Pin Trading At Disneyland: A Cast Member Perspective

ANAHEIM, CA — If you are a Disney fan, chances are you have seen employees, park custodians or shopkeepers wearing colorful lanyards while they work. Chances are, they are Disney pin traders, part of an ongoing scavenger hunt at Disneyland, Disney Parks and resorts worldwide.

Pin trading at Disneyland resorts is a time-honored tradition for both park visitors and cast members that began as part of the 1999 Millennium Celebration at Walt Disney World, according to a resort spokesperson. Today, the park regularly supplies cast members with pins, Disneyland Main Street Pin Program manager Evan Santiago told Patch.

Though some annual pass holders belong to serious pin-trading groups--such as Mickey's Minions--and make regular trips to the park to show off their treasures, there is no better pin trader to visit at the Disneyland Resort than cast member Susan Lansing.

Lansing has worked for the Disneyland resort for more than three decades. She met her husband, Darrel Lansing, who currently works at Monster's Inc. ride, 26 years ago. Back then, they were both working at Cafe Orleans. Now, she mans a register at the Disney Clothier's storefront on Main Street.

Like many cast members across the park, Lansing has a "pin board" that she regularly curates with hard-to-find pins, and also maintains a secret stash of pins for those who love Disney trivia and can answer her challenging park-themed questions.

"Trading pins is how I get to spread Disney magic every day," Lansing said while showing off her display of pins, including many new releases for fall of 2018. Visitors can purchase pins or try their luck at finding and completing sets while visiting the parks.

Lansing likes to hear what makes people choose certain pins. Her favorites? Cat-themed pins, which bear the likeness of the Disney cats from feature films such as "Aristocats" and "Cinderella." However, she can tell when a specific pin catches someone's eye.

Visitors regularly seek Lansing out, according to Santiago.

"She isn't there seven days a week, and other cast members do their best to keep her board full," he laughed.

Lansing is an excellent conversationalist and talks to hundreds of guests in a day. She educates visitors about the fine art of Disney pin-trading and listens to determine what pins guests hope to find. Often, she has one or two extra pins to show and share.

"I ask visitors about what pins they are looking for, and love to be able to help them find something special," she told us.

While Patch chatted with Lansing about how she organizes her pins and interacts with guests, a line of pin traders formed at her counter. As we watched, she explained her "Disney trivia" game, where she tries to stump pin traders with their Disney knowledge.

She has that bit of extra Disney magic that guests and annual pass holders love, according to Santiago.

"This is why Disneyland Resort fully supports the cast members who play in the pin-trading game," he explained. "It's part of what keeps the magic going."

With pin sets released multiple times in a year, pin trading at the park remains mostly 'tribal knowledge,' among the cast members, he told us. They teach each other from shared experiences trading pins with guests.

Some of the most recent pin releases include the pins of characters in their natural habitats. Pluto's doghouse, Rabbit's garden, Stitch as a tourist to name a few. If you want to take part in pin trading, there is a certain etiquette, he said.

Parents across Orange County agree. Pin trading is an excellent education for children on how to make polite conversation with appropriate strangers, as well as how to share. It is also a unique way for tweens and teens to look up from their phones and take part in the world around them.

Proper Disney Pin Trading Etiquette

• Encourage your children (and fellow adults) to look cast members in the eye while engaging in conversation. Say "Hello!" and ask a cast member, politely, if they have pins to trade.
• If traveling in a group of pin traders, we suggest taking turns with who trades first.
• Do you know someone in your group is looking for a particular pin or part of a set? Show generosity, and let that person go first.
• Always remember to say thank you! Especially if you are trading with a cast member that has made your visit extra special.

"Sometimes the stores get busy, and the pin boards get put away but mostly, we encourage cast members who want to, to trade pins with guests," Santiago said.

Do you love to pin trade? Tell us about it! share your pin trading story with your Patch Editor.

Photos, courtesy Disneyland Resort, Patch Editor Ashley Ludwig