I've Got Batman In My Basement - Bat-May

In addition to being the first appearance of The Penguin in Batman TAS, 'I've Got Batman in My Basement' features a giant vulture, kids driving the Batmobile, and Batman sword fighting The Penguin with a screw driver. Walter has much to discuss.

"I've Got Batman in My Basement" is the twentieth episode of the first season of Batman: The Animated Series. It originally aired on September 30, 1992 and was the first episode in the series to feature The Penguin. A teenaged amateur detective, Sherman Grant and his best friend Roberta witness The Penguin receiving the stolen Vonalster Fabergé Egg from his thugs. When Batman appears, Penguin hits him with a gas pellet that severely weakens him. Now it's up to a few kids to protect him.


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[artlygalkd]

I've got Batman in my basement sounds like a goosebumps book

[contentlobby]

“Mom meet Batman, Batman this is my mom”

Batman: ma’am.

What a polite Batman :)

[kiddfaith]

I’ve always thought this episode was made as fan service for the kids watching it. Meeting a superhero is often something they dream of, but helping one is the essence of a dream come true. I remember watching this episode after school with envy and fantasizing that, if Batman were real I’d like to meet him; so it resonated with the younger viewers.

[comicboybook]

This is like a story from the 50’s and 60’s comics and is kind of fun to watch

[merciless]

You can just tell this episode and particularly this show came out in the 90s. How the kids in this episode talked, the stuff the kids say, and of course the Home Alone references in this episode. Only difference is, 4 kids vs 3 bad guys whereas 1 kid vs 2 bad guys in Home Alone. Batman The Animated Series and X Men The Animated Series are two of the reasons FOX was the number 1 network for most of the 1990s.

[Nickle_King]

I would like to point out that this IS a kid's show, however that doesn't mean it isn't something for adults to enjoy as well. After all, what does it mean to be a "kids" show? All it means is it won't have manipulative, sexual, or gory imagery/themes. Other than that? Not much difference. Good writing, acting, and art will always be good writing, acting, and art, no matter what age the viewer.

[powerrangernerd]

Walter, you're not the only one who like this episode. I gotta say, how Sherman reacted and the lengths he went to in order to protect him was literally how I would've!!


This is just one of my guilty pleasures of the show. It definitely goes on the top 15 for me.

[foxhound]

In my Batman Group we made a meme saying "the screwdriver is mightier than the umbrella sword"

[Sabretoothsquirrel]

I like this episode for what it is. It's well written in the sense that this is relatable for kids. This is a scenario that some kids could conceivably fantasize about doing. The deep psychology of say Harvey Dent's split personality or the tangled mess of corruption and politics that is Gotham City's justice system might pass over a kid's head, but here's a story they'll understand. Some bad guys have knocked out the Batman and are looking for him. We must hide and protect him in familiar surroundings, i.e. our house and our basement. We get to figure out how to use some of Batman's cool gadgets to help stop the bad guys and put them in jail. And then we introduce Batman, the cool hero that we saved, to the most important person in our life, our parent!
It's like the writers observed their kids playing Batman and just took notes.

[CHAKE-LIX]

"..we got something much more chilling."
Like his monologues

[michaellucejr.]

I really like this story! It’s a bit goofy and seems like a silver age comic book that is a cartoon, but it’s also really engaging and seeing a sort of snobbish Penguin with the personality of Burgess Meredith’s and the design of Danny DeVito’s portrayals of the character are SO cool!

[KingVenom]

Rob Paulsen is always a delight. He's one of my favorite voice actors. This was an ok episode. I consider it like a filler episode in an anime.

[supermario]

You know, I never watched the show, but when I heard there was an episode was titled "I've Got Batman in my Basement", I thought it would be about the boy being a crazed fan of Batman who's keeps the Dark Knight hostage in his basement or something

[Branjero]

"Befowled by a couple of fledgelings!"

[getmario]

Well at least its more kid friendly Penguin than the mature Penguin in Batman Returns.

Its almost felt like Nancy Drew with Batman in it and having a Home Alone style like trapping these three thugs.

[fabulousmyriad]

People complaining about kids ruining the "edginess" in Batman stories, forget that said vigilante took on a literal *9 year old* as his protege. Batman has a soft spot for kids(and a serious addiction to adopting them)

[dkupke]

This was by far the best adaptation of The Penguin.

[sensoriko]

I liked this episode as a kid. I was introduced to the Adam West Batman before TAS and it helped bridge the tone gap between the two shows.

[FabledHeroes]

This was the funniest episode I ever watched honestly (I also really wanted to see a spinoff with the kids solving crimes )

[williamwallaceoftheus]

People go too hard on this episode. It was a light hearted episode for the kids. Is it great no but it was harmless. I agree 100% with the commentary