Here we are once again, approaching the end of yet another year. With the holiday season upon us, surely you’ll find yourself asking at least once, what gift should I get for the Batman fan in my life? Or, perhaps more accurately, you will be asked this question by others, because you are the Batman fan in question.
As in years past, we have you covered with our annual Holiday Gift Guide, covering the latest and best products featuring the Dark Knight and other members of the DC Universe. So warm up some cocoa, put on the score for Batman Returns (because it is a Christmas movie), and let us help you make your list so you don’t have to check it twice.
Hot Wheels
For a quick, easy, and versatile stocking stuffer, you can’t go wrong with grabbing some Hot Wheels. They’re inexpensive and can be found practically everywhere, from the grocery store to the supermarket to comic shops and more. There’s no shortage of Batman representation with these miniature metal cars either, as various Batmobiles are available in a variety of styles and at different price points. Sure, some of them are kind of bizarre novelties, like The Flash Batmobile that is white with black racing stripes, or the classic TV series Batmobile that’s short, stubby, and available in a wide range of colors. Still others are closer to the film and comic source materials, like the Real Riders and Collectors lines with vehicles ranging from The Batman Batmobile to the Penguin Duck from Batman Returns to the blue Super Friends Batmobile, available at a higher price point and made from stronger materials. Grab a couple for friends, family, loved ones, and even yourself and you have a fun gift that can appeal to everyone without breaking the bank.
Available from Amazon and Entertainment Earth.
The Arkham Asylum Files: Panic in Gotham City
The Arkham Asylum Files: Panic in Gotham City is here to offer a captivating convergence of narrative storytelling and escape room style puzzles enhanced by the latest in AR technology. It’s awesome. To describe it in the simplest way possible, The Arkham Asylum Files is a box full of increasingly challenging puzzles dressed in a Gotham City skin. But that doesn’t do the game justice. Not by a longshot. It genuinely feels like the cutting edge of tabletop gaming. Now, I’m not a newbie to at home escape room style games. I’ve subscribed to Escape the Crate and Hunt a Killer and even picked up a few of those Unsolved Case Files games you’ve probably seen on a Target endcap. Believe me when I say that the production quality of The Arkham Asylum Files COMPLETELY blows those out of the water.
MONDO Batman: The Animated Series Figures
The best Batman: The Animated Series collectibles are produced by Mondo right now. Their 1/6 scale versions of Mr. Freeze, Joker, Harley, and more are second to none. The only problem is, they sell out fast. Luckily, MondoShop.com still has a few Harleys, Catwomans, and Jokers still in stock, plus open pre-orders for Man-Bat and The Phantasm, both of which look terrific.
Supergirl Barbie
The general consensus is that Sasha Calle’s portrayal of Supergirl was one of the highlights of The Flash, and I wouldn’t argue one bit. Even with limited screentime, she was both strong and sympathetic, bringing a sense of emotional depth to a character who had experienced great tragedy and loss.
Greta Gerwig’s Barbie was one of the breakout hits of the year as well, making all of the money at the box office and inspiring early awards season buzz.
In a bit of unintentional (maybe) synergy, Supergirl and Barbie are combined in this really nice figure that’s perfect for play or display. If you’re a collector of Barbie dolls, or someone on your Christmas list has their own collection, Supergirl would look fantastic displayed in-box next to other collectibles. Conversely, if you’re more likely to take the figure out of the box for play, she has the same build quality as other Barbies, as well as a display stand so she can “hover” in the air. No matter for whom you get this and for what purpose, the Supergirl Barbie is a great piece of merchandise.
Available from Amazon.
Aquaman Trident Prop Replicas
We covered some prop replicas from Factory Entertainment last year, and they’re back with more in the lead-up to Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. For the final DC film release of 2023, we have scaled replicas of Aquaman’s trident, along with Orm’s surprisingly beautiful multicolored trident and Atlanna’s quindent. All three are pretty spot-on representations of these weapons from previous films, packed with some pretty amazing detail in such small packages.
New from the upcoming film is the black trident that will be wielded by Black Manta, a menacing piece of sharp angles and dark metal that comes complete with its own display base. Each piece can be purchased directly from Factory Entertainment’s site, and would make a great stocking stuffer for any and all Aquafans.
Available from Amazon and Entertainment Earth.
Spin Master Batman Action Figures
If there’s one thing we never grow out of, it’s wandering down the toy aisle, looking at all of the merch based on our favorite characters. Since I think it’s fair to say most of us at least tolerate Batman, it’s a good thing that he’s an evergreen presence in practically every DC Comics toy line. That’s especially true this year, given that Batman has been in two high-profile movies made in the past 24 months, meaning companies like Spin Master have plenty of Batman to choose from.
Even if The Flash didn’t exactly light the box office on fire, I won’t deny that seeing Michael Keaton as the Dark Knight one last time wasn’t absolutely incredible. Without a doubt, he was the best part of the movie, and there are some pretty solid toys available as part Spin Master’s The Flash line. In addition to figures based on Ben Affleck’s take on Batman, we have a cool little 4″ figure as part of the main line…
…and even a 12″ deluxe sized figure to boot. They each look plenty slick in that solid black costume, with that gorgeous yellow oval Batsymbol boldly declaring that this is indeed Batman.
If solo Batman is more your speed, then figures based on the 2022 film The Batman can still be found, appropriately scaled slightly taller than the Batman from The Flash. With low price points and compact packaging, it’s easy to buy several of these figures and bundle them together for a quick gift idea.
The real showstopper from Spin Master, though, is their 1989 Batmobile RC car. This thing is absolutely insane, packed full of incredible details and play features.
Modeled on the Batmobile from 1989’s Batman– which, as we all know, is The Best Batmobile– it’s to scale with the rest of the 4″ The Flash line, and even comes with an exclusive Batman figure. Aside from some slight silver tinting on his gloves and boots, there isn’t much difference between this Batman and the one you can buy individually packaged, but I won’t say no to more Bat Keaton.
The set comes with the Batmobile and figure, a remote control, a water dropper, and a Batcave platform base that doubles as a charging station. That alone practically makes it worth buying, because when you’re not driving the Batmobile around your house you can dock and display it. The platform itself rotates, which is awesome, and there’s even a Batcomputer station where Batman can sit and admire his sick ride.
Besides basic driving functions, the Batmobile also has pop-up gun turrets, a retractable cockpit, lights and sounds, and a water reservoir for an exhaust effect. Retailing for around $200, it is on the pricier end, but the amazing features and endless playability make it more than worth it.
Funko
Funko products are everywhere these days, with figures, collectibles, games, and more lining store shelves. They have a seemingly bottomless well of licensed products, and that includes DC Comics characters, making their offerings easy and affordable when searching for gift ideas.
Without question, the most popular Funko product would be their vinyl Pop! figures. With their large, rounded heads and squat bodies, Funko somehow manage to capture the likenesses and spirit of any character, creature, or person they render in miniature, including the title character from this summer’s Blue Beetle feature film. Funko have several figures from the movie available, and this one is definitely my favorite. The colors pop, and the spindly arms and jumping pose he’s in give it a real sense of dynamism.
Funko aren’t strangers to the Advent Calendar game either, with a DC Super Heroes set available for counting down the days until Christmas. Containing 24 Christmas-themed DC characters, each day has a nicely detailed and incredibly festive miniature Pop! figure for you to add to your holiday decorating. Be sure to follow along on the Batman News Instagram feed as we showcase each day’s figure until Christmas Eve.
Batman Bedding Set
Everyone needs sleep, and what better way to catch 40 winks than on some sweet Batman bedding? I mean, okay, these are for kids, but awesome bedding is practically an adolescent rite of passage. And with two bed sheets, a comforter, and a pillow case all emblazoned with some solid Batman art, this set from Franco will do great justice to a child’s bedroom. You can get the set in Twin and Full sizes at Walmart.
DC Comics Movies
I won’t lie and say it hasn’t been a rough few years for DC films, with most theatrical features having disappointing returns at best. The Batman fared well, yeah, but Black Adam, The Flash, Shazam! The Fury of the Gods, Blue Beetle, and DC League of Super-Pets struggled to find an audience. It’s a shame, too, because each film had at least something of value: Black Adam was a pretty good JSA movie, The Flash had the aforementioned Batman and Supergirl to carry it, both Shazam! and Blue Beetle have tons of heart and laughs in equal measure, and Super-Pets was a fun, all-ages romp. Thankfully, you can choose your favorites to enjoy again and again at home, and maybe even discover some new characters while you’re at it.
Vintage Batman Merchandise
Considering there’s been just… so much Batman merch over the years, sometimes the perfect gift isn’t something you can find on store shelves any longer. Thankfully, eBay and other resale sites and shops are chock full of all sorts of vintage items and oddities.
Want a die cast Batman: The Animated Series Robin figure, still on the card with a neat sticker included? Done.
How about a Batman figure from Funko’s line of Batman: The Classic TV Series toys? But not just any Batman, but the limited edition chase figure in the “screen test” suit with the floppy ears and jagged Batsymbol?
Or maybe you love the Sixties television series and are in the mood for a bit of literature? Why, you can find a novel adaptation of Batman: The Movie if you’re so inclined.
Then again, maybe you want something really weird, like a Target-exclusive Batman figure from The Dark Knight Rises, wherein Batman is wearing a costume he did not wear in the film and the figure is encased in a pumpkin-shaped blister card. All of these and more can be had if you know where to look, so save up that Christmas cash.
Batman Apparel
You can’t ever go wrong with a nice shirt, hat, or hoodie when you want to represent your favorite characters. And with Batman, you can hardly go into a store without seeing something with the Bat logo on it, so there are plenty of options to choose from, no matter where you shop. I’m partial to this “Looney Tunes x Batman” hoodie myself, which is a bit of a throwback to all of the Looney Tunes apparel you could find back in the 90s. It fits well, has some great artwork, and is only twenty bucks at Walmart. There’s plenty more Bat apparel there and at other retailers too, so you’re covered if you need a quick, easy gift.
Comic Books
No list of Batman gifts would be complete without some comics, since that’s the bread and butter of our fandom. Pop down to a comic shop to pick up a new release, or rifle through some back issue bins to fill some holes in your collection. If you’re more into bound volumes, some truly great Batman series have been collected just this year, including the pitch-perfect The Batman Adventures series that is available in a brand new omnibus.
If space is a concern– or you just prefer to read things digitally– you can also subscribe to DC Universe Infinite. For eight bucks a month you get access to a practically endless supply of DC Comics issues and stories, with more content being added on a regular basis. Quite the steal for a Christmas gift that will last all year long.
Share your Christmas wishlist with us below, and anything you get this merry holiday season. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all, from us here at Batman News.
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