Batman: The Animated Series was arguably one of the best toylines of the 1990s. It had a critical flaw though, and that was distribution. Combat Belt Batman was the one "normal" Batman in the entire line, and did they keep shipping more throughout the line's life cycle? No. It was turning into a collector's item before the show had even stopped airing. It's the one Batman that everyone getting into the line wanted (and still wants to this day), and yet the supply rapidly disappeared due to the show's popularity and the demand for a Batman that actually looked like the cartoon, which Kenner for whatever boneheaded reason was unwilling to keep manufacturing. For every Combat Belt Batman out in the wild there were a hundred stupid variants like Radiation Suit Batman or Parachute Pants Batman. The same could be said for Robin and Joker, but the lack of a screen-accurate figure impacted Batman the worst because he was the main character, and therefore the most demanded figure.

I remember supply issues plaguing that line in other ways too. I could never get all the villains I wanted because most of the line was Batman variants. Key female characters like Catwoman, Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy were also in extremely limited supply because of the "boys don't play with girl characters" mindset.

I will always remember Batman the Animated Series as the toyline that gave me blue balls. There were so many great toys in the line that I was never able to get my hands on and I never will, because the eBay prices are obscene and a classics re-issue collection is out of the question.