History Recap / TheAdventuresOfBatmanAndRobinE11BabyDoll

* IRejectYourReality: After being rejected by every major acting class because of her condition and wanting to relive her glory days, Mary Louise Dahl snapped and came to believe that the TV show she and her co-stars were in was real. When they tried to tell her it's just a TV show and not real life, she shouts, "It was real ''to me''!"

* ABirthdayNotABreak: A self-invoked example: Mary Dahl apparently plans to kill the entire cast in a MurderSuicide on her birthday, recreating the BirthdayEpisode where her face got smashed into a cake.

** Cousin Spunky's introduction was supposed to bolster failing ratings and keep the sitcom on the air. This led to the birthday episode, which Mary hated so much she quit--and without her, the show was immediately cancelled.

** Mary herself is a {{Deconstruction}} of how this trope would affect a real person. ''No-one'' took her acting career seriously and she developed a serious case of self-loathing over her complete inability to grow up.

* VillainousBreakdown: Mary again, after seeing a funhouse mirror showing her as she might be without her condition:

* CaptainErsatz: Baby-Doll's henchmen are similar to [[Series/GilligansIsland Gilligan and Skipper]].

* BetweenMyLegs: One shot has Robin between Mariam's legs, and later with Batman.

* ActuallyPrettyFunny: After spending the entire episode complaining about having to constantly watch “Love That Baby”, Robin snickers on seeing the scene where Cousin Spunky smashes Baby Doll's face into her birthday cake. And then immediately pretends he didn't.

* BatmanGambit: When Baby Doll flees into a carnival near the climax, Batman locates her by publicly appearing in the middle of the carnival, knowing how kids look up to him and would flock to him in order to get a good look at him. Sure enough, the only person who ''doesn't'' do this is Mary.

'''Baby Doll''': But I knows now I made a boo-boo! ''[starts to cry before sombering up and speaking more maturely]'' It was hard for me out there. I studied and trained and auditioned, [[invoked]][[TypeCasting but no one wanted me]]. ''[plays an "Awww" on her tape recorder]'' Over the years, I remembered how happy I was with all of you around me and the folks at home watching me each week - me! ''[reverts to childlike glee]'' Baby Doll!

* ConspicuousInTheCrowd: IN the climax, Batman pursues Baby Doll through a carnival crowded with kids. Batman conspicuously lands on top of a stall, which causes all the kids to flock to him. Everyone except Baby Doll, who now has no crowd to hide in.
* CooldownHug: Inverted; after Baby Doll has her emotional breakdown in the Hall of Mirrors, Batman silently approaches her and lets her cling to his leg as she sobs.
* CousinOliver: Parodied and referenced. "Little Cousin Spunky," the new child star added for the last season of Baby Doll's sitcom, was also designed to resemble [[Series/TheBradyBunch Cousin Oliver]]. (They even had [[CastingGag Robbie Rist]] in the episode, though he voiced another character.) Also subverted -- Robin watches the entire series trying to find clues; Spunky turns out to be the only enjoyable thing in the show... well, the only thing Robin likes, mostly because Baby Doll was his favored victim.

* IgnoredEpiphany: One of Baby Doll's castmates remind her that it was her fault the show got cancelled, since she left due to her jealousy of the new character, "Cousin Spunky", whom she felt stole her spotlight (especially after he upstaged her on her birthday episode). She admits they're right and talks about how hard it was to build her career since no one wanted to take her seriously. Then she goes into how being on the show was the only time she was happy, and if she can't go back on television, she can at least have her "family" back.

* NotAllowedToGrowUp: Mary "Baby-Doll" Dahl is a very, InUniverse, heartbreaking example, as people only see her as "Baby Doll", a character she played and, because of her condition, she can't be taken seriously in other roles.

* RageAgainstTheReflection: Batman is chasing Baby Doll through a funhouse, into the Hall of Mirrors. She's caught up short when one of the mirrors shows her as she would have been if she had not been born with her rare condition. Cue VillainousBreakdown during which she empties her gun into the mirror.

** Baby Doll seeing a reflection of herself (of what she might've looked like if not for her medical condition), which ultimately triggers her VillainousBreakdown.

* TheWorfEffect: Batman and Robin are both pretty easily thrown around by Baby Doll's henchmen. To say nothing of Mariam who's capable of taking on ''both'' of them at once.

* BattleButler: Mariam is a very professionally dressed woman who acts as Mary's personal assistant, secretary, driver... and body-guard.

'''Baby Doll''': But I knows now I made a boo-boo! (''Starts to cry before sombering up and speaking more maturely'') It was hard for me out there. I studied and trained and auditioned, [[TypeCasting but no one wanted me]]. (''Plays an "Awww" on her tape recorder'') Over the years, I remembered how happy I was with all of you around me and the folks at home watching me each week - me! (''Reverts to childlike glee'') Baby Doll!

* DramaticUnmask: Spunky unties himself from a chair, and removes his rubber mask. It's Robin! He and Batman managed to save the real Spunky and track down Baby-Doll.

* MeaningfulEcho: Baby's CatchPhrase on the show (after causing some mayhem) was "I didn't mean to!" à la [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Bart Simpson's]] "I didn't do it." At the end, she's hugging Batman's leg and crying, saying simply, in her "adult" voice, "I didn't mean to..."

* SanityHasAdvantages: Baby-Doll's overcommitment to her child-theme becomes a problem for her when her getaway vehicle turns out to be a big wheel. Batman easily runs her down.

** Mary Dahl’s mooks bare a strong resemblance to [[Series/GilligansIsland Gilligan and the Skipper]]

* WorfEffect: Batman and Robin are both pretty easily thrown around by Baby Doll's henchmen. To say nothing of Mariam who's capable of taking on ''both'' of them at once.

* ArtShift: Sort of. At the time, Warner Bros was known for doing two kinds of cartoons: realistically-drawn superhero shows, and comedy shows like ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}''. Baby-Doll's design is deliberately like those of the latter kind of shows, which makes her reverting to her adult mannerisms more disturbing.

* OpaqueNerdGlasses: Mariam

* IAmNotSpock: InUniverse, part of what drove Mary Dahl insane was that nobody would accept her as anything but Baby-Doll. Her still looking like a little girl had something to do with it. And she couldn't even return to the role since her show was canceled after she left it in the first place.
* IgnoredEpiphany: One of Baby Doll's castmates remind her that it was her fault the show got cancelled, since she left due to her jealousy of the new character, "Cousin Spunky", whom she felt stole her spotlight (especially after he upstaged her on her birthday episode). She admits they're right and talks about how hard it was to build her career since no one wanted to take her seriously. Then she goes into how being on the show was the only time she was happy, and if she can't go back on television, she can at least have her "family" back.

* IAmNotSpock: InUniverse, part of what drove Mary Dahl insane was that nobody would accept her as anything but Baby-Doll. Her still looking like a little girl had something to do with it. And she couldn't even return to the role when they cancelled the show and fired her for leaving in the first place.

* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: In a rare victory for Batman for preventing kidnappings, he and Robin managed to find the actor for Cousin Spunky, get him to safety, and have Robin impersonate him. All before Mary and Miriam enact their trap for the said actor.

* OpaqueNerdGlasses: Miriam

** Mary has an extremely rare form of dwarfism that stops her from physically aging--as Batman, she stopped growing any bigger or looking any older after she turned five. By the events of this episode, Commissioner Gordon claims that Mary would be at least 30. It's also noted that Mary had done "Love That Baby" from the age of 10 to the age of 20.

* FreudianExcuse: Besides the fact her body is incapable of maturing plus the fact she couldn't get anyone to take her seriously as an actress, Mary also had to deal with the fact she could only get cast as child characters well into her 20s. Chances are she grew to hate the show because it served as a continuous reminder no one was willing to take her seriously as an adult, and thus became a demanding primadonna.

* IgnoredEpiphany: One of Baby Doll's castmates remind her that it was her fault the show got cancelled, since she left due to her jealousy of the new character, "Cousin Spunky", whom she felt stole her spotlight (especially after he upstaged her on her birthday episode). She admits they're right, and talks about how hard it was to build her career since no one wanted to take her seriously. Then she goes into how being on the show was the only time she was happy, and if she can't go back on television, she can at least have her "family" back.

** Mary's failed attempt as a serious actor was a production of ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'', a play rumored to be unlucky (or cursed).

* TheMirrorShowsYourTrueSelf: Subverted. It's a stretched-out funhouse reflection, but Mary Dahl sees what she might have looked like if she'd properly matured. She starts crying when she remembers that she'll never get that reality, and ends up shooting it.

** Mary has an extremely rare form of dwarfism that stops her from physically aging, and in her case, she stopped growing any bigger (and looking any older) by the time she was five. By the events of this episode, Mary's at least thirty years old (according to Commissioner Gordon), and had done ''Love That Baby'' from the age of 10 to the age of 20.

* PetTheDog: Baby-Doll does consider Brian Daly, the actor who played her older brother, to be the nicest of the castmates she kidnaps (and he does seem to feel genuinely sorry for her, despite all the stuff she did).

* ThoseTwoActors: InUniverse Brian Daly and Tammy Vance are implied to be this. They're shown to still be working together in a stage production of ''Death of a Salesmen'' ten years after ''Love that Baby'' was cancelled.

* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Robin snickers on seeing the scene where Cousin Spunky smashes Baby Doll's face into her birthday cake. And then immediately pretends he didn't.

* NotAllowedToGrowUp: Mary "Baby-Doll" Dahl is a very, InUniverse, heartbreaking example.

* SympathyForTheDevil: Batman empathizes with Baby-Doll and tries to reason with her even after she attacks him. After she goes through her VillainousBreakdown in the Hall of Mirrors, he stands silently and lets her sob on him as she clings to his leg, even gently putting his hand on her head to comfort her.

* CooldownHug: Inverted; Baby-Doll runs into Batman's arms after she shoots the mirror image of herself.

* SympathyForTheDevil: Batman empathizes with Baby-Doll and tries to talk her down. Then he hugs Baby-Doll after he takes her empty gun, and she runs into his arms.

''[fires her gun at the various Batman reflections before rounding on the mirror showing her adult form, tears streaming down her cheeks... and unloads the last three rounds into it, [[RageAgainstTheReflection shattering the reflection]]. Batman approaches and gently takes the doll/gun away from her, as she's still trying to fire without any rounds left]''\\

* UndressingTheUnconscious: After Mariam is knocked out and taken by Baby-Doll she wakes up at the studio where they had filmed their television program, now wearing her old costume. It's implied Baby-Doll did this with all of her old co-stars.

* RageAgainstTheReflection: Batman is chasing Baby Doll through a funhouse, into the Hall of Mirrors. She's caught up short when one of the mirrors shows her as she would have been if she had not been born with a rare condition that makes her forever look five years old. Cue VillainousBreakdown during which she empties her gun into the mirror.

* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Robin snickers on seeing the scene where Cousin Spunky smashes Baby Doll's face into her birthday cake.

* BittersweetEnding: Everyone is saved, but Mary is captured and institutionalized, and still will never be taken seriously as an adult.

* DarkActionGirl: Mariam. She is able to contend with both Batman and Robin.

* MoodWhiplash: It seems for the most part a wacky and silly episode with only occasional glimpses of a darker core...[[TearJerker and then we get to the hall of mirrors]].

* NotGrowingUpSucks: If it means that people only see you as your alter go, and you can't get a serious career in acting.

** Mary has an extremely rare form of dwarfism that stops her from physically aging, and in her case, she stopped growing any bigger (and looking any older) by the time she was five. By the events of this episode, Mary's at least thirty years old (according to Commissioner Gordon), and had done ''Love that Baby'' from the age of 10 to the age of 20.

%%* TragicVillain: Mary

* WorfEffect: Batman and Robin are both pretty easily thrown around by Baby Doll's henchmen.