Do you have a favorite ride from your Disney vacation? Visit the parks during a special time of year? Celebrating a special milestone while on vacation? All of the memories can be celebrated and come home with you with a Disney Trading Pin!
Disney Pin Trading was started in 1999 and has been an interactive and fun way to collect the perfect souvenir to treasure from your Disney vacation.
How do you start? You need an authentic Disney trading pin. These can be purchased throughout the park stores and Trading Pin posts, resort gift shops and Downtown Disney stores. You can find starter sets with 4 pins and a lanyard at most of these locations for $24.95. Disney trading pins range from $5.95 up to $12.95 on average. Lanyards come in all colors, themes and patterns. These start at $8.95 and up.
Cast members throughout Disney World and Disneyland, as well as on the Disney Cruise lines, have lanyards or small trading purses with their pins on display. When your child spots the perfect pin on a Cast Member, they can ask to trade by giving one of their pins for that perfect pin. You will also find pin books and/or pin boards at all the resort locations. Some resorts have special trading times or events that your family can participate in too.
My children enjoyed trading pins on our recent stay at Disney's Art of Animation resort. During a special trading event, they were able to trade for a mystery pin from the pin board inside the resort's gift shop, the Ink and Paint Shop. They loved the surprise of getting an unknown pin. If it wasn't a favorite, then they had another one to trade. If they loved it, it went on their lanyard for "keeps"
You will get extra special attention from the characters when they see that you have one of their pins. My two oldest boys decided early on to only collect Pluto and Chip and Dale Pins.
Whether you loved to ride Space Mountain, met Cinderella for the first time, attended Mickey's Very Merry Christmas party, or celebrated your 1st Disney vacation- all these magical memories can be represented by the trading pin you collected on your trip to Disney!
Tressa Krippel
Travel Specialist
