Jay and Jake discuss their upcoming trip to G-Fest in Chicago - the 30th G-Fest and Jake's very first! They review the guests, vendors, artists, attractions - including the new ULTRAMAN: THE HERO PREMIERE! On top of that, the duo discuss some recent toy releases from Marusan, Star Ace, SwimmyDesignLab, Bullmark, and more! And, you can't have an episode of YHS on Monster Island without weekly kaiju pickups!
Jun 26, 2025•1 hr 35 min
Jake and Jay both watch the Doug McClure "classic" WARLORDS OF ATLANTIS for the first time; why you ask? Because Anraku Ansaku makes toys of two of the monsters. Plus...lots of new toy releases from Marusan, Enka Vinyl, Star Ace Toys, Medicom Toy, and more!
Jun 12, 2025•1 hr 30 min
The world of independent and original kaiju (and kaiju adjacent) toys is so vast - however, Jake and Jay provide five toys / toy lines / toymakers that are at the top of their lists currently. From Max Toy's Captain Maxx line to the cute Chilean kaiju, Gom, they cover some wild and wacky monsters from some of the most creative toy artists in the world! There was also a ton of toy news - including teases and reveals from Mondo, TYGToys, Planet-X Asia x Star Ace Toys, and more! And, oh yeah, Jake ...
May 29, 2025•1 hr 48 min
Jake and Jay chat about the stage show that transitioned Ultra Q to Ultraman , The Birth of Ultraman ! It really is a wacky story! Also, there's a ton of kaiju and Godzilla toy and sofubi news, with releases coming out of Hobby Round 32 and Super Festival 91. Marusan, Max Toy Japan, Enka Vinyl, Shima-X, M1, and more really had amazing showings at the events - but brands such as Acro and Prime 1 Studio showed that you didn't need to be at one of the big festivals to have a big toy release! And, a...
May 15, 2025•1 hr 29 min
"The Tattooed Titan of Tokusatsu" Jacob Walsh and Jay Key returned from Japan with cart loads of toys, collectibles, and sofubi, representing everything from Godzilla to Ultraman to Spectreman to Zone Fighter. Whether it was at Mandarake or the Godzilla Store in Tokyo or Hobby Jungle or Astro-Zombies in Osaka, they managed to pick up cool items from Marusan, Medicom Toy, Bandai, FrogTree, Fewture Models, US Toys, Marmit, and many more. Not only do they talk toys - they spend a few minutes chatti...
May 01, 2025•2 hr 49 min
#godzilla #kaiju #sofubiJake is on a plane heading to Japan - but Jay still has a little over a day before he leaves; so what better time to talk sofubi and kaiju toy news? Bullmark stuns everyone with releases coming to the My First Ultraman Exhibition in Fukuoka - but other toy makers are also making waves, including X-Plus, Enka Vinyl, SwimmyDesignLab, Marusan, and more!Plus, Jay has some killer pickups - including two off the Top 10 list and a very special custom resin toy! ---YHS on Monster...
Apr 10, 2025•51 min
Jake and Jay preview their upcoming trips to Japan and what they're most excited for...plus, we get a ton of toy news from Medicom Toy, X-Plus, YMSF, and more!
Mar 27, 2025•1 hr 31 min
Jake and Jay finally complete their review of the Rebirth of Mothra trilogy with 1998's, Rebirth of Mothra 3. Can a re-designed King Ghidorah save the trilogy? Or will puppet dinosaurs, bad CGI, and a deathmatch wrestling legend doom the big bug's big finale? In addition, there's a lot of Godzilla and kaiju toy and sofubi news from a host of makers - X-Plus, Marusan, Sunguts, etc. - and from a ton of upcoming events such as Siccaluna Fest, Treasure Festa Online, and more. What a great time to be...
Mar 14, 2025•1 hr 44 min
Hey, it's Thursday, and you know what that means. It's timeto prime those mazer cannons, fill up the Moonlight SY-III, and take a big ol' swig of Soma Berry juice, because we're about to hop on over to that home away from home for all you devoted disciples of Daikaiju. Yes, YHS on Monster Island with Jacob and Jay is about to be underway. 🎉 Welcome to another thrilling episode of YHS on Monster Island! 🎉 Join us as we dive into the latest and greatest in the world of kaiju and collectibles! In...
Feb 27, 2025•57 min
Oh, they made Jay watch Rebirth of Mothra 2 again...damn the powers that be! In this episode, Jake and Jay discuss the second installment in the Rebirth of Mothra series, plus a ton of reveals from Wonder Festival 2025 Winter edition. But that's not all...we got toy pick ups, including a Top 10 list item!
Feb 13, 2025•1 hr 12 min
It's an unplanned live episode of YHS on Monster Island! Jake and Jay tackle a ton - including talking Rebirth of Mothra, the latest releases from Marusan and X-Plus, sneak peeks at Wonder Fest exclusives from Max Toy Japan and Geek Life, and they announce the 2025 Geoffrey's Award nominees for Kaiju Toy and Kaiju Toy Line of the Year (for 2024)! Enjoy!
Jan 30, 2025•1 hr 23 min
Varan is...well...a movie. Jay unpacks decades of thoughts on this film in an impromptu therapy session - while sharing some fun (not sure that's the "right" word) facts about both the film and the kaiju. Most importantly, Jake and Jay talk toys - from Super Festival 90 reveals to the Hakaba Gallery Mechagodzilla Pop-up to the Nigata Special Effects event, there were a ton of toys that hit the market from all of our favorites: Marusan, Bullmark, Anraku Ansaku, NeoPlayerOne, Banpresto, Yamomark, ...
Jan 16, 2025•1 hr 10 min
Jay finally gets Jake to enter a world where tokusatsu and kung fu are blended together in a lavish landscape of over-the-top action and kooky characters - the magnificent spectacle that is THE SUPER INFRAMAN! Does the "Tattooed Titan of Tokusatsu" love it? Hate it? Watch and find out!
Jan 02, 2025•1 hr 1 min
It's that time again! The snow is falling, the smell of hot cocoa is in the air, and people are clamoring for one thing...the YHS on Monster Island Annual Holiday Wishlist episode! And now you have it! Our very own "Pagos in a Pear Tree", Jacob Walsh, and the "Yuletide Yonggary", Jay Key, unveil their top ten most sought after toys and collectibles, ranging from vintage Marmits to indie designer toy releases, from Toho monsters to Ultra kaiju - and everything in between! If you like Godzilla col...
Dec 19, 2024•1 hr 43 min
There are few kaiju in the Godzilla franchise that capture the imagination quite like Gigan. Jake and Jay explore their personal connections to this unique creature and talk about many of his countless iterations across film, television, games, and books/comics/manga. In addition, the duo share a few pick-ups and discuss the latest toy releases from X-Plus, Anraku Ansaku, and Marusan.
Dec 05, 2024•1 hr 29 min
Jake and Jay roadtripped it to Las Vegas for DesignerCon 2024 - and it was an epic trek! Our two daikaiju devotees share their favorite parts of the experience as well as an impressive roster of pickups from Marusan, Marmit, Bullmark, Mondo, Draculazer, Ressinblood, Sad Salesman, Creature Bazaar, and more!
Nov 21, 2024•1 hr 26 min
Jake and Jay recap an eventful GODZILLA DAY 2024 that gave us huge news, amazing toy releases, another impressive short film (can you say "G-Claw"?), and much more! But it's not just Godzilla Day, as we saw more exclusives from Hobby Round 31, Hakaba Gallery, and the Tsuburaya Store. Plus, we have pickups! Have fun on Monster Island!
Nov 07, 2024•1 hr 13 min
Jake returns! On top of that, we're big-time overachievers getting this episode out a few days early! Don't you love us? Okay, don't answer that! This episode covers Jake's visit to New York Comic-Con and all of the kaiju sightings in the Big Apple; but that's not all...our hosts chat about a bevy of new releases from X-Plus/Star Ace, Marusan, Max Toy Japan, Bandai, and more. But...again...that's not all! One of the best moments of any year is Godzilla Day - and doubly so since Toho has been rel...
Oct 28, 2024•1 hr 5 min
With Jake traveling to New York Comic-Con, toy designer and artist, Chas Foreman (Chazbro Toys, Kaiju Go!) joins Jay to not just talk kaiju and Godzilla toy pick-ups and recent tokusatsu viewing - but to engage in two awesome new segments: Questions by Chas and the first-ever game of Collect...Customize...or Cash Out !
Oct 17, 2024•1 hr 31 min
You crazy kaiju kids and henshin heroes and heroines, it's time for another YHS on Monster Island - and this was is jam-packed with toys, news, and bouncy surf beats! Jay is joined by "Everyone's Favorite Kaiju Collector" Ryan Wilhelm (Collect All Monsters) and toy designer / artist Chas Foreman (Chazbro Toys, Kaiju Go!) to review the 1967 kaiju flick, Gappa: The Triphibian Monster, discuss a bevy of kaiju toy and sofubi releases from Marusan, X-Plus, M1, and more, go over the big reveals from S...
Oct 03, 2024•1 hr 58 min
Hey there, listener...question...how come no one talks about Neo Ultra Q? We need to fix that. Jake and Jay breakdown the 12-episode sequel to the groundbreaking Ultra Q (1966) - released 47 years later after the original - but capturing the vibe better than it had any right to; but what did our hosts think? Also, it may be after the convention season but that's not stopping sofubi powerhouses like Marusan, Bullmark, and USToys from releasing amazing items! Enjoy another episode of YHS on Monste...
Sep 19, 2024•1 hr 14 min
Jake and Jay sit down to review what kaiju toy companies are trending up vs. down in 2024 - and what are some of the biggest toy trends. Be it Mondo or Max Toy, Marusan or Sarujirushi, the duo of daikaiju devotees have it covered in this episode!Also, a huge week of pickups...and they answer the question: what ever happened to the 2023 Kaiju Toy of the Year Award?
Sep 05, 2024•1 hr 27 min
Jake and Jay survived Kaiju Go! 2024! And they came out of it with tons of new toys from amazing artists like Mark and Max Nagata, Ressinblood, Michael Morse - and big name sofubi players like Marusan, Marmit, and M1. The duo recap the weekend's festivities which included a trip to the sofubi/kaiju/horror hot spot, Leviathan Collectibles, and the flagship store for Half Price Books. Tons of toys. Tons of kaiju. Tons of fun. Let's Kaiju Go already!
Aug 22, 2024•1 hr 28 min
Its a few days away from Kaiju Go! 2024...Jake is on an airplane heading to Dallas...Ryan Wilhelm is out sick...so what does Jay do? He just stares at a camera and talks about his recent pickups for 30 minutes. Is it riveting? No, not really. But it exists anyways.
Aug 15, 2024•34 min
Jake and Jay compare all of the toy releases and reveals from the two super shows over the last few weeks - San Diego Comic-Con and Wonder Festival - Summer. Also, do we have two "Top 10" pick-ups this week? I think we do!
Aug 01, 2024•1 hr 20 min
It's a wrap on another G-Fest - and this one was the biggest yet! Listen to Jay and Ryan chat about their experience - their second year of working the dealers room as Toku Toy Town - and review all of the great pick-ups from sellers like M1, U.S. Toys, Marusan, Tolzar Toy Co., Chibi Goji Toys, Last Bastion Studios, and more!
Jul 19, 2024•1 hr 6 min
Netflix's Ultraman: Rising (2024) - a partnership between the studio and Tsuburaya Productions, with animation from ILM - is making some waves with its heart-first approach, and excellent animation as it tries to finally get Ultraman to be a viable property with the American audience. But - as YHS on Monster Island host, Jacob Walsh, asks: is it even Ultraman? Our two hosts debate the merits of the film through the lens of a tokusatsu-loving adult, a child, and a Tsuburaya/Netflix decision-maker...
Jul 05, 2024•1 hr 21 min
This is the second half of Jay's "Pair o' Parodies" and we finish it off with Nikkatsu's 2010 film, DEATH KAPPA ! The Tomoo Haraguchi brain child is unique - even for low-budget kaiju parody films - but does it deliver? Bigger question: why aren't there any Hangylos toys? But Jake and Jay do more than talk about Death Kappa...they have a YHS on Monster Island exclusive toy reveal for Max Toy's Kaiju Go! event exclusive release! You don't want to miss this! And that's not all, folks! We get kaiju...
Jun 20, 2024•1 hr 13 min
In this very special episode - Part I of a Pair o' Parodies - Jay is joined by "Everyone's Favorite Kaiju Collector" Ryan Wilhelm to discuss many things - but most of all the merits of the Minoru Kawasaki film, MONSTER SEAFOOD WARS (2020) and if Jumbo Cook is the greatest thing...in...ever. In ever. But the duo also talk about big events in the kaiju community that are fast approaching - like G-Fest, Kaiju Go!, and the release of Ultraman: Rising on Netflix. Ryan and Jay discuss what it's like t...
Jun 07, 2024•1 hr 40 min
Wait, were we wrong about the Godzilla anime trilogy? "The Tattooed Titan of Tokusatsu" Jacob Walsh and Jay Key, of Toku Toy Town, discuss the much maligned anime trilogy - and if this most recent viewing changed their opinions. So join our daikaiju duo as they chat all things Haruo, Exif, Godzilla Earth, and a bunch of missed opportunities! In addition, the hosts go over a ton of news items, ranging from MonsterVerse updates to X-Plus North America to Marusan - and much, much more! Plus, toy pi...
May 30, 2024•1 hr 33 min
