Who is the doll maker that helps Joker escape in Dark Knight Returns?

Question

In The Dark Knight Returns, the Joker's escape is aided by a curious character who builds lifelike and technically advanced dolls. They can fly, respond to voice commands, and contain poison gas and explosives. One even carries the Joker out of the TV studio.

The name of this character is never given, but he's shown visiting the Joker in Arkham prior to the escape. The two seem very familiar with each other.

Given that DKR contains several references to Batman continuity that the reader is simply expected to know, I had always assumed this was some well-known associate of the Joker or other Batman villain that I had never seen before. However, Googling fails to clear up the mystery.

Who is this character? And why his penchant for grotesque dolls?

Answer 1

His name is Abner. Batman uses his name when he and Robin go to his house following some clues. Then

Robin loses her patience, gets into the house and the doll explodes.

From Abner's entry in DC Wikia:

Abner is a mentally ill henchman [...] a talented explosives expert. [...] Abner uses a flying bomb in the shape of a small child to murder an entire studio audience while Joker escapes police custody

This entry states that Abner is a character from DC's earth 31 that seems to be a divergent universe for Frank Miller's Batman versions (Dark Knight Returns, All Star Batman and Robin and even a "mirror" version of Batman Year One).

Abner is a creation of Frank Miller for the DKR story. Unfortunately no wiki explains much about the talking-flying-explosive dolls.

Answer 2

I always assumed it was Toyman, he's had a few different incarnations over the years. But AFAIK his name is never actually mentioned in DKR.

I can't find any reference to Toyman or any other villain in the credits on IMDB.

There's a discussion about his identity on Wikipedia, it seems to be a bit of a mystery...

Joker's Accomplice:

What is the name of the Joker's accomplice? His name is not mentioned in the article, but he plays a fairly important role in the story, first sabotaging Two-Face's bombs and later aiding the Joker. I'm not an expert on the DC Universe, and all I know for sure is that he's not a really well known villain, and that his trademark seems to be making dolls that explode. I currently don't have access to my copy of DKR, but if someone could check to see if his name is mentioned, I think it would be worth mentioning in the article. Smooth Nick 04:13, 5 June 2006 (UTC)

I can't find mention of a name with a quick scan of DKR. But that sort of thing is typical of DKR, he might be a regular Batman character with a name mentioned somewhere else.--DCAnderson 04:25, 5 June 2006 (UTC) Is it Humpty Dumpty? It certainly looks like him but there is nothing in the book to actually say either way or the other. 13:27, 9 July 2007 (UTC) Sorry, never mind I had just stumbled upon that and was struck by the resemblance. I didn't think to check the date of his first appearance. Hamptor 13:31, 9 July 2007 (UTC)

Could it be Toyman? (JGH) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.57.242.19 (talk) 20:03, 10 May 2013 (UTC)