It's hard to imagine a time when Catwoman wasn't an everyday name in pop culture. Everyone knows her now. Even my Mom knows her. Girls who have never picked up a comic or watched a geeky movie want to dress like her for Halloween. I have no solid proof that Julie Newmar is the woman who catapulted the character to stardom, but I'd be willing to bet my Catwoman collection she is. Julie was definitely my first exposure to the femme fatale. The 1966 Batman Television series was in heavy syndication all throughout my childhood. So although I'm a child of the eighties, this sixties property is totally nostalgic for me. This figure itself has made me very happy. The original paint masters were unexpectedly stunning, but I honestly don't think anyone expected the finished product to really look like it. And honestly, it doesn't come close. But back at NYCC there was a production figure displayed that just looked disappointingly bland. I was very very let down after seeing that sample. But then I layed my hands on this figure this week and I am suddenly happy again. Let's check her out below!
Catwoman comes with no accessories aside from her figure stand and collector card. The card doubles as a Batcave backdrop. The other characters in the series have other Batcave graphics on their cardbacks as well.
Catwoman's articulation is very good and well-designed. Although her ankles and shoes are tiny so she needs a figure stand to avoid toppling over. She's very poseable and a lot of fun. Seriously the most fun I've had with a DC figure in a long time.
Here are some images of the lovely Julie Newmar as Catwoman.
Time for a Group Pic!
From Left to Right: Mattel Arkham Asylum Catwoman, Mattel DCSH Catwoman, Mattel Batman '66 Catwoman, Mattel DKR Movie Masters Catwoman, DC Direct Hush Catwoman.
Cheers!
She is very cool! I can't wait to get some more figures from this line. Currently I only have the SDCC Batusi set.
ReplyDeleteI would love to see further versions of Catwoman. Batgirl would also be awesome.
Not sure what Mattel's plans are, but hopefully they could release more characters on MattyCollector if retailers lose interest.
I'm obsessed with her. She's still on my coffee table and hasn't been relegated to the Cave of Wonders yet. I hope we get a masked version, an Eartha Kitt version, and maybe a multi-toned green repaint liked we saw in the comics in the sixties. Yeah, I think we'll see more. Whether they're on Mattycollector or at Conventions, who knows. I have high hopes though :)
DeleteLOVE her! Thank you for the review!!! Did you end up getting the Julie Newmar Barbie? I'm tempted as it's been on sale at TARGET for $30 (LCS has it for $52!).
ReplyDeleteI saw the Barbie mid-summer at TRU and was very very tempted. I tend to avoid dolls because I'm not good at upkeep with the cloth and hair, but being the first piece of (official) Julie Newmar Catwoman merchandise I had ever seen in a store was major incentive to break my rules. One of the most tempting things was the cool packaging and the classic-styled cartoony imagery of Catwoman on the box. Luckily this action figure has basically the same graphics as the Barbie. What finally convinced me to NOT get the Barbie was the realization that my collecting addictions would force me to get the other two Barbie Catwomen (plus the Kelly doll), then probably the two Barbie Batgirls, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Supergirl, etc etc... It would get very expensive very fast and take up a lot of space. I need to stick to small plastic figures and the occasional statue :)
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