Another Bat Grail Obtained!

One of my favorite periods of the Batman's history is the 1960's. Probably because of the T.V. series, but that's not all. There was a new costume design for Batman, a legendary artist taking over in the comics and a new Saturday morning debuting from Filmation. But best of all, there was a ton of Batman goodies released during the decade.

I wanted to add more toys from this era to my Batman collection and one of those items I desperately wanted was a Batman hand puppet that was put out by Ideal. Ideal put out a some really nice puppets during the 1960's like Spider-Man, The Joker, Robin, The Green Hornet and The Munsters. These were all awesome puppets and would look great on my shelf, especially Spider-Man and the Green Hornet. But the one I wanted was Batman.

I came close to adding him to my collection a couple of times but always got out bid on eBay. I almost bought one last year at a flea market in NJ, but I wasn't crazy about the condition for the price the dealer was asking. I waited for he right time to jump on one and I finally was able to win one in great condition for a fraction of what I had been bidding.

Here is Batman. You can just tell that this puppet was well taken care of. There are barely any markings on him and the cloth is in terrific shape.

The only mark you see is on the back of Batman's head. The black mark was not nearly enough to make me lose my interest in owning this piece.

Not sure why, but I always dug that smirk on his face. It's like he's daring you to break the law because he will hit you with a can of Bat-Shark repellent. 

The cloth body is in near perfect condition for being 47 years old. I hope I look this good when I hit that age. 

I am overjoyed I can cross this off my Batman want list. The past 2 weeks, I have been able to lessen that list by 2. Hopefully, as the year goes on, I can find a way to cross even more items off that list, because I'm sure I'll add more stuff I want to it. My goal isn't to have the best Batman collection, just one I can be proud of. I'm on my way there.

Wish List Part 2-The Batman

After Spidey, the character I collect the most of is The Batman. As much as I love the Adam West Batman or the Batman of today, the one I grew up with is the Neil Adams/Superfriends Batman. 4 of the 5 items I will prestent from my wish list are from the 70's and 3 were made by Mego. Again, these are in no particular order.

1-Remco Bat CSF Copter

As a kid, I spent hours playing with this awesome toy. It was a helicopter with Batman stickers on it, attached to a pole, which was attached to a base. It came with cardboard cut outs of villians like Joker and Riddler as well as a small building. All of which got destroyed in no time. I then used it with my Megos and other toys. I do remember trying to lift my plastic General Lee car with it, which resulted in an epic failure.

2-Mego Bat Lab

Honestly, to me, nothing screams Mego than Batman. Mego made so many things for the Caped Crusader to use in his adventures against crime. One of my favorite pieces was this Bat Lab. I remember seeing the commercials for it and begged my mom for one. Of course, I got something else instead. Not sure what it was, but I'm sure I had just as much fun with it. The van also came with a basket attached to a pole for catching crooks and bringing veggies or laundry back to Wayne Manor.

3-Mego Batman Command Console Probably the single coolest looking toy I ever owned as a kid. Look at this thing. A mini bat computer that flashed lights and picked up CB Radio signals. Of course, you couldnt talk back to anyone, but still, this thing was awesome looking and would look great in any Batman collection.

4-Batman Hand Puppet

So nice, I showed it twice. Well, it was an accident and I didnt know how to remove the 2nd pic. But it's still cool nonetheless. Other than the Soaky bottle, this is the one piece I will go out of my way to acquire for my Batman collection. Ideal came out with it in 1966, after the success of the Adam West show. Real nice piece.

5-Mego Wayne Foundation

Theres Something about this cardboard/plastic monstrosity that makes me drool. Aside from one other toy that I will mention in another blog, this would be my holy grail. Another piece of Mego goodness that I never owned, but am dying to have in my collection. Not quite sure how I would display it, but rest assured, I would figure something out. One of the more expensive Batman pieces, I rarely see this on ebay for anything less than 300.00.

I really believe Batman had some of the more cooler looking toys. Batmobiles, walkie talkies, costumes, etc. Whatever your budget is, there is something Bat-related you can find. Happy hunting.