Burbank 2006 Gathering - 15 Years Ago

[Scott Sebring]

15 years ago this month, starting on the weekend of January 26, 2006, many board members gathered together for the 40th Anniversary of the show at Burbank's Hollywood Collector's Show. Adam, Burt, Yvonne, Julie, Lee were all there and even Malachi Throne popped by to check it out. Nate Truman brought his Batmobile as well. Before YouTube took off or iPhones, Instagram and Facebook were even a thing, I tried to video and share these experiences here on the board as this was our social network then.

Special Note: There was no 66 Batman merchandise available at this time. No Hot Wheels, action figures, t-shirts, models, comics or posters. Hotwheels would not show up for almost another two years, merchandise would be six years away and the DVD/ Blu Rays would be a little over eight. Chuck Williams and Williams Studio 2 were just about to get into the cowl, costume and prop world. You actually see us taking measurements, notes and photos for ourselves and to send to Chuck. These were the dark ages for us 66 Batman fans product wise. BUT, Adam, Yvonne, Malachi and so many other were still with us to meet and interact with. In that way, we were rich. Here's to their memory in ours.

Personal Note: This would be the first time I met Yvonne, her sister Meridel, Malachi and Julie. This would be the first time I got to meet Mark Hardeman and see his amazing original Batman and Robin costumes that we would later display at the Hollywood museum 12 years later. Also the first time I got really meet and interact with later to be 66 Batman animator, comic artist and dear friend, Ruben Procopio. So many firsts.

This one was filmed by Mark Hardeman and edited by yours truly. I've tried to upgrade the original standard NTSC footage through AI software into HD 60fps. So let's go back to those days of yesteryear and watch some HD video of our Burbank 2006 - Batman 40th Adventure! Enjoy!

[A. Pennyworth]

Great stuff, great post, great video! Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Thanks to everyone who posted photos, videos and their and experiences during these past gatherings. It made us members who couldn't attend, feel more like we were there, more part of the Bat-Family.

[rsaffle]

Loved the video and wish I had been there. Not only for the convention but the friendship. The moment Billy had with Julie was so special! I was equally jealous and happy for him. 1st time I have seen this.
You can tell how special of a person Julie is.

Its cool how a common love for something can bring people together.

[Jimmy L. 66]

WOWIE ZOWIE!
Great video, thanks for sharing it Scott. Bit of a "who's who".
Did I see Andrew (Andy) in the room as well?
Ruben drawing everyone a sketch.
What an amazing couple days that must have been.

[Chuck Williams]

I....LOVE....THIS!!!!!

I feel like I was there and it makes me miss all you guys so much. What memeories!
Thank you for sharing this.

Absolutely amazing...

[rsaffle]

I was watching this video and found something that I dont know what it is in Wallys display case. The red and yellow object bottom right.

[SteveA]

20230617_104155_compress94.jpgI was watching this video and found something that I dont know what it is in Wallys display case. The red and yellow object bottom right.

That's the control mechanism for the 1977 Batman String Puppet. Back in 1977 they made a series of three super-Heroes string puppets: Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman.

[rsaffle]

Ha! Thank you Steve! I stared at that for way to long. Lol

[vintagematt]

This was really neat to watch. I was born the weekend of the show (January 27th, 2006), and it's really nice to know that such an impressive gathering of both fans and stars was happening around the same time I was brought into the world. Fitting, I suppose, since the first show I have concrete memories of watching is Batman. What can I say, my parents raised me well!

But I can't help but feel a little down when I watch all this footage, because I can't help but think that massive gatherings like this (at least those surrounding '60s TV) are a thing of the past. Don't get me wrong, I'm so grateful that I was alive and a fan while both Adam and Yvonne were still with us (probably the last generation to be able to say that), but there's still a part of me that wishes I was born just a few years earlier so that I could have been a part of events like this one.

But maybe its not that bad nowadays! After all, this board is still active, something I'm extremely thankful for! The same can't be said for similar sites (like the Avengers Steed & Peel board, which is sadly pretty deserted), so I've got to give a big thank you to Scott and all the others who have a hand in keeping things up and running! This site was technically my first form of social media (yes, I was a bit of an odd duck who watched Batman and Star Trek instead of going outside), and because of that it has such a special place in my heart. But also, on that note, if anyone interacted with me in my younger days (under various usernames) I'm so sorry...