Cast to Guest Pin Trading Returns to Walt Disney World Next Month

Walt Disney World Pin Traders should go find and dust off their favorite lanyard now, as cast to guest Pin Trading is set to return to Walt Disney World on April 7th!

What’s Happening:

  • Last November, it was announced that a phased return of Pin Trading would be coming to Walt Disney World, and shortly after that announcement, Pin Trading returned to Disney Springs.
  • When the Global Pandemic occurred, the Disney Parks of Walt Disney World closed and reopened a few months later with person-to-person contact mitigated wherever possible. One of those ways was the elimination of Guest to Cast pin trading.
  • With the rollout of Disney Springs last November, and several other pin boards or creative ways of a similar concept. One example: Parking cast with a cone covered in pins for trading, while the trams were parked in the lot several hundred yards away, unused.
  • Now, Disney Parks has announced a full return of Guest to Cast pin trading that begins on April 7th at Walt Disney World. It is worth noting that the video shared by Disney Parks only seems to imply a return to Walt Disney World, with hashtags and captions failing to mention the Disneyland Resort. The video itself features Walt Disney World locations, and also mentions Disney World in the hashtags.
  • The reaction to the news via the comments doesn’t seem to focus on the return of the pin trading, but hopeful requests that Disney does something to stop the amount of fake pins that seem to permeate the activity in this day and age.

  • Disney Pins have been a collectible souvenir since Disneyland opened in 1955, but it wasn’t until 1999’s Millennium Celebration at EPCOT that the idea of Pin Trading was introduced. As part of the craze, collectors could purchase pins through the 15 month long celebration and trade with Cast Members wearing a pin lanyard. The activity proved so popular that specialty kiosks were created with designated areas where guests could trade with other guests as well as Cast Members. The following celebration at Walt Disney World, 100 Years of Magic, saw the introduction of the Sorcerer’s Hat at Disney-MGM Studios, where beneath the controversial icon stood a special Pin Trading area (alongside 100 years of Walt Disney interactive activity) and the introduction of the Magical Moments pins, interactive pins representing each park that would illuminate at designated moments on select attractions and nighttime spectaculars (sound familiar?) Pin Trading also expanded to Disneyland Resort, which hosts multiple pin trading events, and has also expanded to the other Disney Parks around the globe, each with their own pins and traditions, even including Disney’s Aulani in Hawaii.
  • Pin Traders can now once again trade with Cast wearing lanyards starting on April 7th.
  • If you want to head to Walt Disney World to Pin Trade yourself, be sure to reach out to our friends at Mouse Fan Travel, who can assist with all your Disney Travel needs.

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Tony Betti
Originally from California where he studied a dying artform (hand-drawn animation), Tony has spent most of his adult life in the theme parks of Orlando. When he’s not writing for LP, he’s usually watching and studying something animated or arguing about “the good ole’ days” at the parks.