January 31, 2009
On this last day of January 2009 (Really? Where did the month go?), we offer this sneak preview. We've added it to the "totally awesome" column. After seeing this sculpt, we decided that starting on Monday we will offer a sneak preview a day for the next week of items being created for the Disney Summer Pin Festival 2009 - Haunted Mansion O-Pin House at Disneyland® Resort.

For now, enjoy the "awesomeness" of this photo. Trust us, the entire sculpt with pins is an incredible site to see!

In other news, Disney's Soda Fountain and Studio Store is releasing several new pins on today. They are all themed to the movie making industry.

On Sunday, February 1, Gift With Purchase Sunday returns to Disneyland® Resort. For every purchase of $25 or more (before taxes) on pins and/or pin accessories, Guests will receive a Mickey Mouse dressed as a knight from The Haunted Mansion® Attraction as a gift with purchase. This pin will be available at participating pin purchasing locations throughout the Disneyland® Resort, while supplies last.

Have a great weekend!

January 30, 2009
Earlier this week we posted information about the upcoming pin release featuring characters from The Haunted Mansion® Attraction. This release will be held on Friday, February 13 - the eve of Valentine's Day - at Disney's Pin Traders at the Downtown Disney® Marketplace. We recently spoke with John Smith, product developer for limited edition pins at Walt Disney World® Resort about this collection.

"I first thought of the 'Eve of Valentine's Day' collection at the end of April 2008 when I was planning pin releases for 2009," said John. "This means I had the idea even before the Friday, June 13, 2008 collection featuring The Haunted Mansion® Attraction was released. When I saw that Friday the 13th fell before Valentine's Day in 2009, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to create this collection using characters from the beloved Haunted Mansion® Attraction."

A pencil sketch concept of the Super Jumbo pin from this collection.

John focused this collection on the fabled story of Constance, the bride, and her many husbands. He selected three of the five husbands for this collection to tell the story.

"I could only create a certain amount of items for this collection," continued John. "So I selected three of the five husbands which allowed me to create the two jumbo pins, a framed set and a boxed set. If I would have featured all five husbands, I would have had to cut those extra items. All of those extra items turned out great, so I didn't want to lose them."

A pencil sketch of the jumbo pin complete with handwritten notes.

One of the most unique items in this collection is the framed set.

"Unlike the previous framed sets we created for The Haunted Mansion® Attraction in 2008, this set will contain all unique pins no sold separately," said John. "The edition size of 213 is also unique in that is the date the set will be released."

Click on the image to see a larger pencil sketch of the set.

The framed set will contain six pins and will measure approximately 17" wide by 14" tall. It will also contain the logo for the collection in felt black matting.

Cleaned up pencil sketches of four individual pins.

There will be wristbands distributed and purchasing limits for this collection.

"We will distribute wristbands and have set purchasing limits for the items," said Steven Miller, Project Manager for Disney Pin Trading. "We have limited the framed set to only one per Guest while all of the other items follow our normal limited edition purchase policy of two items, per style, per Guest, per day."

Steven further explained the wristband distribution used for this event, indicating that wristbands for pins will be distributed at the entrance to Disney's Pin Traders near the Pin Trading Table area starting at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, February 13.

"This release will follow the same procedure used for the June 13, 2008 release at Disney's Pin Traders," continued Steven. "With thanks to our outstanding operations partners at Disney's Pin Traders, we have found a great formula for success that ensures this kind of pin release is fair, equitable and, most importantly, enjoyable for all Guests. We can't wait to see everyone on Friday, February 13 at Downtown Disney® Marketplace."

Click on the links below to download a wallpaper image at different screen resolutions. Once you open the image, right click on the image and select "Set as Background" to make the image wallpaper for your screen.

1024x768 - 800x600

January 29, 2009
We've received a couple of questions regarding when the catalog for Disney Pin Celebration 2009 - The Museum of Pin-tiquities would be posted. We are busy finishing the catalog as we write. Yet like previous events, we will post it on February 25 - the day registration for this event opens via this website.

We've shared a lot of sneak previews already on the site. If you want to see the full assortment (including some awesome Purchase with Purchase promotion pin artwork), please join us for Mickey's Pin Trading Night on February 20 at Disney's Contemporary Resort, Fantasia G Ballroom.

Meanwhile, additional information about the merchandise being offered for the 40th Anniversary event for The Haunted Mansion® Attraction at Disneyland® Resort was recently posted. You can see those items (including some unique pins) by CLICKING HERE. We really love the high top sneakers (and would love to wear them around the office).

We know this isn't a pin but it looks so cool!

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January 27, 2009
Sheila Rader, our Product Developer for event pins at Walt Disney World® Resort, recently shared with us a new four pin boxed set being created for the 16th annual Epcot® International Flower & Garden Festival being held March 18-May 31, 2009. She thought it was an exciting story to tell as the original concept of this four pin boxed set looked much different.

Ron Cohee, one of our Disney Design Group character artists, created the original concept sketches seen below for the boxed set.

Originally, this boxed set would have featured stylized topiary pins featuring Lady, Tramp and two puppies. Lady and Tramp will make an appearance as actual topiaries at this upcoming festival.

Sheila explained that after talking with her fellow team member Steven Miller, the decision was made to change the concept completely. During the past few years, Minnie's Magnificent Butterfly Garden has grown in popularity at the festival. The exhibit features hundreds of butterflies inside a walk-through screened enclosure. It also includes a live exhibit showing how caterpillars form a chrysalis and emerge as butterflies.

Last year, we featured a Disney Vacation Club Member Exclusive pin with Minnie Mouse surrounded by butterflies. Steven thought that concept would make a perfect boxed set since Minnie's Magnificent Butterfly Garden has become a popular place during the festival.

Sheila contacted Ron and asked for some revisions to the original concept artwork. The final boxed set is seen below (with some additional design work done by Tyler Dumas from Disney Design Group). You'll notice that Lady and Tramp are still featured in the set as one pin.

So maybe the original concept that Ron did was like a caterpillar who needed to change into a butterfly? We've mentioned it many times before but collaboration is a key success factor on the Disney pin team. Many times ideas are shared, changed or expanded through hallway conversations.

Look for this set and several other pins when the Epcot® International Flower & Garden Festival 2009 starts March 18.

January 25, 2009
Thank you to the many Guests who attended Mickey's Pin Trading Nights in Paris and Florida on Friday. We hope you had a great time. For Guests who attended the Florida night, we will be posting information this coming week for that incredible Friday the 13th Collection being released on February 13 at Disney's Pin Traders. Yes, we will be distributing wristbands for this release. More details will be shared soon.

Today marks a month until the start of registration for the Disney Pin Celebration 2009 - The Museum of Pin-tiquities. At the next Mickey's Pin Trading Night in Florida on February 20, you will get to see the entire collection. We will even have several of the pre-production pin samples on display. The artwork and pins look outstanding! We hope you will like them too.

Since we are a month away from registration, we thought we would give you another sneak preview of a pin being created for this event. For this sneak preview, however, there is only a portion of the pin that we want to show today. Join us on February 20 to see the whole thing.

The formula for what?

January 23, 2009
Now this is a cool pin! This is our first pre-production pin sample from Disney Pin Celebration 2009. Artwork was created by Martha Widener from Disney Design Group.

If you are in Florida, we look forward to seeing you tonight at Mickey's Pin Trading Nights at Disney's Contemporary Resort. This free activity will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the Ballroom of the Americas.

If you are in France, please stop by Disney's Hotel Santa Fe® for Trading Nights. This free activity will begin at 6:00 p.m.

January 22, 2009
The blog has been a little quiet these past few days. What have we been doing? When you take your next trip to Disney Parks and Resorts in California and Florida, you will see our Cast Members wearing new lanyards. We should say a new lanyard color. Yet this lanyard color isn't all that new (especially to some of you who have been with us since we started Disney Pin Trading on October 1, 1999). In celebration of the upcoming 10th Anniversary of Disney Pin Trading in October, we are returning to the lanyard color that started it all - black.

In keeping with the theme of this year's celebration - What Will You Celebrate? - these new lanyards will feature a celebratory card. A 10 year anniversary is certainly something to celebrate. The card artwork was inspired by new merchandise bags featured at Disney Parks.

In addition to neck lanyards, you will also find hip and adventure lanyards in black. Finally, we are keeping the green/teal green lanyards for kids ages 3-12 to trade.

A new black neck lanyard from Walt Disney World® Resort. We also threw in a
couple of sneak previews. The Disneyland® Resort features a different
lanyard card with Sleeping Beauty Castle. Happy Trading!

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January 20, 2009
On this particularly patriotic day in the United States of America, we thought a sneak preview was in order. You may recall last November that we showed artwork for a Figment pin being created for Independence Day 2009. We just received the pre-production sample of this three-pin set. The other two pins in the set are Mickey Mouse and Tinker Bell. The set will have an edition size of 500 and will be released closer to the July 4th holiday.

John Smith, Product Developer for Limited Edition pins at Walt Disney World®, also stopped by our office with an extra special sneak preview. He recently received artwork for a pin that will commemorate the re-opening of the Hall of Presidents.

For those that don't know, the Hall of Presidents at Magic Kingdom® Park is currently under refurbishment. We reported back in November that behind-the-scenes work is already underway to update the Hall of Presidents show at the Magic Kingdom® Park. The attraction, which opened on October 1, 1971 and was originally envisioned by Walt Disney himself, will be closed for refurbishment through July 1, 2009 to refresh the overall show, apply some fresh treatments to the building façade and roof, enhance the wheelchair accessibility and of course, welcome the 44th President of the United States to the historic line-up of presidential figures.

So, without further delay, here is the artwork for that pin coming later this year.

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January 18, 2009
The Disneyland® Resort is hosting a Pin Trading Night this afternoon from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Disney's Paradise Pier® Hotel - Pacific Ballroom. As a friendly reminder, we ask that you please park in the Downtown Disney® Parking area and the Mickey and Friends parking structure. Also, please do not line up until one hour prior to the start of the event.

They are also releasing their first Pin Trading Knights pin to celebrate Pin Trading Night. This collection of pins continues a theme (Knights of Pin Trading) that was first introduced for Pin Trading Nights Walt Disney World® in 2008. This pin will be released at Disney's Pin Traders in the Downtown Disney® District. Wristband guidelines will apply (see the link above for all of those details).

We asked Steven Miller, Project Manager for Disney Pin Trading at Walt Disney World® Resort, if there will be a second collection of specially designed Pin Trading Night pins this year in Florida.

"I guess we'll see," he responded.

January 16, 2009
Yesterday, we gave a sneak preview for an upcoming pin for Walt Disney World® Resort. Today, we feature a pin created for Disneyland® Resort. Any guesses as to when this one may be released?

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January 15, 2009
We thought today was a good day for a sneak preview (something we have not done for a while). We recently received the following sample and thought several of you would enjoy seeing it. It is coming later this year to Walt Disney World® Resort.

January 14, 2009

We are excited to see the launch of our cheer and dance events pins today. We've been working on these pins since July 2008 in partnership with Varsity. For those of you who don't know, these events have been an annual happening at the Walt Disney World® Resort for the past 15 years. This year, we partnered with Varsity to create a collection of pins that captures the spirit of cheer and dance. We love the designs! Look for these pins to be released in a variety of locations including:

• Disney's Wide World of Sports® Complex - D-Sports, The Milk House, Cafe Merchandise
• Downtown Disney® Area - Team Mickey, Disney's Pin Traders
• Disney's Hollywood Studios™ - Mickey's of Hollywood, Carts at Sorcerer's Hat, Indiana Jones Carts (During Events Only)
• Disney's All Star Sports Resort
• Disney's All Star Music Resort
• Disney's All Star Movies Resort
• Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort - Calypso Trading Post

If you would like to pre-order any of these pins or item, please click on the following link - disneyurl.com/eventpins

We wish all of the athletes the best of luck and happy trading in the coming weeks.

January 11, 2009
Congratulations to all Guests who participated in the Marathon Weekend events at Walt Disney World® Resort. Whether you ran or walked in any of the Marathon activities, we applaud your efforts and thank you for spending time with us. We heard that trading was a lot of fun for several of the athletes and their Guests.

In other news, we received a few updates regarding Mickey's Pin Trading Mornings at the World of Disney® Store - New York. The New York City team is creating several uniquely themed trading mornings this year. Please join them for this free activity on the upcoming dates:

• Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009 (10:00 a.m. - Noon) - "Celebrate Your Passion for Pins"
• Saturday, Mar. 7, 2009 (10:00 a.m. - Noon) - "March Pin Madness"
• Saturday, Apr. 4, 2009 (10:00 a.m. - Noon) - "Eggcellent April Pin Adventures"
• Saturday, May 2, 2009 (10:00 a.m. - Noon) - "May You Be Showered with Pins"

For more information, please call (212) 702-0702 or visit www.worldofdisney.com.

As for trading nights at Disney Parks in January, mark your calendars for the following activities:

• Jan. 18 from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. - Disney's Paradise Pier® Hotel - Pacific Ballroom (California)
• Jan. 23 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. - Disney's Contemporary Resort - Ballroom of the Americas (Florida)
• Jan. 23 starting at 6:00 p.m. - Disney's Hotel Santa Fe® (Paris)

January 10, 2009
So what is going on with all of these date changes? We thought it was time to give a little insight into how we post pins, determine release dates, and why date changes happen. First, we apologize for any recent confusion around release dates for several upcoming open edition and limited edition pins. Let us explain.

Release dates are determined by the delivery date of the pin(s) to each Resort. Based on this information, we look at the calendar to determine the date of release allowing a cushion of time for the pins to be received, allocated by our warehouse and delivered to our merchandise shops. Unfortunately, there are some situations where we must change the date (for example, the pin hasn't arrived as scheduled to our warehouse or a packaging issue needs to be corrected). As soon as we know of a concern, we update our site. Rest assured, it is not an easy decision to make release date changes as we know trips are sometimes planned to the Resorts based on the release of particular pins. We try to avoid it at all costs.

So what are the difference for us between open edition and limited edition release dates?

For limited edition pins, the date posted on DisneyPins.com is a "firm" release date. In other words, we ask our operations partners at Disneyland® Resort and Walt Disney World® Resort to release the limited edition pins on their actual advertised date. With limited edition pins, there is a finite number of pins available for sale (i.e. the edition size of a pin). Depending on the edition size of a particular limited edition pin, it means that only a small number of locations can carry that pin. This allows us to better control the release and distribution making it easier for you, our Guests, to purchase that particular pin.

The tricky part is the release of open edition pins at Walt Disney World® Resort and Disneyland. ® Resort. Various Merchandise locations have different delivery dates to receive product from our warehouses. Due to the large number of locations that sell pins, we adopted the "sell 'em when you get 'em" philosophy for open edition pins in Florida and California.

This means by a particular advertised release date, the majority of locations (think big pin locations first, then other areas) should have a particular open edition pin available for sale. With these different delivery dates some of our merchandise locations may be able to release the pin(s) a few days before the posted release date, while others may not be able to release the pin for a couple days after the release date. This is all based on when the location receives their order of pins from the warehouse.

Wow. That is a mouthful. Here is a summary to help you.

• Limited Edition Pins for Disneyland® Resort and Walt Disney World® Resort - The date posted on-line is the actual date the pin will be available for sale (a firm release date).

• Open Edition Pins for Disneyland® Resort and Walt Disney World® Resort - The date posted on-line is an approximate date the pin will be available for sale. You could find it in a location prior to the posted date based on location delivery dates.

Hopefully, this insight will be helpful in understanding the changes that are made to release dates for pins in 2009 and beyond. Thanks again for your patience with us.

January 9, 2009
Don't forget about the Grand Opening celebration for the new Design-A-Tee shop at Downtown Disney® Marketplace. This event will be held today starting at 11:30 a.m. CLICK HERE to see that specially designed lanyard and lanyard medal that the first 100 Guests will receive.

In other news, Disney's Soda Fountain and Studio Store is releasing another pin in their El Capitan Marquee collection. This pin features Disney's Oliver and Company, a classic animated feature that was released on November 19, 1988.

Did you know that more than a million story sketches and drawings were required to produce the 119,275 hand-painted cels that make up the film? There were more than 300 artists and technicians who worked on this film for more than 2 years. It was also the first Disney animated film to have its own department set up expressly for the purpose of generating computer animation.

January 8, 2009
With the New Year, we were looking around the Disney Theme Park headquarters for some exciting sneak previews of things we'll release later this year. We caught up with with Jeanne Lewis, Product Developer for Disneyland® Resort pins who gave us a look at some of her favorites. Please see the images below which are presented in the order she picked them off the development showcase wall in her office. Below each image is a sentence or two from Jeanne about her selections. Enjoy the glimpse into the future.

"Oh, too bad this isn't the final pin. The final one won't have glitter. I love how this pin turned out - the dangling instruments, the face and the incantation around the outside of the pin." [DisneyPins.com - We gave her bonus points for using the word "incantation." By the way, it reads, "Creepies and crawlies, toads in a pond. Let there be music from regions beyond." Almost can hear the music from this scene.]

"I love the cover of this hinged pin. The sculpted look really adds something to the pin." [DisneyPins.com - Any guesses as to the images inside? Guess you'll have to keep watching the site. Have to keep some mystery, no?]

"I like the magazine pins this year. They make me laugh every time I read one."

"The style of this pin of the month is nice. I like the lettering and the attachments."

"I like the door that opens on this one. Adds something special to the pin."

Look for 2009 selections from our other team members soon. Thanks to Jeanne for taking the time to talk with us.

Meanwhile, today starts the Marathon Weekend at Walt Disney World® Resort. The Health and Fitness Expo will be held at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex® on the following dates and times:

• Thursday, January 8 - 12:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
• Friday, January 9 - 9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
• Saturday, January 10 - 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Pin trading will take place daily at the Expo from 1:00 pm - 1:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. in the Milk House next to the Speaker Series. Limited Edition Disney's Endurance Series pins and other collectible Disney pins will also be available for purchase.

For the first time ever, pin replicas of the Walt Disney World® Marathon Weekend medals will be available! Only 750 of each pin were created (see Race and a Half, Half Marathon, Marathon), and they will be released on Thursday, January 8, 2009 at the 1:00 pm Pin Trading Experience. Please note that there will be purchasing limits in place for these new medal pins.

January 6, 2009
According to Clopin from Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame, today is "Topsy-Turvy Day." We considered turning all the images on DisneyPins.com upside down, but then figured that would be a bit extreme. So maybe we'll just wear our Disney pins upside down on our lanyards today.

We received word today about a Grand Opening celebration for the new Design-A-Tee shop at Downtown Disney® Marketplace. This event will be held on Friday, Jan. 9 starting at 11:30 a.m.

The first 100 Guests at the event will receive a specially designed lanyard with lanyard medal, complimentary button, complimentary mini-souvenir t-shirt and a $5.00 off coupon toward the purchase of a Design-A-Tee.

Please note (this is the legal stuff we have to post) the coupon is valid only January 9, 2009. Limit one coupon per purchase. Coupon has no cash value and is non-transferable. Coupon will be marked "redeemed" at time of redemption. No photocopy or reproduction of coupon accepted. Offer subject to change without notice.

Sounds like a fun celebration, especially during a year when we are asking everyone what they will celebrate with us. We hope to see you there!

January 5, 2009
This is our first posting of 2009. We hope you had a good holiday and a fantastic New Year! There are so many exciting things planned for this year - from events like Disney Pin Celebration 2009 at Walt Disney World® Resort or Disney Summer Pin Festival 2009 at Disneyland® Resort, to many special pin releases featuring a variety of favorite Disney characters, shows, and attractions.

All of these releases and events will lead up to a special day for anyone who has has ever made a trade at a Disney Destination. We will celebrate 10 Years of Magical Trades on October 1, 2009. As we recently kicked off our What Will You Celebrate? campaign, let the countdown begin to our upcoming 10th Anniversary. We hope you will trade with us during this festive year.

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