The Batphone first became famous in the 1966 Batman television series, where Commissioner Gordon kept a red phone under a glass dome in his office. It gave him a direct line to Batman whenever Gotham faced a threat the police could not handle alone. The prop became one of the show's most recognisable images, repeated in comics, films and parodies for decades. Online, the original ringing version survives as a nostalgic shorthand for calling a hero, turning an ordinary phone gag into an instant Batman reference.