Here is the cover and all the inside pages to a Vintage "Trade Publication" Magazine called TOYS AND NOVELTIES that was published around April 15th, 1966. This was a special item sent to Toy Retailers, like Department Stores ( think Sears & Montgomery Wards ) and Toy Stores ( mostly "Mom & Pop" type places ). Basically, it featured new products coming out that season plus information for the Wholesalers. Today this issue is special to "Vintage Batman Toy Collectors" because it was the "Bat-Issue"!
Shown here are all the advertisements for cool Batman items coming out. Today it's a treasure trove of super-rare collectibles. Seriously, I've been an extremely hardcore Toy Collector hunting down Bat-Merchandise for over 20+ years & I have NEVER seen some of these items!! We get to see all of these pages because of the kindness of a fellow Bat-Fan named David. So, a special THANK YOU goes out to him for scanning these pages, you ROCK, Sir!
As a pretty serious Batman Toy Collector I also love finding strange thing to add to my collection. Shown here are some reference photos I gathered as an example. The 1st item is a Children's BATMAN Restaurant Menu from the 1960's. This item is ultra-rare & I have no idea where it was used but the graphics are extremely cool!
Next-up is an unofficial "bootleg" item. it's an extremely weird "Robin, The Boy Wonder" figure. It sort of reminds me of a Kitschy Troll Doll because, it's so cheesy-trashy, that it's fun, ha! Speaking of cool the 3rd pic shows us a Vintage Batman Toy sold in the UK. It's called the BATMAN BATARANG Bagatelle. It was made by MARX ( an American Toy Company ) but was only sold in England, extremely RARE! I love the original box almost as much as the toy!
Now, for the last item, you must be wondering, "What is that crazy thing?". Well, this is a 1966 Batman BAT-CHUTE! What you did is put this thing on the back of your Bicycle & when you switch a lever a large drag-shoot ( or parachute ) would burst out! Yes, the original 1966 Batmobile Car had this device on the TV Show & kids loved it!
I was a little kid back in the 1970's so much of the Batman Toys and Collectibles from that era have a deep nostalgia for me. It's just that I remember actually playing with them, ha! So, here's a nice assortment of groovy 70's items!
Then, here's something you don't see a lot nowadays. This is a Fanzine Magazine, COMIC ZINE #1, from Oct 1971. I'm totally digging the Golden Age artwork on the cover here! These are usually pretty hard to find because they were so limited & usually distributed regionally. Like, only sold in certain areas.
Last, but not least, is this 1977 BATMAN STAMP 'N PRINT SET made by Ahi Brand ( Azrak-Hamway Int'l Inc ). This is one of those cheesy toys you would see at 7-Eleven or you might remember begging your Mom for this at a Grocery Store, ha! I totally love the vintage graphics. It's also cool that it contained a lot of Super-Villain character Rubber Stamps.
I just realized the other day that we have not posted any cool Vintage BATMAN Toys in awhile so here we go! SPOILER ALERT: These photos are gonna make you both drool and cry! First up is this Ultra-Rare 1960's ROBIN HAND PUPPET in the original packaging. It was made by Ideal Toys in 1966. This Puppet is kinda hard to find just "loose" but getting it "Mint in Box" is worthy of putting in a Toy Museum!
Next, is another RARE item and it's also kinda fun. This is a 1966 BATMAN AND ROBIN TOY PRIZE Header Card that showed what toy premiums you could win in a Gumball Vending Machine. Wow! They were only 10 cents! I know I would have begged my Mom for a Dime, or two, or three, ha!
Last, but not least, is an ultra super-rare BATMAN TOY that I have to admit, in 20+ years of extremely serious bat-collecting, I have never EVER seen before! This was on evil eBay awhile back and I almost cried when I saw it. It's an extremely weird toy, sort of a thin-plastic BAT-A-RANG on a string! It's shown here still in it's original box & the retro-style graphics are wonderful!! It sold for quite a bit and whoever owns it better take good care of it, ha!
OK, I hope you've enjoyed some of these cool toys. Do YOU have an ultra-rare bat-item or a piece you just completely love? If so, then please shoot us a photo today. Remember: Sharing the love of Collecting BATMAN is what the BAT-BLOG.COM is all about!!
I totally love these old Vintage TV Toy Commercials! In fact, I used to collect them on VHS many years ago. I don't know, they're great reference material and a lot of fun to watch, especially if they were ads that aired during your childhood. They really bring back a lot of fond memories. Here's a great one for the 1966 BATMAN CARTOON KIT COLORFORMS Play Set!!
Our Buddy, John Cimino, who writes an excellent "Toy Collector" Blog called HERO ENVY recently paid tribute to the special 70's BATMAN COLORFORMS Play Set he has owned since childhood. In his article he shares a very heartwarming story about how he got this toy from his Dad back in 1977 when he was only 4 years old. His Dad had bought it for him on a special trip to Osco Drugs. You can check it out by clicking HERE!
If you are a Vintage Batman Toy Collector then right now is the time to check out the "Hake's Americana & Collectibles" website. They are currently running a few very amazing LOTS of super-rare Batman items. The photos of treasures shown here are only a small example. The 1st pic shows a few pieces from the BATMAN EXECUTIVE DESK SET, which, they are selling in it's original box. Now, to be honest, this is not the rarest item they have... but it's very sought after by Serious Bat-Collectors because it's so cool & it is actually very hard to find. I've been collecting for 25+ years & I don't have it, ha! Speaking of RARE, the next piece is practically a "Toy Museum Piece"! No hype intended, this is a "One of a Kind" item that you may never see again. This is the original Injection Mold Piece that was used to create a rubber-vinyl head for a set of Batman Slippers back in the 1960's. Next up, and pretty darn RARE too ( ha! ), is this BATGIRL SUPER-QUEENS DOLL. This was made by the Ideal Toy Company in 1967. This toy line didn't sell very well back then & today these figures are highly sought after. This example has her original batarang & her costume with cowl is really nice! OK, Do you remember the BAT-MANGA JAPANESE BATMAN Book created by Chip Kidd a couple of years ago? Well, here's an extremely RARE Large 18" X 24" Promo Poster used to publicize the book. Actually, it was for an event held on January 15th, 2009 at the Philbrook Museum Of Art in Tulsa, OK. The graphics are beautiful & this baby is ULTRA-RARE!! Now, these items are running right now, as we speak, and most will end around November 10th. Plus, like I said, I couldn't list everything they have!! So, for more information be sure to visit the HAKES AUCTION Website & while you're there be sure to use their SEARCH function & hunt down more "BATMAN"!
You know we love us some cool Vintage 60's BATMAN Toys, especially the ones from Japan! Here's a great example of the crazy wacky kind of stuff made for the Japanese foreign market. No, it's not a Batmobile car. This is a Tin Toy JEEP with a Batman and Robin design, and it has awesome bat-graphics all over it, POW!
