DKN Remembers: Zellers Batman Commercials

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This is the second installment of DKN Remembers. Check out the first one here, wherein my colleague Eric Joseph reminisces on Batman Returns. The intention of this semi-recurring column is to utilize the power of nostalgia and reflect upon Batman’s rich and robust history. The character has had many faces and sometimes it’s important to think back on it despite how unappealing they might’ve been.

In the time before Tim Burton’s Batman, Adam West’s Bright Knight set the standard for a wholesome, tongue-in-cheek Batman. Reflecting upon it now, you just gotta love how goofy this Batman was. On this week’s installment, we visit a series of commercials that premiered just before Burton’s Batman took center stage.

For those who didn’t live in the Great White North, Zellers was a chain of department stores that operated in Canada. In the mid-late 80’s, Zellers struck a deal with DC/WB to use Batman and associated characters in a series of commercials to promote their stores. In exchange, Zellers would heavily promote DC’s merchandise and with the Batman character, help build anticipation for Burton’s Batman, which was in production by the time these commercials aired.

As you can see, the Batman ’66 TV series heavily influenced the tone and direction of the commercials using very corny puns to deliver their message of low prices. News anchor Batman and Burt Ward Robin were a pretty nice touch. The art seems to be based on the comic books at the time and the animation was surprisingly very fluid. Overall, these seemed to be very well-produced commercials and you can’t help but crack a smile after watching it.

Here are some more in the series:

 

 

Anybody remember when these actually aired on TV? Share your thoughts with us.