Ready to trade!

When we went to Disney recently we decided to add a fun event to the girls days while in the parks.  I was looking online for neat activities and inexpensive souvenirs when I discovered the Disney Trading Pin idea.  None of us had ever done this before, but it intrigue me so I researched it more.

Get a Disney Trading Pin Starter Pack.  We decided to buy a starter pack of Walt Disney World Trading Pins for the girls and see how it goes.  You can find a lot of sets for sell on Amazon or EBay.  If you do purchase from Amazon OR EBay, please check the seller’s feedback and verify that the trading pins you are purchasing are truly official Disney Trading Pins.  The official Disney Trading Pins will all be made of metal and contain the mickey mouse head printed on the the backs.  If they are not “official Disney Trading Pins” you will not be able to trade them at the parks.  We purchased a set of 50 Disney Trading Pins for less than $0.50 per pin including shipping.  The only catch with the pins we got was that we couldn’t “pick” which pins came in our package.  We really didn’t have any preference on the pins we wanted to get starting and didn’t have any specific sets we were trying to collect any way so it made sense to get started with a decent number of pins by getting them online prior to going to Disney.  You can also pick up various themed starter packs at any of the Disney stores.

Make it a game and prepare the kids before leaving home.  A couple days before we left for Disney we put all the trading pins into a bowl and had the girls choose one out at a time so it was random.  We explained what the pins were for, how to use them, and that they were theirs to keep, trade, and do as they please with them.  They were really excited by this new fun game!  After they drew all the trading pins that we had been sent they practiced their trading abilities by trading a couple among themselves.

Decide which ones you want to keep and which ones to trade.  They sorted them by categories – ones they wanted to keep, ones they wanted to trade with others because they didn’t want them, and ones that they hadn’t decided whether or not they wanted to keep into their “maybe” stack.  We used 4 lanyards that Jake had collected through the various conferences he has attended to attached their pins.

Make sure to get a lanyard or hat to store them on.  Separate out the ones you want to keep from the ones you want to trade. They had one lanyard that they wore or kept readily available so they could trade with any cast member or other guest while at the Disney parks, on the transportation systems, hotel, standing in line, and various other places throughout our travels.  The other lanyard they kept separate and that contained all the trading pins they really wanted to keep or try to collect.  We kept the lanyard with the pieces they wanted to save in their back packs so they didn’t accidentally trade the wrong ones.  Also, we discovered that occasionally the back would come off of a trading pin and at times the pin itself would fall off.  If they lost one they were already trading it would not be as disappointing as losing one that they really wanted to keep.

Meet a lot of neat people and enjoy a variety of fun conversations.  We weren’t entirely sure how well it would work, if the kids would like it, or if it would be fun for them, but we gave it a try.  They LOVED it!!!  It was so neat to see them talking, interacting, and trading not only with various cast members, but other guests as well.  They had to be okay if someone didn’t want to trade and learn how to interact politely with both kids and adults.  It was a great learning experience for both of the kids.  They had a grand time and had so many interesting conversations with people we met throughout the week that we probably would have never talked with had they not been trading.

Educational souvenir and perfect for older kids.  Let the kids handle as much as the interaction on their own.  It was educational, fun, and for the most part inexpensive souvenir.  The new trading pins in the stores sell for $6 and more per trading pin!  This activity is particularly good for older children, probably 6 and up.  The younger ones can do it too, but it takes more parent supervision.  Most of the time I would step back and let the kids do all the conversations and interactions on their own.  They got really good at it and had a blast at the same time.  If your looking for a fun activities that can be done no matter where you are at in the Disney vicinity this is a wonderful activity.  Once the girls knew what they wanted to collect it became like a scavenger hunt game for them.

Manners Matter.  It is probably obvious, but like anything else in life it is important to be polite and use your manners when you are interacting with cast members and other guests.  There are some people that absolutely do not want to trade and you have to be okay with that too!  The girls ended up getting some pretty neat pins and even a couple extra ones when trading.  I believe a large part of them getting a few extra pins was that they were polite and respectful when interacting with people during the trading process (plus wearing their birthday celebration buttons helped with that as well).

How to trade pins with cast members and guests.  Any cast member will trade up to 2 pins with you as long as you do not give them one that they already have.  Other guests do not have to trade with you, but there is no limit on the number of trades you can do with other guests.  We had many opportunities to trade throughout the entire week!  The kids were very excited by the pins they were able to collect during the week.  They even collected a full set or two.  They can back with only a handful of the 25 pins they began the week with before heading to Disney  It was interesting to see how they choose to handle their sets and how their different personalities shown through in this activity.

Brina’s starter set.  The top row was her want to keep and “maybe” sets.

At the end of the week Brina’s “keep” set on the left and “trade later” set on the right.

Brina made up her mind almost immediately what she wanted to collect, never changed her mind, and consistently only looked for those specific items.  She managed to complete one full set and is only 1 away from completing her 2nd set.  Brina especially enjoyed talking and trading with the kids (both the little ones and older ones).  She would trade any of her stash of trading buttons with them just for fun even if they didn’t have something she wanted in return.  It was a great social activity and she really enjoyed it!

Karlie’s Disney Trading Pins starter set.  She separated hers out into to save, trade, and “maybe” trade categories.

Karlie’s two sets by the end of the week.  On the left are her “keep” pins and on the right are her “still can be traded at a later day” pins.  As you can see she has some of the same pins and a variety of new ones.

Karlie was fun to watch trade.  She would trade with anyone and everyone.  It was a great adventure for her to go up to workers, other guests, and just start up a conversation.  She was always excited about a variety of pins.  Although she originally only had one or two sets she was collecting by the end of the week she had several different sets she was collecting because she kept adding more ones she wanted to keep.  She didn’t complete any of her sets, but she did get some very “Karlie” type pins which was cool!

If you want some more information about how to get started with the Disney Trading Pins you can go to Disney or Disney Blog or other individuals who have shared great advice with a lot of information for those who are looking at beginning to trade the Disney pins:

• DizziPinz
• Tips From the Disney Diva
• MouzeKateerz
• Disney Dose

These should help you get off to a great start in your Disney Trading Pin adventure!  Happy Trading!!!