| Disney Pins | |
What does it
mean to be a Disney Pin Trader? To answer
this, all you need to do is visit a Disney Theme Park, restaurant, shop or
hotel. Anywhere you find Disney employees, you will find Disney pin
traders. Though pin traders do trade amongst themselves, the majority of
pin trading takes place between Disney employees and guests. The reasoning
here is that Disney employees can not turn a guest down in a request to trade a
pin, and the employees often have pins that are not sold in any store. Serious pin traders will often arrive at the parks first thing
in the morning just to check out the employee lanyards. (For those non-pin
traders, a lanyard is the special strap that a pin traders and employees wear
around their necks to display their pins.) When the lanyard fails to
provide adequate display space, pins start to be seen on hats, vests and even
special carrying cases.
Though pin
trading is big business for Disney, it has also provided a wonderful form of
interaction between individuals from around the globe. Pin traders love to
show their pins and share their knowledge. When my son and I first started
trading pins, we were naive and inexperienced, but quickly found that just about
everyone is willing to help you out. Seniors
especially seem to love to share their information. For many seniors, pin
trading has become a fun new hobby.
Unlike past collectable 'fads' most pin traders seem to be doing it for the enjoyment and beauty of the pins as opposed to any monetary gain. Disney encourages pin trading at many levels. Special events are set up at the attractions specifically for pin traders and now pin traders have their very own place to buy, trade and talk at Disney's Pin Traders at Downtown Disney Marketplace.
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| photos courtesy of Theresa Johnston | |
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