Batman bruce wayne costume

59 years ago today, on Jan. 12, 1966, Batman debuted on ABC, marking the first depiction of the Caped Crusader on the small screen.

Batman bruce wayne costume

Though there was a Batman film serial in 1943, Adam West‘s Bruce Wayne was the first to capture the hearts of the viewing public. Some of that had to do with his way with a one-liner or his graceful deployment with the Emergency-Bat-Turn-Lever … but some credit definitely goes to the 1966 Batman’s costume.

Has a man ever looked so noble in nylon?

The origins of the Batman costume

Batman’s 1966 costume looked a lot like the costume worn in the Batman comic books of the mid-1960s, and not terribly different from the one shown in the 1943 film serial starring Lewis Wilson, the first recorded depiction of an actor playing Batman.

But the TV costume had its own unique design elements — created by costume designer Jan Kemp, who, along with Pat Barto, designed all the super looks for the series’ characters.

The look stayed pretty consistent for all thre