The 1960s Batman and '70s Wonder Woman TV series are a solid foundation of pop culture. In fact, it'd be reasonable to say the two adaptations are two of the most important pieces of fiction in entertainment, period. Even if you didn't watch them when they were originally on, or caught them on streaming or home video, odds are you're familiar with the shows' extremely catchy theme songs, colorful aesthetics, and, specifically on the Batman side, the unmistakable onomatopoeia sound effects.
In particular, one of the most attractive aspects of the shows were their hero costumes, which are now part of Hollywood history. The shows' cultural relevance is still such, that some of their costumes and props were auctioned off (by Heritage Auctions) for a combined total of over $1.4 million, per The Hollywood Reporter,
Adam West and Burt Ward's Batman & Robin costumes sold for a combined $575,000, while Yvonne Craig's Batgirl suit sold for $87,500. The show's villain costumes were also given the high-price treatment. Cesar Romer's Joker outfit was auctioned off for $212,000, Burges Meredith's Penguin ensemble sold for $46,250), while Julie Newmar's Catwoman suit sold for $68,750. Regarding Wonder Woman, Lynda Carter's costume—including the Lasso of Truth—sold for $225,000. Various Batman props were also sold, including the Dark Knight's signature batarang ($50,000) and batscanner receiver ($150,000).
To summarize the auction prices:
- Batman & Robin suits — $575,000
- Wonder Woman suit — $225,000
- Joker suit — $212,000
- Batgirl suit — $87,500
- Catwoman suit — $68,750
- Penguin suit — $46,250
In all, the costumes and props from the classic DC series sold for $1,414,500 million. Even more impressively, according to THR, Batman memorabilia accounted for seven of the top-12 best-selling items at the auction.
The items were part of Dr. Stewart Berkowitz's collection. Prior to his passing in 2024, Dr. Berkowitz was well-known for his immense pop culture collection, which encompassed anything from props and costumes to life-sized vehicles. Among such vehicles was the 1960s Batmobile. Other parts of his collection that were also auctioned included costumes from shows like Star Trek, Happy Days, I Dream of Jeannie (heck, yeah), Get Smart and The Munsters.
Though campy-looking judged by today's standards, the costumes in Batman and Wonder Woman remain—impressively enough—the most comic-accurate representations of their main characters to date. It speaks to the awe-inspiring nature of the shows' storytelling and designs that, despite the considerable technical limitations of their time, they managed to capture people's imaginations, granting themselves the ability to remain relevant in our ever-evolving pop culture lexicon.
If you could own any of the props from Batman and Wonder Woman, which one would it be? Leave your answer in the comments!