The Wayne Foundation Prototype

[EMCE Hammer]

At first I thought "Cool top thingy!" but the more I look at it, the more of a Barbie vibe I get. The production version seems a lot more heroey to me.

[Mikey]

I'm guessing when designed they had corner struts in mind but didn't have them onhand by the time the mock-up was photographed.

Neat, the penthouse really adds a lot.

[Earth 2 Chris]

BTW, I never knew there was an actual Wayne Foundation. I thought it was just a name Mego used because it looked so little like Wayne Manor.

When Robin went off to college in late 1969, Bruce and Alfred closed up Wayne Manor and the Batcave and they moved into Bruce's penthouse atop the Wayne Foundation. Batman only occasionally used the old Batcave during the early 70s. In the mid 70s, the Wayne Foundation was given the distinctive look above, and a new Batcave was established underneath.

Bruce, Dick and Alfred moved back to Wayne Manor in the early 80s. The Wayne Foundation building was used by the Outsiders for a time.

Chris

[ScottA]

Very interesting all the way around.

[HardyGirl]

I like that one. It looks less like the Barbie Town House than the real one. I bet if it were constructed w/ plastic and chipboard, (like the one we know), this version coulda made it!

[UnderdogDJLSW]

I like this version with the penthouse, too. I like the elevator being centered. What I love are the chairs. I wish that form had been designed three years earlier and have been on the Enterprise play set rather than the stools.

[drmego]

It looks like the elevator was originally an interior shaft - instead of an
external clip on like the production version.

Putting the elevator shaft in the center might have made the structure
more sturdy.

[spamn]

I have no desire to add a Wayne Foundation to my collection, too pricey for a not so cool toy. If I ever want a reasonable facsimile, I'll modify a Barbie Townhouse. The Dida Stately Wayne Caverns is infinitely cooler.

But if THIS were what was released? I'd be dyin' for one.

[starsky]

definitely like it more than the one that came out.

[jwyblejr]

I can just picture Batman using a jet pack to take off from the roof of this.

[mitchedwards]

Very Nice. I like the layout of the prototype much better.

I never even knew the Wayne Foundation existed until i joined the museum.

[samurainoir]

When Robin went off to college in late 1969, Bruce and Alfred closed up Wayne Manor and the Batcave and they moved into Bruce's penthouse atop the Wayne Foundation. Batman only occasionally used the old Batcave during the early 70s. In the mid 70s, the Wayne Foundation was given the distinctive look above, and a new Batcave was established underneath.

Bruce, Dick and Alfred moved back to Wayne Manor in the early 80s. The Wayne Foundation building was used by the Outsiders for a time.

Chris

Dick is operating as Batman out of the Wayne Foundation once again in the current storylines.

[knight errant00]

I like the penthouse at the top, and the overall look of the prototype version better than the production one. It just seems a lot more like the the one in the comics at the time (coming from an even-then loyal bat-reader) than the one that was produced.

But here's a question: What was the exterior art (i.e., on the side away from the camera) like? If it was like the picture Toyroom posted,



how awesome would that have been?

And looking at that picture reminded me how much the movie The Dark Knight's bunker-style batcave reminded me of the 70s-80s downtown Wayne Foundation.

[DocDrako]

Neat! I like the enclosed nature of this one. The added plants and roof design are a nice touch, and seeing the unused artwork (what we can see of it) is fun. I love Mego. More and more I really love Mego. And I love this place! Thanks for continually keeping Mego alive with new discoveries and glimpses into the past.

[megoscott]

I was so thrilled to see this. I'd say it's the highlight of the archive find...but it's not.

I wish we could know more about where this fit in the process. It has such a dollhouse vibe, my first thought was that they were actually using some existing doll playset (I had too look up Barbie Townhouses to double check) for parts in their mock-up, but as someone pointed out, it's styrofoam and cardboard. It almost looks like an architectural model. The plants are ridiculous and makes me think this is early on in the process, but it looks like they were pretty far along in designing the furniture and they already had the artwork done.

I think the side mounted elevator on the final product makes more sense, this cuts up the play area too much.