Hi Dana, and thanks for bringing your question to planDisney. It’s always fun to chat with a fellow Disney pin fan!
I’m happy to share that pin trading is still happening at Disney World, and it’s actually celebrating its
25th anniversary this year! You can look for pins on trading boards or on Cast Member lanyards.
You’ll find pin boards throughout the Disney World parks and resort hotels. I’ve often seen them in or around gift shops, either behind the register or on a stand just outside the store. Some locations even have a mystery pin trading box where you pick a numbered door to trade for a surprise pin! Look for a square grey box with a blue Disney Pins logo in the middle surrounded by little doors with blue numbers. If you’re in a gift shop and don’t see a pin board, ask a Cast Member and they’d be happy to let you know if they have one!
Speaking of Cast Members, many wear
pin lanyards either around their neck or at their hip attached to a crossbody strap. If you had fun with the mystery pin trading box, keep an eye out for backward pins where you just see the black rubber Mickey backing on a lanyard. Some Cast Members do that with a pin or two for a surprise trade!
I like to look for pins related to specific themes, like I always trade if I see a Pluto or Figment pin! But it’s also fun to find Hidden Disney pins, more commonly called Hidden Mickey pins because they usually have a tiny silver Mickey symbol somewhere on the pin (although last year I traded for a Hidden Disney droid pin that had a silver Rebel symbol!). Disney typically releases new Hidden Disney pins every year and you can only get them by trading with Cast Members!
At the beginning of my trips, I like to buy some pins specifically for trading. Many Disney World gift shops sell starter sets that come with a lanyard and several pins. But if you already have a lanyard (or prefer to carry your pins in a bag, like I do), they also sell mystery pin boxes that have a couple of pins you can use for trading.
When I’m at
Disney Springs, I always stop into
Pin Traders, which has an incredible pin selection! Some of my other favorite stores are
Frontier Trading Post in
Magic Kingdom and
Pin Traders - Camera Center in
EPCOT.
I hope you have a magical trip filled with lots of trading! If you have any other questions, we’d love to have you back at planDisney.
Happy Pin Hunting!
JoAnna