Update: I know there was a doll that interactive with recorded shows but I can't remember what it was called.
In other The Batman news, Warner Bros. Consumer Products announced on Wednesday that it has partnered with its master toy licensee, Mattel, and VEIL Interactive Technologies to merge action figure and vehicle play with interactive television. The technology, exclusive to WBCP and Mattel for 2004, represents the first time a toy line will use the technology to enhance both the toy and TV experience.
VEIL (Video Encoded Invisible Light) technology transmits encoded digital data -- in the form of graphics, storyline components, gadgets and other features -- directly from The Batman series. The encoded data, captured exclusively by Mattel's new line of Batwave toys based on the series, unlocks new capabilities in the toys and provides more information about the show and its characters. Like the series, the toys will debut this fall.
"The Batwave line is an extraordinary and sophisticated new way for kids to watch and play with their favorite characters -- whether the TV is on or off," said Matt Bousquette, president, Mattel. "This is the kind of toy that really satisfies today's kid because it not only enhances the viewing experience of the show, it actually pulls the child into the storyline in an imaginative as well as interactive way. It's the next generation toy for a new generation kid."
Each episode of The Batman will be encoded using VEIL technology, an invisible data stream embedded in the video picture that is transmitted to and received by the removable module with LCD screen. The module is the component that brings the Batman action figure and Batmobile to life.
While watching the show, the toys can be activated to receive the encoded signal. After the signal is received, engine graphics, diagnostics, gadgets, story line background from the show, character information, power-ups, and more, are activated within the toys. In addition, when the show is on, the Batman action figure and the Batmobile vehicle recognize the show's signal and "come to life" and react with lights, motion, and sound.
This sounds great! I found the info
here
Warner Bros. Animation will produce The Batman, a new animated series based on the DC Comics character, for Kids WB and Cartoon Network, the studio formally announced today.
The series, which will feature a continuity unrelated to the classic Batman: The Animated Series, will be about a young Batman in the third year of his crime-fighting career as he struggles to establish himself as the protector of Gotham City while balancing his crime-fighting role with his public persona as billionaire bachelor Bruce Wayne. Such classic Rogue's Gallery villains as the Joker, the Penguin, Catwoman, Mr. Freeze, the Riddler and the Man-Bat will appear in stories that detail Batman's first encounters with them.
Batman himself, who will be in his mid-twenties, will live beneath elevated train tracks and within a 150-year-old drainage system, battling adversaries with experimental Bat-gadgets and amped-up Batmobiles. His arsenal of equipment will all be operated and linked by an advanced remote-controlled invention he dubs the "Bat-Wave."
The series' theme song will be performed by U2 member The Edge. No other details of cast or crew have been announced, but Variety confirms that Adam West will appear as the Mayor and that Gina Gershon will voice Catwoman.
"To me, this is a dream project. Batman is the ultimate action-adventure property, and I've been a fan all of my life," says Sam Register, senior vice president of original animation at Cartoon Network. "The characters will remain true to their heritage, but we're going to deliver an action-adventure show that will feel so fresh and stylish that today's kids will love it as much as we all did growing up. I think this new Batman animated series will be a show that kids and their parents will watch together."