Duplo Batman, Joker and Batmobile!

This blog has been getting a bit too girly lately, so let's bring it back to manliness with some toddler toys!

Duplo started releasing Batman and some of his pals about a year or two ago. It's taken me this long to get some because I like to rely on the flea market for gathering figures which come in expensive sets that contain a bunch of components I don't need around the house. Well, the flea market finally came through in spades the other weekend when I found not only Batman...

 ...but his Batmobile too!

I had seen the Duplo Batman/Batmobile set in stores but never really looked all that closely at the Batmobile itself. I hadn't really thought about it until I owned this thing, but it's amazing that the Batmobile they went with is the '89 Keaton/Burton movie Batmobile. I mean, think about it: 25 plus years later and Duplo goes straight to the '89 movie (this isn't 'inspired by', this IS the '89 Batmobile!) They even sculpted in the machine gun ports, fer-cryin-out-loud! This is literally a toy that SHOULD have existed 25 years ago, just now being slapped on toy store shelves. That's pretty awesome, and I'm delighted to have added this Batmobile to my collection.

Ironically the set did not come with an all black '89 Batman, but a blue-grey batman.

The Batmobile breaks down to two pieces (three if you count the flame.) A wheeled base and the chassis.

When I found Batman and the Batmobile I also found the Duplo Joker. My intern already has a Duplo circus so I experienced that awkward moment...

...when I realized the Duplo Circus contains the Joker in disguise!

Seriously, that's the go-to Duplo clown above, and below...

...is Duplo's Joker!

Sadly my flea market Joker has some scratches on his face - he may have pushed Catwoman too far in his previous toy life. Or some kid stepped on him and drove his face into the concrete. But he only cost a dollar, so I figured he'll do until I can find a cleaner specimen.

Duplo Joker also goes well with the Duplo clowns we already have lying around. He has a built-in gang!

"That disguise doesn't fool me, Joker!"

The Duplo Red Triangle Circus Gang.

Back to the Batcave!

Flea Market Finds

Took my intern to the Flea Market yesterday, and even though the pickins were pretty slim (did everyone think it was going to rain or something? Because it didn't!) we came away with some fun stuff for CHEAP!

For five bucks we came away with an original '88 soft-head Splinter (fortunately I have his robe and belt from a previous flea market TMNT accessory haul), a Space Usagi that will be going to a fellow toy blogger in a trade, Masters of the Universe Roboto, Hero World Cyborg, a TOMY wind-up Donald Duck, a traveling Smurf with bindle, a DUPLO goat and an Imaginext ankylosaurus.

A silly assortment of bits and bobs that made for a day full of fun for my intern and I!

DUPLO Elephants: Old vs. new

I recently picked up an older DUPLO elephant from the flea market for my intern, and decided to do a comparison with a modern version she also owns. As you can see, the original DUPLO elephant has more of an old-school LEGO feel to him, while the brand new elephant is much smoother in design. The new version, while slick, lacks the LEGO styling cues of the original, and looks like he could be part of any modern kiddie toy line.

Additionally, the older DUPLO elephant's head rotates up and down. His nose is designed to grip, well, anything a DUPLO figure can grip, but it also has the added bonus of the ability to rotate 360 degrees.

The new DUPLO elephant looks fun and cartoony, and his pose is less static than his elder cousin, but without the pegs on his back you might not even guess he's DUPLO. He does have tusks and a circus themed blanket painted on his side, but his head doesn't move and while his nose will hold objects just the same as his older counterpart, it doesn't rotate at all.

The newer elephant does have four pegs on his back, however, while the older version only has one. So larger items can be pegged to his back, while the older elephant really only holds a single figure. You can also really see the seam on the old elephant where the two halves come together.

Bot elephants are a lot of fun for my intern, but from a design and aesthetic perspective, I prefer the older one. He looks and feels much more like a LEGO animal, and he can even be used alongside LEGO minifigures and not seem out-of-place (if a bit large, even for an elephant.)

Random Toy Pic :: Bullseye

My intern just discovered Toy Story (via Toy Story 3) and she has not only watched it a dozen times already, but she has been setting up little picnics with her toys like the little girl does in the movie.

So when I found a Duplo Bullseye at the flea market a few weeks back I had to nab him. Duplo Bullseye originally came with Duplo Jesse, but sadly the seller didn't have her. So I'll be on the lookout for Jesse, but in the meantime my intern is going to love having a little Bullseye - he'll be waiting for her (with a 'Welcome Back'note) when she comes back from her vacation at Grandma's house!

Duplo Clowns

I've previously posted about my adventures acquiring the Duplo cannon and circus clown. Today we take a look at an additional Duplo clown I found at the flea market a couple weeks ago!

I'm pretty sure this Duplo clown is female. She's also the one who lights the fuse and launches the aviator cap clad clown into the stratosphere. Women!

These two Duplo clowns didn't originally come paired together, but they do make a great pair! Duplo has recently re-designed their mini-figures to a more rounded style. I'm still partial to these more blocky Duplo figures, and I'm glad to have a pair of these creepy clowns around. I just hope they don't murder me in my sleep!

Duplo Clown Cannon

I have to admit that I adore this thing way more than a grown man should.

I first found this Duplo clown at a local thrift store last week, and had to have him. As a fan of Lego minifigure, I appreciate their larger, pre-school level Duplo counterparts. But they are usually pretty plain and boring. Not this guy! First off, he's a clown, which are creepy and make good Batman villains straight out of the box. Second, he's sporting an aviator's cap, which is pretty unique.

When I got the clown home I did some research online, and discovered the clown was from around 1989 or so, and that he came in a set that included a cannon! TO SHOOT THE CLOWN!

And I had seen the cannon at the thrift store when I picked up the clown, but had left it behind because of my Duplo clown shooting cannon ignorance!

Well obviously I returned to the thrift store (not specifically for the cannon, I was already going that way) and as luck would have it the cannon was still in the quarter bin I where had discovered the clown!

Now seeing as how this is a toddler toy, the cannon shoots Mr. Clownface about...oh...a quarter of an inch. But the effect is still fun and the look of these two pieces together tickles me to no end.

My research online also led to the discovery that this clown and cannon were sometimes paired with this Duplo truck, which my intern already owns! Now, transporting his cannon throughout Duplo Gotham City is a breeze!

Random Toy Pic :: Prehistoric Lego

Lego Cavewoman minifigure meets Lego Duplo Dinosaurs!