Our March Loot Crate theme is PLAYBACK and it’s a salute to the things we want to dive back into over and over and OVER again. Case in point, Loot Crate DX features one of my all-time favorites – Batman: The Animated Series! Want in on some Masked Crusader trivia?
1. A lot of folks noticed Dick Grayson, aka Robin, was a bit older than he should’ve been. This was because television censors wouldn’t allow children characters to be endangered in animated shows meant for young viewers.
2. It took 150 voice actors in the auditioning process before they settled in on the iconic voice of Kevin Conroy for Batman.
3. The creation of Harley Quinn was actually set up to be only used in one episode. This was as a prop to Joker’s storyline where the writers had originally envisioned Joker dressing up in drag and acting as bait, but eventually settled on the fact that would be beneath The Joker. Enter Harley Quinn, whom the writers and fans adored so much that they just kept bringing her back!
(Warner Bros/ DC Comics)
4. The Producers of Batman: The Animated Series once stated that they doubted there would’ve been a series if Tim Burton’s Batman hadn’t drummed up interest in a child-friendly version of Batman’s more serious of capers.
5. Since these episodes were created by Warner Brothers Animation Studio, which was responsible for some of the most popular animated shows on television during that time, you can actually see small easter eggs referring to other shows. A highly noticed easter egg? Often enough, if a character in the show is reading a magazine — it’s Tiny Toons Adventures Magazine!
6. It was Alex Toth’s 1966 design for Space Ghost that inspired the Batman: The Animated Series design of Batman according to Bruce Timm.
(Warner Bros/ DC Comics)
7. And in pie-in-the-sky trivia: Casting directors had reached out to Sir Anthony Hopkins to voice the role of Mr. Freeze. Sufficed to say, it didn’t happen.
8. It was hoped to include Max Shreck from Batman Returns in the Animated Series, however, they felt it would’ve sounded off to get anyone but Christopher Walken as the voice and he was far too busy at this point. So, an original character was dropped in to take his place.
9. After the first two seasons of Batman: The Animated Series, the network decided that they should include Robin absolutely as a title character since children were tuning in. It was not even a question but a demand from the network and now it meant Robin had to be included in every single episode.
(Warner Bros, DC Comics)
10. Mark Hamill, who voices The Joker, wasn’t sure he would even be accepted in the role due to being known in the Star Wars franchise. So, he presented a rather low-key Joker but the laugh is absolutely what won casting directors (and later many many fans!) over.
