This year, very soon, Mattel will be releasing a new product line called DC SUPER FRIENDS where there will be action figures of favorite DC Comic Book Characters that look sort of like little kids. Here at the BAT-BLOG we're really excited about these because they look really cool! This photo is the 1st to show what the original packaging will look like.We can't wait till these hit the stores & we'll let everybody know about it when they do. They also made a Batmobile that I think will be the coolest toy of the year, yeah!
Here are two very weird & extremely cool pieces of Bat-Nostalgia! The 1st photo is of some BATMAN PUNCH-O DRINK MIX Packages that were made by the IDEAL FOODS DIVISION in 1966. I can't begin to explain how super RARE these are but in 20+ years of serious collecting I have NEVER seen these!! They are sort of like Kool-Aid drink mix I guess. Here are Grape, Fruit Punch, & Lemonade. The next item is pretty RARE also! Here are some BATMAN-COLA products that were made for the Australian market. During the 1st Batman movie in 1989, in Australia, you could buy Batman-Cola in a can or soda pop bottle! Also shown is the original store display sign used to promote these babies in stores....sweet!
If you ran a "mom & pop toy store" in the 1960's then you would have received an ad like this advertising the OFFICIAL BATMAN BAT & BALL SET that was made by Toy Promotions International in 1966. This Vintage 60's Toy is so incredibly RARE that we don't even have an actual picture of it, ha ha! I've seen the bat before a few times on eBay. The ball is always gone but this ad also shows us what the great display card of the product looked like, awesome vintage graphics....we really love this!! We also like how it's called BAT-BAT & BAT-BALL...funny.
The BAT-BLOG is ALL about the love of Vintage Batman Toys so when we noticed we had some cool Japanese toys to share, we were psyched! Here's a nice assortment of 1960's Batman Memorabilia from Japan. The 1st photo is a RARE Vintage 60's Tin Toy Car Batmobile. The graphics on this baby are sooo beautiful it almost makes you cry, ha ha. We love the "Radar" on the hood that shows Batman where the Joker & Penguin are hiding. This is one of those friction-driven vehicles....nice! The 2nd picture is of a set of 2 plastic Batman & Robin Lunch Boxes with the original cardboard box it came in. You know just by looking at them that they are Super-RARE! Again, the graphics are extremely cool. We love seeing the Batman Logo in Japanese lettering! The last photo is a cool piece of Bat-Nostalgia even if it is bootleg! This is a Store Display filled with packages of Japan 1966 Batman Sunglasses/Goggles. I would love to have just one package of those but a whole display full...OMG!
We have all seen this photo of the new Bat-Bike, called the BATPOD, for the soon-to-be-released THE DARK KNIGHT Batman Movie but this hi-res picture is so super high-resolution that it makes great desktop background wallpaper!! This would look really cool in a MySpace layout too!! Just click on the photo above for the larger version, it's awesome!! Also, Be sure to check out the BAT-BLOG ARCHIVES for a ton of other FREE Batman Wallpapers. We also have a special BATMAN WALLPAPERS PAGE you can access with a link button on the right-side of the bat-blog!
Here's a picture of the Batman action figure prototype made by Mattel for THE DARK KNIGHT movie. This was presented at the recent 2007 NYC Licensing Show where Mattel announced they will be the "official toy maker" for THE DARK KNIGHT movie, the sequel to Batman Begins. There will be TDK figures of Christian Bale's Batman ( shown here ), Heath Ledger's Joker, etc...even the BAT-POD Bat-Bike Motorcycle we have all been seeing lately. They will also make the BAT-POD into a special R/C Remote Control toy. That sounds cool!
Recently, while cruising through MySpace, I came across this really cool picture of a Batman & Superman Tattoo. I'm not exactly sure of the comic book art work it was inspired from but I think the comic book artist was Jim Lee. ( If any body knows where the actual art work is then please send it ). It features a modern day Batman with the gray suit, simple black bat-logo on the chest, & the "army pouches" bat-belt. This Batman & Superman tattoo work was done by DAVE WAUGH TATTOOS & we think he did a great job on it! I mean, check out the photo...it's ART! The tattoo artist's website URL is shown on the photo so be sure to check out his site sometime & maybe get some work done, this guy is gooood!
As you all know we post 2 Batman Desktop Background Wallpapers every Wednesday because that day is always "Wacky Wallpaper Wednesday" at the BAT-BLOG!! The 1st Batman Desktop Wallpaper is an awesome graphic for a MySpace page layout because it's centered & has a lot of color. The 2nd one looks great as a Desktop Wallpaper & is from the Official DC Comics website. It too would be great as a background for a MySpace layout because the graphics are so great! See you tomorrow.
I opened my e-mail this morning & was pleasantly surprised by this BATMAN & ROBIN Humor Photo sent in by a BAT-BLOG reader named Adam. HA HA HA HA, Thanks Adam! This extremely funny picture made my day!
In the gaming world there are super computer-nerds who create what are called "mods". I mean PC-Nerd in a good way :) Anyway, they create what is called a "MOD" & basically it's some code that changes the look of a character in a PC video game. In this video it shows GRAND THEFT AUTO - VICE CITY where they have replaced some characters with Batman & Joker. They even made a mod for one of the cars that is the Batmobile. Now this GTA video is just an example. Please don't e-mail me wanting to know where these mods are because I don't know.
As a vintage toy collector one of the best references for old vintage toys are older department store catalogs. Sears, JC Penneys, & Montgomery Wards are all great choices, especially the "Christmas Issues". Those are usually jam-packed with tons of cool vintage toys. Here's 2 examples right here. The color photo shows a cool Batman Vintage Halloween Costume & another costume set that was put out by Ideal in 1966. The Ideal set has a cape, cowl, & the very-sought-after RARE Batbelt with a lot of accessories! The black & white photo shows a page that featured the 1966 BATPHONE & the 1966 BATMAN PUPPET THEATER which had hand puppets of Batman, Robin, & The Joker! This play set was a Sears Exclusive & the ONLY way to get the now super-RARE Joker Hand Puppet!
Awhile back we published a small story about some vintage magazines that featured Batman & Robin on the cover & it turned out to be pretty popular so here's another series of Batman Magazine photos to enjoy! The 1st one is a British magazine titled BEM that featured a graphic of Catwoman with Batman all domesticated. I like the "post-modern look" of the magazine, very retro 80's new-wave punk. The 2nd photo is a magazine called ENCORE & it features a pretty funny political cartoon about the gas crisis. I guess gas prices are so high that Batman had to replace the Batmobile with a VW bug ( it's "Herbie The Love Bug" from the Disney movies ) . The last one is a classic Mad Magazine cover showing the Batman Returns Movie parody showing Micheal Keaton getting a haircut from Alfred E. Neuman.
We seriously like getting e-mails from BAT-BLOG readers & one of the things we ask for sometimes are photos of their personal Batman Birthday Cakes! I know it's kind of weird but we think they have a lot of humor plus they are very cool if you think about the artistry that goes in to making them. We have been extremely impressed with all the variations we have received over the last year. Also, the main ingredient is LOVE. We wanna thank Jim for the great photo & if anybody else has a picture to share then please send it to us!!
A friend of ours at one of the Batman Message Boards was kind enough to allow us to share this picture he had made of Batgirl. He is studying how to do 3-D graphics on the computer & chose this as a subject. This is the classic 1966 TV Series version of Batgirl that was played by Yvonne Craig. He might even animate it later in an animation class, who knows. We just knew our readers would appreciate the awesome artwork. So, here she is! We think she looks great & he did a very good job on it, don't ya think?! Be sure to click on the small graphic up above for a much larger, more detailed, photo!
Here's a Classic Silver Age Batman Comic Book Cover of Batman #168. Just looking at the photo I think it was done by Carmine Infantino, a favorite artist here at the BAT-BLOG!
Here at the BAT-BLOG we love it when people get creative. It's cool when artists create art or objects while inspired by Batman but some of these are kinda weird! The 1st bat-item is a Set of Russian Nesting Dolls. Actually I like the crude artwork, sort of a primative style. The art they stole is from Batman The Animated Series so that's cool. The next photo is some Batman Thong Panties somebody made with cloth material...meow! The last picture is actually kind of neat. This is a custom Batman Costume somebody made for an American Girl™ Doll.
Here's a recent photo showing the filming of The Dark Knight ( Batman Begins 2 ) Sequel Movie. The shot shows Christopher Nolan directing Heath Ledger as the Joker. I know this picture has been around but this one is special because it's large enough to be wallpaper & very high resolution. Be sure to check the BAT-BLOG ARCHIVES for many more Batman Wallpapers & we even have a Batman Wallpaper page. The link to that is on the right-side of the BAT-BLOG!
Here's some VERY very recent photos taken by a photographer known as Yunerz™ in Chicago of the filming of THE DARK KNIGHT Batman Begins Sequel Movie. They show Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent and Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel. Remember, you saw them at the BAT-BLOG first!!
As toy collectors most of us know about the new trend of "Urban Designer" Art Toys. These are toys & action figures that are designed by famous underground artists like Frank Kozik, Shepard Farley, Shag, & Ron English. The kind of artists you usually see featured in Juxtapoz Magazine. Anyway, I guess DC Direct is trying to compete with that, or maybe it's an homage, so they are gonna be releasing some cool "Designer-Style" Action Figures of their classic comic book characters called UNI-FORMZ. Here's the 1st one of Batman. I think he looks extremely cool but I'm not sure if I can afford the $49.99 price tag...ouch!
A friend recently told me about a new Batman Fast Food Toy that is available at Hardees & Carl's Jrs Restaurants. He's one of the JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED characters in the promotion for the release of the new JLU Season Two DVD. It looks pretty cool & I just might have to try & track one down!
I thought these Vintage Batman Masks would be kind of fun for BAT-BLOG readers to see. The first one is actually considered one of the very 1st Batman items made. This 1940's paper mask was a premium given away free inside the Philadelphia Record Newspaper. It was made to publicize the new Batman & Robin Comic Strip. The 2nd mask is a photo I have used here before as a promo picture but I didn't give it an explanation. These 2 masks are actually ONE mask. This piece of Bat-Memorabilia had the faces of Batman & Robin printed on both sides of the mask & they shared the eye holes. Robin's collar is actually Batman's ears on the other side. You could be Batman & then flip it around to be Robin, pretty cool. It was a premium by General Electric in 1966. The 3rd mask is a Vintage Halloween Mask from Japan. It might be "bootleg" but it has a weird strange quality that I like....very beautiful. The Japanese stuff from the 60's is some of my favorite pieces of Bat-Nostalgia.
A website named "Hollywood Chicago" just released a photo showing a stunt man, dressed in a mock-up Bat-Suit, blocking for camera shots in Chicago where they are filming the NEW Dark Knight Batman movie. The photographer was Sarah Piper Brown & she captured the image with her cell phone. For more info be sure to check out this link: http://www.hollywoodchicago.com
The Los Angeles L.A. Times unveils the first official photo of The Bat Cycle from THE DARK KNIGHT Batman Movie that's due out 2008. Yes, in the sequel to Batman Begins, Batman gets a new vehicle called the BAT-POD. This BatPod is a futuristic Bat-Cycle with grappling hooks, machines guns ( why does it have guns? ), & huge tires just like the Tumbler Batmobile. Also, as an extra bonus we're throwing in a new high-resolution photo of the BAT-SUIT costume to be worn by Christian Bale. This is the same photo that was featured in Entertainment Weekly but better! So...What's everybody think about the BATPOD BAT-CYCLE?!! We love it!!
While cruising through MySpace the other day I came across a family's site where they are all into wearing superhero costumes, how cool is that! I mean the Dad is Batman, the Mom is Batwoman, & they even dress their little kid as Batgirl. Now all three costumes are really great, extremely well made. They all go to Comic Book Conventions & stuff like that. But, when I saw the daughter dressed as Batgirl I knew it had to be posted here, ha ha. She's so extremely precious, her costume is super-great, & the expression on her face is priceless....she looks so happy, beaming with joy & that's very cool! I knew BAT-BLOG readers would just love this little kid so here she is. She's so cute!
Here's the original comic book art for the cover to Batman Adventures Annual #2 by Bruce Timm. Now, the weird thing is, I was looking at the original art & the actual comic book cover & they are kind of different. I mean, check out the position of Batman's legs, weird huh?! ( Click the picture above for a larger photo ). As all Bat-Fans already know Bruce Timm was seriously involved in the classic TV Cartoon BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES & that's why he's a favorite artist. We love his clean simple lines & art deco style....great stuff!
We get e-mails almost every time we post some Vintage Batman Memorabilia. People really enjoy seeing items they had as a kid & almost always tell us about that. I guess there's a lot of nostalgia there & that's great! So, check these out. The 1st photo is probably one of the rarest of all 1960's Bat-Items! It's the 1966 BATMAN CAVE TUNNEL. This looks like hours if fun, doesn't it? It's a cloth-covered wire spring about 10 Ft long & 2 Ft wide. It was made for kid's to crawl thru...very exciting, looks like a fire hazard to me! Actually I love the vintage graphics that are all over this thing & it's almost impossible to find. The next item is a precious find from the UK. A Set of Vintage 60's Batman & Robin Marionette Puppets. They're kind of weird looking but I think that's what gives them a lot of charm. They're almost like beautiful works of ART if you think about it! The next photo is really great! We saved the best for last. This is a Large HUGE Plastic Injection-Molded 1966 Batmobile with some really cool Batman & Robin figures inside. This piece is really HUGE & great for display! I can't tell you how RARE this thing is & when I received this photo attached to an e-mail the other day I almost cried. Thanx Neal for the great pics & the torture too, ha ha! If any other BAT-BLOG Readers have any cool photos to share then please send them today.
This post is a shout out to all the people who have been reading this blog for almost a year & also to those of you who have just discovered it yesterday. In fact, this August, marks the one year anniversary of the BAT-BLOG! Currently there are almost 600 posts to enjoy & if you dig through the BAT-BLOG ARCHIVES you can see them all. This will give you an idea what we're really about. Basically we really love the Batman character, movies, cartoons, TV Series, comic books, plus new & vintage toys. What I wanna say very quickly is THANK YOU for all of your readership & contributions. Doing this blog has been a really great experience & I have made a lot of new friends. The reason for this post is to ask ALL readers what I can do to make this blog even better. Any ideas will be seriously thought about & appreciated. Are there any Bat-Characters you feel we're neglecting? Are there any Batman cartoons or movies you would like to see more information about? What is your favorite thing about the BAT-BLOG? Please send me all of your tips & ideas. We want to improve the BAT-BLOG even more!
Here's the recently released Batman DARK KNIGHT Movie Desktop Wallpaper from Warner Brothers showing the NEW Costume Bat-Suit worn by Christan Bale in the upcoming 2008 THE DARK KNIGHT Batman Movie. Since this is the sequel movie after "Batman Begins" some people call it "Batman Begins 2", which I think is kinda funny! The new batsuit is high-tech & very cool! Please feel free to use our wallpapers in your MySpace layout or just to brighten your desktop. We have an extensive BATMAN WALLPAPERS web page you can access on the right-side of this blog or go thru our archives because we post cool Batman wallpapers every Wednesday! We just posted this one today because it came out like 1 hour ago, ha ha!
Here's the incredible original comic book art work shown next to the 420th issue of Batman. The cover was done by Mike Zeck, a personal favorite. Click the photo for a larger, more detailed, version...enjoy!
