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

Episode 57 seemed like it would be bleak on the news front beforehand, but like always, we managed to squeeze blood from the turnip like only we can! On top of the normal news cycle that we always cover, Jason was finally allowed to commit one of the biggest sins of the show - talk numbers!

For the four franchises, we break down D-Day for Skylanders coming up on March 1, Disney Infinity clearly listening to our podcast, amiibo popularity around the world, and what the reveal of LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens video game means for LEGO Dimensions. Also, a full breakdown of sales and number crunching for the toys-to-life genre.

We also discuss the #CommunityQuestion, play another round of “Inquire This!” and answer some emails from the community.

Don’t forget … #JasonWasWrong and #PreschoolToys

Our Sponsors:

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)

Brett Cangemi (@brettman79)

@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!

Episode 56 isn’t like most episodes, but sometimes the best episodes aren’t necessarily the ones that go according to plan! The first part of the episode features an exclusive interview with Greg Miller (@GameOverGreggy), as we talk all about the hotly contested race for the Ambassador of the Year Award, the Ghostbusters Level Pack in LEGO Dimensions, his VO debut in LEGO Marvel Avengers, and so much more. (WARNING: Some language may not be exactly family-friendly - sorry!).

Be sure to check out Kinda Funny for everything Greg’s involved with, and if you want to help them reach their goal to fund a full season of their animated series, check out their Patreon page!

In the back half of the episode, we break down upcoming amiibo functionality, the continued unpredictability of Skylanders, and the avoidable drama from Disney Infinity. Briefly, a new game that might be the next evolution of toys-to-life, Fabulous Beasts, is broken down. We also discuss the #CommunityQuestion, play another round of “Inquire This!” and answer some emails from the community.

To find out more about Fabulous Beasts, visit their Kickstarter page!

A big thank you to Dan Veesenmeyer (@dveese) for his permission to use his sketch of Greg Miller’s character in LEGO Marvel Avengers for the artwork for this show! Check out his work on his website!

Our Sponsors:

• 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)
• Brett Cangemi (@brettman79)

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

In celebration of the one year anniversary of the Toys For Games ‘Cast, Episode 55 was replaced by the First Annual Toys For Games Awards! A couple of weeks back, all of the categories and nominees were announced, leaving it up to the community and fans to vote on the awards! Check out all the action HERE.

After the voting ended, the voting committee consisting of Jason and Josh took all the fan votes and then cast their votes, eventually coming to an agreement on all of the categories. The culmination of this process was Episode 55 - the First Annual Toys For Games Awards!

Awards were given out, discussed and broken down, one at a time. Even a few of the winners sent in acceptance speeches! Hilarity ensued, fun was had and overall, it turns out there wasn’t a better way to celebrate the one year anniversary of Toys For Games than with a giant celebration of the entire toys-to-life genre!

Thank you all for your support throughout an entire year. 2016 is already off to a great start in hopes of making Year Two exponentially better than the first!

Our Sponsors:

• 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)
• Brett Cangemi (@brettman79)

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

Despite a relatively slow news week, the show must go on, as the say - which meant, of course, Episode 54 happened. While there wasn’t a ton of stuff to talk about, Jason and Josh still managed to cobble together a show, filled with previews of the upcoming releases for LEGO Dimensions and amiibo, another chat about the Skylanders Battlecast cards, and an interesting discussion about Disney Playmation.

The #CommunityQuestion asks which upcoming release is more exciting (SPOILER: Greg Miller is RIGHT), and the Inquire This! trivia question challenges the expert about a unique trade. And as always, a few emails to round off the show. Also, our Patreon is discussed, and we’re looking for feedback on that!

Thank you, to all of you wonderful fans and supporters of Toys For Games throughout the year. We love each and every one of you. We’ll catch you next time, at the FIRST ANNUAL TOYS FOR GAMES AWARDS!

Our Sponsors:

• 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)
• Brett Cangemi (@brettman79)

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

Episode 53 is a Friday night special, with special guest Matt Sonnenberg joining Jason and Josh for yet another episode of the Toys For Games ‘Cast! They start off talking about the First Annual Toys For Games Awards, followed up by a chat about Matt’s new, upcoming project, Collection Crossing.

When the trio of collectors finally get down to the news, they discuss the release of the Shovel Knight amiibo, the continuing great sales for LEGO Dimensions, JV trolling Disney Infinity fans, and the upcoming Skylanders Day. Jim Dough, a baker from New Zealand, also gives everyone a complete breakdown of the new Skylanders Battlecast card game.

The #CommunityQuestion asks about buyer’s remorse, and the Inquire This! trivia question challenges both experts on the lore of Skylanders characters. And as always, a few emails to round off the show, including a great video from a loyal fan that has to be seen to be believed! (Don’t worry, Jason and Matt do their best to describe the action!)

Thank you, to all of you wonderful fans and supporters of Toys For Games throughout the year. We love each and every one of you. Cheers, to 2016!

Our Sponsors:

• 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)
• Brett Cangemi (@brettman79)

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

Josh and Jason are back up to their normal antics, tossing aside the regular show format and talking about collecting non toys-to-life instead for one night. They start off the show on a weird tangent, but quickly get going by talking about December’s Loot Crate and Marvel Collector Corps (CORE) subscription boxes. Then, they break down some upcoming Funko Pop! figure releases, and express their continued disappointment in Tom’s Hobby Shop.

Finally, when the inevitable Tsum Tsum segment takes place, a VERY special guest joins the show to not only talk about Tsum Tsum Tuesday, but more importantly, brag about how great her “blind bag feel game” is. Eventually we get to some listener questions to wrap up the episode. And oh, what an episode it was!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, VAL! I LOVE YOU, AND THANK YOU FOR BEING THE BEST PARTNER I COULD EVER ASK FOR.

Episode 52 almost didn’t happen this, as we strongly considered taking a week off due to a lack of news and the holidays and such. However, the universe apparently had other things in mind when an entire show worth of breaking news was dropped on our lap in the last 24 hours, thus leading to this emergency, middle of the day podcast. What better way to finish off 2015, right?Discussed in Episode 52 are some killer LEGO Dimensions sales, amiibo pre-orders going live, serious speculation regarding upcoming Disney Infinity figures and Play Sets, and of course, the motherload of Skylanders breaking news!

Thank you, to all of you wonderful fans and supporters of Toys For Games throughout the year. We love each and every one of you. Cheers, to 2016!

Our Sponsors:

• 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)
• Brett Cangemi (@brettman79)

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

Episode 51, on the eve of Christmas Eve, starts out with good, solid intentions of getting back normalcy after the epic Episode 50, but things quickly go off the rails and into the side of a mountain when the airing of grievances commences! Eventually, the duo get down to business, talking about sales for LEGO Dimensions, amiibo manufacturing information, Skylanders variant craziness and Disney Infinity conference calls.

The #CommunityQuestion asks about presents under the Christmas tree, and the Inquire This! trivia question challenges the expert on Frito-Lay promotions for Skylanders. And as always, a few emails to round off the show, including an AMA-A-AMA email!

Thank you, to all of you wonderful fans and supporters of Toys For Games. We love each and every one of you.

• LEGO Dimensions is sponsored by Ken Pescatore (@ProudGamerTweet), who’s in charge of the Toys For Games Facebook group.
• Disney Infinity is sponsored by James Holian (@InfinityMuseum).
• Skylanders SuperChargers is sponsored by Matt Sonnenberg (@SCLMatt) from SkylandersCharacterList.com and Facebook.com/SkylandersCharacterList.
• Amiibo is sponsored by Micheal O'Driscoll (@amiibo_Museum).
• EMAILS are sponsored by Brett Cangemi (@brettman79).

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

• 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).

• Brett Cangemi (@brettman79).

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

• 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).

• Brett Cangemi (@brettman79).