“Holy-Hoarders, Batman!”
As some of you may know I’m a HUGE Batman fan, and this year the TV show and I both turn 50 years old! My wife bought the show on DVD for my last birthday, and I’ve loved watching it in my own Batcave. As a kid I saw a bit of it when it originally aired, and later I would rush home from school to catch the reruns in the afternoon. When the ’89 movie came out they showed the reruns again. A couple years ago I saw a cable channel showing them before the BluRay/DVDs were released.
I was asked by head librarian Heather Lawson to do another display in the lobby of the First Regional Library in Hernando, MS, so I raided my Batcave collection earlier this month to do a display celebrating the 50th anniversary of the ’60s Batman TV show.
My wife Nicki and I have done several different displays over the past few years including DC Comics, comics/superhero movies, hockey, Star Wars, and Harry Potter.
We love our local library. They promote comics and have author signings. The John Jackson Miller and Daniel Wallace signings had appearances by 501st members. They have meeting spaces upstairs for local groups, and change out the lobby display cases quite often.
I love listening to people comment on our displays as we’re setting them up. I usually have a couple folks stop and either ask questions or tell me about items they have in their collections. We also have a lot of kids “ooh” and “ahh” and exclaim, “AWESOME!” as they walk by.
We’ve donated a lot of books and comics to the library- we had to after moving in together. I really need to go through all my VHS tapes, records, CDs, and DVDs to see what we have duplicates we still have that we can donate, as well as more comics. I still have several long boxes I need to go through. I have a lot of folks ask what they can do with comics they no longer want and can’t get any real money for from comic shops. I always tell them to donate them to their local libraries, or do like my friend Bob Bretall does- hand them out to kids on Halloween!
The library has two display cases in the west lobby entrance- one large one, and one smaller one (as well as a couple for promotional posters and flyers). I wish I had display cases with sliding glass fronts!
The larger case is divided into a left and right side. This was the left side…
…and this was the right side.
These are some of my favorite new Batman ’66 items- character busts. Hoping we get a few more. Would love an Eartha Kitt Catwoman, a King Tut, and a couple others. The Mego-styled Figures Toy Company’s 8″ figures are pretty batastic, too.
I’m also a big fan of HeroClix and Funko POP! figures and bobble-heads. I can’t get enough of them!
Oh, behind them are some sketchcovers I drew done in Copic markers. There’s also a Batgirl cover and an Egghead one I did on display which you can see featured a few photos down. I love drawing sketchcovers!
There have been lots of recent action figures- everything from the Mattel 6″ figures and Figures Toy Company’s 8″ ones. to the 12″ Hot Toys deluxe collector dolls, the the 18″ quarter scale Neca figures (the large ones above). In the left photo there’s a 12″ album from the ’60s with some of the Mattel figures. On the right there’s more Mattel figures with a Bat-computer, a Hallmark Batman ornament, Batman credit card, and a framed 20th Anniversary print.
Mattel also released a Barbie Catwoman and a Ken Batman– I have both of mine on display at the library. Wish they would do Robin and Batgirl dolls as well. Speaking of Robin, on top of the Mattel Batusi figure box that’s a signed resin replica Robin batarang autographed by Burt Ward/Robin himself.
I got it signed at AdventureCon in Knoxville, TN several years back. He was signing for donations to his Great Dane dog rescue. Over the years I’ve also met Adam West/Batman, Yvonne Craig/Batgirl, and Julie Newmar/Catwoman from the TV show.
On the right side of the large display case I added a lot of books, comics, and DVDs of the TV show and ’60s Batman movie. Since it’s a display in a library I like to have books in with the toys, movies, and other collectibles. Most of the books here are signed copies. Have my copies of the TV series and ’66 movie DVDs and BluRays, and VHS tapes, plus the soundtrack. There’s a small framed Batman movie poster in the bottom photo, and lots of Batmobiles- which is what I like to collect most. The large kiddie car in the bottom pic I picked up this past year at a small local toy car show. On this side I also have a couple older mug/cups, vinyl banks, and more ornaments.
The Catwoman statue on the left is a resin model kit I put together and painted a few years back. Picked up this awesome garage kit at Wonderfest in Louisville, KY. On the right in front of the vinyl Batman hand-puppet is the bat-collectible that started it all for me. I picked out that Batman figure for my 3rd birthday cake. I have a lot of bat-memorabilia I love and that are special to me, but if I had to pick one collectible to keep that would be it hands down.
The alarm clock in the middle is something I’ve always wanted since I was a kid. A friend had one and it would wake us up in the mornings when I would spend the night at his house. Unfortunately mine doesn’t talk anymore, but I hope to get it working again someday. The Joker is an older PEZ candy dispenser, and there is an older bat-ring, button, and bat-logo from a cake pan set I had as a kid. I also like collecting View Master reels The ones above are from a Catwoman episode.
The sign above is a replica made by Lee “The Batfan” Johnson. I have a matching Joker to go along with the suction-cup Batman below it. The blue and black Ideal Bat-helmet is one of my prize possessions. Another item I wanted as a kid but didn’t acquire until a few years ago. The squirt-gun on the right is an item that cracked me up the first time I saw it and I knew I had to have one. It’s just too weird to not have one in my collection.
On the opposite wall across from the big display is the smaller display. I put a lot of my smaller Batmobiles and other bat-vehicles in this one.
These two figures are my Hot Toys Adam West Batman and Burt Ward Robin. There are Eaglemoss bat-vehicles in the stacked plastic cases with them on the top shelf.
Those are a couple of Batman and Robin records, plus some Corgi, Corgi Jr., Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Avon, and Funko bat-vehicles on the middle shelf. Picked up the metal Batmobile sign at Hobby Lobby recently.
Along the bottom shelf there are a few larger plastic toy Batmobiles and Batboat, a Batmobile model kit, 45 record, lenticular Green Hornet disc, Pocket Heroes figures, buttons, slot cars, “Batman Meet The Green Hornet” trade paperback, and an awesome new George Barris car book- “King of the Kustomizers: The Art of George Barris“
The plastic Batman face in the left photo above is part of the superhero cake pan set that the oval logo goes along with. There’s a Superman face and shield as well. The photo on the right features many of my Corgi Jr. vehicles. They are Hot Wheels size in scale.
This is my Batcave studio at home. That’s where I sit and draw, update my blog, surf the net, or just watch some TV.
This side is where most of my Batmobiles are displayed, and that big white shelf by the closet is where most of my ’60s Batman merch is displayed at home. My wife Nicki and I built all of my shelves, bookcases, cabinets, and workspace. It’s my Man-Cave, and a great place to sit and geek-out or actually get some work done.
There are still a couple items I’d like to have- one big one especially..! 😉
Hope you can stop by our great hometown library and see a portion of my guano. It’ll be on display through the end of August.
Lin/Bat-Boy
First Regional Library- Hernando
370 W Commerce St, Hernando, MS 38632
Monday 9:30AM–7PM
Tuesday 9:30AM–7PM
Wednesday 9:30AM–7PM
Thursday 9:30AM–7PM
Friday 9:30AM–5:30PM
Saturday 9:30AM–5PM
Sunday Closed
