BatTalk
Assistant Producer Arnold Knulp
“Romy was great, very funny, really vibrant. By the time these
episodes aired, both of the main actresses were nearing forty. Romy
was concerned that she might not be convincing as Janet, but she was perfect.
“I think they handled it tastefully enough. Yvonne was a real
trooper. I think maybe she’s tired of seeing that picture of Batgirl
with the diaper, but she takes it in good humor.”
Writer Ivan Yawnenstrich
“Diapergirl was really a device to explore Batgirl’s relationship with
her father. Before Batgirl could accept the need to tell her father
the truth, to be grown-up about it, she needed to have her nose rubbed
in her own childishness a bit. This charade had been going on for
eight seasons. How long could it continue? And Neil was pleased
to have his character’s intelligence credited, at last.
“That scene where Batgirl talks to her mask seems to confuse people.
I really thought it opened up some compelling possibilites for character
development. But they never explored the idea, in later episodes,
so it remains just this puzzling inclusion in the “baby” story. I’m
actually surprised they left it in the final version.
“There really is an Adult Baby movement, of sorts. I was concerned
about writing some kind of exploitation piece or something. I hope
it was inoffensive enough, to everyone. Some of the executives [at
NBC] didn’t like the idea, but they finally let us do it. They were
pretty good about letting us try more serious material as the series went
on. And I think the real ABY’s take it as kind of a tribute.
They show up at the conventions, sometimes, with that picture, wanting
an autograph.
“I wanted the ABY movement to be kind of an underground culture, like
the punk rockers who were causing so much controversy in London and New
York at the time. I don’t really think that was made clear in the
aired episodes. These were fashion-conscious kids, mainly, who dressed
in baby clothes. The punk rockers had their safety pins and rubber
gear. The ABY’s had pacifiers and diapers. But that element,
the parody, was lost.”
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