Video: Caramelldansen Batman ( Japanese Music )

Watch this Japanese Music Video with Batman & The Joker and go totally & completely INSANE!

The Second Winner of a Signed-Copy of Chip Kidd's New Book BAT-MANGA: THE SECRET HISTORY OF BATMAN IN JAPAN!

We announced awhile back about our latest contest where we are giving away a FREE Autographed Signed-Copy of Chip Kidd's brand-new book titled BAT-MANGA: THE SECRET HISTORY OF BATMAN IN JAPAN. The responses have been pretty amazing & since we have more than one copy we are still accepting entries as we speak ( For information on how to enter just click on the BAT-MANGA CONTEST GRAPHIC at the top of this blog, just under the header ). Well, this morning I picked another name out of the hat so here we go! The WINNER of the Second Signed copy of the Bat-Manga Book is... Rogelio G. of Bloomington, CA.! Thanks Rogelio, please be sure to send us an e-mail to confirm your complete mailing address & then soon after we will be mailing you this book. Now, for everybody else who entered there are still a few to give away so stay tuned to the Bat-Blog because you just might be our next lucky winner!

THE DARK KNIGHT Kubrick BEARBRICKS Batman Movie Pepsi-Cola Promo in Japan

Right now, in Japan, the Pepsi-Cola Company & Kubrick Toys have teamed-up to do a give-away premium promotion that a lot of Batman Fans should be excited about. You can get a free BEARBRICK figure, each with a different "movie theme". There are 12 to collect & two of them are related to The Dark Knight Batman movie! One of them looks like Christian Bale's Batman & the other one is the Joker ( Heath Ledger )! Oh man, they're actually really cool!! Be sure to click on the graphic up above for a larger, more detailed, photo. The whole promo is tied in to the release of a new cola beverage called Pepsi NEX ( Zero Calorie ). If any Bat-Blog Readers live in Japan please let me know more about these because I can't read Japanese, ha ha!

Video - "Batman In Japan" Comedy Club Act in Tokyo

Shown here is a video clip of "Batman in Japan" Stand Up Comedy at The Pink Cow, Tokyo, Japan, March 5th, 2011.






I have really been thinking about Japan the last few days & worrying a lot. Since childhood I have always loved that special place & I have always wanted to go there. Seeing all the news footage on CNN lately has been sort of heart breaking. But it is very impressive how well the Japanese are handling everything. I know they have been hit hard & hopefully things will get better soon. In the mean time they do need some help. Food & clean water is getting hard to find right now. So, if any other Bat-Blog Fans out there can, please donate to the American Red Cross. Every little bit helps. Here's a link to their Official website, just visit http://www.redcross.org

BATMAN MEMORABILIA From Around the Globe!

I don't know what my fascination is with "Foreign Batman items" but that sort of stuff is really cool! Plus it's very hard to find. Here's some great examples: The 1st photo shows a JAPANESE POTATO CHIP BAG with a 1989 BATMAN movie promotion. Now, how wacky is that! Speaking of "Japanese", right now my heart goes out to all the people of Japan. The recent events there are such a tragedy. Let's hope things get better soon. The next pic features a 1980's German-Language BATMAN Comic Book... from Germany ( Duh!, ha! ). The the last group of photos are vintage Batman items from Australia. These Australian comics are from the 1970's. So, what do you think? Is this stuff kinda cool!? Hey, I got a question, Do YOU have any foreign bat-items you would like to share? If so, then please send us some pics today. Remember, the Bat-Blog is all about sharing information about the joys of collecting.

Cool Japanese Batman Toys : Past & Present

As an obsessed Batman Toy Collector I totally love the "foreign stuff". A lot of collectors do because this merchandise, even with eBay's influence, never reaches the USA that often & when you come across it it's always super-RARE. I have always loved Japan & Japanese culture so to see bat-products made there has always been a treat. Here's just a few examples: The 1st photo is one of those wind-up figures of a "Movie Version Batman". From the look of it I would guess it was made during the "Batman Returns" period. I love the goofy look of this figure, it's great! The next item, this wonderful Batmobile Toy Car, came out during the 1992 Batman Returns movie. I love the graphics of the Bat-Signal shining over the skyline of Gotham City on the original box, very cool. The 3rd pic is something that's a little older because it came out during the first 1989 Batman Movie. They really went nuts merchandising that movie & even today there's a ton of products from that era. This wacky toy is a SOUND ARM Costume Piece. It was a bat-gadget thing you wore on your arm & it made a lot of different sounds. I bet it drove parents completely crazy with the bing bing boing boing sound-action, ha ha! The last photo is something that just came out maybe a year or two ago, in other words, it's pretty new. It's a pair of Batman Snow Boots. I always love the little kid's Batman slippers & shoes...they're so cute & great for display. Plus, if you don't buy them brand-new most of the time they're kinda hard to find on the "secondary market". Mainly because children totally wear them out! The graphics on this pair are AWESOME! I guess, as a last thing to say, if ANY Bat-Blog Readers have any photos of "foreign items" ( Both new or Vintage & not just from Japan, but from anywhere ) then please send them in to us. Remember, sharing the love of collecting is what the Bat-Blog is all about!

Video: Japanese Antique Vintage 1970's ALPS Batman and Robin BATMOBILE TIN TOY CAR Battery Operated

Here's a pretty cool video that was featured on an eBay posting ( I always think that's a really great idea to do that ). It's a Japanese ( Vintage 1970's ) ALPS Batman and Robin BATMOBILE TIN TOY that is one of those fun Battery Operated Cars! Now, this is a bootleg toy ( not licensed ) but still, it's a lot of fun & very very RARE! Plus, it's really neat to see it in action, ha!

The BATCAT'S Vintage BATMAN Batmobile Tin Car & Toy Collection from Thailand!

The Bat-Blog became friends with a Batman Memorabilia Collector in Thailand known as "The BAT-CAT" & he has one of the very best Vintage Batman Toy Collections I have ever seen! He sent us a few photos to share & they feature just a part of his collection of Vintage 1960's and 1970's Batmobile Tin Toy Cars, a few Ray Guns, & even a Batman Robot or two. Yes! Robots!! Most of the vehicles are from Japan but there's also some from Italy & Argentina. I gotta say that my favorites are the older Japanese Batman Toys. All of them are in really great shape & some of them still have their original box or package. Please take a good look at each picture. They will make you totally cry & drool for days! I think the most unusual piece is the "Batman Cowboy Gun". Made from tin metal, it's extremely RARE & very exotic. BAT-CAT also owns a few Tin Toys of the Original LINCOLN FUTURA Car that the Custom 1966 Batman TV Show Car was based on ( 1st pic ) and that's pretty cool!! I wanna thank Bat-Cat for taking the time to shoot these wonderful pics & let him know that I am totally jealous, ha ha! but all kidding aside, I really appreciate it & you have some amazing stuff here, thanks again!

BAT-BLOG CONTEST: Chip Kidd's New BAT-MANGA THE SECRET HISTORY OF BATMAN IN JAPAN BOOK Signed Copy

OK, This morning I drew the very last name out of the hat for the recent BAT-BLOG CONTEST where we have been giving away Signed-Copies of Chip Kidd's New BAT-MANGA THE SECRET HISTORY OF BATMAN IN JAPAN BOOK! The responses have been totally crazy & I think this is the most successful contest so far. For the last month or so we have been giving away a free Autographed Copy of this amazing book. Today, we pic the last winner of the 5th book. It goes to Mike M. of Hamilton, Ontario ( Canada ). Congrats Mike & please contact us so we can confirm your address. Then, we will mail you the book. I wanna thank everybody who entered & if you didn't win, I'm sorry. But the good news is we will always have more contests in the future soo keep an eye out for those. I also wanna thank Chip Kidd for personally autographing all the books & his publishing company for supplying us with this great material. These books were an incredible item to be giving away & I really appreciate that.

Vintage BATMAN MEMORBILIA & TOYS From Around The World!

I know that the Bat-Blog has kinda been crazy with the Halloween Holiday lately & we have been neglecting the toy collector aspect of the blog. So, here's a post to make up for it, ha ha! Here's a really nice example of a few pieces of Bat-Memorabilia made in different parts of the world. The 1st example comes from the United Kingdom ( England ) & is the Original Bubble Gum Wax Wrapper for a Set of 1966 Batman Trading Cards. Oh man, I am totally crazy over those vintage-style graphics...awesome! The next item might appear to be French but it's not from France. This is a Batman Board Game from Canada! It was made by Hasbro in 1973. OK, the last 3 pictures are a Set of Japanese Batman Canvas Sneakers. These shoes, of course, are from Japan & came out around 1966. The original shoe box is shown here with the product & it's equally as cool! Again, the graphics are just totally beautiful. Do you live outside the USA? If so then please send us some photos of some fun "Foreign Batman" items you might have. Sharing the love of Batman Toy Collecting is one of the main functions of this fan site. Our e-mail button is always on the top right-hand side of this page, thanks.

VINTAGE BATMAN TOY COLLECTION PHOTOS: Magazine Article From Japan!

In the year 2000 ( I love the sound of that, it's like a movie trailer voice-over for an old sci-fi film, ha ha! ) a company in Japan published a magazine that featured the collection of a Major Batman Toy Collector. The cool thing was that it was a total mix-up of many vintage items & then a few more "modern day" pieces. It's just a great reference guide for many extremely RARE Japanese Toys from the 60's & even some cool stuff from the Warner Bros Store, mostly Batman: The Animated Series. When I look at it I see a lot of toys I have, a few things I know about & want, and then even some items that I have never EVER seen before...a great variety! Be sure to click on the photos here for larger versions where you can see all the great Batman Memorabilia in better detail. I swear, you will be drooling for days!!

Super-RARE 1960's Japanese BATMOBILE TIN TOY CAR Japan

Here's a photo mailed in from a friend who lives in Japan & loves Vintage Batman Toys! This picture is gonna make alot of BAT-BLOG Readers cry their eyes out because it's soooo beautiful, Ha Ha! This is a 60's Batman & Robin BATMOBILE CAR that is friction driven & metal tin toy with rubber tires. I love the graphics all over it & the fact that it has BATMAN in Japanese....way cool! Thanks Michi for the great pics. Hey people, remember that you can click on the small photo up above for a way larger pic!! If any other readers have any cool RARE Batman toys then please send your pix today!! Also, Be sure to check out the BAT-BLOG ARCHIVES for many many more RARE vintage Batman Toys!!

Designer Sneakers : BATMAN SHOES By Ubiq Fatima of Japan

While using a Japanese Search Engine I found these NEW Batman "Designer" Sneakers by a company called UBIQ FATIMA. They feature Golden Age graphics of 1940's Batman Newspaper Comic Strips. They are only available in Japan & maybe some super-exclusive stores in the US. The only price quote I was able to find is the Japanese price of 16,800 Yen. Which, I think, is about $146.50 US Dollars. There are 2 choices: One is colored with bright primary colors and the other is pure black & white. I love the shoe box design & the use of the vintage-style Batman comic book logo on the back of the shoe is really cool! I'm too poor to afford these right now so if any Bat-Blog members are super-rich ( & feeling generous ) you can buy me a pair of these cool shoes, ha ha! No, seriously, just ask for my address.

BAT-MANGA: The Secret History of Batman in Japan!

This September 2008, Pantheon Books will release a brand new book titled "BAT-MANGA: The Secret History of Batman in Japan". Compiled by book designer and comics connoisseur Chip Kidd, along with fellow collector Saul Ferris and photographer Geoff Spear, Bat Manga! presents a collection of original Japanese Batman stories written and drawn by Jiro Kuwata, the artist of 8-Man. Now, the amazing thing is that both DC & the Japanese company have never had file copies of this material & it had to be gathered by collectors hunting down the original magazines. So, in other words, this material has not been seen or read in over 30 years, a RARE treat! Chip Kidd is pretty well known among us Bat-Nerds ( I mean that in a good way, ha ha ) for putting together a super-great Batman vintage toy collector book a few years ago titled "Batman Collected". Which, is an incredible book! He's also known as an extremely famous book designer ( he created the Jurassic Park Dinosaur logo & many other very famous book covers ) so all his stuff is very high-quality. The photos up above show the hardback cover ( left ) & paperback version ( right ). Oh my God, I can't wait!!

VINTAGE BATMAN JAPANESE TV CARTOON IN JAPAN!!

Batman Comic Books in Different Languages

Shown in the photos up above are some examples of foreign Batman comic books that are in different languages. They are Spanish ( Argentina ), Italian ( Rome ), & Portuguese. We really love these kind of comics because they're really RARE & very unusual. Speaking of foreign languages, the BAT-BLOG uses a "Google Translator" to alter this website from English to 8 different languages. Just click on one of the FLAGS you see on the very top right-hand side of the blog. This will translate the page into Spanish, German, French, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, Italian, Arabic, & Korean.

Batman Memorabilia From Around The World

One thing I love about doing the BAT-BLOG are the e-mails from people from all over the world. It seems like there are Batman Fans everywhere. Germany, France, Bulgaria, Argentina, India, etc...all have products featuring the Dark Knight. here's a few examples. The 1st picture is a Laser Disc made for the Japanese market. It features the 1966 Batman Movie w/ Burt Ward & Adam West. Batman is really HUGE in Japan! The 2nd photo is a RARE piece of Bat-Memorabilia from the UK. Our friends in England use the word "Badges" instead of "Buttons" or "Pins", like we do in the USA. The last photo is a Batman Comic Book from Poland. It is titled "LADERLAPPEN", which sound kind of cool!

Cool Vintage 1960's Japanese BATMAN TOYS From Japan!

The BAT-BLOG is ALL about the love of Vintage Batman Toys so when we noticed we had some cool Japanese toys to share, we were psyched! Here's a nice assortment of 1960's Batman Memorabilia from Japan. The 1st photo is a RARE Vintage 60's Tin Toy Car Batmobile. The graphics on this baby are sooo beautiful it almost makes you cry, ha ha. We love the "Radar" on the hood that shows Batman where the Joker & Penguin are hiding. This is one of those friction-driven vehicles....nice! The 2nd picture is of a set of 2 plastic Batman & Robin Lunch Boxes with the original cardboard box it came in. You know just by looking at them that they are Super-RARE! Again, the graphics are extremely cool. We love seeing the Batman Logo in Japanese lettering! The last photo is a cool piece of Bat-Nostalgia even if it is bootleg! This is a Store Display filled with packages of Japan 1966 Batman Sunglasses/Goggles. I would love to have just one package of those but a whole display full...OMG!

VINTAGE BATMAN TOY MASKS 1940's to the 60's

I thought these Vintage Batman Masks would be kind of fun for BAT-BLOG readers to see. The first one is actually considered one of the very 1st Batman items made. This 1940's paper mask was a premium given away free inside the Philadelphia Record Newspaper. It was made to publicize the new Batman & Robin Comic Strip. The 2nd mask is a photo I have used here before as a promo picture but I didn't give it an explanation. These 2 masks are actually ONE mask. This piece of Bat-Memorabilia had the faces of Batman & Robin printed on both sides of the mask & they shared the eye holes. Robin's collar is actually Batman's ears on the other side. You could be Batman & then flip it around to be Robin, pretty cool. It was a premium by General Electric in 1966. The 3rd mask is a Vintage Halloween Mask from Japan. It might be "bootleg" but it has a weird strange quality that I like....very beautiful. The Japanese stuff from the 60's is some of my favorite pieces of Bat-Nostalgia.

Japanese BATMAN CEL PHONE : Dmobo iRock M8

Dmobo, from Japan, shows us it's latest iRock M8 Cel Phone which is themed by the DC Comics comic book superhero, Batman! This Batman Phone is a music phone which has 96 X 96 pixels OLED screen ( 1.10 inches ), Bluetooth A2DP, FM Radio and of course a music player. It has 128mb internal memory for you to store songs, but that’s definitely not enough, so there is a MicroSD slot (supporting up to 1GB ) for expansion. For the UI, it is full of Batman, from the logos to wallpapers and ringtones. The phone is quite small, it measures 90.6 x 35.3 x 18.2 mm and weighs 64 g. Click on the picture up above for a bigger photo.