Line #38 WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfBatman


1	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/300px-New_Adventures_of_Batman_logo_2.jpg]]
2
3	1977 series created by {{Creator/Filmation}}, the SpiritualSuccessor to the company's earlier [[WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfBatman 1968-69 series,]] retaining most of the character designs.
4
5	As might be expected, the eponymous hero fights crime in Gotham City, assisted by Robin and Batgirl, encountering the classic rogues gallery (including ComicBook/TheJoker, the Penguin, Mr. Freeze, and Catwoman) as well as some original villains. Complicating matters is TheScrappy and TheMillstone, Bat-Mite (voiced by none other than Filmation producer Lou Scheimer), a well-meaning imp from another dimension called Ergo, who considers himself Batman's [[StalkerWithACrush biggest fan]]. As a result, he wears a variant of Batman's costume and attempts to help him, [[TheLoad only to often create more problems]]. Missing is Alfred, the faithful butler of Batman's alter-ego Bruce Wayne.
6
7	The series' inspiration is clearly the campy 1966-68 live-action series; MoralGuardians prevented the appearance of any significant fisticuffs, though, and Bat-Mite will probably make you want to strangle something [[note]](preferably something from the dimension Ergo)[[/note]]. In the plus column, the rotoscoping-based animation is a bit more fluid than direct competitor ''WesternAnimation/SuperFriends'' (if clearly and often [[StockFootage recycled]]), the presence of Creator/AdamWest and Creator/BurtWard adds an air of cool to the proceedings, and the music's groovy. It's also notable for being the first animated appearance of Clayface.
8
9	The bottom line is that it's a minor but fun little series, and a stepping-stone to [[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries what would come]].
10
11	Not to be confused with ''The New Batman Adventures'', the 1997 retool of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries''. The episode [[Recap/TheAdventuresOfBatmanAndRobinE19DeepFreeze Deep Freeze]] had a robot of Bat-Mite who says "I just wanna help!"
12
13	!!This series provides examples of:
14	* AdaptationDyeJob: Clayface in the comics had blond hair in his human form as Matt Hagen, who in this cartoon is depicted with brown hair.
15	* AlternativeForeignThemeSong: The Japanese version has a different [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItIXcpf6uhw&feature=related opening and ending]].
16	* AndImTheQueenOfSheba: In "The Pest", the Joker responds to Robin's warning that the water-powered car will explode after coming into contact with salt by retorting that he's Santa Claus.
17	* AndKnowingIsHalfTheBattle: As one might expect from a Filmation cartoon, each episode ends with the heroes providing a moral for the audience, which are called Bat Messages.
18	* AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: Bat-Mite for some reason has green skin, as do other inhabitants of his home dimension Ergo.
19	* BaitAndSwitchCredits: The Riddler appears in the opening sequence (strangely wearing a red suit), but never in the show proper. Ironically, he would be one of the only 2 Bat-villains to appear as a member of the Legion of Doom in Hanna-Barbera's ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Superfriends}} Challenge of the Superfriends]]''.
20	* BaldOfEvil: Zarbor is a villain from Bat-Mite's home dimension Ergo with a bald head.
21	* {{Brainwashed}}: Happens to Batman and Robin twice (and another time, they were just pretending to be).
22	* BrokenAesop: Bat-Mite attempts to invoke this in "Reading, Writing and Wrongdoing": The episode's moral lesson is that you can't get something for nothing; Bat-Mite then complains that the Dynamic Duo get his services free of charge all the time. However, Batman and Robin defy the brokenness by saying "We pay dearly" for Bat-Mite's involvement.
23	* CanonForeigner: Some villains (like Electro, Professor Bubbles, the Chameleon, Sweet Tooth, and Zarbor) were created just for the show.
24	* CharacterDevelopment: Over the course of the series, Bat-Mite makes a visible transition from more trouble than he's worth to a mixed blessing, and finally a genuine asset (albeit still rather annoying) by the end.
25	* ClearMyName: "Trouble Identity" has Batgirl having to prove her innocence after Catwoman disguises herself as the former to frame Batgirl for stealing an invention that can create fine fabrics from trash.
26	* EasyAmnesia: After smacking his head trying to stop a runaway truck, Batman loses his memory; however, the trope is also inverted in that the Bat Computer quickly creates a "formula" which restores his memory in short order.
27	* EverybodyLaughsEnding: Almost every episode ends with the heroes laughing.
28	* ExactWords: Catwoman frames Batgirl in "Trouble Identity" for stealing an invention. Batman recognizes Batgirl is innocent, but without evidence to prove it, he tells her and Gordan that she'll be delivered to the police station soon. He then privately tells Batgirl that they're taking a little detour to Catwoman's location first.
29	* FatBastard: Sweet Tooth and his band of candy-addicted children are overweight criminals.
30	* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Time and time again, Batman, Robin and Batgirl express their frustration at Bat-Mite's misguided efforts to "help" them and have on occasion been indicated to resent his mere presence.
31	* GladIThoughtOfIt: Mr. Freeze is prone to taking credit for ideas his henchman Professor Frost came up with.
32	* GoofyPrintUnderwear: Bat-Mite is shown wearing heart-print boxers in the Bat Message segment of the second part of the two-part episode "Have an Evil Day".
33	* GreatGazoo: Bat-Mite.
34	* HarmlessFreezing: When Batman and Robin get frozen by Mr. Freeze. For Robin, at least, they make a token nod to biology by carving a hole in the ice for him to breathe/talk through.
35	* HeroicWannabe: Bat-Mite constantly wants in on the action and to help his heroes, only to usually cause malfunctions or other screw-ups.
36	* AnIcePerson: Mr. Freeze, of course.
37	* IncredibleShrinkingMan: "Bite-Sized" has the villain Electro shrink our heroes.
38	* LamePunReaction: In "This Looks Like a Job for Bat-Mite", Bat-Mite groans at Zarbor's "up-pity" pun.
39	* LaughingMad: The Joker punctuates '''every''' line with maniacal laughter. Likewise, the Penguin punctuates every line with a Burgess Meredith-esque quacking laugh.
40	* LethalChef: One recurring gag is Dick/Robin's lack of culinary prowess. He burns the popcorn and, while grilling, flips a hamburger into a nearby torchiere (although that last one was more Bat-Mite's fault). His "specialty", though, is peanut butter sardine soup; when he serves this up, even Bat-Mite decides it's time to go home.
41	-->'''Batman:''' Believe me, anything that gets rid of Bat-Mite, I '''love'''! [''Takes a bite, [[HypocriticalHumor nearly gags]]'']
42	* LighterAndSofter: As Batman in the comics was getting increasingly dark, this series reveled in the camp.
43	* MarsNeedsWomen: The Ergonian Bat-Mite is sometimes shown to have a crush on the human Batgirl.
44	* MinimalistCast: In terms of voice talent; only four such credits were shown: West, Ward, Melendy Britt, and Lennie Weinrib.
45	* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed:
46	** "Trouble Identity" features a butler who sounds like Creator/BorisKarloff.
47	** Sweet Tooth sounds like Creator/PaulLynde.
48	* PungeonMaster: Mr. Freeze uses tons of ice-themed puns... an inspiration for [[Film/BatmanAndRobin Joel Schumacher]], perhaps?
49	* RealityWarper: Bat-Mite and Zarbor.
50	* RoboticReveal: Zig-zagged in "The Chameleon", where Batman deduces that the titular villain's shape-changing abilities are because he is a robot, but the Chameleon turns out to have been controlled from within by a diminutive human scientist named Dr. Devious after being destroyed.
51	* SoftGlass: Somewhat averted, as Robin is sure to throw a metal trash-can lid through any window he attempts to get through.
52	* StockFootage: A Filmation standard, taken to an extreme when Batman and Robin launch themselves from the Batmobile in order to spend a minute on StockFootage before ''returning to the Batmobile''.
53	* SweetTooth: One-shot villain Sweet Tooth, who [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin liked sweets a lot]]. His villainous scheme involved a plan to turn Gotham's water supply into chocolate syrup.
54	** [[NeverHeardThatOneBefore A plan that had already been done in the '66 series by The Joker, who turned Gotham's water supply into strawberry jelly in "The Zodiac Crimes/The Joker's Hard Times/The Penguin Declines"...]]
55	* ThemeNaming: Mr. Freeze's henchman is one Professor Frost.
56	* TruerToTheText: Commissioner Gordon in this cartoon has an appearance more accurate to how he looked in the comics than his depictions in ''Series/Batman1966'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfBatman''.
57	* UnconventionalFoodUsage: In the episode "A Sweet Joke on Gotham City", Bat-Mite captures the villain "Sweet Tooth" in his candy-warehouse hideout... by tying him up with long strands of licorice.
58	* UnwantedAssistance: Bat-Mite always wants to help Batman, Robin and Batgirl in fighting crime, but more often than not only frustrates them by inadvertently making things worse.
59	* VillainousGlutton: True to his name, the villain Sweet Tooth loves to eat candy and other forms of junk food.
60	* AWeightyAesop: An early example occurs in "A Sweet Joke on Gotham", where Sweet Tooth's gang is comprised entirely of kids he's indoctrinated into eating nothing but candy every hour of the day. Predictably, they turn out to be rather useless when it comes to fighting three energetic crime-fighters with balanced diets, and their teeth are in terrible shape.
61	* YouDontLookLikeYou: Bat-Mite looks very different from how he appeared in the comics, having green skin, rounder eyes with yellow sclera and a purple costume.

Context WesternAnimation / TheNewAdventuresOfBatman