Duplo Batman, Joker and Batmobile!

This blog has been getting a bit too girly lately, so let's bring it back to manliness with some toddler toys!

Duplo started releasing Batman and some of his pals about a year or two ago. It's taken me this long to get some because I like to rely on the flea market for gathering figures which come in expensive sets that contain a bunch of components I don't need around the house. Well, the flea market finally came through in spades the other weekend when I found not only Batman...

 ...but his Batmobile too!

I had seen the Duplo Batman/Batmobile set in stores but never really looked all that closely at the Batmobile itself. I hadn't really thought about it until I owned this thing, but it's amazing that the Batmobile they went with is the '89 Keaton/Burton movie Batmobile. I mean, think about it: 25 plus years later and Duplo goes straight to the '89 movie (this isn't 'inspired by', this IS the '89 Batmobile!) They even sculpted in the machine gun ports, fer-cryin-out-loud! This is literally a toy that SHOULD have existed 25 years ago, just now being slapped on toy store shelves. That's pretty awesome, and I'm delighted to have added this Batmobile to my collection.

Ironically the set did not come with an all black '89 Batman, but a blue-grey batman.

The Batmobile breaks down to two pieces (three if you count the flame.) A wheeled base and the chassis.

When I found Batman and the Batmobile I also found the Duplo Joker. My intern already has a Duplo circus so I experienced that awkward moment...

...when I realized the Duplo Circus contains the Joker in disguise!

Seriously, that's the go-to Duplo clown above, and below...

...is Duplo's Joker!

Sadly my flea market Joker has some scratches on his face - he may have pushed Catwoman too far in his previous toy life. Or some kid stepped on him and drove his face into the concrete. But he only cost a dollar, so I figured he'll do until I can find a cleaner specimen.

Duplo Joker also goes well with the Duplo clowns we already have lying around. He has a built-in gang!

"That disguise doesn't fool me, Joker!"

The Duplo Red Triangle Circus Gang.

Back to the Batcave!

Hot Wheels Batmobiles

I used to be much more into Hot Wheels than I am today. I try to keep that corner of my collection under control these days and greatly limit my purchases, but for around a dollar I can't pass up a Hot Wheel Batmobile that I don't already own.

I can still remember when Hot Wheels first released the '89 Batmobile way back in 2004. I was very into Hot Wheels at that time, and Batmobile merchandise was pretty much sparse to non-existent. So finding a new toy Batmobile - for around a dollar - made me a bit crazy and I vowed to buy every one I saw at retail until I owned one hundred of them.

I've moved about six or seven times since then, and my Hot Wheels and Batmobiles collection remains boxed up to this day, so I honestly cannot tell you if I ever reached that goal. (Although I don't think I ever passed one up at retail, so I nailed that part of my personal goal.) But I can comfortably say that I came close, and with all the variations on that standard black '89 Batmobile made to date, I'd not be surprised if I surpassed it by a comfortable margin.

This '89 Batmobile in chrome with yellow trim is a 2015 release on shelves now. It is part of the HW City sub-theme and is numbered 62/250. I generally don't like Batmobiles that aren't black or blue, but this car does look hot in this muted chrome livery.

This black with red trim '89 Batmobile is also a 2015 HW City sub-theme number 62/250 and on shelves now. I may have one of these already that Jon from Robot Monster Space Superhero sent to me a few months back. But when it comes to one dollar Hot Wheels Batmobiles it is better to err on the side of 'I NEED it' when I see it. The red trim works as something Batman might have actually added to the Batmobile, and the red windshield looks nice and menacing.

When the Brave and the Bold Batmobile was first released in 2010 I also went a little overboard. I didn't aim at owning a hundred of them, but I probably have about ten if not more. The Brave and the Bold is one of my favorite representations of Batman, and the Batmobile design is definitely one of my top ten favorite Batmobiles of all time. This is a 2015 HW City sub-theme release numbered 63/250 and is the first variant of the 2010 cartoon accurate version made (other than cardback and probably wheel variants if any.)

And while the purist in me thinks it looks ridiculous with the eighties-ish blue scallop trim and ugly rims the car itself is incredibly sexy and again - just a dollar - so I bought it. Plus, as is not always the case, this Hot Wheels version is proportionally correct to the cartoon version while most other toy versions of this Batmobile made were not. I think Eaglemoss makes a 1:24 version that's screen accurate, but that's about it. So I love it!

All these Hot Wheels Batmobiles are on store shelves now, so go out there and hope I didn't hit the store before you. Because when it comes to Batmobiles - I'll buy that for a dollar!!!