Disney is bringing back one of the most popular elements of pin trading after a long hiatus!
Cast Members trading pins
While a community of hardcore fans have unofficially traded Disney pins for many years, Disney Pin Trading as an official Disney-sanctioned and endorsed activity, began nearly 25 years ago. Launched with a heavy promotional push in conjunction with the Millennium Celebration, Disney Pin Trading quickly took off, becoming a phenomenon amongst fans, who gathered increasingly large and ornate collections. In addition to purchasing pins and trading with other guests, one of the core elements of the hobby was trading pins with cast members, who were company-issued lanyards or pouches of pins to exchange with guests. However, the pandemic put a stop to that.
When Disney’s parks reopened following their pandemic-related closures, direct trading of pins between cast members and guests was shut down for safety reasons. Instead, guests could find much more limited-in-selection pin boards near the registers of certain retail locations and could then initiate a trade with the cast member working the register. This remained the status quo (outside of Disney Springs) much to the collector’s dismay, for almost 4 years. However, that’s all changing.
As of April 7th, we’re ecstatic to report that PIN TRADING IS BACK across all of Walt Disney World!
That’s right, those visiting Walt Disney World will once again be able to swap pins with cast members, who will have lanyards and pouches full of pins once again across the whole resort!
Disney announced the change, saying, “Today is an exciting day, Disney pin traders! We know you’ve been waiting for even more ways to trade Disney pins, and starting today, you can once again trade with cast members using lanyards and packs across all of Walt Disney World. “
2024 Lanyard set
The return of cast-to-guest pin trading isn’t the only exciting pin news out of Orlando this week, as Orlando International Airport is getting into the mix. On April 8th MCO announced that two days later on the 10th, the airport would be hosting its first-ever Pop-Up Pin Exchange event! They extolled potential visitors to “stop by & trade your pins for a chance to receive our Annie the Astronaut & Airside Carpet Socks Pin!”
We're in it to pin it! This Wednesday, 4/10, we’ll be hosting our first Pop-Up Pin Exchange! Stop by & trade your pins for a chance to receive our Annie the Astronaut & Airside Carpet Socks Pin!*
(*2 Pins per Customer-while supplies last)
📍Level 5,by the Train Station
⌚ 1pm-3pm pic.twitter.com/ylNEXEa9sQ— Orlando International Airport (@MCO) April 8, 2024
While pin trading with cast members may not be for everyone, it’s a major part of the Walt Disney World experience for many, and we’re SO EXCITED to have it back!
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At one time I had 2 Disney Cruise Line pins. I really wanted a Pirate Mickey! Fortunately…I came across a CM that had ONE Pirate Mickey. I was in heaven! I was also 54 years old…lol
My wife and kids loved pin trading, recently, as you said, pins were on boards you can look at and exchange, but it was never the same as the fun bantar you had with cast members while exchanging pins. We are going next month, they will be happy with this news.
This is happy news to me. It also brings back precious memories. My dear Mother was never in WDW; she could have gone with me, but she just wasn’t a traveler. Every time I came home from WDW though, she would love to sit with me and see the trading pins that I brought home! It was the one way that we shared WDW together (plus I loved seeing her open all of the gifts I brought home for her)!