Easily the largest toy line of the early '90s, Batman was yet another product of Kenner's penchant for licensing movie franchise based toys. Toy Biz originally had the licence when the movie came out in 1989 but it was Kenner's acquisition in 1990 that drove the line into the stratosphere.
To tell the story of Batman's domination of the toy market (and every other market) in 1989, we need to look at the Toy Biz license. After Batman became a box office smash in June of 1989, Canadian toy company Toy Biz acquired the rights to produce a line of toys based on the film.
The line consisted of figures of Batman, The Joker, and Bob the Goon as well as a Batmobile, Batwing, Joker Van, Batcycle, and Joker Cycle. A second version of the Batmobile was produced shortly after the line came out which featured a "cocoon" shell that could be placed over the vehicle to match the movie vehicle's armored mode. The Batman sculpt in the initial release bore a resemblance to Michael Keaton but this was soon changed to a more generic rounded face and eventually a squared "heroic version". Joker bore no resemblance to Jack Nicholson. Oddly enough, Bob the Goon looked very much like his movie counterpart.
The crown jewel of the line was a Batcave Playset. While it more resembled the 60's TV series in tone rather than the movie, it did feature images from the movie on a rotating drum that was visible through the Batcomputer screen. It retailed for about $35 ($74 in 2019) so it was a pretty expensive playset at the time (although Kenner's Ghostbusters Firehouse Headquarters retailed for $43 in 1987, or $96 in 2019). I had this playset and while it was fun at the time, those which would soon follow it were far superior.
They also released some role play accessories! This was an amazing set of costume pieces which allowed you to become the Dark Knight. Each of these accessories were faithfully reproduced from the movie counterparts in every detail. The set included a belt, wrist cuffs, dart-firing grapple gun, batarang, and a clip on emblem. The only thing missing was the cape and cowl! I feel that they would have come out with one if they had kept the license.
Now we come to Kenner. Toy Biz's line of Batman toys did not fair as well as DC was hoping for. They were also unhappy with the overall quality of the toys themselves. Kenner had previously held the license to produce DC toys and did so in 1984 with their DC Super Powers line. Given Kenner's wild success with Star Wars, DC cancelled Toy Biz's license and gave it back to Kenner in hopes that they would be able to create a line which would appeal more to consumers. Enter: The Dark Knight Collection (DKC)! Kenner quickly took on the task of releasing a new Batman movie toy line. The result is one of the finest movie-based lines ever created with a large selection of figures and vehicles. This, however, is where we run into issues. Kenner is well known for reusing molds and creating more variants of an individual figure than should be legal. The Dark Knight Collection and it's successors from Kenner fall victim to this over and over. I'll get into this more later. For now, lets take a look at the initial release of the line and how it compared to Toy Biz.
Kenner quickly developed a Batman line for release in 1990. The initial release of figures and vehicles was impressive and far superior to their Toy Biz counterparts. We got five versions of Batman, Bruce Wayne, and The Joker. The sculpts for Wayne and Joker were perfect likenesses of Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson respectively. How did they accomplish this so quickly? By doing what Kenner did best - reusing molds and parts from their other toy lines. Batman and Joker's basic body were retooled molds from Kenner's previous DC Super Powers line. Most of the accessories that came with the figures were taken from other figures as well from Kenner's Police Academy, Silverhawks, and Sky Commanders lines. The Batcopter was a repaint from the Super Powers line and the Bat Jet was a slight retool from the Silverhawks line. For a detailed look at all of the reused Kenner elements in this initial wave of the Batman line, check out Needless Essentials Online's review here.
I do want to note two of the vehicles in particular: the cycles. Both of these vehicles were reused from Kenner's RoboCop and the Ultra Police line. They were modified for the Batman line and released quickly with the first wave of toys. It is also the only Joker vehicle to be released in the line though two others were planned.
This line gave us the best version of the '89 Batmobile ever released! Though it was delayed until 1991 (along with the Batwing), this rendition of the famous car was the must-have vehicle for the line. Unlike it's Toy Biz predecessor, it featured an enclosed cockpit as well as flip up machine guns, turbine missile, and a spring-fired exhaust flame in the back which rotated as the wheels spun.
For the new Turbojet Batwing, we not only got a fairly accurate rendition of the Batwing but three vehicles in one! The cockpit ejected and wheels folded down turning it into a street racer while the wings connected to become a glider. While this was a big improvement over the Toy Biz version, it had a few drawbacks. The wheels in the rear were huge; in their retracted position, they hung out the back which effected the overall shape of the craft and did make it a little hard to play with. The Toy Biz version featured handle on the bottom which could be held and was used to fire the darts. Also missing from this version, is the retractable claw at the front. It did feature two missile launchers that could be attached to any of the three vehicles.
Also planned for 1991 was the Batcave Command Center. This was the ultimate Batman playset and included many features that matched the movie. It featured Wayne Manor which folded out to reveal an interior with breakaway skylights and a sky cable. A secret entrance led to the Batcave where a very accurate Batcomputer station and Batsuit vault waited. The vault contained a quick change feature in which Bruce Wayne could be placed inside and by spinning a dial at the top, a pre-placed Batman figure would replace him! This set, though highly anticipated, did not make it into production for this line, however it did not disappear. It was eventually released for Batman Returns in 1992 (more on that in a minute). Additionally, this playset was so popular, it was repainted and re-released for both the Batman Forever and Batman & Robin lines years later as well as for the Animated Series line.
There was no shortage of role play accessories this time either. Kenner produced a slew of crime-fighting gear which included many items not seen in the movie. The most sought-after of these was the Batman Armor Set. It included a mask, cape, chest piece, and a glove that fired claw darts. If you were lucky enough to have both this set and the Toy Biz Accessory Playset, you had a highly accurate and incredible Batman costume! (I was not one of those lucky few) I did have the Crime Control Set which featured a belt and several accessories that could be connected together to form a larger weapon.
We were also treated to more Kenner mold retools such as the Sonic Neutralizer which was made from a Star Wars blaster. These additional weapons were neat but didn't feel much like they fit with the '89 Batman. If released as part of the later movie's lines maybe, but the '89 movie was simple in its gadgetry. Also, there were no role play options or accessories for The Joker which was a major missed opportunity. What about a Joker mask with water-squirting flower? Maybe his cane with a hidden sword? I'm sure Kenner could have found items from other lines to assign to The Joker as easily as they did Batman. Countless other Batman repaints and smaller vehicles would make their way out in series 2 but there was so much more to come...
Now we come to 1992. Batman Returns hit theaters big and Kenner was waiting with a host of repaints and retools of existing molds. We did get some new unique figures and vehicles in this line along with a few oddities. Along with a new assortment of Batmans, we got a reissue of the Quick Change Bruce Wayne. The Penguin did not bare a likeness to Danny DeVito but was a re-used figure from the DC Super Powers line. It's a shame too because there was so much potential there with the different umbrellas he used in the movie as well as the different costumes. There could've been a Sewer Dweller Penguin, Mayoral Candidate Penguin, Helicopter Penguin, etc. Not to mention the Red Triangle Gang. Robin, who did not appear in the movie, got a figure in this line. Part of the reason for the discrepancy is that this was intended to be a series 2 for the Kenner Batman line, dropping the DKC moniker. The release of Batman Returns caused them to change direction midway through production. Catwoman was added as a new figure and matched the movie version pretty well. Another interesting addition to this line was a pair of Penguin Commandos taken directly from the movie. If you bought enough of these guys, you could have an army just like Penguin commanded!
The Batmobile got three new versions in this line: a re-issue of the DKC version, the Camo Attack Batmobile - a repaint of the DKC version, and the Batmissile Batmobile which featured breakaway fenders just like in the movie. There was also a re-issue of the Turbojet Batwing.
Two of the new major vehicles in the line were the Batskiboat and the Bruce Wayne Custom Coupe. The Batskiboat was taken straight from the movie and was a great vehicle...as long as you weren't playing on carpet where the fins would snag as you pushed it along. The coupe was neat as it not only transformed into a Batmobile of sorts, but it also flipped the driver seat around to reveal a pre-placed Batman figure.
This line included a few smaller vehicles, most of which were unremarkable. It did give us a vehicle for Robin and one for The Penguin. Nothing for Catwoman, however. Once again, they missed the mark on this one. What about Penguin's duckmobile?
Well, there you have it. Kenner moved on to Batman: The Animated Series and in later movie lines they stopped using the DKC sculpts. So let's take a look at the line as a whole and see how it stacks up:
Presentation: The packaging designs for this line were fantastic. The DKC color scheme and figure art really brought the feel of the movie home. The move to Batman Returns continued this trend with colors which reflected the cool tone of the movie while providing a nice transition from the DKC.
$$$ Value: This line still commands a heavy price on eBay. Trying to find a Batmobile or Turbojet Batwing with all their parts for less than $100 is very difficult. Even incomplete ones command $50-$60! The figures can still be worth quite a bit, especially a complete Quick Change Bruce Wayne or Crime Attack Batman (that was the one with the black suit which matched the movie costume). The Batcave Command Center playset is very easy to get, due to its reuse over the years. You can usually pick one up in decent condition for around $40.
Play-ability: I can't say enough how great this line was. All the action and excitement of the movie was really brought home. This was the kind of toy line that had you rushing to Toys "R" Us after you saw it to go get the toys. Every time I watched it at home, we would have the toys at the ready to play along. There were lots of variations of Batman with a whole arsenal of crime fighting tools and weapons. This is where the line's drawback come in. It was saturated with different repaints of Batman or versions with gimmicks that didn't really add value to the character. It's great to have a Batman who has a spinning arm for his blade attack, but try fitting him in the Batmobile with that non-pose-able arm.
Accessories: This line was not short of accessories, both for the figures and for role play. The Batcave Command Center even had storage shelves for all of the figure's accessories. Some of the larger items were fun, such as Deep Dive Batman's diving craft and Tec-Shield Batman's flight pack.
When you get down to it, Kenner's Dark Night Collection and Batman Returns line were the best Batman toy line ever created. It could be argued that the Animated Series line provided greater variety in villains, and this is true. However, this was a line which dominated the toy isles for the better part of the 90's. Only Star Wars has shared that kind of success.
