“Just a Scourge on the Parks,” Fans Criticize Popular Disney Pastime

The Disney Parks have a variety of offerings for Guests of all ages. Rides, shows, dining experiences, meet and greets, parades, and fireworks are all an important part of a Disney vacation. However, perhaps one of the most popular things to do during a trip to the Disney Parks is pin trading.

You’ll see lanyards full of pins on Guests young and old and pins sold at almost every retail location in the Parks. Guests can trade with each other for pins they like better, and even most Cast Members have a selection of pins they can trade with as well. Since its debut in 1999, it’s become so popular that it’s likely you’ll see a group of people with boards, vests, and hats full of pins who trade with each other and other Guests throughout the day. While pin trading and collecting can be a fun way to interact with Guests and Cast Members, there’s quite a few who refuse to do it.

A recent Reddit post asked users what they refuse to do when they’re at Disneyland, and several comments mentioned pin trading. For many, the reason was simple: they had nowhere to put them or display them at home and had no other use for them after their vacation. Others straight up said they just didn’t care for pins or couldn’t be bothered to follow through on trading when it came down to it. There were a few comments from users like u/breathfromanother who states, “I will never trade pins with the pin traitors (scammers) that hog up the benches in Frontierland.” Others agreed, saying they’ll just “stick with buying from Disneyland proper.”

While the pins are a cool souvenir, especially if you’re able to trade for something cooler, many of the comments pointed out that they’re just like every other piece of Disney merchandise: overpriced and useless outside of that specific setting. To each their own, and every person has their own idea of what a Disney vacation includes. For some Guests, that includes pin trading. For others, it doesn’t. It’s still an incredibly popular pastime in the Parks, and isn’t likely to go anywhere any time soon.

Have you ever done pin trading in the Parks? Share your experience with Inside the Magic!