10 Best Joker Episodes Of Batman: The Animated Series

It’s the first appearance of the Joker in the series and what a festive romp it is!

From the get-go it’s signature Joker mayhem. The Arkham loons are singing Christmas carols, but Joker has changed his lyrics to “Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg!” Then, before the song is even halfway through, the Joker has leapt onto the rocket-propelled Christmas tree and blasted his way out of Arkham.

Soon the Joker has hijacked Gotham’s Christmas telly to air a twisted holiday special with kidnapped guests and a canned studio audience. The Joker’s penchant for dressing up is evident in this very first episode, here sporting a Mr Rogers style cardigan. Oh, and let’s not forget Laffy the Elf, Joker’s horrible hand-puppet that particularly enjoys blowing up bridges.

More than just a clown though, the Joker’s sadism is on full display, laughing at the prospect of hostage Summer Gleeson’s mother being on the train that he is about to crash. We’re also introduced to a myriad of high-tech Joker gadgets including giant robotic nutcracker soldiers.

This episode is a perfect introduction to the Joker character. He is a heartless, murderous psychopath, but more than that, he is a showman whose crimes are played entirely for laughs (even if they are his own).