With the 2017 seasonal return of the Jingle Cruise today at the Magic Kingdom, a limited edition pin was released to mark the occasion.
The pin features the recently-returned rhino from the attraction, with fruitcake stuck to his horn of course.
The pin is $14.99 and has an edition size of just 2000. It is available at the Frontierland Trading Post shop. The usual purchase limits of 2 per guest apply.
As a part of Shanghai’s Pin Trading Fun Day, Shanghai Disneyland has released over 20 new pins for guests to trade and collect.
First up we have the Chinese Zodiac series which is featured above. These pins are based off of the Chinese Zodiac (as well as the characters from the Garden of the Twelve Friends at the Shanghai Disney Resort). Each features the characters with a hidden Mickey symbol.
Lastly, we have the Pin Trading Fun Day 2017 designs. These designs feature Toy Story, the Lion King, Mickey Mouse and many more classic Disney characters. There is also a unique mystery box set that will give you a surprise pin of the Pin Trading Fun Day 2017 designs.
If you are like me and love Pin Trading around the Walt Disney World Resort (or like to just collect), you will be excited to see what Disney has up their sleeves for 2017.
Steven Miller, the Disney Parks Merchandise Communications Manager, gives us another ‘Unboxed’ look at some new merchandise; in this case some new pins.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7M9YThbwPxs]
There will be a limited edition 1500 “Piece of Disney History” pin series that will be resort specific to WDW.
Two series will be shared between Disneyland and Walt Disney World, which are the “Essence of Evil” and the “Doorways to Disney” series.
The Disneyland exclusive series will be the “Pin Trading Tales” and the “Charming Characters” series.
In spring, there will be a series released called the “Digital Disney Mystery Collection” which features 8 pins which have classic Disney characters inspired by retro and classic video games. Each box will contain 2 pins.
From the fun and adorable Emoji Blitz game series, there are unique open edition pins coming soon.
Coolest to all of readers tom this site will be the Disneyland Pirates of the Caribbean 50th anniversary collection, being released in mid-March…
And a 45th anniversary collection for the Jungle Cruise at Walt Disney World, coming out in May.
New pins are typically released on Thursdays at Disney Parks.
This is a very limited opportunity & will include a full breakfast and a one hour question and answer session with several DDG artists….
Artistic Guests Include
The cost of this fantastic event is $45.00 per person and it is limited! Please contact Janis Lavender of Travel Dreams at 856-768-2511 or JLTravelDreams@cs.com for all reservation details!
Also, don’t miss out on group room blocks, group pricing and of course group fun! We have special pricing just for this event that you won’t want to miss out on!
All Stars Sports – $78/night
French Quarters – $145/night
Beach Club – $224/night
*All prices include tax
To book at these great rates just call Janis Lavender at Travel Dreams, 856-768-2511 or email her at JLTravelDreams@cs.com.
WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen has been all-over the Walt Disney World Resort as of late and has a ton of newsworthy photos to share with us, so let’s take a look:
While most of the new parking lot at the Grand Floridian Villas is open, some is still closed to accommodate construction
Work continues on the Villas at the Grand Floridian
This appears to be the drop-off area
Iron Man-O-Rail running
Moving to the Magic Kingdom, work continues on the Main Street Bakery
The new Dumbo popcorn bucket available on Main Street
Purty
Work continues on the exterior of the Adventureland Veranda
The glass canopy on the other side of the building is still missing
Some work happening at the Swiss Family Treehouse while it is open
Kodak picture spots are still up around the parks
Some new Splash Mountain shirts have come out
Work continues on Columbia Harbor House
The other side looks completely new
More rock-work appearing everyday on the Seven Dwarfs’ Mine Train
A new shirt featuring Main Street U.S.A.
Some new sports shirts
They put a cardboard popcorn bucket inside the Dumbo popcorn bucket
Moving over to Epcot, work continues on the facade of Mission: Space
Walls are already up and work has begun on the Spice Road Table restaurant in Morocco
A temporary stage is now up for Mo Rockin’
Work continues on turning the old France bakery into an ice cream parlor
Moving over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios…
Kodak signage is gone from Muppetvision 3-D
A dance party truck was rolled out on Streets of America to deal with the heavier crowds recently
The Disney Truck Shop at Downtown Disney
The latest pin in the 2013 poster collection was released last week
Huey, Dewey, and Louie are now 75 years old
Disney-PIXAR Vinylmation pins are now on sale
The Disney Parks have some exciting and unique mefchandise offerings coming up in 2012 and Steven Miller was nice enough to share a sneak peek at some of the product on the Disney Parks Blog:
I feel like a time traveler at Disney Theme Park Merchandise. I’m surrounded by developers and artists who are already creating cool things that will arrive in late 2012 (a long development time is essential for many categories). I wanted to give you a sneak preview of their work in what I hope will be a recurring article. The article title is a nod to my favorite Disney attraction, Horizons, which also gave a glimpse into the future. Here are a few of my favorite items currently in production.
I’ve been a long time fan of The Haunted Mansion clock and the timepiece pictured above is a worthy tribute. It’s heavy and the details on the watch and figure are impressive. Disney Design Group artist Caley Hicks, who also designed the Vinylmation – Flags series, created the artwork. Releasing in a few months, this is the last timepiece in our Vinylmation watch series. The set will have an edition size of 750 and a retail of $175.
Our next stop – a new mystery pin set coming this summer to the Disneyland Resort. This limited release set contains 12 pins (plus a few chasers), and was designed by Disney Design Group artists Quynh Kimball and John Henselmeier (from Starspeeder 1000 Vehicle Playset fame). Product developer Jeanne Lewis told me that this collection “highlights favorite Disneyland attractions in license plate form.” Her favorite pin is “World of Color”, while mine is the Jungle Cruise (with Duffy The Disney Bear a close second, of course).
I like wearing ties (as you may have seen in previous Disney Parks Blog articles). That article contained a sneak preview of a new tie coming this year. There are a few additional items arriving in April that I think are super cool – bow ties! All I need now is a hat.
Speaking of hats, here is a first look at the Buzz Lightyear-themed Disney Ear Hat that will be arriving this fall. It is part of the Disney character ear hat collection that was first introduced last August.
Sadly, unlike Horizons, you won’t be able to choose your own ending to this article. But stay tuned as more cool things are coming.
From Michelle Harker on the Disney Parks Blog:
Can you feel the excitement in the air? I know I can! Buena Vista Street, Cars Land, Mad T Party and of course, our all new merchandise locations … The big day is almost here! For those of you amazing Disney Parks fans out there wondering if there will be any limited-edition commemorative merchandise available as part of this historic Disney milestone … well, you can bank on it! Here’s your first look at some of the key collections and special merchandise offerings debuting June 15 at the Disney Animation Building in Disney California Adventure park.
Created specifically for the Grand Reopening, this retro-inspired graphic, with its tonal color, captures the magnificent additions and classic icons of Disney California Adventure park. You’ll find this art on a selection of items including tees, a hat, tote, watch, tumbler and coins. Tip: Keep an eye out for a special Greetings From Radiator Springs postal cancellation postcard. A quick pick to commemorate the day.
If pins and Vinylmation are what you are after, then this is the place to go. There are approximately 17 different pin items available, most limited editions, including a jumbo pin, sculpture, framed set and a limited-release mystery set. Three Vinylmation will also debut including the limited-edition 9-inch Buena Vista Street and 9-inch Radiator Springs Racers and the limited-release 3-inch Red Car Trolley Grand Opening.
Passholders, take note, there’s special merchandise just for you, too. Themed to Buena Vista Street and Cars Land, you’ll find tees, a fleece, pins and commemorative coins, along with a specially created Storytellers tile. For a complete look at all of these items, check out this special Merchandise Catalog.
So how does it work?
- Items featured in the Merchandise Catalog will be available at the Animation Building (a special one-day shopping venue) on June 15. Operating hours will vary.
- The catalog, along with the location, is broken up into “Zones” including Commemorative Dated Collection, Annual Passholder Collection, Pins and Vinylmation. So once you’re inside the venue, pick and choose which area you want to go to first!
For more details be sure to visit www.ArtofDisneyParks.com.
WDWNT Reporter Adam Roth visited Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Downtown Disney West Side on Friday and has a number of newsworthy photos to share with us, so let’s take a look:
We start at Epcot and the Festival Center
From Steven Miller on the Disney Parks Blog:
I vividly recall the grand opening of Disney’s Pin Traders at the Downtown Disney Marketplace. I remember it well because I assisted with the grand opening celebration while serving as a Walt Disney World Resort Ambassador. The location, once known as the Captain’s Tower, was considered an icon for the shopping village that opened in 1975. As the excitement of Disney Pin Trading continued way beyond the original 15-month Millennium Celebration plan, there was a need to have a flagship pin location outside a Disney Theme Park. Downtown Disney seemed like a natural choice, so Disney’s Pin Traders was introduced in Summer 2002. Recently, some new visual enhancements were added to the location. I spoke with Julie Young, product developer for Disney pins, to learn more.
“As [pin trading] entered its eleventh year in October 2010, we felt updates were needed to various visuals used throughout the category,” explained Julie. “The first thing we did was introduce a new logo for Disney Pin Trading. The logo was used on packaging, collateral and individual back stamps of pins. The enhancements to Disney’s Pin Traders were a natural second step as the location is one of the most popular pin destinations at Walt Disney World Resort.”
The Disney pin team contacted Joe Higham, a talented cast member with the Global Retail Development team and recent Walt Disney Legacy Award recipient, to outline their ideas. His job was to take their dreams and turn them into concept sketches. I spoke with Joe about the process of creating the new in-store visuals.
“After meeting with the Disney pin team, I drew a series of sketches by hand,” said Joe. “For the drawings, I used a variety of art sources including images of pins that had been previously released. We wanted something playful similar to other locations that use merchandise as visual displays such as Tren-D or D-Street.”
Once Joe completed the first set of sketches, he shared them with leadership and with representatives from Walt Disney Imagineering. As a natural part of the design process, there were some modifications made after initial reviews. Yet, Joe said that there was one thing that all partners liked.
“Many partners, including Walt Disney Imagineering, really liked the various puns used in the vignettes,” continued Joe. “We built some fun visuals around puns like ‘To Pin-Finity and Beyond’ and ‘I Want to Be a Pin-cess.’”
I think my favorite one is the “Time To Trade” vignette that uses clocks and Cogsworth to explain how pins are traded at Disney Parks (I do love time!).
The one thing I was most excited to see was the pin collage image used throughout the store. The Disney Pin Team assembled the collage by mounting pins into a white foam board. I then photographed the collage and shared the images with the art team. I had not seen the final result until I visited the location. I guess Disney’s Pin Traders and I have a special bond, especially after being at the grand opening and later serving as Project Manager for Pin Trading for seven years. I have good memories from that chapter in my Disney career. Julie shared that memories are a key ingredient to the Disney Pin Trading experience.
“I develop memories,” smiled Julie. “Everyone has a favorite Disney character, attraction or show. Pins have become a perfect way to remember favorite moments from Disney experiences. Every time someone looks at a pin I develop, I hope she or he will remember happy times.”
Some other changes were also implemented at Disney’s Pin Traders recently, namely in the way you buy limited edition pins. These pins are now located in a glass case (like they have been at stores at the Disneyland Resort for years now), so you have to ask for the particular pins you are interested in when you get to the register to check-out. The change is manageable for Disney because the overall number of limited edition pins released has dropped greatly over the last few years. I’ve also seen this “glass case” method in use at Fantasia at Disney’s Contemporary Resort recently.
For those of you who don’t like pin trading, don’t get too excited. Pin trading is still as popular as ever, there has just been a shift in how the hobby is handled and a greater focus on open edition pins is evident since they sell so many more of those than they do of any limited edition pin.
Yes, Disney Pin Trading is still as popular as ever, and it isn’t hard to see why with all the incredible new product on the way. In this “Press Event” from The Florida Project, Disney reveals what is on the horizon, including an incredible 25 piece collection for Walt Disney World’s 40th anniversary celebration on October 1st:
