Back in July 2024, I wrote about acquiring a small, plastic bank in the shape of Batman’s torso from an antique mall. The bank came from a box of Batman cereal, released way back in 1989 in conjunction with the upcoming blockbuster film starring Michael Keaton and directed by Tim Burton.
I thought it would be fun to get an empty Batman cereal box to go with the bank, so I started looking around on eBay. Empty boxes typically run between $20 and $30, including shipping, but I kept my eyes open for one that might slip through the cracks at a lower price.
After many months of waiting, I came across an auction that was one better – a sealed box of Batman cereal from 1989, complete with a new, never-used Batman bank! And it was only $18, shipped to my door!
The box is a little beat up and the plastic wrap holding the bank in place is a little foggy and dusty, probably from sitting on someone’s shelf for the past 35 years. It doesn’t photograph very well, but still looks pretty cool in-person.
It’s funny, because I almost feel like this is something that every Xennial collector needs to have. Batman was a huge part of our pop culture lives, but never moreso than the summer of 1989. The shirts were everywhere, the trailers, the product tie-ins, the Prince song – the anticipation was off the charts. And then to have the movie live up to our expectations? Unbelievable.
So, as a Xennial collector, I’m very happy to have this box in my collection. It wasn’t exactly what I envisioned was going to happen, but I’m not going to complain.
And, before you ask – no, I will not be opening and eating a box of 35-year old cereal. That box is going to stay sealed until the end of time.
