Robins of Toyriffic Past :: Robin Week Concludes

All good things must end, including Robin Week. But if you haven't had enough of that red, green and yellow kid's stuff, check out a sampling of  Toyriffic's past Robin posts!

Batman Returns Tim Drake Robin.


DCUC Robin and DCUC predecessor 6" Batman line Robin.



Toybiz Robin.

The New Batman Adventures Robin.


Redbird by Corgi.

Teen Titans Red X Robins.



DC Infinite Heroes Earth 2 Robin (with DCIH Tim Drake Robin.)

Three cheers for the original kid sideckick!

And where is the Batman?

He must be at home, washing his tights. because I cannot see him at all in the following totally random pictures of foliage.

If I did see Batman, he would probably be the 'Jungle Boogie' Batman from the Batman Returns action figure line by Kenner.

Actually I don't know what Batman this is, and really am not motivated to look him up at all. I mean, it's a Keaton Batman action figure with green/black camo. Do I need to know more to appreciate this guy?

No, I do not.

I found this Batman at the flea market and nabbed him for a measly dollar. He's in excellent condition, and unlike most Keaton Batmen I find at the flea market this guy has his cape!

The cape alone is worth the dollar, because now I can swap it over to a more accurate Batman I own that is missing his cape.

Or I might let 'Jungle Fever' Batman keep it. If I can ever find him again! Damn that effective Bat-camo!

Catwoman Purrrsday :: Happy Birthday to Me!

It's Catwoman Purrrsday, but more importantly, it's my birthday! let's celebrate with some Catwoman party supplies, shall we?

Here's hoping I get some cool stuff today!

Pics via FranMoff on Flickr

Catwoman Purrrsday :: Masks

Catwoman Masks! As a kid, nothing was better than these thin flimsy plastic masks. Both of these are currently available on eBay (not my auctions) and  I admit I'm tempted to get them and hang them on my wall!

Halloween is over, thanks to all who joined us for the Countdown. Hope you are all enjoying your candy hangovers.

Catwoman Purrrsday :: Batman Returns Inspired Catwoman Illustration

The best part of having art skills is that if I run into need for one of my themed posts, I just draw something!

Here's a new illustration by me inspired by Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman from Batman Returns. I've been lately enjoying working initially with a brush pen and then coloring in photoshop, and have started to play around more with lighting effects/depth.

See more of my art at my DeviantArt page and my art blog.

Catwoman Purrrsday :: Catwoman Hoodie

Check out this awesome (and apparently discontinued) Batman Returns inspired Catwoman Hoodie from Tripp NYC.

Catwoman Purrrsday :: Michelle Pfeiffer

It is incredible to think that twenty years ago today in 1992 I was waiting on bated breath for any news and images about Catwoman's appearance in the upcoming Batman sequel 'Batman Returns,' and here I am in 2012 once again waiting on bated breath for news and images on Catwoman's appearance in the Batman sequel 'The Dark Knight Rises.'

But I digress. Today let's look again at the best thing about Batman Returns: Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman!

Meow.

I was Junior in High School when the anticipation for this sequel was hitting a fever pitch. I couldn't wait for summer to arrive so I could see Michelle Pfieffer in all her black vinyl glory...I mean...see the sequel to my favorite movie of all time, 1989's 'Batman.'

Yeah.

I had quite a few posters of Ms. Pfeiffer in my bedroom, culled from the only source available: movie magazines, back in that pre-internet time we like to refer to now as 'The Stone Ages.'

I drew pictures on my desk of Batman and Catwoman and Penguin with the tagline 'The Bat, The Cat, The Penguin.' Once after High School I met a girl who had gone to the same school as I but whom I never knew; she knew me from my desk vandalism and said she loved coming into the classroom each day (she had the class after I did) and seeing what I had drawn on the desk.

Chicks dig rebels.

Anyways, the Michelle Pfeiffer/Tim Burton Catwoman was like nothing we'd seen before. A costume that emphasized it's homemade nature with a 'Bride of Frankenstein' meets 'Dominatrix' tone, Miss Pfeiffer brought the costume design to the next level with a sexy swagger and low purring voice that melted many a viewer like butter!

Say what you will about 'Batman Returns,' it isn't the perfect Batman film but it isn't the worst by a long shot (Damn you Schumacher...DAMN YOU TO HELL!!!) and it's hard to deny that Michelle brought something nearing purrrfection to the silver screen.

Watching the movie again as I write this post, I am a bit amazed that I really do like it. Call it nostalgia or whatever, but this is MY Batman, this is MY Gotham City. Burton, Keaton, Nicholson, Hingle, Gough, DeVito, Pfeiffer...they defined 'Batman' for me and my generation, and they did a pretty damn good job of it.

I may consider myself older and wiser and like to think that Nolan, Bale, Ledger et al are the best, and while they are a more mature 'realistic' look at Gotham City, I really really love the pseudo 40s depression Fritz Lang Metropolis black on black Gotham City the two Burton movies created.

It is beyond a crying shame to think that after 'Batman Returns' TWO sure-thing comic book movie properties were brought to their knees (the Batman franchise and the solo Catwoman film that inexplicably did not star Michelle Pfeiffer) but in hindsight at least Keaton and Pfeiffer stayed away when they saw what was happening to their characters (whether it was by choice or otherwise.)

Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman will forever stand out as a beautiful unique creation that can never be duplicated. In today's Hollywood, that's quite an achievement!

Batman ReTURNS 20!

Can you believe that Batman Returns was released June 19th 1992?!?!

Incredible! And to think, I haven't aged a day!

Hopefully I can get together a few toys and ephemera from that era and we can have a semi-regular 20th anniversary look at Batman Returns as the year goes by. No promises though, I'm a busy guy!

Anyways, one of the coolest moments of Batman Returns has to be when Batman narrowly escapes police pursuit by transforming the Batmobile into the Batmissile:

Completely ridiculous and highly impractical, but COME ON that scene was pure cinema gold!

Batman approaches a narrow alley and casually flips a switch on the Batmobile's dashboard. Nothing happens as the alley approaches at breakneck speed.

Batman flips the switch a few more times. Confounded, he utters under his breath 'Okay, now I'm worried' before giving the switch one last hard flip and VOILA!

Fenders and panels fly free, wheels re-align, and Batman zips through the alley just in time while the police are helpless to stop him, or themselves, as they careen into a massive pile-up!

This Batmissile is from Mattel/Hot Wheels' 1:24 scale Bat vehicle line-up from a couple years back. It seems to be the peg warmer of the line and every store I go into has about ten of them. I got this one for my birthday last year and it is really a fun toy to have lying around. I still have the Ertl version in 1:64 scale which was released in 1992, but this larger version has rubber wheels and an opening cockpit (which reveals only one seat, which means in addition to all the external re-fabrication the damn thing also ejected a whole seat!) 

I like to imagine the cops climbing out of their wrecked heaps and running over to the debris field, gathering up souvenirs to hang above their mantels and tell their grandkids about. "Grandpa, tell me about that fender again." "Well, Jimmy, one dark and stormy night, as we pursued the legendary Batmobile..."

Catwoman Purrrsday :: Puttin' on the Ritz

Michelle Pfeiffer Batman Returns Catwoman inspired dress from Christian Dior Haute Couture, Spring 2001.

Catwoman Purrrsday :: Line-up

This isn't the entirety of my Catwoman collection, but it is some of my best.

Left to right we have: Catwoman from the Legends of Batman collection. A great comicbook accurate Catwoman figure which, thankfully for her back, is designed with less, umm, Catwoman up front than she appeared in the comics with at the time.

Next up is the Batman Returns Catwoman based on Michelle Pfeiffer's turn as the feline fatale. A fun and iconic design, this is a nice figure that walks the line between cartoony and movie accurate well.

Third from left is the Batman: Animated Catwoman as she first appeared in the cartoon. A nice late eighties comic accurate look, this Catwoman even came with her kitty Isis.

And finally, Catwoman from the final years of the Batman Animated series when the character designs took a more JLU esque turn. This Catwoman is obviously highly influenced by Batman Returns, but is very stylized and really stands out in any collection. Slinky and streamlined, I'm glad the toyline lasted long enough to get to her!

What's this? Is Harley jealous that there's now a Catwoman Purrrsday to compete with her Harley Qwednesday?

It's OK Harley. We're all friends here. There's room for everyone!

Look what the cat dragged in

In perfect time for the upcoming Ladies' Night at Eclectorama, I just picked up the Batman Returns Catwoman action figure!

And like Chunky B. and his Arkham Asylum gateway, this Catwoman is a figure I have wanted for decades but only recently acquired.

Catwoman was a tough find in 1991. I only ever saw her at a comicbook store  at the time, and they wanted more money for her than I was willing to pay. Patience is a toy collector's virtue! I picked her up on eBay last week for less than ten bucks shipped.

Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman was arguably the best part of Batman Returns, and this figure, while looking a little more cartoony in the face, does have all the key costume points that made Tim Burton's Catwoman a unique and unforgettable part of Bat history.

If I had two of this figure I might even consider going over the stitching with white paint to make them pop out more. But lack of paint detailing aside, the sculpt is pretty darn detailed!

All the way down to those hot boots! Meow!