Voice actor Frank Todaro guest at Bakersfield Collector-Con

Frank Todaro will have a lot to talk about as one of the special guests for the annual Bakersfield Collector-Con set for Aug. 17 and 18 at the Mechanics Bank Arena, 1001 Truxtun Ave. That won’t be a problem as Todaro makes his living talking.

Todaro has more than 130 credits covering almost three decades as a voice actor. You can hear his voice as Starscream in several “Transformers” animated offerings and as Greeny and Silly Money in “The BeatBuds, Let’s Jam!”

Voice work keeps Todaro busy but when he gets a break, he enjoys attending conventions. He most recently was a special guest at the massive Comic Con in San Diego.

“My problem is that I go home with more toys and collectibles from the weekend,” Todaro says.

He stresses that no matter the size of the convention, the fans who approach him are always loyal and kind followers of his work. Some of the fans talk so dearly about their connection to his past projects it has brought tears to his eyes.

The New York native started attending collectibles shows long before his first job. He still finds it an odd experience now to be on the other side of the table as one of the special guests.

Despite years of greeting people at conventions, Todaro often has trouble trying to figure out which of his voice work jobs the fan will want to discuss. The only time he has a clue is if the person is wearing a costume from a production on which he worked.

“You can’t profile fans especially when they are often fans of so many different properties,” Todaro says. “Each one speaks to people differently.

“What they decide to put out there is always different.”

A big topic for fans these days is his current big role as the voice of Mugman in the Netflix animated series “The Cuphead Show!” The series is based on the 2017 video game, “Cuphead,” that is set in the ‘30s-style world of the Inkwell Isles. Cuphead and his easily swayed brother Mugman live with their elderly grandfather and caretaker.

Todaro describes being part of “The Cuphead Show!” as the closest thing he has found to being able to travel through time.

“I got to go back in time to the 1930s and ‘40s and originate a character from one of these Fleischer [Studio] era cartoons,” Todaro says. “It’s absolutely brilliant and I am as big a fan as anyone else.”

It’s not just being part of a popular animated series like “The Cuphead Show!” that gives Todaro such immense pleasure. An additional major benefit has been the connection he has made with the crew and fellow voice actors from the series. He and Tru Valentino – the voice of Cuphead get together for weekly “Dungeons & Dragons” games.

Todaro laughs and says it must be that they are all like-minded “weirdos” because you must be a little weird to create a show like “Cuphead.” A voice actor also must not have a tender ego.

“Nobody wants to see me. I get pushed in a box,” Todaro says. “You get pushed into lockers all your life and then you elect to go inside them and scream.

“It is a crazy club to be a part of.”

Todaro does have one advantage over other voice actors. He’s often recognized for his Snidely Whiplash-style mustache that Todaro swears has a mind of its own.

It is his voice that really matters. Todaro describes coming up with a new voice like creating beef stew. A lot of the same elements go into the mix, but it is how they are put together that helps him find each new voice.

In the case of Mugman, the note to him during the audition was to think of Lou Costello from the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. That was a starting point, but Todaro never wants one of his voices to sound like something else but would sound appropriate for the project.

The bottom line for Todaro is that he became a voice actor and continues to pursue that line of work out of a pure love for the process. It’s a process he enjoys talking about with fans.

Other special guest scheduled to attend include: Billy West, the veteran voice actor whose work includes “Ren & Stimpy”; Phil Lamarr, “Mad TV”; Martin Klebba, “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise; John Gremillion, “Vampire Hunter D”; and Dale D. Kelly, “Dragon Ball Z.”

The Bakersfield Collector-Con will be held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission for adults is $13.50 on Saturday and $9.50 on Sunday. Those 8 and under enter free. The first 200 paid guests will get a door prize.

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