Initially, the character of The Batman came across as a rather menacing, thoughtful loner. It was soon decided that he needed a sidekick, someone he could interact with. The creation of Robin in Detective 38 enabled the writers to expand on the character of The Batman by making him more human, and at the same time furnishing him with a sense of humour. Robin's costume was fashioned on England's legendary hero of Sherwood Forest, Robin Hood. His alter ego, Dick Grayson, was the twelve year old son of circus performers, who gets adopted by Bruce Wayne after his parents are killed in a trapeze accident. Dick Grayson, with his natural athletic prowess and strong physique became the perfect crime fighting partner of The Batman.
The Boy Wonder's introduction also helped to soften the rather hard edged character of The Batman. Suddenly, the stories were far more palatable to the kids of the forties. As a result of Robin's introduction, sales figures sky-rocketed. Batman and Robin working together as a team went down amazingly well with the young comic audience of the day.