A great contest is back again this year, sporting a brand new name and offering some fantastic prizes. Many of you no doubt remember Joes for Tots from a couple of years ago, and it's back for 2011 as Geeks for Tots. Yodasnews sat down with Vincent from Robot's Pajamas to talk about the inspirational contest that rewards geeks for giving to Toys For Tots. We really want to encourage all our wonderful readers to participate in this year's Toys For Tots campaign and "the nerdiest toy drive on the internet," because we know there's no other fandom out there as generous as the STAR WARS fan community!

YN: It's great to have this chance to talk, Vincent. Before we really get started, can you share a little information about yourself and your collecting hobby with our readers?

V: Well for my day job I'm a corporate drone. In my spare time I'm another voice on the internet begging for attention. I used to have a blog called Toy Bender which seemed to be pretty popular, but after that died I decided to delve into general geekery on TheRobotsPajamas.com. I also spend way too much time on Twitter.

I got into collecting basically because I was a nerd and I think I was never able to get past the fond memories I had of playing with toys. For me, most of my good childhood memories revolved around toys in some fashion, either playing with Captain Power stuff by myself or having massive G.I. Joe battles with friends. I'm really a nostalgia based collector. If it reminds me of my past, I'm all about it.

I think I officially started "collecting" in high school and I officially became an insane collector when Kenner's Star Wars Power of the Force 2 line came out. I've switched my focus at times from Star Wars to G.I. Joe to lots of various other smaller lines (my Starcom collection is now nearly complete), but at the moment I've backed off a bit on the whole scene of buying modern stuff. I've been trying to focus more on getting classic toys. Someday I hope to have a nice carded collection of Super Powers figures.

YN: How did Geeks For Tots come about, and how long have you been doing it?

V: Geeks for Tots came about three years ago. The original idea was to encourage collectors to buy more G.I. Joe figures. This was back when the Joes' 25th anniversary was strong and I was really into it. I figured if more kids got their hands on Joes, they might have a fondness for them like I had. Of course, donations were open for all sorts of toys, but the original seed of the idea was to get Joes into the hands of kids. That strange seed of an idea turned into a straight up desire to want to help kids in a really fun way.

I ran the contest for two years and then because of personal reasons I skipped 2010. I brought it back this year due to popular demand and the fact the economy blows. I figure more kids than ever would probably need the help this holiday season.

YN: What made you decide to change from Joes For Tots to Geeks For Tots?

V: I thought that the G.I. Joe connotation was a little limiting. Sure the prizes included a lot of non-G.I. Joe stuff, but from a branding perspective I figured it might be easier to reach more people with a general term like Geek. And I also was a bit nervous that Hasbro wouldn't be cool with using "Joes" in any capacity, even if it was well meaning. Corporate lawyers aren't always the most understanding of folks.

YN: Why did you choose Toys For Tots for your charitable efforts?

V: This ties into the above answer about the original seed of the idea of getting toys directly into the hands of kids, but also because I've always enjoyed picking out toys and putting them in the drop box myself. I believe in their mission and it's a nationwide thing. There are other worthy toy drives, but this is just easier to do as a contest since it's all over the place. I will accept donations to other charities as entries, but it's a case by case basis. As a blanket thing it's just easiest to go with Toys for Tots.

YN: In addition to the great feeling of making a few kids' Christmas morning a little more special, what can people win by entering?

V: Lots of stuff! Our sponsors really pulled through this year and I'd really like to thank them. The goodies include:

1. Sideshow Collectibles Premium format Clone Trooper
2. $50 gift card to Big Bad Toy Store
3. Lots of Star Wars figures from Brian's Toys
4. Gift cards to 80sTees.com
5. Geeky soaps (R2 soap even!)
6. Nifty geeky jewelry

I encourage everyone to check out the blog as we roll out spotlights on the prizes.

YN: Where do you get all the prizes for the contests?

V: There's a few really great sponsors that stepped up to the challenge this year and donated prizes to help make this a worthwhile contest. Without them, there wouldn't be one. All of the previous sponsors came back along with a couple of new ones.

They are: Sideshow Collectibles, Big Bad Toy Store, Brian's Toys, 80sTees, Luke's Toy Store, Yeung Moxey, and Bling Squared.

YN: For our readers who would like to participate, how do they enter?

V: Two easy ways: Have a picture taken of yourself donating to Toys for Tots or sending proof of an online cash donation (they don't have any personal information on the receipt they give, it's basically a thank you from them). You send either type of entry to GeeksForTots@gmail.com.

The picture is the most fun option and really handy for promoting the contest. And who doesn't have at least a camera phone on them these days? Even if its just a hand holding a toy dropping it into the box, it's still neat to see a picture of an actual donation.

YN: Have you received any assistance from other web sites or organizations?

V: Aside from this one, there's too many sites to name. I'd like to thank everyone that retweets contest posts or mentions the contest on their various outlets. I'd really like to extend a thank you to Matt Gunezy for helping me write the posts and Larry Joe for desiging the banners.

YN: Once people have entered the contest, where can they find you online?

V: I don't want to make this about me. Just bookmark www.geeksfortots.com and follow @geeksfortots on twitter and if you really do need more of me, you'll figure it out.

YN: One final question before we let you go: What was your personal favorite toy you received at Christmas as a kid?

V: Well that's tough, since I got a lot of sweet stuff, but my favorite toy that's attached to a strong memory was when I decided to give a gift to Santa's reindeer Rudolph. I got him an ornament to hang on his antlers. I left it by the cookies and milk with a note I wrote to him. In turn, Rudolph left me an Ewok Village. That day I learned that everyone is stupid for sucking up to Santa. Rudolph is the one you want to get in good with.

We really want to thank Vincent, not only for chatting with us, but mostly for all his efforts to generate excitement for donating to Toys For Tots. While you're out shopping for the latest STAR WARS figures at your local retailers, please take a moment to pick up something that will make a child's holiday so much brighter this year. And while you're at it, be sure to snap a photo of your donation and email it to GeeksForTots@gmail.com for your chance to help less fortunate kids and win some fantastic prizes.

If you're shopping on a budget, you can still help! Geeks for Tots (and Yodasnews!) sponsor BigBadToyStore has some great deals, like STAR WARS: The Clone Wars figures for four bucks or less! Adding a season three Anakin Skywalker, Cad Bane, Commander Cody, Obi-Wan Kenobi, space suit Anakin Skywalker, cold weather gear Anakin Skywalker, Battle Droid, Super Battle Droid, or Jawas two-pack to your next order will make for a great donation!

The following discount retailers, with links to their store locators provided, also offer brand-name toys at low prices during the holiday season. You can find popular, quality toys at Big Lots, Family Dollar, Marshalls, Ollies, Ross, T.J. Maxx, or Tuesday Morning.