In retrospect, it was fascinating to see how quickly this craze took hold even just during the time I was there that first month.Īfter the debut at Walt Disney World Resort, the company clearly felt they had stumbled on something as the hobby arrived at Disneyland Resort the following year. I was visiting the park for their Halloween celebration roughly 20 days after the pins’ debut and I watched as new fans took up the challenge sometimes running to the new pin trading stations, which were popping up throughout the parks. It was at this time that they caught me in that very first wave of fandom.
Right out of the gate, Disney put their considerable marketing weight behind the new program encouraging the birth of some serious collectors. That point arrived in October of 1999.Īs part of their Millennium Celebration, which ran from Octoto January 1, 2000, the company introduced the idea of Disney Pin Trading at the Walt Disney World Resort. That said, there was a turning point where Disney Pin Trading really came into its own and solidified as a concept. You’ll find pins dating all the way back to the opening in 1971. If you want to be technical, there actually hasn’t been a time that pins weren’t a part of the Disney theme park experience in one way or another. Finally, I’ll point you to some strong resources around the web where you can deepen your knowledge and begin building a collection that reflects your personal pin-based passion for all things Disney. Next, I’ll walk you through some considerations should you become a collector as this hobby has its own language and customs. First, I’m going to get you up to speed with the history of Disney Pin Trading. In the article that follows I plan to do three things. In the end, this visit didn’t leave me with a suitcase of treasures but it did make me curious about the history of this hobby and just how healthy it remains today.
Those tiny collectibles were littered throughout the parks and that collector’s urge, once you have it, is sometimes tricky to block. Even today, I felt the pins pull once again during a recent family vacation to the Walt Disney World resort. Though I’ve now pulled myself away from the “hobby” (as Disney officially defines it), those early days had me hunting limited edition pins tied to the rides and scenes I grew up with and, just as they planned, I found myself opening my wallet again and again as I started my collection. It’s just the way I’m wired and it has hit me with things like Magic cards, boat themed Hot Wheels, Marvel Legends action figures, Dungeons & Dragons gaming stuff and, for a time, I was even a dedicated Disney Trading Pin collector.Ĭhasing after Disney pins held my focus for a couple years as I stumbled onto them just as the marketing campaign was getting started at Walt Disney World Resort in the late ’90s. Every so often an emotional itch will develop somewhere deep in my collector soul and I find myself unexpectedly starting a new collection of some sort.
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