Entertainment

The story of how this Batman got a crochet costume will melt your heart

You will want to give your grandma a hug.
You will want to give your grandma a hug.

Superhero action figures normally don’t wear crochet costumes but one Batman toy is getting a lot of attention for the right reasons.

While the macho doll, which belongs to Rusty Marcum, is seen uncharacteristically dressed in a knitted outfit, the sweet story behind the strange costume is already breaking the internet.

Mr Marcum posted a photo of his toy on Twitter, saying: “When I was 6, my brother got mad at me and threw him in the backyard where I couldn’t find him.

“When I did, his costume had rotted off. This is what my grandma crocheted for me.”

His touching story received a lot of love on Twitter, with his post garnering more than 49,000 likes and close to 5,000 retweets.

Mr Marcum, who lives in Arizona, got the Batman figure some time in 1977. He was reunited with his beloved toy a year after it got lost.

“It would’ve been the classical Adam West Batman costume from that time,” he told the Press Association.

Batman teaching road safety
Actor Adam West as Batman, left, and Burt Ward as Robin, right, from 1967 (ABC/PA)

While he was thrilled to have his toy back, he said that at that time he was “a little bummed he wasn’t in his normal costume”.

He added: “I really don’t remember if it changed how I played with him. I know Robin was glad to have him back…”

Now, decades later, Batman’s crochet costume holds a special place in Mr Marcum’s heart.

He said: “Many people have asked if I realised how much my grandma cared for me. I knew it then as a kid. She was a great grandma. I learned a lot from her growing up.

“She was very independent, spoke her mind and didn’t suffer fools lightly. We didn’t always agree, but I knew she was always there to lend a helping hand.

“In her later years, I tried to return the many favours to her.

“That doll is a physical representation of her love to her grandkids. All in all, crocheted Batman is a story about family.”

And as for his brother?

Mr Marcum said: “My brother was also an amazing brother. He’s been there through life whenever I’ve needed him. He meant no harm on that day.”