Batman 1989
Ep. 225 is live!
We are going hard for week three of Awesome Anniversary Month! 35 years ago my favorite damn movie ever came out...and dammit if we don't celebrate it this week. 4th Man Ben joins us, as this is a favorite of his as well, and I have to say I'm damn proud of how he did on his first outing on a podcast. There's so much that can be said about this movie, but what I'd like more than anything is to share just what it was like watching Batmania unfold. It is insane thinking back about how that Bat Symbol was EVERYWHERE! I had friends that literally had it shaved into their headS. You NEEDED those Taco Bell cups. If you clocked that gold and purple Toy Biz packaging while shopping with your parents then you were begging for a stroll down the toy aisle. Batman cereal with a free bank was in the grocery store, Batman cards and candy were in all the check-out lanes and at the counter of every gas station. When someone says Batman was everywhere...they aren't joking. I remember wanting desperately to see it that summer, but there was no way my stepmother was letting that fly. Imagine my dismay when second grade started up, and I was literally the only kid who hadn't seen it yet. As stated in the episode, there did come a point where a classmate brought it in for us to watch. In true 80's fashion, we were told to ask our parents in lieu of a permission slip. As it turned out, I was the only kid told no by his parents...his step mother, rather. What was I to do? Lie, of course. And it being the 80s and the teachers being a level of disaffected that today's teachers will NEVER understand, that battle axe Mrs. Shoff didn't bother to walk down the hall and call Susan to verify that I had permission, even though I knew she had her doubts. Truly it was the next phase of my Monster Squad/Long Bath defiance. Hindsight, it really says something about my environment, my temperament, and personality if at seven I was already looking for ways to rebel. Truly a sign of things to come. Eventually, I outed myself as it were, boasting that I had seen it. This sure enough led to a beating and a grounding. Worth it. Christmas 89 and Easter 90 brought some pretty great Bat-surprises, though! That Christmas I did get Batman, Joker, Bob the Goon, and the DC Superheroes Robin, while Easter would see me getting VERY cool diecast representations of The Batwing and The Batmobile from Ertl. Though it is easily argued that the Batman/DC license landing back at Kenner shortly after ToyBiz's brief outing led to far superior sculpts and toy options, the ToyBiz line did have its merits. The way the toys were positioned by way of packaging alone got you excited as a kid. Those blister cards just popped on the toy pegs. Zeroing in on JUST the Batman line, not the DC Superheroes off-shoot, the line managed to do alot for a line that only boasted three figures. Just take a look at the options we had, as well as some of the ephemeral materials, and I dare you to question how any kid wouldn't lose their mind during the remainder of 1989 and into 1990!
We exaggerate on the show, but I truly love this movie and I do watch it about once a month, minimum. I love that I've shared it with Henry, and watching him act out Jack's dance from the art gallery or hearing him quote Carl Grissom puts me in stitches. There's something about your five year old grabbing you by the shoulders and declaring that I'm his number one guy. I could write pages on top of pages about how I feel about this movie, dissecting nearly facet of it...but ain't none of us got time for that! We are making a bit of a meal out of this 35th Anniversary and in a case of synergy some friends of the show will also be putting out some Batman related material so please check them out, give them a like and sub if you haven't already. Keep an eye out on friend Chris aka Shiny Plastic People, and our dear friend Allison Troy, The Retro Toy Princess. You know I've taken the time to curate a special 80s Tees link for any of your Bat-swag needs, why don't you visit them and treat yourself. That will bring our revist of Batman 89 to a close, but join us next week as we discuss a staple of the 80's, Rainbow Brite. The spritely young lady celebrates 40 years next week, and I suspect NOTHING will go awry in that episode, not a damn thing... We'll see you next Monday, gang!
