Pin Collecting at Disney

OK, so this is not the "Disney post" you expected. But good info nonetheless, I hope.

As an inveterate traveler, I have collected pins for some time. They provide a good record of my travels without taking up a lot of shelf space. So when I arrived at Walt Disney World earlier this week, I naturally picked up one or two.

It wasn't long before I noticed many people (probably about 15%, not counting cast members; men, women, boys, girls, didn't matter) walking around with pin lanyards. Lanyards? In this heat? Really? And most of them had 10-12 pins. What is going on here?

Turns out that about ten years ago, Disney initiated pin trading. This is an Olympic-proportion endeavour. (I do not mean this figuratively. Olympic Pin trading is big business.) All the parks have muliple "pin stations," with usually one monster pin shop in the middle of the park. You can pick pins for parks, characters, rides, themes, whatever suits your fancy. It wasn't long before a lanyard graced my neck.

I finished the week with 12 pins, plus a Fantasia pendant. My nephew Thor also collects pins, and he ended up with an impressive and thoughful collection. (His favorites are pictured.)

I asked him to write up his "pin collecting" hints. His advice:

• Get several pins that you really like and some others. Some are for trade; keep your favorites. If you follow this, you will have a great pin collection.
  
• If you decide to get a lanyard, never get one that has a bunch of cartoons or stuff on it. Get a very calm one with not much going on, so people can actually see your pins.
  
• Bigger is not always better. You can also find really cool small pins.
  
• Buy only at stores that have a good selection.
  
• Always, always, always trade. If you do this, you will have cool pins. (Note from Auntie: if someone is displaying a lanyard or belt flap, it means "I am willing to trade.")
  
• Cast members will trade nearly every time.
  

Good hints indeed. Good luck! (And more later on the trip, including some sage advice on trip timing if your schools release late-May/early-June.)