It’s been 60 years since The Riddler started causing headaches for Gotham City on primetime TV. On Jan. 12, 1966, “Batman” arrived in American homes in living color as a half-hour series. The episode, “Hi Diddle Riddle,” introduced Adam West and Burt Ward as Batman and Robin. The show immediately captivated many kids, including Scott Brandt.
“We baby boomers all grew up with the same thing at the same time on the same channel, right?” said Brandt, 66. “It was ‘same bat time, same bat channel,’ and we all tuned in. There was just something visual about watching it that I looked forward to as a child, the color and the graphics. It was so kitschy and fun. It was cool that he had an alter ego—Bruce Wayne—and they had all those cameo appearances by guests like Sammy Davis, Jr.”
Six decades later, the Caped Crusader hasn’t lost any appeal for Brandt, who has accumulated thousands of items stored in the bat cave (a spare room in his house that once served as an office). They include Batman figurines, watches, posters and model Batmobiles.
Brandt owns Moto Exotica, the classic and rare collectible car dealership in Fenton. The business started in 1987, by which time Brandt had already acquired many of his Batman tchotchkes. His collection started around his 7th birthday…