Contest - BATMAN CITY Website Giving Away 3 Batman Trading Card Sets!

Our Friends over at the BATMAN CITY website are having a contest right now where you can win, not one, but three BATMAN Trading Card Sets! The Sets include: Topps BATMAN The Movie - Series 2 (1989), Topps BATMAN RETURNS (1992), and Topps BATMAN FOREVER Ultra (1995). Just to be clear, the BAT-BLOG isn't running this contest, ha! For more information, Click HERE!

BATMAN AND JOKER 1989 Movie Collectibles

One of my many favorite areas of BATMAN TOY Collecting is all the crazy merchandise made during the 1989 Tim Burton Movie. This film was a HUGE blockbuster & they made a ton of tie-in products. Here are just a few really fun examples: The 1st pic shows a Promo Poster for TOPPS Bubble Gum Trading Cards. The graphics are pretty simple but also very cool! Dealers could find this poster inside a case of cards & it was made available to them to promote the product. The 2nd photo shows a BATMAN Playdoh Play Set. It was made by the, now classic, Kenner Toys Company. The graphics on the box are really great! I love how it combines both photography AND graphic art... nice. Plus, it came with a Batmobile & Joker-Car! Speaking of Joker, the next item is a really nice JOKER FACE Cloisonné Pin. It's more of a "Comic Book" version but still came during the film. Now, the last item shown here is actually kinda hard to find ( Here in the US anyway ) because this was a Magazine published in Canada. It was called TRIBUTE GOES TO THE MOVIES & it's best feature was that it always came with a few promo posters inside. This one as a nice color photo on the cover of Michael Keaton & Jack Nicholson, in costume. I hope a lot of people enjoy seeing this stuff again.

BATMAN BATMOBILE PARODY - 80's Garbage Pail Kids Trading Card

OK, if you're a Batman Fan then you're gotta totally love this hilarious graphic, even if you hate Garbage Pail Kids, ha ha! This non-sport trading card was part of a series put out by TOPPS in 1986. It features a character named "MATT Mobile", ha! I love the parody on the Vintage 1966 Batmobile & Adam West-style costume. Plus, it looks like he is bursting right out of the Batcave & into Gotham City! The 1st pic shows the actual trading card. Then, the next group of pictures show the preliminary sketch, color test, & original completed artwork... beautiful!

Original 1966 TOPPS BATMAN TRADING CARD ART by Norman Saunders

Here's an extremely cool photo I found awhile back while researching some major "Pop Culture Collectibles" auction. In one of their lots they had some original comic art done by Norman Saunders ( Click on it for a larger, sharper, version ). Of course he's the ultra-famous illustrator for many of the vintage trading cards made by TOPPS back in the 1960's & 70's. This photo shows the original art (custom framed) with 2 actual 1966 Batman Trading Cards. This is card #1B & features "The Joker's Icy Jest". The weird thing is that you can see that the artwork is only a little bigger than the actual card, very cool! But regardless of size, it's an incredible piece of art....a total masterpiece! I never checked back on this thing to see what it went for. I mean, what's the use? I knew it would be totally out of my price range, ha ha! Whoever owns it now is an extremely lucky person.

BATMAN - Wacky Wallpaper Wednesday!

Hey Kids, Batman Wallpaper! The Bat-Blog is kinda famous for it's Super-Duper Batman Desktop Wallpaper Backgrounds...so here we GO! The 1st one, just for fun, is an extreme close-up of the 1940's Golden Age Comic Book Logo. I know it looks sort of weird but it does make a neat background, just try it! The 2nd one is a really great photo of some vintage pieces of Batman Memorabilia. This is the original display box for the 1966 Topps BATMAN Trading Cards, 2nd Series. It also shows the mint in package wax packs. I totally love the retro-graphics on them. I hope you have enjoyed these & always remember that we post brand-new ones every Wednesday. Also, if you check our BAT-BLOG ARCHIVES you can see all the ones we have posted in the past. That area is located in the middle of this page, on the left side ( just scan the stuff on the left & scroll down ).

Some Brand-New BATMAN FAN Websites Worth Checking Out!

Here's a quick post to sort of promote 2 very cool Batman-related Websites by some friends of the Bat-Blog. They're both brand-new & have a clever twist. The 1st one is called "HOLY SMOKES BATMAN!" & it's main focus is recounting ALL the different times that Robin ( Burt Ward ) said the phrase "Holy..." on the 1966 TV Series. There are actual audio clips of every phrase & if you check out the site then be sure to click on "Play The Entire Library" to hear them all & have a really great laugh! Our friend Jay did a great job on this site & it's a lot of fun. Just click HERE!

The next Batman-Fan website is actually a re-vamp of an older, existing page, except our friend Stephanie changed it around to the blogging format & it's really way better. It's called "BATMAN-CITY, The Ultimate Batman Trading Card Guide on the Web" & it's obsessive focus is collecting very detailed information about all the different Batman Trading Card Sets & Promo Cards from around the world. You know how I am totally goo-goo over "the foreign stuff" so I'm really liking it so far, ha ha! She just recently started this blog but if it become 1/2 as detailed as her other "Reference Guide" website then it should be quite good...keep an eye on it. Just Click HERE!

Vintage BATMAN TOYS & COLLECTIBLES Eye-Candy!

The main focus of the Bat-Blog is really about the joys of Collecting Batman Toys. So I thought it would be a good idea to get back to that, ha ha! Up above are some photos of a few really RARE pieces of Bat-Merchandise! The 1st item is from the 1970's & is one of the weirdest Batman Products I have ever seen. It's an unopened package of SILLY-SACKS Wastebasket Liners. Yes, Trash Bags! The company that made these printed DC Comics Superhero Characters on white trash bags, ha ha! I guess it tricked a lot of kids to take out the trash? But overall I think these are pretty cool just on the rarity scale! The next picture is guaranteed to make Vintage Bubble Gum Card Collectors totally drool. This is the original Retail-Display Box for the 1966 Batman TV Series Trading Cards made by Topps. This was a later series where all the cards had color photos of the actors instead of painted illustrations...nice! Now, the last photo is sort of weird but when you think about it, it's a really cool toy! This is a BATMAN Inflatable Swimming Pool Toy that was made by Ideal in the 1960's. It's so cool that it is still in the original package with the header card & everything! OK, I hope you have enjoyed some of these & if YOU have any photos of special Batman Toys that you would like to share then please send them in today. Our e-mail button is always at the top right-hand side of this page!

Zdravko's Favorite BATMAN MEMORIES

Here at the Bat-Blog we have a good friend named Zdravko. He recently came across some great Batman-related photos while looking through some old family pictures. The 1st one shows him as a little boy standing next to a special Batman Birthday Cake that his Dad had made for him...that's cool! His Dad did a great job because the cake looks really nice. The 2nd photo is from his Baptism as a small child. His Mother is carrying him in Church. In it, you can see he's holding a Batman figure. Yes, he took Batman with him! The photo is from the mid-1990's & the toy is actually a Topps Bubble Gum Candy-Filled Hard Plastic Figure that was made around the time of the BATMAN RETURNS movie. I have one of those, how funny! Thanks Zdravko for sharing these wonderful photos, they're both very awesome! As always, I want to extend an invitation to all Bat-Blog Fans to please send us your "Bat-Memories". Our e-mail button is always at the top right-hand side of this page.

BATMAN's HOT ROD BATMOBILE! Art By Drag Daddy!

I just recently met an artist on MySpace who has some really fun artwork. He does "Custom Hot Rod Caricatures" that are done in a cool Retro "Hot Rod" Style that must have been inspired by "Big Daddy" Ed Roth. Here's a piece he did with Batman in his Hot Rod Batmobile Car! His art also reminds me of those Topps Trading Cards from the 1960's & 70's. The artist's name is Ben Mitchell. But he's also known as "Drag Daddy" & you can view more of his awesome stuff on MySpace by clicking HERE! ( Thanks Ben for letting me post some of your work ).

RARE 1966 TOPPS Batman TV Show Trading Cards

Sometime one problem with being a Batman Collector is trying to find inventive ways to display your favorite items. You want to be able to enjoy it, but you also need to protect it as well. OK, here's a perfect example you might like ( Click on the pics above for larger examples ). Our friend Dallas recently had one of his favorite pieces framed. It's a set of TOPPS 1966 Batman TV Show Trading Cards, still in the original package. Now the special thing about these is that it they are not the "wax wrapper" package but it's another type of packaging that TOPPS did later where you got 3 sets of cards, sealed in clear cellophane, that were placed in a long narrow bag which had a Cardboard Header Card attached to the top ( also, I don't think these came with bubble gum like the others did ). These packages hung on hooks in retail store displays & are extremely rare! But Dallas found a very clever way to display this unusual item. He had it framed between 2 pieces of glass with a die-cut mat background. This way the item has some space around it so it's not flattened & because it's "open on the back" you can remove the frame from the wall to still read the other side...AWESOME! I wanna thank Dallas for sharing the cool pics & great idea. If any other Bat-Blog Readers have come up with clever ideas like this then please be sure to let us know so we can share it! Also, CLICK HERE for some more examples of these RARE BATMAN Topps "Hangers" Cards & other Wrappers and Display Boxes.

New BATMAN, ROBIN, & JOKER T-Shirts To Keep An Eye Out For!

I'm always trying to keep up with Batman T-Shirts Designs & when I come across some that I think are pretty cool I like to share them. Here are 3 new ones that I think are very well done. Now the 1st one is my favorite because it's a graphic of what the original 1966 TOPPS BATMAN Bubble Gum Card Package ( Wax Wrapper ) looked like. That real-life piece of Bat-memorabilia has always been very special to me because I really loved these Trading Cards as a very little kid! The next one has more of a "Pop Art" feel about it & I'm actually trying to figure out who's comic book art they used. I'm thinking it might be the artist Dick Giordano but I'm not sure. Either way, it's the "Silver Age" Batman that I have always liked with the blue / gray bat-suit & yellow-oval bat-symbol logo. For the last example I included this one with split-faces of Batman & The Joker. The reason is because it totally reminds me of all the T-Shirts that were produced during the 1989 Batman Movie craze. It just has a nice "Vintage 80's Look" about it. Now remember, I've included a link button down below so you can see other examples of new shirts offered. So, check it out!!

Video: 1966 BATMAN TV Show Topps Bubblegum Trading Cards

During the bat-craze of the 1989 Tim Burton Batman movie Topps ( the famous Baseball, Football, & Non-Sport Trading Card Company ) made a Reprint Set of the Vintage Batman TV Show Cards they originally made in 1966, sort of a re-issue. I received this set as a birthday gift a long time ago & the cards are really nice quality. It's sort of cool to own if you can't afford an original 60's set. Anyways, I have always loved the artwork on these....the way they look like paintings. This video is a montage of the entire set. You get to see both the front / back of each card & if you want to actually read the backs then just hit the pause button. It's hours of fun!

Vintage 1970's Batman Toys & Memorabilia - CRAZY!

The true main focus of the Bat-Blog is to share the love of collecting both new & vintage Batman toys. OK, I have neglected that a little bit lately, ha ha, sorry. So here are some wacky examples of Vintage 1970's goodness! The 1st item is totally crazy. It's a Batman Latch-Hook Kit ©1978. This was an arts & craft project where you had to weave small pieces of yard into a canvas material to make a small rug, it took days to make! I remember in my childhood my grandmother actually gave me one of these of Snoopy...it took forever, ha ha! The 2nd pic shows us the Official Batman Sky-Diving Parachutist Figure, Mint on Original Card. Now, you might have seen this figure before but this extremely RARE packaging was for the British UK Market & is different than the American version. The 3rd item is one of those wonderful "generic toys" where, out of the package, has absolutely NOTHING to do with the character. All the graphics are ON the header card. This product tied into the Superfriends TV Cartoon craze. The last item is one that I never knew existed & I gotta research it later for another post because I have never seen them before. The TOPPS Trading Card Company came out with a series of "Comic Book Cover" Stickers. As you can see there's a Batman Cover shown on the top left-hand side. OK, I hope you have enjoyed some of these wacky-crazy Batman items! If you have any weird pieces like this from the 70's then please shoot us a photo.

Photos: Old RARE Vintage BATMAN Memorabilia

The Bat-Blog is pretty popular for displaying some cool Vintage Batman Toys. I mean, it's the main reason I started this website really. As a toy collector I just totally drool over older hard-to-find bat-memorabilia. Here's a few good examples & historically, by year, they are all over the place. The 1st two pics show the front & back of a packaged Batman Toy from 1977. This was a SKY HEROES Airplane Glider Toy made by Marx Toys. This one has a lot of fond memories for me because I totally remember having the one of Superman & flying the thing around the front yard as a little kid. The retro graphics are now totally awesome! The next photo shares a RARE set of 1960's premiums. These were Batman Rings made out of rubber. I'm sure that every kid who saw these in some vending machine back then went totally nuts! The one that is "bat-shaped" pop-up sometimes on eBay but you NEVER see those weird ones of the Batmobile Car or Robin, they're extremely rare! The last photo is also a favorite. It's an obscure item from the days of the BATMAN RETURNS movie. It's a sealed Display Box of Candy-Filled Batman Bust figures made by the Topps Co. I completely remember when these were sold in retail stores. Today, I go totally goo-goo over display boxes like this. I guess because they get thrown away & are really rare. Plus, I always love the graphics. I guess the last thing I wanna say is that if you, the reader, have any cool vintage stuff like this then please shoot us a photo. Our e-mail button is ALWAYS on the top right-hand side of this page & this site is really all about sharing the love of collecting this kinda stuff. I look forward to seeing what you guys send in!

TOPPS 1966 BATMAN CARDS: Website Indexes Vintage Bubblegum Trading Card Sets

Here's a link to a very simple website that does an amazing job at featuring many of the vintage trading card sets from the 1930's to the 1980's. One such set is the "Topps Batman Deluxe Reissue Edition". That trading card set came out around the time of the 1989 Batman movie. Basically it reprinted the classic Topps 1966 Batman cards. If you visit the site you can see a scan of both the front/back of each card. Also, they feature many other classic card sets like Superman The Movie, KISS Rock Group, Mars Attacks, Odd Rods, The Incredible Hulk TV Series, Charlie's Angels TV Show, Green Hornet TV Stickers, etc...way too many to list here & it's a nice trip down memory lane. Thanks to Patron for sending the link!

Topps 1966 BATMAN TV SHOW Trading Cards, Boxes, & Wrapper

During the 1966 Batman TV Series the Topps Trading Card Company went nuts releasing many different '66 Batman Card Sets. Here are some photos of one of the wrappers & store display boxes. The last photo is an example of a special packaging they used to sell multiple cards of the "color photo" series. They were sold in a hanging bag with header card. These "hangers" are extremely RARE! Our photo here shows both the front & back.

TOPPS 1966 BATMAN TRADING CARD SET WRAPPER

Here's a really great reference photo of the Topps 1966 Batman 5 cent Trading Cards Wrapper. The 2 bottom pictures are a sealed package shown front & back. The top photo is the wrapper open.

TOPPS 1960's COMIC BOOK FOLDEES Trading Cards

In the 1960's the Topps Company made a series of Trading Cards called COMIC BOOK FOLDEES. These featured various DC Comics Heroes & Villians on trading cards that could be folded to make different scenes. Basically it's a large card with 3 surfaces. The center surface had a picture of the character. The 2 surfaces on either side had preferations to cut so that there would be "flaps" on each side to fold over. The flaps have the head, torso, & legs of different characters that you could mix & match. Look at the picture on the top of the display box, kinda gives you an idea. There were 44 cards to the complete set & these babies are extremely RARE & very sought out by many collectors!

Vintage 1960's Batman Toys TOPPS TRADING CARDS WRAPPER & 1966 MARX LICENSE PLATE

Up above are 2 examples of some really great Vintage Batman Products made in the 1960's during the classic TV Series, 1966 to be exact! The 1st one is an unopened pack of Topps Batman Trading Cards with a beautiful graphic on the wrapper that is now an icon! The 2nd photo is a Super-RARE example of a cool Vintage Toy made by the MARX TOY COMPANY in 1966. It's the BATMAN & ROBIN MINIATURE LICENSE PLATE!! You could have bought this as a decoration for your bike. This one is still in the original package, never opened! I love the vintage-style graphics on both the license plate & the header card....sweet!

Be sure to check the BAT-BLOG ARCHIVES for many more Vintage Batman Toys made by Marx, Corgi, Mego, Kenner, Ideal, etc...