Credit: Inside The MagicIf you’re looking to trade some pins, you’re in luck – Disney Pin Traders have officially returned to Disneyland in California, but there’s an interesting new twist. Here’s what you need to know.
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Who Are Disney Pin Traders?
- Find a Disney cast member wearing a pin-trading lanyard
- Find a Disney pin with your favorite character, attraction, movie, or design
- Trade your Disney pin with the cast member
Pin trading is a popular guest activity throughout Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure Park, and Downtown Disney. For a guaranteed trade, Disney cast members wear pin lanyards or staff pinboards for guests to pick from.
What Happened to DPT?
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Disney Pin Trading was taken away due to the activity, causing people to come into close contact with one another. Cast members no longer wore lanyards or vests with pins and instead resorted to using a platform shaped like Mickey Mouse’s face filled with pins.
But now, in 2023, pin trading has officially returned to full force. Cast-to-guest pin trading is back following being gone for nearly four years. Guests can now freely trade their pins with cast members and vice versa. There are popular meeting areas again, and the pin traders have returned to the parks, especially at Disneyland. But there have been numerous incidents due to pin trading.
The pin traders have entered the parks and have taken over large portions of seating areas designed for tired guests after a long day in the parks. Pictures have been posted to social media platforms like X, Twitter, and Reddit, showing these folks pin trading in areas where things can become highly congested. The problem has been so significant that multiple guests reported on this issue. It got so big that Disneyland has officially responded with the following information.
News broke out yesterday that Disneyland would implement designated areas for Pin Traders throughout the parks. This news comes after multiple guests complained to the House of Mouse for years after numerous incidents.
As part of the new guidelines, trading (outside use of the lanyard) will only be permitted near Westward Ho Trading Company in Disneyland Park from park open to 3pm daily (subject to change). There's also new limits on items you bring for trading. pic.twitter.com/jD6pxh886P
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) November 9, 2023
As part of the new guidelines, trading (outside use of the lanyard) will only be permitted near Westward Ho Trading Company in Disneyland Park from park open to 3pm daily (subject to change). There’s also new limits on items you bring for trading.
Insiders are reporting on the new signage being placed around Disneyland Park in California.
Here are the new official pin trading stations near the Frontierland entrance. Disneyland has changed its policy for where guest can pin trade in the park #Disneyland https://t.co/Z8hWII4bbY pic.twitter.com/cj3Rvw3LeU
— David Vaughn (@DavidVaughn) November 9, 2023
Here are the new official pin trading stations near the Frontierland entrance. Disneyland has changed its policy for where guest can pin trade in the park
The new areas for pin trading will hopefully resolve the issues that have arisen in the past, where guests were blocked off from entering a particular site or being unable to sit down to enjoy a meal or enjoy their Disney vacation because of pin traders taking up the space.
What are your thoughts on Disney pin traders?