Batman is a character of daring heroics and spectacular gadgetry, making his exploits fertile ground for exciting toys. Though a lot of toys and characters fall out of fashion from one generation to the next, Batman’s action figures, Batmobiles, and playsets have done battle in countless kids’ bedrooms for over 60 years. Those collectibles, from the earliest toy examples to modern items made specifically for display, have become some of the most coveted superhero toys in the collecting hobby.
When the Batman TV show inspired Batmania in the 1960s, Ideal got in on the toy action. The toy company created Captain Action, a revolutionary figure that came with a removable costume that could be replaced with others, such as Batman. Made for 12” figures, the Batman accessory set includes a cloth costume, face mask and cowl with striped cape, utility belt, Batarang, flashlight, laser torch, and Batrope reel with a grappling hook. In 1967, Captain Action added Action Boy to the line and with that figure came a costume for Robin. That costume set, which was produced in the U.S. and Canada, came with Batarangs and a launcher, Bat grenade, and climbing grips. Batgirl received an action figure as part of Ideal’s Super Queens line (which contained some of DC’s popular superheroines) and is highly coveted among collectors.
Ideal produced a selection of toy sets that have become some of the most valuable Batman collectibles. The Ideal Official Batman Play Set contains figures of Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, and Superman, along with a few villains, the Batmobile, and Batplane. Ideal issued an Official Batman & Justice League of America Play Set, which contains the expanded character offerings of Aquaman and Flash, plus Sanctuary Mountain and a reflector ray weapon. A 23-piece Batman and Robin playset was available exclusively through Sears and was shipped in a plain cardboard box rather than a window display.
Ideal also made the Batman Utility Belt set that came with a Bat-rocket grenade, storage pouch, Batrope with grapple claw, Batarang, dummy transmitter, cuffs, signal flash, message sender, and gun launcher. They created a Batman Helmet & Cape boxed set of a molded plastic helmet and vinyl cape. Ideal made a Sears exclusive Batman Puppet Theatre set, which included a cardboard theater display with three plastic-head hand puppets of Batman, Robin, and the Joker. Ideal’s smaller scale action figures were issued as a three-figure set (with Batman, Robin, and Joker) and four-figure set (which added Brainstorm).
To learn more about Batman toy collecting, order a copy of The Overstreet Price Guide to Batman from gemstonepub.com.
