Long before the Dark Knight actually became dark, before Christian Bale and Michael Keaton ever donned the iconic cowl, there was William Dozier’s Batman.

The 60s television series starred Adam West and Burt Ward as the crime solving, dynamic duo in a campy, fun version of the adventures of Batman and Robin that has since reached legendary status in television history.

On January 12, 1966 television audiences were introduced to the caped crusader and his young ward, and the world has not been able to get enough of Batman ever since. While West and Ward were not the first actors to bring the dynamic duo to life, they made the biggest impact on the character’s comic book side. Their series saved Batman and Robin from potential comic book extinction and created “Batmania,” an affliction comic book fans have yet to recover from.

During a recent interview with CNN, Ward reflected on what it was like to watch the now classic show for the very first time.

“I remember sitting in my little apartment with a little television. I had not seen it put together in any form whatsoever — and I watched it and thought, ‘Gee, this is really good.’ And apparently the rest of North America thought so. The next day, the rating was a 52 share. So 52% of TVs that were on were watching Batman. Pretty spectacular.”

Both West and Ward are still happy to return to Batman every chance they get.

To this day the series holds a special place in the hearts of Bat-fanatics everywhere ,young and old, 50 years after it premiered.

“I’ll see a family come up (at a personal appearance), and when they get in front of me, the parents become like children again, talking to me like kids.”