Some of you may have heard about pin trading, but exactly what is Disney Pin Trading? According to Wikipedia: “Disney pin trading is the buying and trading of collectible pins and related items featuring Disney characters, attractions, icons, events and other elements. The practice is a hobby officially supported and promoted by Disney.”
Let me break it down for you: you take one of your Disney pins and trade it with a Cast Member or another guest. Why would you want to trade pins? There are a number of good answers to this question. Maybe you are a collector and are searching for that rare Flubber pin released in 2000. Or maybe you just like that really pretty Belle pin and don’t want to spend $20 to buy yourself a new one. Or maybe it’s just something fun to do!!
Now, how do you get pins to trade? You can buy the pins at the park or at your resort. The mystery packs are the least expensive route – you buy the pin not knowing what character or attraction you will get. You’re going to trade it anyway! You may only trade pins with the Disney trademark stamped on the back (if you decide to buy from a third party, make sure they are authentic Disney Pins). My girls did purchase some pins that they had no intention of trading and that’s ok too.
So how does the trading work? Certain Cast Members will have a lanyard with pins or maybe a fanny-pack-like pouch with pins. We even found a Cast Member in Animal Kingdom with the side of a trash can covered in pins!! The rule is that you must ask the Cast Member if they will trade with you. You cannot just start grabbing pins! It’s fun to look at the different pins that all of the Cast Members have.
My Special Story
We were at Magic Kingdom on my daughter’s 8th birthday. My mom and 2-year-old daughter went back to the resort for the rest of the day, so the birthday girl and I had some one-on-one time together. We had just gotten off of Space Mountain and secured another Fast Pass for the ride. Our Fast Pass window was in about 30 minutes and we were tired, so we decided to recharge (my phone that is) at the Tomorrowland Light & Power Co. As we’re resting, my daughter sees a young woman with a binder full of pins. She was watching her intently for a few minutes before the young woman asked my daughter if she wanted to come over and see all of her pins. She explained pin trading as my daughter listened intently. The collector gave my daughter a pin and instructed her to approach the Cast Member at the register and trade for a pin that she wanted. I watched as my little girl walked up to the Cast Member, asked to look at his pins, then requested a trade. When she turned around to walk back toward where we were sitting, she was grinning from ear to ear. She was so excited!! The pin collector asked if she liked pin trading and my daughter answered with a resounding “YES!” She then presented my daughter with 4 more pins from her collection, packed up her binder, wished my daughter “Happy Birthday” and walked out of the store. I will never forget the kindness and generosity of this stranger in Tomorrowland. What a magical birthday present for my little girl!
