Resturant collectables: Batman Returns 1992 McDonalds

As with any highly anticipated sequel to a hugely successful box office extravaganza Batman Returns was met with much fanfare and enthusiasm which gave way to tons of merchandise and the odd promotional tie-in or two! The most notable of which came from Fast food giant McDonalds who went all out promoting the movie with special themed packaging, toys and collectables for children and adult customers, Giving some parents cause for concern when they realized that the movie itself actually wasn't intended for children given its mature themes and frightening interpretation of the Penguin despite the fact it was seemingly being promoted to children via  McDonalds Happy Meals. Though true that Batman Returns isn't a film for small kiddies the appeal of Batman himself is so wide that that toys aimed at children will invariably be produced at any given opportunity (see The Dark Knight Trilogy)
Despite that minor controversy the items McDonalds produced to commemorate Batman Returns release make for really nice collectables and here we will look at all of those items in detail:  
Bat-mobile Launcher: This Iconic vehicle has had as many incarnations as the caped crusader himself with some of the best versions featuring in the Batman Movies With this beauty coming top of the pile! First appearing in 1989's Batman this sleek and yet fierce looking Bat-mobile reappears in Batman Returns with only some minor tinkering being made to the original design. The biggest new development was this Bat-mobile's ability to shed some the body work  at a flip of a switch to transform into the streamlined  "Bat-missile"!

This toy recreates that feature by having the vehicle launch its front portion when a button the rear of the Bat-mobile is pressed!


Batmobile Neck pen: released exclusively in Australian McDonalds restaurants were a set of four different Neck pens depicting each of the three main characters and the Batmobile! The vehicle, which has moving wheels, comes with an orange coloured pen to simulate the flames that shoot from the Batmobile's jet Turbine!


Penguin Umbrella Roto-roadster: lurking in Gotham city's sewers is a hideous penguin man masterminding a plot to take control of Gotham! With a band of circus freaks and an army of rocket launching penguins at his disposal!
Penguin as portrayed by Danny DeVito is a vicious and hideous creature a far cry from the previous incarnations and so is possibly one of darkest characters to have a happy meal toy modelled after! Of course there is no hint at the sinister nature of the movie penguin to be found here it still manages to get the appropriate look of DeVito's character but just in slightly less threatening manner you could even call it a sanitised version! The vehicle itself is a kind of circus car with a penguin motif with his distinctive umbrella mounted at the front twirling round in hypnotic fashion when the vehicle is pushed along!      

The Penguin Neck pen: The penguin became one of the most talked about aspects of Batman Returns after its release and many cite Danny DeVito's portrayal as the definitive take on the character. These neck pens as you may be aware aren't unique in their design, both this penguin and the Batman topper can be found on a couple of other mass market products but they certainly work well as pen tops.  

The likeness to the character as he appears on screen is decent enough and there is a fair amount of detailing in the sculpt. The accompanying pen is plain as is the rope that can be placed around the neck, no Batman insignia or anything sadly.

Catwoman Cat-coupe: probably the most iconic female comic book character of all time with arguably the definitive live action version being Michelle pfiffers portrayal in Batman Returns. Catwoman's inclusion in the sequel to 1989's Batman was probably one of the most looked forward to elements of the movie and she didn't disappoint!     

The tight PVC clad, whip wilding vixen doesn't exactly scream out "Happy meal toy" but then again at least only a modest portion of her is actually featured in this figure the rest of which consists of her Cat-Coupe vehicle complete with tail wagging feature!  

The catwoman figure is actually quite a good representation of her on screen counterpart she even has stitching effect on her costume which is a nice little detail!

Push and Go Batman Man: Though his initial casting received plenty of negative attention Michael Keaton proved himself to be a more than effective Batman and there was no doubt that he would reprise his role in the sequel Batman Returns marking Keaton out as one of the greatest Batmen ever!

On to the toy itself and it is clear which Batman this is straightaway with a pretty strong likeness of the actor albeit with much shorter ears than the movie costume. The vehicle is modelled on the Bat Ski Boat as featured in the movie but is modified slightly with tank style trims. The action feature is basic but effect simple push the figure down into the vehicle and watch as the toy is propelled into action!

Batman Neck pen: The nicest looking of the bunch is this Batman, which is very nicely modelled on Keaton's Batman complete with elongated ears and cynical expression!


Again there is no added detail on the pen itself but the batman topper is cool enough without it.


Batman returns may have garnered some negative responses by seemingly promoting what is quite a dark and adult orientated movie via Kid's meals promotions, though not all of what McDonalds had to offer in way of collectables were aimed a the kiddies! Batman Returns is one of the most heavily merchandised movies I can think of and it seems a little unfair that McDonalds got the brunt of the scorn parents were heaping on merchandisers! still its Batman after all and in all of his interpretations Kid's, big and small, are going to want stuff and lots of it and promos of this quality will always be welcomed.