San Diego Comic Con 2013 – The History Of Disney Pins
Edited by Julie Barman

Disney is a master of making new things and making them flourish. At the panel you had Austin Badgett, the author of “The Most Magical Moments”. There was also Holland Hayes who is an enthusiastic Pin Collector. They had alone more one more person from Pin Design who answered a few questions about the process and the design aspects of this.

The first bit that we learned was that this stems from the Olympic Pins. Some of the designers from Disney were apparently touring the Olympic Village and saw the blankets and vests covered in pins. The Trainers, the Olympians, the Sponsors all offered their own unique pins. This inspired them, for the coming Millennium, to create a set of pins. This was something that was to move Disney into the new century. As it happened, it quickly grew into a bigger phenomena. This quickly grew into the Pin Trading craze that holds a number of Disney Enthusiast in thrall.

The process of making the pins has evolved over the years. When it started the pins were done on a flattened Copper Ingot with a punch. They are then blanks, which are then enameled. Originally there were only 100 colors for the whole of all Disney pins. This part has changed over to epoxies which gives them a much wider variety of colors by varying the heat. Finally they receive a grind down to bring the copper out and a polish to ensure sheen.

They did manage to have one of the Pin Designers. He told us some about the process behind how they design pins. They are working on pins as far as a year in advance and planning the events around them. It starts with a beauty shot which is transferred to a line drawing then they cleaned up and made into the punch previously mentioned.

Pin trading, at the parks, has some rules. They are helpful to understand something about how pim trading works. You are allowed to trade a total of 2 pins with any one Cast Member each day. This means that there are still lots of trades that you can do but you need to think about what trades you do with the Disney Staff themselves. There are no such rules with the patrons of the park though. If a few pin tradess meet and begin trading, then have no limits. This is a great way to meet more people and share your stories about Disney and pins

There are numerous kinds of pins that have been released over the years. There are your normal pin sets wgich can be collected by buying randomized pin boxes, individuals which are just that, portaits featuring Disney Characters and there are Hidden Mickies. Hidden Mickies are pins that can only be gotten by trading with Cast Members They get their name from the little Mickey Mouse icon that is somewhere on the pin. Any of these can be commemorative of the rides or attractions at any of the Disney locations. It has been noted that Disneyland Paris tends to get

To help foster things along Disney will host events for Pin Traders. The next one is September 13th this year, This is a Villain event where you  will receive a mystery pin for attending and having a great time with other Pin Traders. This is a great way to get a lot of rare pins that are harder to find and meet more fellow traders. There were no big reveals for the upcoming set beyond its event and its focus. Still, it is a great chance to see more pins.