Baby Doll (Batman: The Animated Series episode)

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“Baby Doll (The Adventures of Batman & Robin)”
The Adventures of Batman & Robin episode

Episode no.	Season 2 Episode 011
Written by	D. O'Flaherty & Tom Ruegger
Directed by	Boyd Kirkland
Original airdate	October 1, 1994
Episode chronology
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List of Batman: The Animated Series episodes

This is the 11th episode of Batman: the animated series' 2nd season and marks the first appearance of Baby Doll.

1 Plot Summary
2 Trivia
3 Cast
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Plot Summary

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Batman and Robin are investigating the kidnapping of several actors, all of whom once starred on the sitcom That's Our Baby. Their investigation leads them to Mary Louise Dahl, a woman who suffers from a disorder called systemic hypoplasia. Systemic hypoplasia causes its victims to cease aging at a certain point in childhood. In her case, she played a toddler whose catchline was "I didn't mean to." while she was in her 30s. Initially, Mary Dahl is viewed as a possible target, but Batman soon learns that the woman may be more villainous than she looks. After quitting her sitcom, Dahl tried legitimate acting, but critics shunned her.

Twenty years later, Dahl — adopting her former show persona, Baby Doll — returns to kidnap her former co-stars and return them to the abandoned set where That's Our Baby was filmed in an attempt to recapture the happiness she had when she was on the show. Batman frees the actors from Baby Doll and chases her to a carnival. There, they enter a house of mirrors where Baby is confronted with a distorted reflection of herself that, in her mind, resembles what she would look like if she had a normal body. She then breaks down, giving a pained, rambling apology speech which ends with, "...I didn't mean to." Interestingly enough, she makes this observation to herself in the voice of an adult woman, in contrast to the childish, high pitched voice she had in the Baby Doll persona. Instead of attacking Batman, Baby Doll shoots the mirror.

[edit] Trivia

Baby Doll's appearance is based on that of Elmyra Duff from another Warner Brothers animated show, Tiny Toon Adventures.
Dahl may also be based on former child actors Gary Coleman and Emmanuel Lewis, who have similar conditions.
The later episodes of the series featured a blonde-haired, bespeckled cousin, a parody of Cousin Oliver from The Brady Bunch. Robbie Rist, who played Oliver, appeared in this episode, but voiced another character.

[edit] Cast

Actor	Role
Kevin Conroy	Bruce Wayne / Batman
Loren Lester	Robin
Alison LaPlaca	Baby-Doll
Efrem Zimbalist Jr.	Alfred Pennyworth
Bob Hastings	Commissioner Gordon
Jane Alan	Summer Gleeson
Jason Marsden	'Spunky' Spencer
Robbie Rist	Brian Daly
Judy Strangis	Tammy Vance
Tasia Valenza	Miriam
Alan Young	Tod Baker