My first experience of Batman was with the Super Powers collection – a line of action figures – all springing from on DC Comics superheroes and super villains that were created by Kenner Products in the 1980s.
Soon after I got my action figure I saw the classic 1960’s / 70’s Batman on screen and was even more besotted! There was something very fun and funny about this incarnation of Batman in general - the camp one in tights with Adam West!
At the time, of course, this was just another action figure I had – much like "Action Man" and another inexplicable I had - one I never found out who he was because my mum picked him up at a car boot sale – but his head came off if you pressed a button (which always struck me as less of a weapon more of a handy way of ending your life in a hurry)
The reason I had this figure at this time was because in 1984, DC Comics awarded the master toy license of their characters to Kenner Products, (at the time there was a big push being made by Mattel and their action figures of He-Man characters). They obviously saw a market and grabbed it!
Loads of characters you’d recognise were released in this range – Superman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Lex Luthor, The Joker….
There were three series of these action figures and accessories released (1984, 1985, and 1986) and each one had different characters, although for me the first series had the most iconic characters – this series had figures like….”Oricon’ “Dr Pharoe”, “Mr Miracle”, anyone know these? I don’t know any of these characters.
It was great having batman - and I'd have loved Superman as he was brilliant (Christopher Reeve was just making him brilliant at the time)
Do You Remember Super Powers?
Do You Remember Super Powers?