistol only fired off color images of the Dynamic Duo on bedroom walls, but it’s styled to look like a gun for no apparent reason. Marx competitor Kenner produced the Give-A-Show Projector, a similar toy that looked sort of like a projector, so perhaps to avoid copyright infringement somebody said “Boys love guns! Let’s make it a gun!”

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Here’s a later entry, from the ’80s — the Batman Pop Gun Target Game from Henry Gordy International. It features just a straight-up handgun modeled after a traditional Colt .45 pistol, and fires plastic bullets at the Riddler and Penguin. The bullets are labeled as “Safe” but I guess this was before manufacturers had to include “Choking Hazard” on toys like this.

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Back to 1966 again for this Marx Batman Shooting Range. This toy also features a traditional Colt .45-style gun with pellets that fire at targets that include the Penguin, the Riddler, the Shark, and amazingly, Batwoman! Images of the original Kathy Kane version of Batwoman often appeared on merchandise in the 1960s, mistakenly labeled “Catwoman” or, as pictured on the comforter I featured in last week’s article, as a villain being apprehended by Batman. And now here she is again as a member of the Caped Crusader’s rogues’ gallery.

And how did the Shark make the cut for this toy? Licensees seemed to think the Shark’s gang, the Terrible Trio were A-list Batman villains, even though they only fought the Dynamic Duo a few times in the late ’50s and early ’60s. However, they appeared on several items in 1966 and had not shown up in a Batman comic in three years! But an unmasked solo appearance by the Shark on such a prominent toy is downright weird.

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Now we come to a special subset of the Batman gun toy collection, playthings that actually depict the Caped Crusader brandishing a firearm on the packaging! The first, from Lincoln International, is the Batman Grenade Gun. The thing I love most about the custom, off-model art of the Dark Knight wielding a Vietnam-era grenade launcher is the tranquil, easygoing expression on his face.

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And imagine sending your child to school in 2024 with a pencil box shaped like a handgun! Your kid would be sent home if you’re lucky, but most likely taken into custody! This Batman Pencil Box illustrates what a different world it was in 1966, and is a prime example of a violation of the longstanding rule, “The Batman never carries or kills with a gun!” OK, so the art doesn’t show him killing anyone, but he’s carrying it with an expression on his face that says “Much as I hate to take human life, I’m afraid this time…”

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BONUS! These late ’60s Italian Batman comics, though not toys, get an honorable mention for the gun ads on the back covers! I’m especially amazed by the one with the child’s drawing. As near as I can decipher using Google Translate, it reads “Long live my gun Susy! Today I got a 10 in drawing and my dad gave me Susy!”

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