Time Again For BATMAN BIRTHDAY CAKES!!
OK, it's sort of a gimmick I do here to publish photos of Batman Birthday Cakes, they crack me up! Personally I love them & think of them as ART. Anyway, I was kind of faced with a small problem. Recently 2 very nice readers of the Bat-Blog sent in some awesome photos of their birthday cakes. OK, what I usually do is post 1 cake photo on the 1st & kinda make it a "cake for the readers who have a birthday that month". That way they're spread out & it's not "cake day" every other day here, ha ha! But, I got to thinking. It's gonna be a month before I publish one of these & then the other person is gonna have to wait 2 months so I thought, "To heck with it, I'll put 'em both on tonight"! So, here they are in all their glory. I wanna sincerely thank both Kevin & Andy for sending these in, they're great! Kevin's cake is the 1st one with the glass snowglobe on top. He said just seconds after the photo was taken it fell off. The 2nd one is Andy's & it came with the nice Batmobile & Batman figure...nice! I still wanna invite all readers to send cake photos or cool shots of their toy collections. Thanks.
New Products: Custom Batman T-Shirt Seen on eBay!
This is just a quick post to showcase a picture of a NEW cool Batman T-Shirt I saw on eBay last night. It's a simple yellow design "logo" silkscreened onto a chocolate brown colored shirt, a nice color-scheme choice. The art is kinda funny too, sort of child-like. Reminds me of a wood block print. They're being sold by some guy named VV77, so go there sometime & check it out!!
Batman Parody: DOSTOYEVSKY COMICS Crime and Punishment
One of my favorite artists, R. Sikoryak, drew a really great Batman Parody Comic Book in the art style of Golden Age artist Dick Sprang titled DOSTOYEVSKY COMICS. What he does is recreates the Classic Book CRIME AND PUNISHMENT ( Written by Fyodor Dostoyevsky ) with Batman characters. The artwork is awesome but a lot of people are really impressed with how well it sticks to the actual story of the book. The Mock Cover to this book is shown up above & then 2 of my favorite panels. Batman hitting The Joker in the head with an axe is hilarious, ha ha! You can read the entire story at a blog named AGAIN WITH THE COMICS, here's a link:
HEROES 4 KIDS : A New Children's Charity Needs Your Help!
Since it's the holiday season I thought I would bring up a really great children's organization called HEROES FOR KIDS. This is a group of people who not only have some incredible Superhero Costumes but use those suits for good. Heroes for Kids' aim is to provide an unforgettable experience for the young and the old alike. As a team, their goal is to help raise funds for the sick and underprivileged by appearing at fund-raising events as a voluntary service. They're just now getting started but I think it's a great idea. In the photo here you can see the "Batman Guy" but there are many others including The Joker, The Amazing Spiderman, Green Goblin, Sith Lord, Superman, Supergirl, Iron Man, Elektra, Daredevil, Jedi Knight, & more. Here's a link to check them out & please try to help if you can, it's a good cause.
Video: JUSTICE LEAGUE, THE NEW FRONTIER Future DC Animated Cartoon Movie
Warner Brothers Animation and DC Comics are set to release the all-new original animated movie titled JUSTICE LEAGUE, THE NEW FRONTIER on February 26, 2008. Based on the graphic novel by Darwyn Cooke, Justice League: The New Frontier is the story of the creation of the Justice League. Here's a list of the voice actors they have so far: Neil Patrick Harris, Kyra Sedgwick, David Boreanaz, Jeremy Sisto, Lucy Lawless, Brooke Shields, Kyle MacLachlan, and Miguel Ferrer! Here's an incredible mini-documentary on the making of th new film. Now, I know it's not TOTAL Batman, but he is in it! Plus I love the artwork of Darwyn Cooke. Oh yeah, Bruce Timm ( Batman: The Animated Series ) is one of the producers...so ya know it's gonna be real good! If the video gets choppy just hit the pause button for a little bit, then hit play. Also, after watching the yuTube video be sure to check out the Official Warner Brother webpage for this project. Just click on the WARNER BROS PREMIER button down below.
2 Free BATMAN DESKTOP BACKGROUND Wallpapers
Yeah! It's Wednesday again so here's 2 very cool Batman Desktop Wallpapers! The 1st one is an image from an Original Animation Cel. I have a few in my personal collection & really love them but I don't have one of Batman. I have a Superman from the Superfriends Cartoon. I bought it when I was a little kid & went to my very 1st comic book convention. Back then people didn't really get greedy like they are today & I bought it for $2.00. Ha Ha, Seriously, 2 bucks!! I'm really stupid though, I should have bought them all! The other cels I have are original Jay Ward cels of Cap'n Crunch. They're from the classic TV Commercials for that cereal. They're mostly of the Cap'n Crunch Crew, Dave & Brumhilde. The next Batman Wallpaper is part of a graphic by Jim Lee. His art is always great. I couldn't decide which way Batman should face, to look good on the desktop, so I put both variations here & I'll let you decide! As always you can also use these in a MySpace Layout...Go Crazy!
THE DARK KNIGHT NEWS: New Photo of HEATH LEDGER as The JOKER - EMPIRE MAGAZINE January 2008
In January, 2008 EMPIRE MAGAZINE will have a Special Exclusive Interview with Heath Ledger about his acting role in THE DARK KNIGHT Batman Movie & there's a NEW photo of The Joker on the cover...SWEET! ( Click on the small picture up above for a much larger, more detailed, photo! )
Please put the JOKER Banner ( The Dark Knight Movie )
seen below on your MySpace Layout, Blog, or Website!!
Just copy the code below & paste to your profile! Thank You!
PLEASE VOTE TODAY!! We're Nominated for 4 Blogger's Choice Awards!!
The BAT-BLOG has been nominated for the 2008 Bloggers Choice Awards, in 4 categories! We're very honored! It would be great if you could take a minute to vote for us! Just follow these simple steps, it will be quick & easy! 1) Go to http://www.bloggerschoiceawards.com 2) Create an account - you do have to fill in everything, except the "choose a picture", and you do have to give a real e-mail address. A message will appear telling you to check your e-mail for a confirmation message. Mine arrived in less than thirty seconds, and you click on the link in the message. 3) Staying "logged-in" at the Awards Page open another window & come to the Bat-Blog & use the 4 buttons you see below. 4) Click on each button & when the Blogger Award page opens click on the "Yellow VOTE Button" ( shown in photo here ). 5) Please vote for us in all four catagories but ONLY ONCE per catagory. In other words, you can vote in all 4 catagories but only one time each. THANKS SO MUCH...I HOPE WE WIN!
Funny Humor Photo: BATMAN WEDDING CAKE!
OK, Everyone knows I sort of collect photos of Batman Birthday Cakes & I have received a few from you readers lately that I promise to post soon. Yeah, I know the cakes are crazy but I think they're funny & it's kind of a neat project to see the wide variety. I mean, they are all different! Now, Talk about different! Here's a picture I found on Flickr last week of, get this, a Batman Wedding Cake!! Ha Ha, How cool is that!! Any woman cool enough to let her husband pick out a Batman cake has got to be grabbed as a wife, ha ha!
Golden Age Comic Book Cover: BATMAN #5
I gotta meet some friends for dinner tonight so I have to do a quick posting here. This is an amazing scan of a Golden Age 1940's Comic Book Cover sent to me by my friend Jeff. This is Batman #5, a Classic!! I love the bright colors & interesting composition. The use of the "Justice Scales" sort of reminds me of Eisner's The Spirit. Thanks Jeff!
Funny Humor BATMAN Photo By Wil Wheaton!
While surfing thru Flickr, viewing random Batman-related photos, I came across this one taken by none other than Wil Wheaton! He went to some carnival in, I think, Los Angeles & shot this funny picture. These Batman plushes were prizes at some outdoor carnival game. Wil played "Wesley Crusher" on Star Trek: The Next Generation ( love that show ). He was recently a guest actor on Numbers & played a "Comic Book Dealer Jerk", that was funny! It was on the other night, one of my favorite shows. Wil also writes a very famous blog & writes books. I'm showing one of his book covers here so you can visualize who I'm talkin' about ( The Batman picture is NOT in the book ). He doesn't know I'm writing this so I hope it's ok to use his photo, it said it was "public". I have a friend who's an autograph collector & he said he met him a few years ago. He said he was a really nice guy, very "down-to-earth", that's cool. Mainly I just thought the Batman Dolls photo was humorous.
This Year Please Donate Some Toys To TOYS FOR TOTS!
"Let's Show Everyone That Toy Collectors Are The Most Generous People You Can Meet!"
I never "Get Political" or anything like that but I want to remind everybody about an incredible charity called TOYS FOR TOTS.
I know many of you have heard of it. Every year the US Marine Corp starts a drive to help bring toys to under-privledged children everywhere. I think as toy collectors we really need to think about how we are blessed with this freedom & we need to think about others. Since 1989 this organization has helped bring joy & happiness to many children who's parents can hardly afford food! Think about being a little kid & the sheer joy a gift of a toy brings. You can help! All they ask for is a very easy thing we can all do. Either donate money ( ANY amount helps ) or donate a sealed MINT IN PACKAGE Toy to one of their drop-off locations. Their "Donation Boxes" are everywhere! I know they have them at ALL Toys-R-Us stores, that's the one I use. But, if you check out their website they can tell you all of the many spots in your own hometown. I hope everyone who reads this not only thinks about it but does it. Thank You, I appreciate you reading this far. You can find all the information you need at their official website:
Memorabilia: CATWOMAN TOYS Batman's Femme-Fatale
I've been sort of neglecting the large amount of Bat-Blog readers who are also Catwoman Fans so I thought I'd throw these cool Cat-Pictures together! Here's a nice assortment of more recent Catwoman Toys & Memorabilia. The 1st pic is an Exclusive Warner Bros Store item from a few years back, The Catwoman Figural Ceramic Cookie Jar. I think this thing is almost a beautiful piece of ART! I have a WB Catwoman Plastic Coin Bank that is almost the same exact pose & shape ( just a little smaller in scale ) but I would loooove this Cookie Jar. The next picture is a very recent Catwoman Plush Doll made by Monogram Direct. This to me seems kinda silly but it's still pretty cool. Ok, I want one, ha ha. The next photo is not really a picture of a toy but the actual "Blueprint" or "Style Pattern" used by a toy company called Play-By-Play to make their plush dolls. You've seen these, they're those small plush toys that you can win in those "Crane Machines" ( I'm really addicted to those ). The last pic is of the Limited Edition CATWOMAN Barbie that Mattel made in 2003. I actually love Barbie, as an American Icon, & think this doll is awesome. I hope some of these pix make the Catwoman Fans happy! I think later I might do a post about toys of The Joker or maybe Riddler. What would you like to see? Leave a comment or e-mail me, Thanks!
Video: The DARK KNIGHT Filming in IMAX Batman Movie Featurette
Here's a new YouTube video "TDK Featurette" showing an interview with Director Christopher Nolan & other members of The DARK KNIGHT film crew talking about their experience of filming The Dark Knight movie in the IMAX format ( No Spoilers ).
Fine Art: BATMAN AND ROBIN Pop Painting By Ron English!
Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a HUGE Fan of Fine Art, or any kind of art really! One of my favorite "Modern Day" Pop Artists is a guy named Ron English. He uses a lot of Pop Culture references in his work & sometimes he's very political. He's becoming quite popular so many readers might already know about him, great stuff!! Here's one of his Pop Art paintings showing a middle-aged Batman & pre-adolescent Robin. ( Robin is smoking, ha ). Every time I see this painting it cracks me up, Ha Ha! Plus, it's a well-executed piece of ART. If you'd like to see more work by this guy be sure to check out his website:
CLICK HERE - RON ENGLISH POPAGANDA ART!
Custom Toys: BATMAN & ROBIN Models Made Out Of Paper!
Remember awhile back I posted a photo of a Batman Action Figure that someone had made out of construction paper? Well, he sent us some more cool pics to share! Here he's done a few different Batman-related characters. In the 1st one is the Dynamic Duo, BATMAN and ROBIN!! The 2nd photo shows a paper-model figure of KILLER CROCK, aaarrrgggg! The last photo shows a group of figures & if you look closely there's the JOKER and HARLEY QUINN. I don't know why but I think these are really cool. The colors are bright, that might be it, but they really really do look like the characters they're suppose to be...that's cool! If any other readers are doing any kind of "Custom Toys" then please send pics. It can be Dolls, Batman Model Kits, Batmobiles, Whatever!
Photos of Batman Collection from Canadian Toy Collector!
A new friend to the Bat-Blog, Darius, sent us these awesome photos of his Batman Collection all the way from Canada! ( Please click-on the small picture above to see a larger, more detailed, photo ). He explains that this is just a small part of it but he wanted to share some photos with our readers...cool! He said that the Batman Belt Buckle is something he's had since childhood & the Batman Watch ©1978 was a gift from his cousin ( found in a vintage store in Toronto ). He also writes about how he remembers being a little kid & his Mom took him to see the re-release of the 1966 Batman TV Movie in 1978, the same year as the watch. Wow Darius! Thanks for the wonderful photos & story. I appreciate that & I know the readers will too. I don't know why but I love to see photos of people's personal collections. It's just neat to see what they have & you, my friend, have some very cool stuff! I like the Bobble-Head Nodders of Batman & Robin. All the action figures are really nice & it's very cool to see the Kenner Superpowers Batmobile again! Thanks again for sharing these photos. If ANY other readers can send us pics of their collections then please do!
Batman's "Batmobile Lost a Wheel" Graphic T-Shirt
I got a message from a guy the other day who sells custom T-Shirts. Here's one with a Batman Christmas theme! We all know the "Batman Jingle Bells" song...
"Jingle Bells, Batman Smells, Robin laid an egg, the Batmobile lost it's wheel, & the Joker got away...HEY!" ( Repeat over & over ).
Ha Ha, the graphic is pretty well done & it's the Classic George Barris 1966 Batmobile too! He's selling the T-Shirts at this address, check it out sometime. http://www.threadless.com/product/356/Lost_A_Wheel
"Jingle Bells, Batman Smells, Robin laid an egg, the Batmobile lost it's wheel, & the Joker got away...HEY!" ( Repeat over & over ).
Ha Ha, the graphic is pretty well done & it's the Classic George Barris 1966 Batmobile too! He's selling the T-Shirts at this address, check it out sometime. http://www.threadless.com/product/356/Lost_A_Wheel
Vintage Ad: Batman and Robin Sell Hostess Twinkies!
Anyone who read comic books in the 1970's or 80's will remember these great advertisements. They were done in a comic book-style to trick you into reading them, ha ha! They were full-page ads where some DC ( & Marvel too ) Superhero would fight crime using Hostess Cupcakes, Twinkies, or Fruit Pies. Apparently, if you throw a fruit pie at a bank robber the delicious snack is so irresistible that their brains just lock up!! If you want to read their adventure just click on the picture for a large photo...enjoy!
BATMAN MOVIE Cereal Box From 1989!
As a tie-in to the 1989 Batman Movie Ralston made some Batman Cereal. Yes, they're the same company that makes dog food, ha ha! One of the neatest premiums they made was a Batman Coin Bank that was shrink-wrapped to the box ( see photo ). Also, here's a very cool YouTube video of the TV commercial to enjoy.
George Barris' Design Patent for the 1966 TV Batmobile Car!
This is a very cool piece of Bat-History! Shown above is the original "Vehicle Design Patent" that George Barris filed with the United States Patent Office on Oct 18th, 1966 for his Classic 1960's Batman TV Series Batmobile custom car design! The rough graphics show the basic concept of the design in front view, side, back, etc...Sweet!! This is the greatest car ever made....ever!
Video: Vintage 60's BATMOBILE BY MARX Batman TV Toy Commercial
The other day I found an old vintage 1960's sales catalog that had a great ad for the Official Batman & Robin Batmobile Rider From Louis Marx & Co. This ride-on toy was sold in the late 60's to capitalize on the popularity of the , now classic, 1966 TV Series. The picture shows a little kid riding the toy & it has a very cool "graphic look" about it so I knew I had to post it! I was gonna do a post with a theme of "Old Batman Vintage Ads" but then I got an e-mail, from a friend named John, who sent me a picture of the original box for this toy. WOW! The art work on the box is so beautiful that I knew I had to do a post JUST about this toy!! ( Be sure to click-on that picture for a much larger, more detailed, photo! ) Now, I've done a write-up about this toy in an earlier post ( Check The ARCHIVES ) but I thought I could add some more new pictures here. Oh yeah, one last thing, Thank You John for the wonderful photo!! If ANY other readers have some Batman-related photos to share then please send them. Down below is the amazing Vintage TV Commercial for this toy, enjoy!
BATMAN AUCTION RECORD? Ideal Utility Belt Sells For BIG Bucks!
Just the other night on eBay this "Mint In Box" Official Batman Utility Bat-Belt by Ideal ©1966 sold for $16,662.62. Yes, you read that right, Sixteen Thousand Six Hundred Sixty Two Dollars & some change!! I'm not exactly sure but I think that's gotta be a record auction price. Either way it's still wayyy outta my price range, ha ha! Now, the 1st picture was so beautiful that I made it a desktop wallpaper ( click on it to see the HUGE picture ). The 2nd pic shows the minty contents...sweet!
THE JOKER MUNNY and THE JOKER SNEAKERS: Custom Toy and Painted Shoes
A "friend" of mine at MySpace sent me this really cool photo showing 2 of his creations. A Joker Munny ( Custom Toy ) Action Figure & a pair of Joker Sneakers! Click on the picture above for a more detailed photo. He painted both of these & did a really great job on them, don't ya think?
