I have the animated series iteration as a kid and I absolutely loved it, lots of playability… I still have it but now it’s sitting on a shelf open with all my figures and it’s a really nice display piece 👍
You just never had this playset as a kid. This thing was the cornerstone of every DC themed playtime and where all the superheroes met up and strategized.
It seems to me it was meant to be designed as a series of tableaus to have your figures fight in and around. You weren't driving into Bruce Wayne's living room, you were just exiting the bat cave. And the addition of the villain's lair was to give you an extra area to have a battle in.
I had the Batman Forever version as a child and I adored it. As a kid, you pay little attention to what's on the box and you make up your own rules of play. Having Axis Chemicals on the back (let's be honest, that was always it's original intention), was a stroke of genius. I loved that I could have two playsets in one, and just imagined that the Batcave and Axis Chemicals were not attached, as I'm sure most children did. It was pretty odd that Batman trashed his house with his own car though! Poor Alfred! The Batman Forever version also came with an additional area, at least with the UK release. This was a cardboard piece that folded into a corner section that fit in next to the Batcomputer area. The artwork depicted further areas of the cave and the floor featured the turntable for the Batmobile, as seen in Batman Forever. There were also small card pieces that slotted into the cardboard walls, which acted as small platforms on which to place your figures. On the exterior of this cardboard section was an illustrated version of the streets of Gotham. Again, a very welcome addition at play time!
Kenner - let’s destroy every single mold of all the glorious toys (M.A.S.K.) we ever made in the 80’s … wait wait wait except the batcave we gonna need it..
I don’t know what you’re talking about man, I had this as a kid and loved it, still have it. Having a small play area in different locations let you IMAGINE the rest of it. If you want just a cave, that’s what the Toybiz set is for.
With all these supervillains somehow knowing where Batman lives, I guess he needs to crash through those skylights on a regular basis. I just imagine Alfred with a broom and dustpan sighing every time.
I honestly love the Kenner Wayne Manor playset. It's definitely an essential 90s playset, even if it has some genuine flaws. My copy is from TAS and is missing the weapons rack and cup, but i still love it so much. I also use the costume chamber to set Batman up into different colored outfits for different scenarios! Also, that musical segment was unironicly amazing!
The Batcave was suposed to be released for the dark knight collection .Its on a old kenner catalogue from 1991 !!! So every set up is suposed to represent the 89 movie and the back is the Joker chemical scene !!!
This is why this channel is awesome! We get informative toy history and right in the middle of this, we get a musical number! Don't ever change, we appreciate it!
God thats Funny! "Master Wayne please stop driving the batmobile through the living room im running out of excuses of what to tell the construction crew on how this occurred!"
"But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved the Kenner Batcave." - Orwell circa 2003
The Kenner Batcave playset was sculpted/Designed for the 89 movie originally. The backside was meant to be Axis chems Factory. It unfortunately was released later for the Returns film.
Both it and the 4x4 (later released as Robin Dragster) were held back in '91 after being shown to buyers, probably as they would have shipped to close to Batman Returns reset of toy aisles.
It’s bizarre how oddly Batman was handled by toy companies for so long. Even as a kid you could tell the recycled toys mixed in with cool ones and endless variants of Batman in new suits. In spite of its size though the full Batman Forever Batcave playset was EPIC. It totally made up for how truly weird the recycled tripanel Manor/Cave set was. So of course they only made it once and never tried anything that creative again. Every idea in the crappy set was bettered: the Batmobile had a rotating turntable it could move on and off, the quick change elevator was an actual elevator, the zip line ran the entire set, the look matched the film’s Cave and all three vehicles could dock…if you counted setting the Batboat next to the bottom platform.😂
I had the Mr freeze one and thought the added bad guy hideout on the back was genius. As a kid most of us never got 2 playsets and as a parent I'm thinking 2 platsets for one price, awesome! Crazy that it was used so many times.
I kinda fail to see the problem. We live in an age where playsets can't get retail shelf space anymore, yet this one gave you *multiple* locales in which to play with your figures. It's not like Kenner expected kids to have the minds of architects...
Show of hands: how many home offices have evolved into personal Batcaves? Multiple screens, working in shadows while the world walks in the sun outside, eating cold lunches…any of this looking familiar?
I’m surprised you didn’t touch upon the fact that this Playset was actually designed for the 1990 Dark Knight Collection line. It was briefly advertised in toy pamphlets but I can only assume it was held over due to it having been developed so late into the line that they were probably starting preparations for the sequel by then. This is why so many of the design aspects and play features seem to draw so heavily from the first film, as opposed to the dramatic changes in set design introduced for Returns. The “villain’s lair” was actually designed and intended to be Axis Chemicals. That’s why it has that trap door feature on the overhead catwalk and a detachable “vat” that looks suspiciously like the one Joker falls into in the first film.
@@retroblasting You're welcome! Otherwise, the above Batman playset still seems to be more fun than the original Castle Grayskull and its "astonishing" two and a half action play-features. 😛 😝 😜
I had the first one. Thing was a very solid hunk of plastic. Got into a fight with my older brother and had the high ground leading into our playroom and I pushed him down a step, flat on his back straight on the batcave. The fight was over, he laid there crying in pain for a while… ah, one of the few fights I ever remember winning
This video is an instant classic. Bravo RB! That said, I grew up with the Toy Biz Batman toys. I had the figures, most of the DC Comic figure line, the Batcave, Batmobile and Batwing. Towards the very end I even landed a Joker Van. I loved this toys and always thought they were great. I don't believe they ever got the respect they deserved.
"Is it vanity? Or Insanity? That drives the Batman...to Enigmaaaaaaaaaaa." What's great about this line is not just the rhyming scheme but also the observation of Batman's own psychosis. Well done, Michael. Haha
I was born in 2000 so by the time I was old enough for action figures this thing had just disappeared from shelves but all my neighbors and family friends had this thing. I'm pretty sure my preschool had it. I think I may have had it at one point 😂
In the late 2000s my school got a second hand of this playset. We all loved it and used it as the general hideout for pretty much any action figures we had
i dunno, all the complaints here really sounds like it would've been a cool playset. i think the use of space was very smart, if not entirely elegant. the cave wall sitting on top of the inside of wayne manor was not very pretty but the fact that there was several scene transitions including an area for a villain confrontation for epic fights sounds very fun. i think the comparison of a rotating theater stage was an apt comparison. it's a really good use of space. if this was advertised as a "display piece" then yes it sucks. as a "playset" it looks like it was well worth your money.
I had a blast with this play-set growing up. The batcave and villains lair were the 2 main vignettes that I used most. I’d always wanted the ToyBiz Batcave but I missed out on that one. I now have the Batman Forever version mostly for the neon green villains lair that works great with Toxic Crusaders.
As a kid when I got this playset having everything that did nothing just made the imagination run wild with settings. Looking back I agree with all your points, but as a kid it was a wonderful piece to have
I don't get the hate. When I was a kid, "this towel is lava. If you touch the towel, you're dead." IRL and in Action Figure Based Storytelling. You get three different playsets in one. You understand this isn't literally the actual Batman, right? (Mostly joking, but I would have killed for this as a kid.)
“Because on the box it depicts Batman breaking through the ceiling of HIS OWN F@#$ING HOUSE!” 😂😂😂😂😂😂 The rage in Michael’s voice as he uttered this sentence is Hugh Jackman Wolverine legendary 😂😂😂😂😂😂
I remember my mother specially saying she wasn't getting duped into buying the Batman and Robin version, having caught onto Kenner's ploy when they double dipped for Batman Forever. I find it slightly ironic that Kenner actually did produce a second playset for the Batcave itself on the Forever line since that was one of the few I never did have as a kid.
Toonami did so much for animation, it can’t be underplayed. Just the Gundam Wing, Sailor Moon, Cowboy Bebop, and InuYasha crazes alone are worth a couple videos. Their tv spot trailers for their lineup often were better than the shows, themselves. If you ever do that video, Michael, any commentary on Peter Cullen’s narration would be immensely appreciated.
Toy Engineers at Kenner: "And here is the Batwing. We think kids will love it!" Executives at Kenner: "Make it change into a roadster, serve a mean cappuccino, and float in the bathtub with attachable pontoons (each sold separately)--and then we can go to market, ok?" Toy Engineers: "Mmmkay."
This is absolutely hilarious! I missed out on Batmania because my parents were freshly divorced & I was completely consumed with Legos, but of course I had to make a Batwing or three out of my Legos. My primary participation in Batmania was through the NES game at my best friend's house after school. I don't know HOW many weeks he kept that rented out. Never beat it...
The worst part about this damn thing is I can't for the life of me figure out which one I had when I was a kid. every version I see seems a bit off. I remember the breakable window being Orange and the cave being gray the purple stripes in the front of the one of them seems familiar but the cave wall is the wrong color on that one. And I could have sworn the back of mine the pipes were green but none of the ones in this video have that Edit: I figured it out I think it was the compound
Michael, love you man, this video is amazing but to be fair it is always great to hear your voice in the UK. It's me Michael generation one Retro lasting xxx
I have to say when it comes to the batmania action figure era, which I lived in I have to say that was the Pinnacle of action figures until the prequels came out. And I think when it comes to making a Batman musical Michael you should give it to us as soon as possible LOL
The Batcave's injection mold must be made of the toughest steel known to mankind to survive this many re-releases. I had no idea about any of this history! Fantastic and hilarious video man!
Another bombshell video that literally made me laugh out loud. Your point about the insanity of the ever-re-released WayneShadowDarkBatCastStormCaveManor was well received, BUT that Broadway stage musical bit was entirely in... GENIOUS! This vid will forever go down, in my humbly opinionated mind, as a classic Retroblasting bottle of flavor that will only improve with time that I'll surely revisit time and time again. Well, well done my good Sir.
I had this playset as a kid. As a kid who was obsessed with Batman Returns i absolutely loved this playset. Now I wish I would have kept it so I could sell it on eBay lol 😂
Also, Wayne Manor was to see a release for the Dark Knight Collection, as well as an all black version of the Robin Dragster. This is why the Batcave seems to have all major movie plot points sculpted all throughout. But Axis Chemicals can be Penguin's Lair, Batman's always gonna bust through skylights, and there's always gonna be secret entrances. The Batcave itself is just the same. And they all work for Batman '89, Returns, and BTAS. Not so much for the latter movies.
I totally get it, with how the housing market is going these day, I see why Batman rents out the back apartment to his manor to his villains. the Batman Musical is gold!
Funny, as a kid I had the OG Returns version, and with the obvious '89 references plus seeing it re-released so many times I always assumed there must have been a prior '89 version. So many strange choices by Kenner.
You never disappoint Michael, the musical & the ending of the video had me laugh out loud, amazing work ahaha. The many color variants of Batman were absolutely ridiculous, I swear it was the worst thing of these Batman toy lines, even worse than this horrendous batcave. It was so hard if not impossible to find the regular version of any Batman where I lived. So I got ridiculous colors & costumes. I hope you make more Batman related content, I love your old video from over 10 years ago. Reviews of every Batman movie would be great too! Thanks for your great work & production.
The musical sequence was by far my favorite part of this. I remember seeing this set for the first time and thinking to myself that you'd be better off making your own cave out of cardboard boxes, or just pretending the underside of your bed was the Batcave.
I think that’s actually a pretty neat idea! I’m sure as a kid I would’ve been able to suspend my disbelief enough to enjoy it. One play set could represent 3 different locations? Sign me up!
was it a mess? YES. was it re used for any single movie merch and cartoon just in diff colors? YES, was it mega cheap and rushed? OH YEAH, Was it badly composed? OF COURSE... BUT it was THE set, for us, no lies. And still is
This playset was great and so was the 3-in-1 turbojet batwing. 7-year-old me used the detachable glider wings as a life size throwable batarang with my halloween costume.
It's crazy to think that I went through out my entire 90's childhood in the toy isle and NEVER seen not one of those Wayne Manner Batcaves. The only one found as a kid was the Batman Forever Bridged Batcave that I got for Charismas that year which was my all time GOAT of any Christmas.
Two things for this video Michael; any English 101 college students take note. Retroblasting’s thesis construction game is always 💯! Also I’m gonna need an encore on that Batman musical I’m weak from laughing
Should have gone He-Man style but with two sides, a frontward hinging wall and a backward hinging wall. Could have had Bruce Wayne's wacky house from Tim Burton's Batman when you open the front, and a Batcave when you open the back. Adults were always so focused on the stupid unimaginative features, like a wall the Batmobile could drive through.
In the Video they u dont Talk about the most important origin point... it was Made for the dark knight collection 1990 and the first movie! Thats why it has the Features it has! All are Made to Play scenes from the movie... axis chemicals the hangingfrom above, the Jump thruw the Windows and the Swinging thruw the Restaurant... all that! I Think the Video was not that great when they miss the most important point when it is about the origin of that batcave!!
OMG Bringing back childhood memories. I had the Kenner Wayne Manor Ver 2.0, The Batmobile with the removable Batwing and Rubbermaid bins FULL of figures from Batman, to X-Men, and TMNT. I will say as a kid, probably between 7-9 years old when I got this, it never ONCE bothered me as a kid. Never considered him "driving through his house."
I had that Batman Forever playset with the three levels and I had every single vehicle from Forever. I remember always getting Forever figures, so I have tons of nostalgia for them.
The breakaway windows weren’t a bug - they were a feature. lol Fold the playset up, pop the windows down, and boom! You have a handle to carry the playset around.
Kenner has a tendency to use old molds to make new toys,for example the Sherwood Forest playset from the Robin Hood Prince of thieves toyline came from the mold of the Ewok village playset from Return of the Jedi and the saloon playset from Butch and Sundance was originally the Most Eisley cantina from Star Wars.
Counterpoint: this play set owns, actually.
I have the animated series iteration as a kid and I absolutely loved it, lots of playability… I still have it but now it’s sitting on a shelf open with all my figures and it’s a really nice display piece 👍
Yeah. It's obvious you're only supposed to pay attention to the panel you're playing with at any given time. I think most kids got that just fine.
LOVE this set. One of the best ever 🖤
The musical sequence, absolutely hysterical and perfect 😂😂
Is that from something?
👏👏👏!
That is gold😂
That Batman: The Musical, was hilariously GENIUS. Bravo 👏👏Bravo👏👏⚘Author!!
@@arctrooper999 AI
You just never had this playset as a kid. This thing was the cornerstone of every DC themed playtime and where all the superheroes met up and strategized.
100% - I had the original one and it was fantastic. Back in the day if you had this, you were the envy of all your friends. 🤣
It seems to me it was meant to be designed as a series of tableaus to have your figures fight in and around. You weren't driving into Bruce Wayne's living room, you were just exiting the bat cave. And the addition of the villain's lair was to give you an extra area to have a battle in.
This play set was my childhood
Doesn't mean there weren't better batcave toys lol
@@GraphicSushi100%!
I had the Batman Forever version as a child and I adored it. As a kid, you pay little attention to what's on the box and you make up your own rules of play. Having Axis Chemicals on the back (let's be honest, that was always it's original intention), was a stroke of genius. I loved that I could have two playsets in one, and just imagined that the Batcave and Axis Chemicals were not attached, as I'm sure most children did. It was pretty odd that Batman trashed his house with his own car though! Poor Alfred!
The Batman Forever version also came with an additional area, at least with the UK release. This was a cardboard piece that folded into a corner section that fit in next to the Batcomputer area. The artwork depicted further areas of the cave and the floor featured the turntable for the Batmobile, as seen in Batman Forever. There were also small card pieces that slotted into the cardboard walls, which acted as small platforms on which to place your figures. On the exterior of this cardboard section was an illustrated version of the streets of Gotham. Again, a very welcome addition at play time!
Kenner - let’s destroy every single mold of all the glorious toys (M.A.S.K.) we ever made in the 80’s … wait wait wait except the batcave we gonna need it..
Every mold except for the Boulder Hill playset, which was used for the Star Wars Mustafar playset and the Indiana Jones temple playset.
Joker - This Playset Needs an Enema!
"Gentlemen... let's broaden our playsets. Lawrence?"
I’m surprised we never got an Arkham Asylum playset.
Amoeba?
I don’t know what you’re talking about man, I had this as a kid and loved it, still have it. Having a small play area in different locations let you IMAGINE the rest of it. If you want just a cave, that’s what the Toybiz set is for.
I guess it’s sacrilegious to use any kind of objectivity with toys, eh?
I will never, ever get tired of you slipping a well-placed Wilhelm Scream into your videos 😂😂
Movie idea . They Keep Killing Wilhelm.
Michael, PLEASE give us a "Batman Follies" with a whole Batman musical number on different playsets
The Musical Bit actually WORKS
With all these supervillains somehow knowing where Batman lives, I guess he needs to crash through those skylights on a regular basis. I just imagine Alfred with a broom and dustpan sighing every time.
Or he needed to practise and train that spectacular entrance somewhere, right? 🙂
I honestly love the Kenner Wayne Manor playset. It's definitely an essential 90s playset, even if it has some genuine flaws. My copy is from TAS and is missing the weapons rack and cup, but i still love it so much. I also use the costume chamber to set Batman up into different colored outfits for different scenarios! Also, that musical segment was unironicly amazing!
I love that you included an entire musical sequence, I couldn't stop laughing 😂😂
Clicked video for some random toy chat. Accidentally opened a parallel dimension in which Kenner Batcaves are replacing human beings.
The Batcave was suposed to be released for the dark knight collection .Its on a old kenner catalogue from 1991 !!! So every set up is suposed to represent the 89 movie and the back is the Joker chemical scene !!!
Micheal i send you the image on twitter !!!
This is why this channel is awesome! We get informative toy history and right in the middle of this, we get a musical number! Don't ever change, we appreciate it!
This was pretty epic and I don't even care much for Batman. Time well spent.
God thats Funny! "Master Wayne please stop driving the batmobile through the living room im running out of excuses of what to tell the construction crew on how this occurred!"
*growly voice*
“Tell them…I’m Batman”
“Are you sure sir?”
*Normal voice”
“Ahem, actually no, I’ll stop”
“Excellent sir”
Legend says Michael still speaks of this playset after the fade out.
"But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved the Kenner Batcave." - Orwell circa 2003
Ok you really outdid yourself with that Broadway sketch. 🤣🤣
The Kenner Batcave playset was sculpted/Designed for the 89 movie originally. The backside was meant to be Axis chems Factory. It unfortunately was released later for the Returns film.
Both it and the 4x4 (later released as Robin Dragster) were held back in '91 after being shown to buyers, probably as they would have shipped to close to Batman Returns reset of toy aisles.
It’s bizarre how oddly Batman was handled by toy companies for so long. Even as a kid you could tell the recycled toys mixed in with cool ones and endless variants of Batman in new suits.
In spite of its size though the full Batman Forever Batcave playset was EPIC. It totally made up for how truly weird the recycled tripanel Manor/Cave set was. So of course they only made it once and never tried anything that creative again.
Every idea in the crappy set was bettered: the Batmobile had a rotating turntable it could move on and off, the quick change elevator was an actual elevator, the zip line ran the entire set, the look matched the film’s Cave and all three vehicles could dock…if you counted setting the Batboat next to the bottom platform.😂
I had the Mr freeze one and thought the added bad guy hideout on the back was genius. As a kid most of us never got 2 playsets and as a parent I'm thinking 2 platsets for one price, awesome! Crazy that it was used so many times.
I kinda fail to see the problem. We live in an age where playsets can't get retail shelf space anymore, yet this one gave you *multiple* locales in which to play with your figures. It's not like Kenner expected kids to have the minds of architects...
Bitching is this guy’s super power.
@robertrostad3930 nothing about that was bitching. Wasn't even negative. Just a different persepctive. But you do you...
Show of hands: how many home offices have evolved into personal Batcaves? Multiple screens, working in shadows while the world walks in the sun outside, eating cold lunches…any of this looking familiar?
I’m surprised you didn’t touch upon the fact that this Playset was actually designed for the 1990 Dark Knight Collection line. It was briefly advertised in toy pamphlets but I can only assume it was held over due to it having been developed so late into the line that they were probably starting preparations for the sequel by then.
This is why so many of the design aspects and play features seem to draw so heavily from the first film, as opposed to the dramatic changes in set design introduced for Returns. The “villain’s lair” was actually designed and intended to be Axis Chemicals. That’s why it has that trap door feature on the overhead catwalk and a detachable “vat” that looks suspiciously like the one Joker falls into in the first film.
The rant at the end gave me a hearty chuckle 😂
Man what a hilarious video. I truly wasn’t ready for the musical
(read with Italian accent) "Michael?!! Why did you kill Fredo?" 🙂
Thanks!
@@retroblasting
You're welcome!
Otherwise, the above Batman playset still seems to be more fun than the original Castle Grayskull and its "astonishing" two and a half action play-features. 😛 😝 😜
I had the first one. Thing was a very solid hunk of plastic. Got into a fight with my older brother and had the high ground leading into our playroom and I pushed him down a step, flat on his back straight on the batcave. The fight was over, he laid there crying in pain for a while… ah, one of the few fights I ever remember winning
But did the Batcave survive?
@@JurassicRod oh yeah, completely fine 😂
@@Darthbauer951 😂
Bane origin story
Dude. Best Retroblasting yet. That musical number was genius.
This video is an instant classic. Bravo RB!
That said, I grew up with the Toy Biz Batman toys. I had the figures, most of the DC Comic figure line, the Batcave, Batmobile and Batwing. Towards the very end I even landed a Joker Van. I loved this toys and always thought they were great. I don't believe they ever got the respect they deserved.
"Is it vanity? Or Insanity? That drives the Batman...to Enigmaaaaaaaaaaa."
What's great about this line is not just the rhyming scheme but also the observation of Batman's own psychosis. Well done, Michael. Haha
As someone who grew up with this player, the perspective of a child is way different. I have extremely fond memories of this set.
I was born in 2000 so by the time I was old enough for action figures this thing had just disappeared from shelves but all my neighbors and family friends had this thing. I'm pretty sure my preschool had it. I think I may have had it at one point 😂
Punching in the skylight windows to make a carry handle always felt awesome and I do not know why... 🦇
I feel like these videos are where Michael shines the brightest. Thanks for the video!❤ 🦇
Imagine Bruce is having a dinner party and he has to leave in the batmobile but the only exit is through Wayne manor.
That Robin on Broadway bit didn't need to go that hard🔥🔥🔥
I had no idea this thing got released so many times. Love the fact the villains hideout is behind Batman 😂
I remember having this as a kid. My dad and I would play with them after he got home from work every afternoon!
I need a new Retroblasting action figure musical theater channel in my life. A Hugh Jackman wolverine stage show would be great!
And he continued ranting an hour after the camera's battery died.
There was a suspension of belief as you played with it.
We never thought the Batmobile was tearing through the living room.
No shit, genius. It's call a video to make you laugh. Lighten up, Francis.
In the late 2000s my school got a second hand of this playset. We all loved it and used it as the general hideout for pretty much any action figures we had
I was 6 during Batmania. It was the absolute greatest time to be alive.
"There's a name for my pain.. and it is Batcave"
That fade-out made the ending rant even funnier. Perfect! 😂
i dunno, all the complaints here really sounds like it would've been a cool playset. i think the use of space was very smart, if not entirely elegant. the cave wall sitting on top of the inside of wayne manor was not very pretty but the fact that there was several scene transitions including an area for a villain confrontation for epic fights sounds very fun. i think the comparison of a rotating theater stage was an apt comparison. it's a really good use of space. if this was advertised as a "display piece" then yes it sucks. as a "playset" it looks like it was well worth your money.
Absolutely loved the musical sequence😁 another brilliant video Michael 😊
Hilarious and informative. I love that you went all in on the musical number - it deserves a standing ovation!
This is so crazy. I can't believe how much they rereleased this set
I had a blast with this play-set growing up. The batcave and villains lair were the 2 main vignettes that I used most. I’d always wanted the ToyBiz Batcave but I missed out on that one. I now have the Batman Forever version mostly for the neon green villains lair that works great with Toxic Crusaders.
As a kid when I got this playset having everything that did nothing just made the imagination run wild with settings. Looking back I agree with all your points, but as a kid it was a wonderful piece to have
I don't get the hate. When I was a kid, "this towel is lava. If you touch the towel, you're dead." IRL and in Action Figure Based Storytelling. You get three different playsets in one. You understand this isn't literally the actual Batman, right?
(Mostly joking, but I would have killed for this as a kid.)
“Because on the box it depicts Batman breaking through the ceiling of HIS OWN F@#$ING HOUSE!” 😂😂😂😂😂😂 The rage in Michael’s voice as he uttered this sentence is Hugh Jackman Wolverine legendary 😂😂😂😂😂😂
I remember my mother specially saying she wasn't getting duped into buying the Batman and Robin version, having caught onto Kenner's ploy when they double dipped for Batman Forever. I find it slightly ironic that Kenner actually did produce a second playset for the Batcave itself on the Forever line since that was one of the few I never did have as a kid.
This video seems like it was made by someone who didn't get to play it as a kid(and wished they did), and bought it when they were adults😂😂
This comments seems like it was made by someone who didn't get the joke 😂😂
This is the weakest ass comment I've read in five years. Try and get your IQ higher than your shoe size next time.
Toonami did so much for animation, it can’t be underplayed. Just the Gundam Wing, Sailor Moon, Cowboy Bebop, and InuYasha crazes alone are worth a couple videos.
Their tv spot trailers for their lineup often were better than the shows, themselves.
If you ever do that video, Michael, any commentary on Peter Cullen’s narration would be immensely appreciated.
Toy Engineers at Kenner: "And here is the Batwing. We think kids will love it!"
Executives at Kenner: "Make it change into a roadster, serve a mean cappuccino, and float in the bathtub with attachable pontoons (each sold separately)--and then we can go to market, ok?"
Toy Engineers: "Mmmkay."
This is absolutely hilarious! I missed out on Batmania because my parents were freshly divorced & I was completely consumed with Legos, but of course I had to make a Batwing or three out of my Legos. My primary participation in Batmania was through the NES game at my best friend's house after school. I don't know HOW many weeks he kept that rented out. Never beat it...
All I can say is: WOW Michael. This deep dive is fantastic!
The worst part about this damn thing is I can't for the life of me figure out which one I had when I was a kid. every version I see seems a bit off. I remember the breakable window being Orange and the cave being gray the purple stripes in the front of the one of them seems familiar but the cave wall is the wrong color on that one. And I could have sworn the back of mine the pipes were green but none of the ones in this video have that
Edit: I figured it out I think it was the compound
Michael, love you man, this video is amazing but to be fair it is always great to hear your voice in the UK. It's me Michael generation one Retro lasting xxx
Childhood memory unlocked! My parents got this for me one Christmas as a kid.
I have to say when it comes to the batmania action figure era, which I lived in I have to say that was the Pinnacle of action figures until the prequels came out.
And I think when it comes to making a Batman musical Michael you should give it to us as soon as possible LOL
Nah bro... The effort put into the musical bit was insane. I'll give you a sub just for that 😂😂😂
The Batcave's injection mold must be made of the toughest steel known to mankind to survive this many re-releases. I had no idea about any of this history! Fantastic and hilarious video man!
Another bombshell video that literally made me laugh out loud. Your point about the insanity of the ever-re-released WayneShadowDarkBatCastStormCaveManor was well received, BUT that Broadway stage musical bit was entirely in... GENIOUS! This vid will forever go down, in my humbly opinionated mind, as a classic Retroblasting bottle of flavor that will only improve with time that I'll surely revisit time and time again. Well, well done my good Sir.
I had this playset as a kid. As a kid who was obsessed with Batman Returns i absolutely loved this playset. Now I wish I would have kept it so I could sell it on eBay lol 😂
This play set is a perfect example of why I didn’t usually add play sets to my collection.
The Batman Returns version is the only play set I ever owned as a kid. Loved it.
The musical part was amazing. No irony or sarcasm here. I mean it.
Also, Wayne Manor was to see a release for the Dark Knight Collection, as well as an all black version of the Robin Dragster. This is why the Batcave seems to have all major movie plot points sculpted all throughout. But Axis Chemicals can be Penguin's Lair, Batman's always gonna bust through skylights, and there's always gonna be secret entrances. The Batcave itself is just the same. And they all work for Batman '89, Returns, and BTAS. Not so much for the latter movies.
I totally get it, with how the housing market is going these day, I see why Batman rents out the back apartment to his manor to his villains. the Batman Musical is gold!
Funny, as a kid I had the OG Returns version, and with the obvious '89 references plus seeing it re-released so many times I always assumed there must have been a prior '89 version. So many strange choices by Kenner.
You never disappoint Michael, the musical & the ending of the video had me laugh out loud, amazing work ahaha.
The many color variants of Batman were absolutely ridiculous, I swear it was the worst thing of these Batman toy lines, even worse than this horrendous batcave. It was so hard if not impossible to find the regular version of any Batman where I lived. So I got ridiculous colors & costumes.
I hope you make more Batman related content, I love your old video from over 10 years ago. Reviews of every Batman movie would be great too!
Thanks for your great work & production.
I was 10 in 1989. Batman ruled my world!
The musical sequence was by far my favorite part of this. I remember seeing this set for the first time and thinking to myself that you'd be better off making your own cave out of cardboard boxes, or just pretending the underside of your bed was the Batcave.
I think that’s actually a pretty neat idea! I’m sure as a kid I would’ve been able to suspend my disbelief enough to enjoy it. One play set could represent 3 different locations? Sign me up!
I forgot I had this set, but now that I see it, it brings fond memories.
that batman musical was simply beautiful
was it a mess? YES. was it re used for any single movie merch and cartoon just in diff colors? YES, was it mega cheap and rushed? OH YEAH, Was it badly composed? OF COURSE... BUT it was THE set, for us, no lies. And still is
This playset was great and so was the 3-in-1 turbojet batwing. 7-year-old me used the detachable glider wings as a life size throwable batarang with my halloween costume.
Your review was awesome! After a crummy couple days, I actually sat down and laughed through out it. Thank you for that. 😊
A+
As a child born in 1997 , this was legit my holy grail until I finally got it when I was 10, and noticed everything you pointed you 😂.
I absolutely LOVE the box art/product design of all the Batman returns merchandise.
It's crazy to think that I went through out my entire 90's childhood in the toy isle and NEVER seen not one of those Wayne Manner Batcaves. The only one found as a kid was the Batman Forever Bridged Batcave that I got for Charismas that year which was my all time GOAT of any Christmas.
Imagine having theses things set up in a row like you're in an upscale neighbourhood full of McMansions.
i wasnt expecting it 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
great video
Two things for this video Michael; any English 101 college students take note. Retroblasting’s thesis construction game is always 💯!
Also I’m gonna need an encore on that Batman musical I’m weak from laughing
Should have gone He-Man style but with two sides, a frontward hinging wall and a backward hinging wall. Could have had Bruce Wayne's wacky house from Tim Burton's Batman when you open the front, and a Batcave when you open the back. Adults were always so focused on the stupid unimaginative features, like a wall the Batmobile could drive through.
In the Video they u dont Talk about the most important origin point... it was Made for the dark knight collection 1990 and the first movie! Thats why it has the Features it has! All are Made to Play scenes from the movie... axis chemicals the hangingfrom above, the Jump thruw the Windows and the Swinging thruw the Restaurant... all that! I Think the Video was not that great when they miss the most important point when it is about the origin of that batcave!!
Do you need a hug? Your comment is frantic and pathetic.
OMG
Bringing back childhood memories.
I had the Kenner Wayne Manor Ver 2.0, The Batmobile with the removable Batwing and Rubbermaid bins FULL of figures from Batman, to X-Men, and TMNT.
I will say as a kid, probably between 7-9 years old when I got this, it never ONCE bothered me as a kid. Never considered him "driving through his house."
Props for 'The Game' reference. 😂
I had that Batman Forever playset with the three levels and I had every single vehicle from Forever. I remember always getting Forever figures, so I have tons of nostalgia for them.
The breakaway windows weren’t a bug - they were a feature. lol Fold the playset up, pop the windows down, and boom! You have a handle to carry the playset around.
Kenner has a tendency to use old molds to make new toys,for example the Sherwood Forest playset from the Robin Hood Prince of thieves toyline came from the mold of the Ewok village playset from Return of the Jedi and the saloon playset from Butch and Sundance was originally the Most Eisley cantina from Star Wars.
This is probably the best video you’ve done!
Ny cousin and i had a few of these growing up since his parents were loaded lmao i loved these sets alot.