Holy Extortionate Batman!!

Many decades into a life something as simple as an advertisement brings back recollections of childhood.

This example does it for me.

A good proportion of my years up to age 10 was spent playing in imaginative scenarios with die-cast model cars.

I had a good collection of them from saving up my weekly pocket money or when the family budget stretched to a little treat for a special event or occasion. Many of the cars, lorries, vans and buses were those that could be seen everyday on our local roads but once in a while I was attracted to the more exotic and fantasy based vehicles.

A major influence in my decision making process was the marketing and merchandising of products from TV shows and movies.

I had a Land Rover from the wildlife series Daktari, a model of a high sided truck used by Chipperfield Circus to carry giraffes, various Captain Scarlet and Thunderbirds modes of transport, the futuristic Joe 90 vehicle, James Bond sports cars and a whole selection used by the police and military.

However, the Batmobile had so much value added attraction as it featured prominently in the comic book antics of the 1960's TV show which was not to be missed as part of my childhood viewing. 

This advert was one issued by the Corgi Model Club, not a philanthropic or benevolent organisation but rather a hard-sell method adopted by the manufacturer Corgi Toys.

The graphics are eye catching and evocative with the action pose of the Batmobile and close ups of the mechanical features of the model which included a chain slasher blade built into the bonnet, triple rocket launcher tubes which did actually fire small projectiles, a mock flame emitting turbo jet exhaust and sitting figures of the heroic if rather camp and affected Batman and Robin.

The car also came with a Batmobile Owners Badge. These attributes are emphasised with use if the trademark comic book flash words of Vrooom, Wham and Zowie. Of course any child was already drawn in to the hard sell but driven into a frenzy in anticipation of disappointment with the carefully placed sentence "We are doing our best to meet world demand - be patient with your toyshop".

In the years of its first availability the Corgi Batmobile was quite expensive at, in old money, 12 shillings and 11 pence.

It would take quite a lot of completed chores and simultaneous nagging of parents to amass that sort of money.