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Ep 130: 2023 TWIPYs Results!

LoserKid Pinball Podcast·podcast_episode·57m 15s·analyzed·Feb 9, 2024
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TL;DR

2023 Twippies awards coverage with Scooby-Doo, Foo Fighters, and Labyrinth among major winners.

Summary

Loser Kid Pinball Podcast Episode 130 covers the 2023 Twippies awards results, featuring award presentations across multiple categories (Theme, Sound, Mods, Convention, Toys/Mechs, Location, Homebrew, Animations, and Rules). The episode includes acceptance speeches from winners and nominees, with hosts Josh and Scott providing commentary. Scott discusses his charitable work with Hershey Smiles foundation in Guatemala, and the hosts address recent Twippies governance issues, welcoming the community back after some controversy.

Key Claims

  • Scooby-Doo by Spooky Pinball won Best Theme at 2023 Twippies

    high confidence · Don from Don's Pinball Podcast announces the award; confirmed by Bug from Spooky Pinball accepting

  • Foo Fighters by Stern won both Best Sound and Best Animations at 2023 Twippies

    high confidence · Official announcements made by award presenters; Stern representative accepted both awards

  • Labyrinth by Barrels of Fun won Best Toys and Mechs at 2023 Twippies

    high confidence · Joe C. from Pinball Degenerates announces winner; Travis Mossman of Barrels of Fun accepts

  • Chicago Pinball Expo won Best Convention at 2023 Twippies for their 40th anniversary year

    high confidence · Josh announces winner; Pinball Expo representative accepts and confirms 40th anniversary celebration

  • Next Level Pinball Museum in Hillsborough, Oregon won Best Location for the third consecutive year

    high confidence · Josh announces the three-time winner

  • Eight Ball Beyond by Sean Irby won Best Homebrew at 2023 Twippies

    high confidence · Dan Rosenstein announces winner; Sean Irby accepts and provides detailed thank-you speech

  • Stumbler Pinball's Godzilla Noodle Bar mod won Favorite Mod at 2023 Twippies

    high confidence · Gonzo from Gonzo's Pinball Flipperama announces winner; Davey Stumbler accepts

  • Scott Larson participated in sixth trip with Hershey Smiles foundation performing 43 surgeries and 80 dental procedures in Guatemala

    high confidence · Scott describes his recent trip at episode opening; direct personal account

  • Twippies have experienced governance issues and community concerns in recent months requiring reset in 2023

    medium confidence · Josh and Scott acknowledge 'elephant in the room,' reference community members holding back participation due to 'drama,' and discuss refocus on positive celebration

Notable Quotes

  • “They're supposed to be a fan celebration of the best parts of pinball, including the machines, including the events, and even including the people who help us celebrate and enjoy pinball.”

    Scott Larson @ ~4:30 — Frames Twippies mission statement amid governance concerns; articulates desired spirit of awards

  • “I wouldn't be shocked if someone wants to buy it off of him and make it a game.”

    Josh Roop @ ~1:16:00 (approximate) — Indicates high community regard for Eight Ball Beyond homebrew; suggests commercial potential

  • “Theme is what will drive a man to spend ungodly amounts of money to put a box of lights in his basement.”

    Don (Don's Pinball Podcast) @ ~13:00 — Humorous articulation of theme's role in motivating collector purchases

  • “Lyman was the rules guy from like the 90s until now. I mean, people bought games if they knew that Lyman was doing the rules.”

    Scott Larson @ ~1:26:00 (approximate) — Underscores Lyman Sheets' outsized influence on game quality perception and purchasing decisions

  • “Labyrinth is eye candy for a first game. It's the second coming of like Wizard of Oz.”

    Scott Larson @ ~56:00 — Comparative analysis positioning Labyrinth as landmark achievement for first-time manufacturer

  • “I don't think there a single person out there watching the show right now that was like, huh, did they really deserve it?”

    Josh Roop @ ~1:13:00 (approximate) — Validates Eight Ball Beyond homebrew win; indicates broad community consensus

  • “That's next level. That's next level.”

    Josh Roop @ ~1:22:00 (approximate) — Reaction to Stern accepting Best Animations award via animation video; meta commentary on production quality

  • “We go down every year and do surgeries for kids that have primarily cleft lips and palates and they just don't have the resources.”

Entities

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!gameFoo FightersgameLabyrinthgameEight Ball BeyondgameSpooky PinballcompanyStern PinballcompanyBarrels of FuncompanyJersey Jack Pinballcompany

Signals

  • ?

    community_signal: Twippies incorporation of guest presenters from across global pinball community (UK's Gonzo, Australian Enzo references) demonstrates inclusive award structure promoting broader participation

    high · Multiple international content creators featured as award presenters; Josh notes outreach to 'content creators across the community at large, so we've got people all over the world'

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Strong consensus on Eight Ball Beyond homebrew quality; hosts note no community dissent on award legitimacy, suggesting high-confidence collective judgment on homebrew merit

    high · Josh: 'I don't think there a single person out there watching the show right now that was like, huh, did they really deserve it?'

  • ?

    community_signal: High-profile pinball podcast hosting and broadcasting Twippies awards indicates ongoing community investment in celebrating achievements and recognizing excellence

    high · Loser Kid Pinball Podcast dedicates full episode to 2023 Twippies results with professional presentation featuring guest announcers from across community

  • ?

    competitive_signal: Music-themed pinball games (Foo Fighters, Elton John) dominate sound/audio awards; indicates strong collector preference for licensed music IP driving purchasing decisions

    high · Scott notes music pins have 'lasting effect on the home market' and fans unlikely to purchase unless they're band fans; Foo Fighters wins despite host personal preference for Elton John

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Scott emphasizes that high-quality mods should appear as OEM/manufacturer-designed pieces rather than aftermarket add-ons; Stumbler Pinball's Noodle Bar mod exemplifies this standard

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.172

0:00
thanks for tuning in to the loser kid pinball podcast we are on episode 130 with me my co-captain as always scott larson and this episode is going to be dedicated towards the twippies and the results will has sent those over to us but before we dig into those results we want to talk to you about Jaws and where to get it. Scott, you saw the reveal. You saw Joel with Flippin' Out and Triple Drain play this game. What are you thinking of Jaws? Are you going to get one? Okay, I think that Joel was sweating because he was so excited, not because he was scared of the shark. But that's a little awkward because he was kind of in love with the shark. Legitimately, I am so excited for this because Jaws seems like it's going to continue the cornerstone dominance that L1's had over the last, you know, since Iron Maiden. I am definitely going to call Zach and Nicole Mini at Flippin' Out Pinball. They have always been able to step up and help us out with whatever mods we want. I even brought my Rush downstairs and installed the shooter rod that I got from Flippin' Out Pinball. So they can hook you up with anything, including toppers, shooters. And even if you have that eye on a game that's no longer being produced, they also are able to work and use stuff. So reach out to them, Flippin' Up Pinball. They've always been good to us. Totally agree. And I'm excited for JAWS. I've got premium on order, and I can't wait to get this in my house. Yeah, the only problem is you have to figure out what to do with this space because we're all out of space. Exactly. I've got to get rid of one. One has to go one off the island, so we'll have to figure that out. So one more thing before we dive into these Twippy results. I know you're excited for this. I know that you've been waiting. all year long to hear these results. I want to talk to Scott about he just went to Guatemala. This is a trip you've had to put off for COVID reasons for a while now. So tell us about your return to Guatemala. We were actually able to go back last year. So that was actually nice. We took two years off. This is a foundation that I'm very lucky to be a part of. We go down every year and do surgeries for kids that have primarily cleft lips and palates and they have they just don't have the resources the bottom line so we are able to come down and fix those things in addition to other things that um uh like ears uh their ears are a crazy complex to develop and sometimes they are not developed and if you want to look into it more it's called microtia and what they do is they They take they actually take part of the rib and create a cosmetic ear and put it on. So people are that so people can actually see, you know, seem a lot have a lot more normal life. And we actually got one of the one of the patients that we worked on. We we found out from the mom that she had been she had been bullied because of her ear. And she was so grateful that we were able to go down. So, again, this is nothing on me. I feel very lucky to be able to be part of the organization. We were able to do 43 surgeries and about 80 dental procedures on kids who needed it. So, again, that's awesome. So it's called Hershey Smiles. And, again, we go back every year. This is my sixth time, and I have no desire to stop anytime. And you donate all your time and effort. If you don't get paid to do this, this is you paying for the plane ticket and everything. We pay to go down.

  • Zach Minney (Flippin' Out Pinball) and Jeff Patterson were instrumental in establishing Twippies as annual celebration

    medium confidence · Josh acknowledges their contributions while noting Zach couldn't participate in 2023 presentation due to other commitments

    • Scott Larson @ ~3:00 — Describes charitable medical work; contextualizes Scott's character and community values

  • “That mod is so good, I almost bought one, even though I don't have a James Bond pinball machine.”

    Gonzo (Gonzo's Pinball Flipperama) @ ~43:00 — Illustrates the appeal of high-quality mods across collector base regardless of game ownership

  • “The advantage is he was able to take a lot of the great things that people liked about Texas and incorporate them into a hometown show where all the manufacturers are.”

    Scott Larson @ ~1:00:00 (approximate) — Explains Chicago Expo's competitive advantage over Texas Pinball Festival; strategic positioning

    • Chicago Pinball Expo
    event
    Texas Pinball Festivalevent
    Next Level Pinball Museumlocation
    Scott Larsonperson
    Josh Roopperson
    Bugperson
    Stumbler Pinballcompany
    Sean Irbyperson
    Hershey Smiles Foundationorganization
    Twippies (2023)event
    Loser Kid Pinball Podcastorganization
    Lyman Sheetsperson

    high · Scott: 'I like that he is able to make these things that look like they are a significant upgrade to what the original is... I'm not a huge fan of the ones that look a little bit like a matchbox car with an LED'

  • ?

    event_signal: Chicago Pinball Expo (40th anniversary) positioned as growth event with double previous year's size; emphasizes proximity to manufacturer headquarters as strategic advantage over competitor shows

    high · Expo rep emphasizes 40th year, growth, factory tours, and industry attendance without travel burden compared to regional festivals

  • ?

    licensing_signal: Scooby-Doo win attributes success to universal IP recognition across age demographics ('adult to child'); indicates licensed content appeal transcends traditional pinball enthusiast base

    high · Bug notes Scooby-Doo reached non-pinball audiences; Don's award intro emphasizes theme's role in drawing casual players; Josh notes wide age appeal

  • ?

    community_signal: Sean Irby (Eight Ball Beyond homebrew winner) credits collaborators including artist Johnny Pneumonic and Travis Mache for guidance, indicating homebrew development requires cross-discipline expertise similar to professional manufacturing

    high · Sean's acceptance speech emphasizes collaborative support from artists, mentors, and venue operators

  • ?

    community_signal: Twippies governance transition noted; hosts acknowledge previous leadership (Danger, Emoto, Zach Minney, Jeff Patterson) while indicating new organizational structure with expanded presenter network

    medium · Josh states 'We may not be at the level of Danger and Emoto or Zach and Greg' but acknowledges their foundational contributions; indicates leadership/presentation model shift

  • ?

    product_strategy: Labyrinth (Barrels of Fun debut) wins Best Toys and Mechs with comparison to Wizard of Oz as industry benchmark; suggests mechanical presentation/toy implementation critical to first-title manufacturer credibility

    high · Scott: 'Labyrinth is eye candy for a first game. It's the second coming of like Wizard of Oz... makes you interested in wanting to play it'

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Twippies governance experienced recent controversy requiring community reset; hosts position 2023 as transitional/healing year welcoming back disengaged voters after drama

    medium · Josh and Scott acknowledge 'elephant in the room,' reference unspecified 'things that needed to be changed,' and state 'I totally understand' those holding back participation

  • ?

    technology_signal: Discussion of animation quality improvements across manufacturers (Stern, Jersey Jack) over 14-year LCD screen evolution; notes progression from simple sprite work to complex movie clip integration

    medium · Josh notes evolution from Aerosmith's 'South Park cut-out' style to modern complex animations across multiple manufacturers

    • 3:43
    It's crazy cool. Yeah. So I know a lot of people like to hear from that and hear how you do that. And so I figured you just did it. You just got back. No, it's really great. I did. I got back Monday morning and then went to work. You messaged me last night. I just can't record. Yeah. I'm so tired. so okay let's before we dive into this twippy stuff let's give a little introduction of the twippies it's been going on for what seven years now 20 it's been a while yeah 20 somewhere around there uh when the first one came out um and we wanted i mean obviously we're not oblivious to everything that happened the last couple months but will did reach out to us about talk just talking about these results uh you know with there not being a show anymore in texas Emoto actually has a lot of great, awesome things going on at Texas Pinball Festival. Was already having a hard time doing this video and all the other stuff she has planned going on. We're excited for her. We're excited for Lucas and his stuff that he's got going on in his life. And Lucas is in a show right now. He's in Into the Woods. And if you don't know that Lucas is an amazing singer, just check him out. He's really good. He's so good. And so we just – Scott, you kind of wanted to take the reins on this. Tell us your thoughts on this. Okay, this is the elephant in the room, right? Because obviously, Twippies have gone through some evolution. And this year, I would say, was a little bit of a – it was a transition zone. And there were some things that needed to be changed. There were some things that needed to be addressed. And there were some things that were not – I would say not in keeping with what the spirit of Twippy would be, which would be a positive celebration of the show or the show of pinball, the hobby of pinball, whatever you want to call it. Yeah. So we, and certainly, Hey, I, I spoke out against what I felt was, was wrong and where I felt that lines were crossed. So this is, uh, if you decided to hold back this year, I totally understand. And there are some people who reached out and said, yeah, I just don't want to deal with the drama. I'm hoping that we can try to refocus and look at Twippies for what they are. They're supposed to be a fan celebration of the best parts of pinball, including the machines, including the events, and even including the people who help us celebrate and enjoy pinball. So take it for what it is. We want to be able to show this is Twippy's going forward, and we just want to include people and welcome everybody back if you wanted to take a break. Definitely. I reached out to some content creators across the community at large, so we've got people all over the world that have helped us this evening with presenting these awards. We may not be the level of Danger and Emoto or Zach and Greg of Flippin' Out. And really, honestly, Zach, many, you know, we acknowledge this is definitely your baby. I did reach out to Zach and he was just he couldn't do it this year. But, man, like if it wasn't for him and for Jeff Patterson and making this a celebration that they do every year. And we wouldn't have the Twippies. And so shout out to them as well. Hey, Josh, before we start this thing, we want to make sure that we recognize all of the games that were produced this year and the ones who are up for the majority of the awards. So go ahead and read them off for us. All right. Drained by Amusement Only Games. Honey Factory by Pinball Adventures. Foo Fighters by Stern. This is Spinal Tap by Home Pin. Scooby-Doo Pinball by Spooky Pinball. Queen by Pinball Brothers. Labyrinth by Barrels of Fun. Final Resistance by Multimorphic. Galactic Tank Force by American Pinball. The Godfather by JJP. Venom by Stern. James Bond 60th Anniversary and Elton John by JJP. So let's move on to the first award, Scott. The first one is Best Theme. And here to introduce Best Theme is Don from Don's Pinball Podcast.
    8:03
    Hey, what's up, everybody? It's Don here from Don's Pinball Podcast. How are you doing? I am very excited to be here to reveal the winner of the 2023 Twippy Award for Excellence in Pinball Theme. Now, theme is a tremendously important thing when it comes to pinball. Theme is what will elevate a good layout into a great game. When it comes to the call-outs, the sound, the music, all of that is a byproduct of the theme that goes into it. Theme is what will cause us to walk across a crowded arcade and put our tokens into that machine on a location. Theme is what will drive a man to spend ungodly amounts of money to put a box of lights in his basement.
    8:44
    Previous winners of this award have included Rick and Morty in 2020, Godzilla in 2021, James Bond 007 Cornerstone in 2022. And so for this year, the top three finalists were Labyrinth from Barrels of Fun Pinball, Foo Fighters from Stern Pinball, and from those madmen in Benton, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You from Spooky Pinball. I'm very excited now to reveal the winner of the 2023 Twippy Award. Fourth theme in pinball is none other than Scooby-Doo. Where are you from spooky pinball? Huh? How about that? You guys did it. Great theme, man. Congratulations to the spooky pinball crew and the rest of Benton, Wisconsin. We're looking forward to what 2024 has to bring with us. And let's get back to the rest of the show.
    9:36
    Oh hey everybody, it's Bug here from Spooky Pinball. I'm just hanging out in the Mystery Machine because I heard there may be a mystery as to who won the best theme of the 2023 Twippies. But it sounds like that mystery was solved. It's Spooky Pinball for Scooby-Doo, which, that makes sense, doesn't it? It's just as we thought. Right, Scooby? Right? So thank you everybody who voted for us We really appreciate it Does that shock you with best theme? Does Scooby-Doo shock you? It doesn't Because Scooby-Doo A lot of people have been excited about Scooby-Doo I grew up watching Scooby-Doo And this is something that has resonated with us There were a lot of people who Not even involved in pinball Who reached out when Scooby-Doo was released And said, hey, what do you think about this? So that's the purpose of the theme right the theme is the hook the theme is what draws you in and uh scooby-doo doesn't surprise me at all uh what's your thoughts josh doesn't surprise me at all either it's it's a very well loved beloved theme uh and licensed throughout all of time between adult to child so it doesn't shock me that it won uh i do want to mention one thing scott brought this up michael barnard did all the title cards that you're seeing in between our acceptance speeches and our intros and And so next one you see, which is coming up right after we introduce it, take a close look. It's Michael Barnard's artwork. And to remind you, he's the one who did Rush. He's the one who did Jaws.
    11:17
    And Escape from the Megaverse. Yeah, yeah, exactly. No, he's a great artist. Go check him out online. He's a good friend of the show too.
    11:26
    Next up, best sound. Some would argue best sound. Sound is what makes a pinball machine. Ryan Kaz of Head to Head Pinball says this is what makes, from the 90s, you know, it was the sounds that created the game. And I'm not going to disagree with him. Sound is very important in a pinball machine. Whether it subconsciously hits us or consciously hits us, you know, there's a lot of little noises that give us ticks of, hey, this is what we need to be doing next.
    11:54
    There's just some games that just the sound ruins it. But we're going to talk about the games that it doesn't. You ready for this, Scott? Let's do it. Okay, so for our finalists for best sound, we have Elton John by JJP, Scooby-Doo by Spooky Pinball, and Foo Fighters by Stern.
    12:15
    Who do you think took that one, Scott? Okay, I would say it's really between Elton John and Foo Fighters. Now, Scooby-Doo is great, too, because it has the original call-outs. However, there's a reason why music pins have such a lasting effect on the home market because, one, the music is there. There's a reason why you're unlikely to buy a music pin unless you're a fan of the band. Those are definitely the frontrunners to take it. What about you, Josh? No, I agree with everything you said. I'm partial to Foo Fighters myself but then again I really enjoy their music so that's where I land should we get to the winner? go ahead winner is Foo Fighters by Stern nice I am very excited to accept the award for best audio on behalf of Stern Pinball and the entire Foo Fighters development team big thanks to the fans for voting for us we really do appreciate also a big thanks to Jerry Thompson who is the other audio designer on this project. And finally, thanks to my family, Jennifer, CJ, Jack, and Emily. I love you guys. Thanks, Twippies.
    13:36
    Monkey Wrench, all the way, baby. Monkey Wrench. See, and the funny thing is I probably would have leaned a little bit toward Elton John, but because I'm a lot more familiar with Elton John's catalog than Foo Fighters. But the integration is great. It's not just the music, by the way. It's the way they integrate the music into with the call outs and with everything else, because it's not like they put on a Foo Fighters CD and just start playing. It's very true. And by the way, I said CD and yes, I am that old.
    14:06
    Well, then you didn't say a track, I guess. Yeah, no, no, no. But my records are back in style baby Like vinyl is back vinyl yeah alright so we moving on to favorite mod and this gentleman is killing it over in england he has done a great job of building up this youtube channel if you haven checked him out his name is gonzo's pinball flipperama here to introduce best mod chris gonzo good morning good afternoon and of course good evening everybody you are watching the loser kid Pinball Podcast and you probably have one question. Who's that guy and what's he doing on our favourite podcast? That's two questions but let me introduce myself. I'm Gonzo. I run a pinball YouTube channel called Gonzo's Pinball Flipperama. We play a lot of pinball. We talk a lot of pinball. We show off a lot of pinball machines and we just love pinball and hopefully for that reason the guys over at Loser Kid Pinball Podcast have asked me to announce the nominees for this year's favourite mod of the Year Award from the Twippies. Now not only do we love pinballs over at the Flipperama, we love mods. I love mods so much I've just bought myself a new one which is this big cannon which apparently is meant to fit on the tank but I'm having real trouble fitting it inside the playfield here so I'll get back to that after I've done this video. Anyway you're wondering who are the nominees for this fantastic category and I do love me mods. So let's just tell you who they are. First of all you have the Godzilla Noodle Bar, which is from Stumble or Pinball, and Stumble or Pinball, you may remember, have actually already won a Twippies for their Tokyo Neon sign. What a great modification that was. The second nominee is the Inclusive Controller from Inclusive Gameworks, and last but not least, and I really do mean not least, is the James Bond 007 Scuba Kick Mod from Avid creations of Morel's pinball wire forms. That mod is so good, I almost bought one, even though I don't have a James Bond pinball machine. But anyway, there you go. So, drumroll.
    16:15
    And the winner is... It's Davey Stumblaw from Stumblaw's Pinball Mods for... Or, chance would have it, this wonderful noodle bar modification. It's absolutely magnificent. So well done, Davey. Well done, Stumblaw. As you can see, I've not even opened this beautiful thing yet. Oh, it's fantastic. Congratulations, Stumblaw Pinball. Well done, Swippies. Well done, everybody at Loser Kids Pinball Podcast. I'm going to go and try and install this in this Galactic Tank Force.
    16:52
    Hey guys, Davey from Stumble or Pinball here. Thank you so much for giving us this honour for the Noodle Bar to have come out on top this year. Just so incredible and blown away. So yeah, thank you to all the people who bought the mod and who then went on to vote for us in this year's Twippies. You know, you guys continue to just be the most awesome and supportive people. So thank you for being there for us this year and continuing to be so enthusiastic for the work that we do. Also, a massive shout-out to all the other mod makers in the scene. You know, it was such a competitive lineup of mods this year. And so, you know, you guys just continue to be some of the most creative, funny, enthusiastic, and inspirational people. You know, and I love working with you, you know, in this scene. So, yeah, let's go out there next year and create some incredible stuff. Thanks so much. See ya.
    17:48
    Dude, it's stumbler. Like it did not shock me when he won. What do you think, Scott? Yeah. The funny thing is each time he comes out with a new mod, I always think, dang, I just, I just spent another 200, $300, $400 for my game because it does take it to the next level. It also looks like it should have been OEM. And that's a big key for me that I, I'm not a huge fan of the ones that look a little bit like a matchbox car with an LED. because there's a lot of mods that, for me, fall into that category. I like that he is able to make these things that look like they are a significant upgrade to what the original is. And I want to point out, he won last year for the Neon Tokyo sign. So now with the Noodle Bar, he just released, if you haven't seen this yet, go to his website, StumblerPinball.com. He has just released the Subway Building mod. and it looks amazing it looks like godzilla melted half of it yeah so good all right let's get moving on to our next one okay convention scott pinball conventions have been a staple for the last 40 years and it seems like they've become a hometown representation of these different pinball groups that have popped up over the nation and over the world so when you say favorite convention it's almost like saying what's your favorite back you know backyard activity with your friends so we're here to introduce the favorite convention for 2023 so the top three options the finalists in no apparent order we have texas pinball festival we have northwest pinball and game show festival and we have chicago pinball expo and josh what is the winner the winner is Chicago Pinball Festival.
    19:44
    Hey guys, I just got the news. Pinball Expo won the Twippy for the best convention. And we're so excited here in Pinball Expo land here in Warren, Ohio. But it's a lot of work involved with these shows as all show promoters know. But we're tickled to get it. Thank you for everyone who voted for us. And I see there's someone out here in the audience. Hey, my old buddy Flippy's here. Anyways, Pinball Expo, our 40th year is coming up around the corner, guys. And we have got so many surprises going on. If someone had a great time last year, just get ready to rock your socks off because we've got so many special things going on. People coming from all over the world to the show and so many new things happening that it should be really a lot of fun. So I hope to see you there. And once again, thank you so much for the great award and great honor. Thank you.
    20:37
    Okay, Josh, Pinball Expo 1. Are you surprised at all this? I'm not. And honestly, this last year, 2023, Expo was amazing. It's just growing. This year, it's the 40th anniversary. I've already got my hotel booked. I'm excited for this. It's double the size of what it was last year. I don't know how he's going to pack this place. What do you think, Scott? I don't think he'll have a problem. The advantage is he was able to take a lot of the great things that people liked about Texas and incorporate them into a hometown show where all the manufacturers are. So you have the advantage of the tours of the factories. You also have a lot of industry people who don't have to fly down. They can just come over. So there is a slight advantage, and there's a reason why Expo has been anchored in Chicago. because that's where all the stuff is. Now, I'm still a huge fan of Texas Pinball Festival, too. So it's just a good option. And the good news is they're roughly six months apart, so it's good to check them both out. I am super excited for Expo this year, too. And just like you, I'm planning on being there. Okay, and now from the pinball degenerates, we have Joe C., who's going to be talking about the best toys and mechs inside a pinball machine. Hey everybody, Joe Cherubino here I'm here to present the Twippy Award for Best Toys and Mechs If only there were an acronym that represents a mechanical wonder that we love so much And the winner for the Twippy for Best Toys and Mechs goes to Labyrinth Pinball Barrels of Fun Congratulations, you are the Twippy Award winner for Best Toys and Mechs that's for Travis Mosman of Barrels of Fun congratulations back to you folks thank you for all the people that voted in the Twippies 2023 best toys and mechs it means a lot to us this is our first game we are super excited to win this award and we really appreciate your votes thank you what do you think Scott do you think Labyrinth earns the title of best toys and mechs you know what Labyrinth is eye candy for a first. It's it's the the second coming of like Wizard of Oz. When people first saw Wizard of Oz, they looked at it and said, wow, this has a lot of stuff and it draws you in and makes you interested in wanting to play it. I I say that Labyrinth has also done this for a great first impression. So the way that they've put all the little things, and people who are Labyrinth fans, it is going to really talk with them and the movements. So, yeah, I think it's well-deserved. Moving on to best location, there is a ton of amazing arcades across this great nation, and barcades all the way down to Australia, all the way over to Germany. And it's just like your convention, right? It's like your favorite place you want to go hang out at. Here in Salt Lake, it's Keto's. We love our Keto's, man. And I love my nickel manias, man. Like if you want a ton of pinball machines, Mike has just put them in all these different locations. So we're talking best location. The top three. We all know TNT Amusements. So that's an option. We have Pinball Lounge. And TNT Amusements is in Southampton, Pennsylvania. We have the Pinball Lounge in Oviedo, Florida. And we have Next Level Pinball Museum in Hillsborough, Oregon. Josh, who took home the trophy this year?
    24:22
    Congratulations to Next Level Pinball Museum for winning it for a third year in a row. That's three times.
    24:34
    Pinball is crazy up in the Pacific Northwest. It really is. I keep hearing we need to go up to the show up there. Yeah, I'd like to get up there.
    24:46
    Okay, moving on to our next category. Corey, this is a good friend of the show. Dan Rostenstein is going to be talking to us about Best Homebrew. Best Homebrews, what do you think, Scott? The Best Homebrew, ooh, the challenge is there are so many that are really good and interesting, and everything's in a different stage of development. It's funny because I think back to when I first started seeing more homebrews. You can see games that came out of the homebrew. You have Total Nuclear Annihilation, which basically jumped from the homebrew into a production game. You also have Sonic, which was basically an audition to say, hey, I can develop pinball machines. Would you like to hire me? And he was. So this is great. And the good news is a lot of people at the major shows are familiar with these because they tend to try to go as much as they can to these shows to get exposure. Yep.
    25:48
    So without further ado, Dan Rosenstein with Pinball Pinovators podcast. If you haven't checked him out, he's had some amazing people on to talk about these wonderful machines. Take it away, Dan.
    26:02
    Hello, pinball community. For those of you I don't know, I'm Dan Rosenstein, and I do a pinball podcast that focuses on those makers and innovators who have decided to go on the often hard and daunting journey to design and develop their own homebrew or custom pinball machine. Homebrews are those machines that started from an idea where most of the machine is net new, and custom pinballs are based on a previous design but have altered or changed some foundational aspect of the game. In both cases, the innovators and makers display creativity, grit, willingness to learn, and a level of cross-discipline mastery and craftsmanship that is truly inspiring and brought to life under the playfield. It is an absolute honor to announce the 2023 Twippy Award nominees for Best Home Brewer Custom. 8 Ball Beyond by Sean Irby, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Andrew Kress, and Circuit Meltdown by the robotic students at Northeast Metro Tech. All of these machines are stunning, and their makers are deserving to win and extremely creative people. This year, the winner for Best Home Brewer Custom goes to 8 Ball Beyond by Sean Irby.
    27:11
    Hi, everyone. Receiving this award means so much to me. Thank you. I want to start by saying that it's an honor to be nominated alongside all these other talented individuals that created their own pinball machine. That process takes a lot of work and also a lot of support from other people, so I'd like to thank some key individuals that helped me out with making 8-Ball Beyond. First of all, I'd like to thank Johnny Crapp, the artist behind the game's incredible art package. You know, it really made the game something special, and I don't think I'd be talking to you today if it weren't for his contributions. I also want to thank Travis Mache, who was very gracious with sharing his expertise with me, and I had a lot of questions for him, and he just gave me some great guidance early on in the project. I want to thank Travis Eckert for letting me set up 8 Ball Beyond at his barcade, Atta Ball, for a few weeks this past summer. It was just a great opportunity to get some real-world playtesting in on the game. And I want to thank, of course, the pinball community and all those in it that shared their support for the game. And I want to thank the Twippy Committee and Loser Kid for making these awards happen and for recognizing the independent creators in the hobby. So, yeah, thanks again.
    28:29
    So, Josh, homebrew, what do you think? It did not shock me I mean if you listening to podcasts around expo time everyone was ranting and raving about 8 Ball Beyond I don think there a single person out there watching the show right now that was like huh did they really deserve it Because Sean did an amazing job with 8 Ball Beyond. I mean, it's like get on the line ready. I think it's – I wouldn't be shocked if someone wants to buy it off of him and make it a game. Nice. So moving on. animations have been uh getting progressively better it feels like this last couple years there's been leaps and bounds right uh you know absolutely and the funny thing is when you think about it because the first game that had an lcd screen i okay aside from wizard of oz uh the first mass production one aside from wizard of oz and hobbit when it started getting into stern games too you saw aerosmith i mean aerosmith they kind of look like uh okay how to say it you know like South Park where they have the cut out characters and they kind of dance around that's how it felt which and Jersey Jack has been doing this for a long time with either some new animations or with clips of movies so it's interesting because now we are what 14 years into that something like that and so it's interesting to see where we've gone and you can even see from uh even the first jersey jack to their current ones and you can even see it from the first stern to their current ones and and i i know that i'm i'm leaving a few out but i other other manufacturers are also using that and even chicago gaming with their updated dmd versions of their classic games yeah so uh the ones that came out last year so Let's talk about the top four. We'll just do that and just say these are the finalists. So we have Elton John. We have Scooby-Doo. We have Labyrinth. And we have Foo Fighters. So those are all visually appealing bands. Or not bands. These are all visually appealing options, right? Yes, definitely. So the winner is, and he had a drumroll.
    30:50
    It is Foo Fighters by Stern. And here is Stern to accept the award for best animations. Thank you to everybody who voted for Foo Fighters. Stupid! It was a really fun project. Thank you to the whole team. You're stupid and your animations are stupid. Okay. That was an amazing video for animation. Good job, Stern. Your animations have really come out. The best part is it was an award for animation that was accepted with animation. Yes, that is the best part. That's next level.
    31:37
    So up next, before we move on, we definitely have to bring this up. Lyman Sheets award for best rules. Lyman Sheets passed away two years ago this last month. And it definitely has there. It was amazing to see the outpouring this last month of those that were close to him. And I can't think of a better way to honor him. Right. Than saying, giving him the award in his name. Right. And I agree. He was the rules guy from like the 90s until now. I mean, people bought games if they knew that Lyman was doing the rules. Yep.
    32:17
    I can't remember which podcast it was, but I was listening to one where they said they should hire someone just to follow Lyman Sheets around, just to learn how he codes and how he does rules so they could try to make another clone of Lyman Sheets. Because his code is what pushed and drives him into the modern day. I will say we can still draw upon those lessons and you can see the next generation of coders. They all owe a great, great debt of gratitude for at least the direction that Lyman was driving rules. Yeah. So thank you, Lyman Sheets, for for giving us an amazing, amazing industry and hobby that we all love. It's because of your codes. So here to present this award is our good friends, Triple Drain Pinball Podcast.
    33:10
    Don't talk about anime porn. Got it. I think we'll just start with that. I think we'll just start with that quote. So, okay. So welcome.
    33:20
    Thank you, Loser Kid. Thank you, Scott and Josh, for inviting us on here. We are the Triple Drain Pinball Podcast. myself, Joel, we have Travis, and that beautiful man, Tom Graff. Yes, we are Triple Drain. We talk about pinball. I don't know. We are what we are. If you listen to us, sorry about you, but enjoy it. I hope people enjoy the show. We have been asked, believe it or not, to announce the Lyman F. Sheets Jr. Award for Best Rules in Code. Best Rules in Code, this is what makes the game work. Travis, do you like code? Hey, if you know anything, Joel, if you're an expert on anything, it's definitely rules and code. I am. I have seen your gameplay. You have gotten super deep into these games. Yeah, I may not be able to do the thing, but I know the thing. I kind of know what to do. Some of it, but not the tournament strat. I know the moments. I know how to get to the moment, you know? The coded moments. I may not see the moment, but I don't know. But you know what exists. Yeah. Tom, I don't know what you just did with your hands, but I'm okay with it. You're clicking. Oh, I'm clicking. Got it, got it, got it. Okay, well, enough of us. If you like this, feel free to listen. This is what you get with Triple Drain. But here we go. The three finalists. The three finalists are Stern's Foo Fighters, Stern's Venom, and Stern's Bond 60th. Three very different games. They're all good games. All great games. You got your music pen. I know, Tom, I see that Foo Fighters right behind you. That LE looks real good. I know Venom. I had a blast with Venom. Dwight, you know, kind of went in a cool direction this year with all the XP and the ranking up. It helped players like myself see the final wizard mode, which was exciting. And Bond 60, what a unique and fun take to like kind of an older game, but yet code that actually had depth and complexity. And, yeah, it was all a good time. So I enjoyed the games. I think they're all good games. But there was one winner. And the winner of the best rules and code for 2023 was Foo Fighters. There we go. Congratulations. Congratulations to Tanya and Ray Day and Jack Danger. What an amazing game. Fun code that keeps you coming back. And thank you for acting like you're clapping and not clapping in the mic. That's great. You're welcome. All right. Well, there you go. Notice, Tom, you and I, the only ones clapping. So everybody on the Foo Fighters team, you know where our loyalties lie. Yeah, because I didn't clap. Great. All right. Well, that's that.
    36:00
    I'm so happy to be here accepting this award on behalf of Stern Pinball and their game Foo Fighters. Thank you so much for voting and naming us the team with the best rules. I don't know what to say. It was a blast working on this game. couldn't have done it without Jack and Tanya bouncing ideas off each other us three just collaborating like crazy it was a super fun time and just I was so much fun and thank you so much for choosing us for your Best Rules nomination Best Rules Foo Fighters, are you shocked? Raymond Davidson? I'm not, no No, no. OK, so we talked about the next level of the next level of coders that all are tied to the umbrella that is Lyman Sheets. And Raymond Davidson is definitely up there. He is all he is, as well as Lyman, a top level player. So he understands competitive pinball. He understands tournament pinball, but he also understands what makes a game fun. so it is it is unlocking that da vinci code of what is what is accessible and fun for for all levels you know and i'm just gonna leave it at that i agree and and raymond really has come pretty far since he started on his first game led zeppelin and yeah it's awesome i love foo fighters right behind me and i love this game man the rules have really it really makes the game amazing so yeah No, it's fine. Moving on. Favorite topper. And you know what? Who better to have us talk about toppers than people that have their own topper segment on their show? We have with us Buffalo Pinball. Take it away, Buffalo.
    37:53
    Hello, everyone. My name is Gorin from Topper Talk with Gorin. Topper Talk with Gorin is a segment on Buffalo Pinball's Bro to Even Talk Pinball podcast. Now, Kevin and Nick were kind enough to invite me to announce the Twippy Award winner for favorite pinball topper. Now, for those who don't know, a pinball topper is really anything that goes on top of your pinball machine. It can be static, it can be interactive, sometimes it's even critical to the gameplay experience. And sometimes they're fan-made, and sometimes they're put out by the manufacturer as an upcharge, or they even come with the game. So with that said, let's get into the nominees for this year's favorite pinball topper. They include Godzilla by Sturm Pinball, Godfather by Jersey Jack Pinball, and Labyrinth by Barrels of Fun Pinball. And the winner is Labyrinth by Barrels of Fun Pinball. Congratulations to the Labyrinth team.
    38:45
    Wow. Best topper for 2023. Thank you for the people that voted for us. It means a lot to our team. We didn't make it to win an award, but when it does happen, it feels pretty amazing. Thank you very much.
    39:03
    Does it shock you, Scott? Does Labyrinth taking the topper shock you? No. Labyrinth, it looks like they stole this from, like, Jim Henson's, like, trunk. It looks like they ripped off the Muppets while he wasn't looking and just put them on top of the pinball machine. I will say I also I'm impressed any time it's 3D or has something interactive.
    39:26
    Other options are great. And by the way, I'm a huge topper guy. I buy toppers for all my machines. uh labyrinth it is definitely eye-catching so it there's for me there's no question that that should have been the winner yeah i agree well moving on to the next one best artwork there you know art has really ramped up over these last few years and just redefined what what a pinball machine looks like yeah and uh our good friend george fisher is here to talk about best artwork. We take away George Fisher with Don't Panic Flip. Take it away, George.
    40:08
    Hello, my name is George and I stream pinball on a channel called Don't Panic Flip on Twitch, YouTube and Facebook. I've also recently started podcasting with my co-host Paul on Basement Dad's Pinball Podcast. Oh, hi there.
    40:24
    Were you there the whole time? Yep. Did you come prepared with your own microphone? Yeah. What a coincidence. Would you mind helping me present the Twippy Award for Best Artwork in 2023? Oh, sure. Well, in that case, you better hold on to your banisters, folks, because 2023 was packed with a heck of a lot of fantastic artwork. I couldn't agree more. And on that note, the finalists for Best Artwork Category are Spooky Pinball's Scooby-Doo with artwork by Jeff Zorno and Matt Frank, Stern Pinball's Elvira Blood Red Kiss with artwork by Greg Freres and Stern's Foo Fighters with artwork by Zombie Eddie. Listen, I just got to say, as a father, I've learned to take the time to appreciate the finer things in life because there's not a whole lot of time for anything else these days. And there's a lot of art packages out there like Galactic Tank Force, Final Resistance, Venom, Labyrinth And I mean, I know nobody got their Pulp Fictions yet But they all didn't make the cut That is some fantastic artwork that didn't make the cut But the people have spoken and we do have a clear winner Do you think you know which game stuck the landing?
    41:42
    Let's find out The 2023 winner of the Twippy Award for Best Artwork is Foo Fighters with artwork by Zombie Yeti Hey there, congratulations Stern and Zombie Yeti My hat's off to some of Zombie Yeti's best artwork yet I love how you never take your hat off I kind of forget I'm wearing a hat most times
    42:13
    Oh, Marmaduke Oh, hi I'm told it's a great honor to be accepting the award for best art package for Foo Fighters Pinball by Stern Pinball.
    42:25
    Whatever you guys say. I'd like to thank the team. A lot of amazing talent involved helped make this game better than it should have been. Jack for letting me be a part of it. Tanya for letting me have terrible ideas. Appreciate it. And thanks to everyone who voted. I'm not sure that you voted correctly I would have gone for Elvira but I appreciate it nonetheless it means a lot Thanks Foo Fighters again with best artwork Zombie Yeti is just a class act man It's hard. Now, I will say this is actually one of those years where I felt that there were a lot of good options. Yes. I feel bad for Christopher Franchi because he put so many art packages out this year. And I wonder if that was his detriment. because you have four art packages just from Franchi alone. I mean, you're splitting the vote four different ways with Franchi. Right, and so if you're a big fan, absolutely. Which one are you going to pick? The challenge – now, I will say, I like all of these options. There isn't one that I thought these aren't good. I mean, Foo Fighters was great. Scooby-Doo was great. Elvira, hey, again, if you are an Elvira fan, That is a nail of a theme. The Blood Red Kiss, obviously, is the version that was available last year. Labyrinth, Elton John, Venom. All these games, there wasn't an art package that I didn't like. So that's saying how far we have gone from the clip art packages of Game of Thrones. Yep.
    44:13
    All right. We're almost done with these awards. Can you believe that, Scott? we've got a couple left to go no no but we're coming up on our big ones right we are we save the best for last let's talk best play field layout and gameplay so this is the way it shoots the way things interact with each other you know that kinetic satisfaction you get when you're flipping on a machine right so scott why don't you tell us who the finalists are for this best play-filled gameplay and layout. Okay, so the finalists. The top three were Labyrinth, Foo Fighters, and James Vaunt, the 60th Anniversary Edition.
    44:56
    Okay, so the winner is Josh. Who do you think wins? Or who wins? Just tell us. It's hard to bet against Keith that one, but the winner is Foo Fighters.
    45:12
    internet oh my gosh you're nuts um thank you thank you thank you thank you for uh everything um thank you for this award thank you uh on behalf of the entire stern team on the entire foo team um these games are a labor of love from a whole mess of people coming together to bring this thing to life.
    45:39
    And I wouldn't be successful in any part of this procedure, this process, if it wasn't for the awesome people that I had by my side the entire time. So thank you. On behalf of the entire team, we can't thank you enough.
    45:57
    I love you, and I'm in love with you. And we'll see you on the next one, I guess. Thanks, guys. yeah and and that's the that that is the right option uh foo fighters it came out really hot and people who played it they said this is such a fun layout uh and it's it's great i congratulations on that and it's that wasn't much of a question in my book of which way and i i think that the best layout should also reflect in the best sales and foo fighters had a great year definitely so moving on to what could be arguably a controversial category this year originally this was youtube streaming and podcasting but as of this year we'll decide to condense it down to one category and the previous winners have kind of went into a hall of fame so let's let's do a quick knowledge of them scott there was straight down the middle who won youtube almost every year except for todd tucky came in and won for tnt amusements streaming hands down was won by dead flip jack danger and then podcasting was chris chris kalouris canaan's pinball podcast so those were not allowed to win this year as per the content creator of the year but we're getting a new Hall of Famer this year. Let's kick it over to Todd Tuckey in honor of Hall of Famers to announce this award.
    47:38
    Well, hello, folks. Today's a special day because I've been asked by the Quippy Association this week in Pinball to present the best content for our hobby.
    47:56
    And look, I am a two-time Twippy winner. I'm pretty great, aren't I, Jonathan? What do you mean by that? I produce hundreds and hundreds of videos for all of you people. But wait a minute, I just happen to have a status sheet. I have had 16 million views. I have, good heavens, I got 50, 46,000 subscribers. Look at that phone scale. Steven, doesn't that make me great? I have restored more pimbo machines than anyone in the country. Isn't it because people like you or they want to see you fail? Or they want to see me dead.
    48:40
    Dead? They want to see me dead. Oh, God, how come our hobby doesn't get a lot of views? But I'm so happy to tell you of the finalists.
    48:58
    There's three of them. Who will it be? They're all excited, Kirk. They're excited. Well, obviously, I'm one of them because I got hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of votes. Here they are. Flippin' Out Pinball,
    49:17
    Harry Hardy, and Nap Arcade. Wait a minute. TNT must be in here. TNT is not a finalist! How is that possible? With all the content I do.
    49:38
    Poor Totti. When they asked me to film this, I knew I wasn't a finalist, Kurti. I'm going to the dollar store and buy you something plastic.
    49:50
    So, who? Gentlemen, who out of those three? That's Goldmine. Or no, Alley Cats, Shuffle Alley. Who is going to be the winner?
    50:07
    Flipping out? Or is it going to be Carrie Hardy? Or is it going to be Nap Arcade? They're all three really good.
    50:19
    The winner Carrie Hardy! You finally won, young man. Congratulations. We're all really happy that you won. Except me. And we hope we'll have another competition next year and i'll get my twippy back thanks for watching good night now get out what's up guys i just want to say thank you very much for voting for me uh i wish i had a trophy i don't have one i guess as of yet i don't know if i'm ever actually going to get one But I tell you what, I'll use my handy-dandy Galactic Tank Force Thermos as a trophy for this. But I just wanted to say thank you, once again, for voting for me as your favorite pinball content creator.
    51:25
    And I guess what means the most to me about this is that you voted for me, and I didn't even have to ask you or request it. That's what means more to me than anything on that. Is that whenever they ask you who's your favorite, the majority of you chose me. So thank you very much for that. It's been a hell of a journey so far. And I'm looking to see where I'm going to be going next with this. The channel's still growing. Thanks to all of you out there. I'm still being discovered by people. I cannot wait to see a lot of you in person hopefully coming up real soon at Texas Pinball Festival and yeah I really don't know what else to say guys it's one of those where I would have preferred this to have been on stage and to be able to see everyone but instead we're doing it this way so it is what it is I guess I definitely need to give a shout out to straight down the middle, Zach and Greg, for helping me become as well-known as I am. I definitely started out just little old me and my little channel, and they noticed me and created some content for them, which therefore also helped me to get a little more well-known. So without a doubt, special thanks to them. They're a part of this as well. So, yeah, keep staring at this like it's an actual trophy. Anyways, guys, thank you very much, and I'll see you later.
    53:08
    All right, so content. Kerry, it is actually no surprise to me. There are worthy people, but Kerry is one of those where I smile every time he comes on. His takes, they can be irreverent and they can be funny. but he certainly is able to let people get excited about the content. And so, and Kerry's a good friend of the show and I really like watching his videos. So congratulations, Kerry, and a welcome to the content creator awards. Awesome. All right. We're moving on to the final award. All right. Game of the year, Scott. It's, it's come down to this. This is the one for all the marbles, right? That's right.
    53:52
    And so the game of the year this year is Foo Fighters. And congratulations, Stern. You really had an amazing year. Foo Fighters was a huge seller. So we want to congratulate you. We want to congratulate Jack Danger as the designer. We want to congratulate everybody on the team who did rules, art, sound. It is a great game. And just like Josh said, it's over his right shoulder. It is a great game and it's still available if you want it. Go ahead and get that game of the year. Let's kick it over to Tanya Kleiss with Stern to accept this award.
    54:34
    Hey there, Twippies. On behalf of the Foo Fighters pinball team and everyone at Stern Pinball, thank you for naming Foo Fighters the Twippy Game of the Year for 2023. We're honored and grateful for the opportunity to bring this game into the world. It's been a real labor of love for everyone involved. Big thank you to the Foo Fighters for creating their amazing music and giving the team the inspiration and the creative freedom to make something we love. And thanks to everyone out there that loves pinball as much as we do. Keep rocking, keep flipping. Well, that was awesome, Scott. I can't tell you. we probably didn't meet the standards of some, but you know what? I was glad that Will reached out to ask us to do the show. I'm glad we did it kind of casual. I just, I can't remember. I wouldn't, I couldn't measure up to what Zack and Amoto did. So I was happy with just doing this. It is great though, in that the bottom line is the awards speak for themselves and this is a fan vote. So take it for, take it for that. These are the fans. They have spoken and this is the reward to the award. So congratulations and congratulations to everybody. who played games, content creators, people who worked on designing the games, the people who are making these games. It's obviously a huge hobby for us, and I'm appreciative of every interaction that we have with all the people who bring positivity to this awesome hobby and industry that we have. Yep. It was great to see over thousands of ballots cast this year. and if you're checking out this show if you want to go check out the results themselves will should have them up on the site here shortly and we thank you for tuning in we are loser kid pinball podcast at gmail.com if you like the show hit like subscribe we appreciate you tuning into the content if this is your first time you can find us on all your podcatchers soundcloud apple we are on all the socials, just facebook.com slash loser kid pinball or Instagram or X also YouTube and Twitch. Also, if you'd like our swag, I'm wearing our shirt. I'm wearing it all night. It is silver ball, slack.com slash loser kid pinball. We appreciate you guys tuning in Scott. Give us our final words. You know what? Go and play pinball and go buy a new game. Treat yourself, treat yourself.
    57:04
    you