Adventures in Collecting Toy Collecting Podcast

What better way to wrap our coverage of #NYCC than with a post-panel interview with Brandon, Dan, and Dwight from the Hasbro Star Wars and Marvel Legends teams! Let’s find out a little more about how the sausage gets made, answer some community questions, and discover when we’ll hear more about what’s next from these massive franchises!

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Intro and other voices by Joe Azzari
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Theme Music is "Game Boy Horror" by the Zombie Dandies

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Another edition of Reel Talk is here — this time we're diving into #SpookySeason by talking about one of my favorite "gateway to horror" movies of all time, 1987's iconic Fred Dekker classic, "The Monster Squad." How does this movie hold up nearly 40 years later? Is it worth your time in 2026? Is it still OK for kids? Let's discuss.

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Intro and other voices by Joe Azzari https://www.instagram.com/voicesbyjoe/

Theme Music is "Game Boy Horror" by the Zombie Dandies

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Live from The Toy Insider's Holiday of Play event in New York City, Dave chatted with the man who understands the pulse of play better than anyone else on the planet — The "Rockfather" himself, James Zahn.   

Hear about what's driving the toy industry forward, how adult collectors have more women than you realize, the squishy revolution, and that Pokemon simply cannot be stopped.

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Intro and other voices by Joe Azzari
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Theme Music is "Game Boy Horror" by the Zombie Dandies

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Pokémon is celebrating its 30th anniversary, and somehow, 30 years later, we’re right back where we started: hunting Pokémon cards.  

On Episode 215 of Adventures in Collecting, Erik and Dave dive into the current state of Pokémon collecting, the massive Pokémon TCG 30th Anniversary set, the chase cards commanding absolutely wild prices, and why Pokémon cards have pulled Erik back into the hobby in a BIG way.  

We break down Illustration Rares, Special Illustration Rares, EX cards, Pokémon Center Elite Trainer Boxes (ETBs), sealed collecting, pull rates and the new 30th Anniversary cards — including a futuristic Mew chase card hitting the market at around $20,000 at the time of recording.  

Erik also recounts his launch-day hunt for the Pokémon 30th Anniversary set at Target and Best Buy, including missing an ETB by ONE PERSON, and explains why he’s keeping his Pokémon Center ETBs sealed.  Then, we rip some packs!  

Dave opens Pokémon cards for the FIRST TIME EVER with two packs of Pitch Black, while Erik cracks into his first packs of the Pokémon 30th Anniversary set. Do either of us pull something big? You’ll have to watch to find out.  

Plus: Erik’s road to New York Comic Con 2026, Dave heads to Toy Insider Holiday of Play, the Adventures in Collecting September G.I. Joe Classified giveaway, and plenty of the usual collecting nonsense.  

What are YOU chasing from the Pokémon 30th Anniversary set? Are you ripping your ETBs or keeping them sealed? Let us know in the comments!

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Intro and other voices by Joe Azzari
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Theme Music is "Game Boy Horror" by the Zombie Dandies

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It’s a big week for action figure collectors! On Episode 214 of Adventures in Collecting, Erik breaks down the latest Marvel Legends reveals from Hasbro, the massive G.I. Joe Classified Series Thunder Machine, Mattel’s WWE Ultimate Edition Penta, and more from the world of toys and collectibles.  

Hasbro’s latest Marvel Legends livestream brought plenty to talk about, including Matt Fraction-inspired Hawkeye with Pizza Dog, Earth X Captain America, Marvel Zombies Elsa Bloodstone, Spider-Man in a Doom suit, classic Elektra, Kro, and the return of several Spider-Man: The Animated Series favorites. Plus, we take a closer look at the new holiday Spider-Man inspired by the Ultimate Spider-Man #12 cover and speculate about that mysterious Marvel Legends teaser.  

Then it’s over to G.I. Joe Classified Series for the Dreadnoks’ legendary Thunder Machine! Erik breaks down the massive made-to-order vehicle, its $125 price tag, ordering window, and Hasbro’s changes to how made-to-order purchases are charged.  

Also in this episode: The Tick from Fresh Monkey Fiction and BigBadWorkshop, Marvel Legends Doc Samson, Fantastic Four MCU Marvel Legends, the return of Mary Jane and Aunt May, what Hasbro may be saving for New York Comic Con 2026, WWE Ultimate Edition Penta, and the upcoming Pokémon 30th anniversary.  

• 00:00 — Welcome to Episode 214 
• 00:56 — September G.I. Joe Giveaway 
• 02:43 — Pokémon 30th Anniversary & Pokémon Card Collecting 
• 06:03 — Fresh Monkey Fiction / Longbox Heroes The Tick 
• 08:50 — Marvel Legends March Madness & Doc Samson 
• 11:14 — Hasbro Marvel Legends Livestream 
• 12:10 — Fantastic Four MCU Marvel Legends 
• 13:58 — New Marvel Legends Comic Wave & Matt Fraction Hawkeye 
• 15:48 — Spider-Man Animated Series Retro Card Re-Releases 
• 17:53 — Why “Background Characters” Matter in Toy Collections 
• 20:25 — Maximum Carnage & Retro Packaging 
• 21:27 — Marvel Legends Preorder Details 
• 21:52 — Holiday Spider-Man & Ultimate Spider-Man #12 
• 25:38 — Hasbro’s Mystery Spider-Man Teaser 
• 26:37 — Marvel Legends at New York Comic Con 2026 
• 27:40 — G.I. Joe Classified Series Thunder Machine 
• 31:16 — WWE Ultimate Edition Penta 
• 34:13 — What’s Next on Adventures in Collecting?  

What was your favorite reveal? And what do YOU think Hasbro’s latest Marvel Legends teaser is hinting at? Let us know in the comments!  

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Intro and other voices by Joe Azzari  

https://www.instagram.com/voicesbyjoe/  Theme Music is "Game Boy Horror" by the Zombie Dandies  

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#MarvelLegends #GIJoeClassified #WWEFigures #ActionFigures #ToyCollecting #Hasbro #SpiderMan #GIJoe #MarvelLegendsCollectors #ActionFigureCollector #ToyNews #PokemonTCG #AdventuresInCollecting

Another edition of Reel Talk is here — this time we're launching into spooky season properly by taking a look at the Inde (get it?) darling of the year, Obsession. Let's talk about the movie, the impacts it's having on the genre, and pop culture in general!

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Intro and other voices by Joe Azzari  https://www.instagram.com/voicesbyjoe/   

Theme Music is "Game Boy Horror" by the Zombie Dandies      

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Erik is laid up and Dave is on vacation — that's OK though.... we're kicking it old school and just talking toys for a bit. Hear about Erik's gruesome surgery | we talk about the new Renaissance of kids meal toys | and Pokemon Cards!   

Bookmark the Planetoid Raiders Kickstarter! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wanderingplanettoys/planetoid-raiders-retro-style-action-figures?ref=4o8k0k   

Follow Wandering Planet Toys on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wanderingplanettoys

Follow us @aic_podcast on Instagram [https://instagram.com/aic_podcast], Facebook [https://facebook.com/aicpodcast], X [https://twitter.com/aic_podcast], and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeNtqD5fka34ndNJ4kD0zlw]    

Start creating a podcast today with Zencastr! Learn more [https://zencastr.com/?via=erik].    

Intro and other voices by Joe Azzari  https://www.instagram.com/voicesbyjoe/    

Theme Music is "Game Boy Horror" by the Zombie Dandies    

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It has been A WEEK. From new crowdfund campaigns to preorders and REALLLLY big Transformers figures, let's rundown everything you need to know headed into a new week of toys and the final week of August 2026.

Follow us @aic_podcast on Instagram [https://instagram.com/aic_podcast], Facebook [https://facebook.com/aicpodcast], X [https://twitter.com/aic_podcast], and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeNtqD5fka34ndNJ4kD0zlw]  

Start creating a podcast today with Zencastr! Learn more. [https://zencastr.com/?via=erik]  

Intro and other voices by Joe Azzari  https://www.instagram.com/voicesbyjoe/  

Theme Music is "Game Boy Horror" by the Zombie Dandies  

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In toy world of big IP and mass market appeal, who's looking out for the niches with die-hard and under-serviced fans? Why look no further than Wandering Planet Toys. Gavin Hignight founded the company in 2021 and has since produced successful toys for Laurel and Hardy, Nancy Drew, and The Prisoner (to name a few). This week we're chatting about what toys mean to him and what can be expected in their new Planetoid Raiders Kickstarter that's coming in hot!  

Bookmark the Planetoid Raiders Kickstarter! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wanderingplanettoys/planetoid-raiders-retro-style-action-figures?ref=4o8k0k  

Follow Wandering Planet Toys on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wanderingplanettoys 

Follow us @aic_podcast on Instagram [https://instagram.com/aic_podcast], Facebook [https://facebook.com/aicpodcast], X [https://twitter.com/aic_podcast], and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeNtqD5fka34ndNJ4kD0zlw]  

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Intro and other voices by Joe Azzari  https://www.instagram.com/voicesbyjoe/  

Theme Music is "Game Boy Horror" by the Zombie Dandies  

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Another edition of Reel Talk is here — this time we're swinging back into the MCU and looking at the latest addition to the ever-expanding MCU, Spider-Man Brand New Day! My Peter is tingling... how about yours?

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Intro and other voices by Joe Azzari

https://www.instagram.com/voicesbyjoe/

Theme Music is "Game Boy Horror" by the Zombie Dandies

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