Disney is bringing back one of the most popular elements of pin trading after a long hiatus!

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. “

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!

For more Disney news, keep following DFB!

7 TERRIBLE Things We Recommend in Disney World

Have you ever traded pins with a Walt Disney World cast member? Let us know in the comments below.

The post Disney Announces Major CHANGE to Pin Trading! first appeared on the disney food blog.