I think there was some confusion over the rumor that Burt may have walked away from set with Yvonne's costume and that the fact his girlfriend would later appear as Batgirl in the late 70s/early 80s. I believe the lack of photos out there of Karen Whitfield in costume led to the belief that she was ...

Karen described to me the reasoning behind her appearances as the traveling Batgirl: "Adam and Burt thought it would be good if I acted as the travelling Batgirl to get more interest from little girls and their moms. I was traveling with them anyway. Before going to D.C. Comics they asked Yvonn...

Karen told me she was aware of the rumors, but she didn't attribute them to Yvonne. She told me: "We had also heard it was stolen. Burt did not steal it for me for certain. Mine was made for my body like a glove, The color was diff than what she wore. Also, if it were stolen D.C. Comics would n...

This is a very interesting topic - I never saw Karen as Batgirl or even read about it before. So - was Yvonne not touring at the time? Actually, I never remember hearing that she was around, either! According to Karen, Yvonne explained to her that when she was in her early 40's , she had young chil...

Here is another ad for the Circus, this one from The Los Angeles Times, Saturday, March 18, 1967 - Page 33

Forget about the Penguin. Batman must now fend off... the Elephant:
Dobritch Circus elephant charges Batmobile.


(Fort Lauderdale News,  31 Mar 1967, Fri,  Main Edition,  Page 54)

Karen provided me with this a better copy of the picture of her as Batgirl that was on Burt's table in the picture above

Interview with Adam West prior to his participation in the Dobritch International Circus in March 1967.

(Detroit Free Press,  26 May 1967)

Adam West with Emmett Kelly prior to the opening of the Dobritch International Circus in March 1967.

(The Los Angeles Times,  18 Mar 1967, Sat,  Page 33)

Karen provided me with one more piece of the puzzle by sending me this image from STAR Magazine from 1978. Karen is pictured here in the bottom photo with Burt and described in the caption as his girlfriend.

Karen Whitfield replied back. She says that picture on Burt's table is indeed of her. She also says she has more pictures and more stories to tell. She retreated from the personal appearance lifestyle to focus on her family. Now that her kids are grown, she'd like to tell her story, possibly in a bo...

That's really interesting, Steve. I've never seen or heard reference to a "traveling Batgirl". Definitely intrigued to hear more. Thanks, Ben. I've reached out to Karen for more details, stories and memories of that time. I urge anyone who has contact with Burt to ask what he remembers ab...

BatmiteReturns wrote: ↑Sat Oct 14, 2017 9:12 pm there was a batgirl at our toys r us grand opening in the early 80s.

Were Adam and Burt with her at the appearance? Did she look like the Batgirl in the picture above?

I found some corroboration. This article from Port Neches Midcounty Chronicle in Texas on February 16, 1983 talks about Burt and Karen appearing at an MDA Friendship Run in Texas: "In addition to last year's activities, the appearance of Robin (Burt Ward), and Batgirl (Karen Whitfield) of Santa...

In the first picture posted below, there is a Batgirl photo on Burt's table from this 1978 appearance, where he is pictured with young Jason Malone at the Gibson's store at the Hamilton Hill's Shopping Center in Jackson, Tennessee. The Batgirl in the photo is not in the style of the TV show and is n...