Toys For Games 'Cast - Collecting, playing with, and discussing toys-to-life

A week after the shocking news about the closure of Disney Infinity, we're back with Episode 72 because as you know, the show must go on. While last week's show was more of a reactionary podcast, as not much information or news was available at the time of recording, this week was far more informed and far less speculative. Don't be fooled, though. We weren't able to make sense of this whole mess ourselves, which is why we brought on the reporter who blew the doors off the inside story of Disney Infinity's closure - Patrick Klepek!

Patrick wrote an excellent article last week for Kotaku, detailing the inside scoop on what happened within Disney Infinity, what went wrong, and the future plans of the franchise. We figured there was no better way to relay all the information in that piece than to bring Patrick on the show to help us answer the tough questions. Not only did he further explain many of the points he made within the story, but he dropped a few more hot scoops live on the show, which at this point is exclusive info no one else has heard yet!

After chatting with Patrick for a while about Disney Infinity, collecting amiibo, and the man of who we shouldn't speak of (Dan Ryckert), we get down to the nitty gritty and discuss the recent news in the toys-to-life genre. We discuss the final leaks of Disney Infinity, the upcoming amiibo releases, Skylanders 6 fakes, and LEGO Dimensions convention exclusives.

We then examine the #CommunityQuestion, and give away another reward for "Response of the Week." We also have another great Inquire This! Trivia segment, where the expert was challenged with a Disney Infinity question. We tried to do the voicemail segment, but Microsoft had different ideas for that. And of course, we also answer a bunch of great emails, as always, from the Best Community Ever. All this and more on Episode 72 of the Toys For Games 'Cast!

Executive Producers: Brett Cangemi (@Brettman79) & Jorge Torres!

• Patrick Klepek can be found on Twitter, @PatrickKlepek
• You can read all of his writing over on Kotaku
• Check out his YouTube channel with all of his great videos, including Mario Maker Mornings
• Be sure to give his podcasts a listen also: Match 3 and Til Death Do Us Part
• Don't forget to tweet @DanRyckert to ask about his tainted amiibo!

Our Sponsors:

• SHOW SPONSOR - Devin Laschinski
• Ken Pescatore (@ProudGamerTweet), who's in charge of the Toys For Games Facebook group
• James Holian (@InfinityMuseum)
• Matt Sonnenberg (@SCLMatt) from SkylandersCharacterList.com and Facebook.com/SkylandersCharacterList
• Micheal O'Driscoll (@amiibo_Museum)
• @AmiiboAmigo, from AmiiboAmigo.com. Also be sure to check him out on Instagram and his new project, @MiitomoDiaries!
• Christopher Long (@clong83), from Long's Toys. Check out his YouTube page as well!

Want to become a Sponsor as well? Check out our Patreon page!

A day we never expected to happen, happened. We've been talking about the eventual burst of the toys-to-life genre, and while this major news may not specifically indicate the beginning of the end, it certainly is a major blow to the entire video game industry and especially the genre we all know and love. Disney Infinity is closing its doors and ceasing operations, and well … we're absolutely heartbroken.

We breeze through some general news from the other franchises, including Skylanders releases, amiibo functionality in Pokemon, and the release of wave 5 for LEGO Dimensions. After that, however, the rest of the show is dedicated to breaking down, explaining, rationalizing, remembering, reacting, and making sense of all the emotions revolving around the sad news of Disney Infinity.

We close out the show with a bunch of emails and reactions from the community about Disney Infinity, and try to brighten the dark day with some laughs and entertainment.

#ThankYouDisneyInfinity

Executive Producers: Brett Cangemi (@Brettman79) & Jorge Torres!

Our Sponsors:

• SHOW SPONSOR - Devin Laschinski
• Ken Pescatore (@ProudGamerTweet), who's in charge of the Toys For Games Facebook group
• James Holian (@InfinityMuseum)
• Matt Sonnenberg (@SCLMatt) from SkylandersCharacterList.com and Facebook.com/SkylandersCharacterList
• Micheal O'Driscoll (@amiibo_Museum)
• @AmiiboAmigo, from AmiiboAmigo.com. Also be sure to check him out on Instagram and his new project, @MiitomoDiaries!
• Christopher Long (@clong83), from Long's Toys. Check out his YouTube page as well!

Want to become a Sponsor as well? Check out our Patreon page!

Recording the Collector's Edition podcast is always unpredictable, not in terms of what topics will be covered, but more so when it comes to what crazy strange tangents we'll go on throughout the show, and how often we'll get completely distracted by random things. Episode 16 turns out exactly how you imagine it would.

We talk about are slowly growing interest in pin trading, review some monthly subscription boxes, discuss all things Tsum Tsum, reveal some fascinating Funko Pop! News, gush over the Disney LEGO minifigures, and answer some great listener emails! Oh, and Jason finally confesses his quickly growing obsession with LEGO sets.

Executive Producers: Brett Cangemi (@Brettman79) & Jorge Torres!

Sponsored By: Alex Carrejo, @AtariAlex! Check out his podcast, The ABC Podcast, on YouTube or iTunes!

Want to become a Sponsor as well? Check out our Patreon page!

Well, Jason promised the show would "go downhill quicker than a cardboard canoe," and thanks to the inexperience of proper podcasting protocol and a lackluster internet connection, Jason #2 aka @AmiiboJason did all he could to sink this Titanic. Fortunately, the ever lovely Lauren aka @HappilyCandied was there to counterbalance the disturbance and add a touch of class to the show.

In all honesty, it was great having the duo from AmiiboNews and Nintendo Inquirer on the show, as we got to discuss the new Kirby amiibo, the new Splatoon amiibo announcement, and everything else Nintendo!

After saying goodbye to our dear friends, we got down to business, as we always do. We covered Disney Infinity celebrating May the 4th, upcoming Skylanders releases, and the biggest news of the night, a giant LEGO Dimensions leak! Some big things have happened live on this show before, but this is definitely high on that list!

We also examine the #CommunityQuestion, and give away another reward for "Response of the Week." We also have another great Inquire This! Trivia segment, where the expert decided to challenge himself. The introduction of the brand new voicemail segment also happens, and surprisingly, it wasn't a total dumpster fire! And of course, we also answer a bunch of great emails, as always, from the Best Community Ever. All this and more on Episode 70 of the Toys For Games 'Cast!

Executive Producers: Brett Cangemi (@Brettman79) & Jorge Torres!

Our Sponsors:

• SHOW SPONSOR - Devin Laschinski
• Ken Pescatore (@ProudGamerTweet), who's in charge of the Toys For Games Facebook group
• James Holian (@InfinityMuseum)
• Matt Sonnenberg (@SCLMatt) from SkylandersCharacterList.com and Facebook.com/SkylandersCharacterList
• Micheal O'Driscoll (@amiibo_Museum)
• @AmiiboAmigo, from AmiiboAmigo.com. Also be sure to check him out on Instagram and his new project, @MiitomoDiaries!
• Christopher Long (@clong83), from Long's Toys. Check out his YouTube page as well!

Want to become a Sponsor as well? Check out our Patreon page!

We're back from Boston, and we're rested, recharged, refocused, and ready for fun and surprises! Fresh off hosting a live panel at PAX East in Boston, we're back to recount our trip, discuss what we saw, played, and experienced at PAX, and break down how the panel itself went.

After recapping the PAX East experience, we actually get to some news from the four main franchises that got us here in the first place. We discuss Disney Infinity learning from previous mistakes (maybe?), a Q&A session with the LEGO Dimensions developers, a sneaky news drop from Skylanders, and the current state of amiibo.

We also examine the #CommunityQuestion, and give away another reward for "Response of the Week." The Inquire This! Segment seemed like it might have been tricky at first glance, but could Jason be stumped? And of course, we also answer a bunch of great emails, as always, from the Best Community Ever. All this and more on Episode 69 of the Toys For Games 'Cast!

Executive Producers: Brett Cangemi (@Brettman79) & Jorge Torres!

Our Sponsors:

• SHOW SPONSOR - Devin Laschinski
• Ken Pescatore (@ProudGamerTweet), who's in charge of the Toys For Games Facebook group
• James Holian (@InfinityMuseum)
• Matt Sonnenberg (@SCLMatt) from SkylandersCharacterList.com and Facebook.com/SkylandersCharacterList
• Micheal O'Driscoll (@amiibo_Museum)
• @AmiiboAmigo, from AmiiboAmigo.com. Also be sure to check him out on Instagram and his new project, @MiitomoDiaries!

Want to become a Sponsor as well? Check out our Patreon page!

The now infamous panel we hosted at PAX East called "How Toys-To-Life Became Mainstream in 2015," alongside Matt Sonnenberg from Skylanders Character List, and Greg Miller from Kinda Funny!

• SHOW SPONSOR - Devin Laschinski
• Ken Pescatore (@ProudGamerTweet), who's in charge of the Toys For Games Facebook group
• James Holian (@InfinityMuseum)
• Matt Sonnenberg (@SCLMatt) from SkylandersCharacterList.com and Facebook.com/SkylandersCharacterList
• Micheal O'Driscoll (@amiibo_Museum)
• @AmiiboAmigo, from AmiiboAmigo.com. Also be sure to check him out on Instagram and his new project, @MiitomoDiaries!

What does the last episode before a trip to Boston for PAX East combined with a slow news week sound like? Coincidently enough, it sounds a lot like this episode - Episode 67! What other toys-to-life podcast will you hear riveting discussion about the mustache of Benedict Cumberbatch or the rules of duels? Here, and only here.

There is a bit of news to touch upon, including weird Amazon pricing of LEGO Dimensions, Skylanders Battlecast pre-orders in the UK, GameStop pre-orders for unannounced Disney Infinity characters, and a little tidbit about amiibo restocks.

We also examine the #CommunityQuestion, and give away the first reward for “Response of the Week.” The Inquire This! Segment is back, with a question dating back to the 80s, and we also answer a bunch of great emails, as always, from the Best Community Ever. All this and more on Episode 67 of the Toys For Games ‘Cast!

Executive Producers: Brett Cangemi (@Brettman79) & Jorge Torres!

Our Sponsors:

• SHOW SPONSOR - Devin Laschinski
• Ken Pescatore (@ProudGamerTweet), who’s in charge of the Toys For Games Facebook group
• James Holian (@InfinityMuseum)
• Matt Sonnenberg (@SCLMatt) from SkylandersCharacterList.com and Facebook.com/SkylandersCharacterList
• Micheal O'Driscoll (@amiibo_Museum)
• @AmiiboAmigo, from AmiiboAmigo.com. Also be sure to check him out on Instagram and his new project, @MiitomoDiaries!

Want to become a Sponsor as well? Check out our Patreon page!

Volume 15 is one of those episodes where anything can happen. Recording on a Friday night is also something special, but this episode was particularly unpredictable.

We break down and review a bunch of subscription boxes from the past month, talk again about the ever expanding reaches of the Tsum Tsum Takeover, drool over some Funko POPS!, and of course, answer some listener emails.

Sponsored By: Alex Carrejo, @AtariAlex!Check out his podcast, The ABC Podcast, on YouTube or iTunes!

Want to become a Sponsor as well? Check out our Patreon page!

We promised (albeit accidentally) 33 episodes ago that Episode 66 was going to be special and one to look forward to, and I’m happy to report that we lived up to the hype! While it might have been a slow news week, this week’s show is full of goodness. One might say our cup is overflowing, thanks to a newfound Ally in our dedication to the toys-to-life genre. We welcome to the show, for the first time officially, Brandon Jones, Editor-in-Chief of Easy Allies!

Brandon chats about the formation of Easy Allies, how he fell in love with Disney Infinity originally, the current state of the toys-to-life genre, and much more regarding all things in this genre we love. We also talk about the trials and tribulations of collecting in general, good Disneyland food, and yes, even … SHOPKINS!

After we let Brandon go enjoy the rest of his evening, we get down to serious business with news in the toys-to-life franchises. We discuss the release of the Kylo Ren Light FX figure, breaking Skylanders news, more LEGO Dimensions rumor confirmation, and possible amiibo support in the upcoming “NX” Nintendo console via a new patent.

We also examine the #CommunityQuestion - WITH AN EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT - and answer a bunch of great emails, as always, from the Best Community Ever. All this and more on Episode 66 of the Toys For Games ‘Cast!

• Follow Brandon Jones on Twitter, @TrailerJones and @EasyAllies
• Check out everything Easy Allies is doing, and support them if interested, over on Patreon!

Executive Producers: Brett Cangemi (@Brettman79) & Jorge Torres!

Our Sponsors:

• SHOW SPONSOR - Devin Laschinski
• Ken Pescatore (@ProudGamerTweet), who’s in charge of the Toys For Games Facebook group
• James Holian (@InfinityMuseum)
• Matt Sonnenberg (@SCLMatt) from SkylandersCharacterList.com and Facebook.com/SkylandersCharacterList
• Micheal O'Driscoll (@amiibo_Museum)
• @AmiiboAmigo, from AmiiboAmigo.com. Also be sure to check him out on Instagram and his new project, @MiitomoDiaries!

Want to become a Sponsor as well? Check out our Patreon page!

Kicking off Episode 65 of the Toys For Games ‘Cast, we welcome a special guest to the show, Christian Spicer! Christian is a professional comedian and podcaster, who you may know from the DLC Podcast of the Department of Parenting Podcast. We spend time getting to know Christian and his many endeavours, before jumping into some serious Disney Infinity, amiibo, and yes, even Shopkins talk.

After saying goodbye to Christian, we jump right into the news of the four - rather, FIVE - franchises in the toys-to-life genre! We discuss Josh’s review of Marvel Battlegrounds from Disney Infinity, dig for crumbs in Skylanders, talk about some exciting leaks in LEGO Dimensions, discuss a new use for amiibo, and finally, reveal a bunch of new information for Infinite Arms!

We also examine the #CommunityQuestion and answer a bunch of great emails, and have a mic drop, speechless moment near the end! All this and more on Episode 65 of the Toys For Games ‘Cast!

Follow Christian Spicer on Twitter, @Spicer

Download his album, “Moment in Time”, from iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/moment-in-time/id965342897

Check out his two regular podcasts:

DLC - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/dlc/id794234509?mt=2Department of Parenting - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/department-of-parenting/id1078028512?mt=2

Executive Producers: Brett Cangemi (@Brettman79) & Jorge Torres!

Our Sponsors:

• SHOW SPONSOR - Devin Laschinski
• Ken Pescatore (@ProudGamerTweet), who’s in charge of the Toys For Games Facebook group
• James Holian (@InfinityMuseum)
• Matt Sonnenberg (@SCLMatt) from SkylandersCharacterList.com and Facebook.com/SkylandersCharacterList
• Micheal O'Driscoll (@amiibo_Museum)
• @AmiiboAmigo, from AmiiboAmigo.com. Also be sure to check him out on Instagram and his other YouTube channel, 8Bit CR!

Want to become a Sponsor as well? Check out our Patreon page!