What could be better?! He was sure to navigate his can and stop at a picnic table where a guest traded pins with her husband weekly to any guest who wanted to peruse, chat or trade. We were with a small crowd enjoying Bobby and his pin-trading garbage can. Bobby is a Cast Member Custodian who had a double-sided garbage can decorated with pins! We were allowed two trades, and Bobby instructed us he was the one who touched the pins on the can for trading. In Disney’s Animal Kingdom, as we headed from Dinosaur to the exit on a very hot May day, we bumped into Bobby and his PIN CAN at Discovery Island. We found two mystery pin locations within the Magic Kingdom located at Sir Mickey’s and Fantasy Faire. We didn’t use the Disney Parks Guide Map, but there are locators on the map to find the spots. If you didn’t want to trade it, you didn’t have to. These special boxes are also located behind a Disney Parks Merchandise counter, but because it’s a mystery pin, you select a number on the pin board, open a drawer and find a surprise pin that you need to trade. This is a new pin trading experience to celebrate Walt Disney World’s 50 th Anniversary. I loved the one in the Norway Pavilion, it was beautifully themed (see below), but a favorite of ours was finding a mystery box pin trade experience (pictures above). Most pins on the boards were displayed on Mickey Ear-shaped boards, and some were more creative. There is this great feeling of anticipation as you approach a counter, wondering what you will find on the board, similar to a garage/estate sale, but you don’t need money to buy, just an equal trade. Anyone can trade one for one, as long as it’s an official Disney pin with its proper backing and not broken. I also enjoy that this experience is for all ages. What I love about it is not only do you feel like you have walked away with a pin that you like, it’s a wonderful opportunity for conversation, for social experiences with other guests and cast members. Pin trading is a tradition that is still strong. A fanny pack/money belt is a great option, too. I did notice some would decorate their day bags or hats with pins. I haven’t found that to be the case on this past vacation not many people wore lanyards. When trading pins began in the early 2000s, I found many guests wore lanyards with many pins sometimes, other guests would trade with you. If you approach a cast member, they will retrieve the board from behind the counter and show you the pins. Most of the merchandise stores and resorts had a board displayed behind the counter that had pins on them. We brought with us a few random pins that we keep in a Ziploc bag just for trading. Many people wonder if pin trading has declined over the years or has been completely suspended, but I can tell you that pin trading is still alive in Walt Disney World! Mystery Pin Box Pin Trading is when you have a pin you no longer want (including its backing) and trade it with someone else on Disney property for another pin you want.
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