I recently gave you a sneak preview of the 2011 Hidden Mickey pins for Disneyland Resort. Now it is time to turn the spotlight on Walt Disney World Resort. I’ve been involved with the development of the Florida pins since 2004. Again, it is bittersweet that this will be my final collection (yet I had lots of fun with the designs). Don’t worry, Julie Young, one of our pin developers, will assume development of the 2012 collections. Like the Disneyland Resort collection, there will be two different waves of about 30 pins each.
The image at the top of this article is one of my favorite collections (besides the boot from Horizons that I showed in the recent EPCOT Center blog post). The artwork came from the 33 ½-long playing record I have featuring the Orange Bird. Like many of you, I love the Orange Bird! This collection seemed like the perfect fit to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Walt Disney World Resort. My favorite pin – the Orange Bird relaxing in the sun (ah, how I wish I was on the sands at Disney’s Polynesian Resort right now enjoying a Dole Whip).
Speaking of the 40th Anniversary, another wave one series features Disney characters in the classic Disney “D.” The artwork for this series was originally created for a mystery pin collection. I commandeered the artwork from Julie (Shhh! Please don’t tell her). The second wave of Hidden Mickey pins coming later this year will feature different characters that complement the first wave pictured above.
I was inspired for the series pictured above after walking through Serka Zong Bazaar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The location had several tee-shirts with artwork called “cute yeti.” I immediately thought they would make great pins – come on, he is super adorable! My favorite pin is “scary yeti” (though I don’t know how something so cute can be that scary).
One new thing this year is having “chaser” pins in the Hidden Mickey pin series for Florida. I would have done the same for California but I instead created the alphabet series. We have featured chaser pins in various retail pin sets during the past few years. Basically, there will be a select number of “chaser” pins in wave one. There will not be a chaser pin for every style; I only selected a handful of designs. You’ll immediately recognize them as they will be silver colored. I can’t say how many chaser pins were created for each of the designs selected. I can say they will be slightly rarer. So if you find one, you can do the “happy pin dance” (I can show you those moves later).
Again, look for these pins coming to Cast Members’ lanyards in Florida in late January/early February. Happy Trading!
Comments
Steven, these pins are just too cute. I especially love the WDW 40th anniversary pins. I really like how the character sort of overlays the 40th anniversary logo. I’ll definitely be looking for these when I am in WDW in March.
Speaking of WDW’s 40th anniversary, the images of the WDW 40th Anniversary 3″ Vinylmation collection were recently posted on the vinylmation website. I was wondering if these WDW 40th Anniversary 3″ vinylmation figures will ever be sold in the Disney Parks Online Store???
Thanks as always for your help and your great blog posts.
I have been trying to get a list of the pins, I was given one last year with those pins and would love to have one for this year. We will be there in March but would love to download the lsit now. Could you please help me find a link to do so. I have been looking and calling (from Canada) trying to find list…thanks
joanne
Sweet
Gotta love the Orange Bird pins.
Any chance we’ll see more Fastpass pins for Disney World? The Disneyland series is great.
I Love the Orange Bird!
Just love the new pins. They are adorable! Keep up the great designs.
I love the yeti pins! I must have them! I think scary yeti is my favorite too! (it makes me think of Rex from toy story when he tries to be scary)
A not so random question, will registration for Florida Project and/or Sci-Fi academy begin soon? 🙂
I absolutely love the orange bird relaxing in the sun too! I also like the chaser pins and want them all!!! I won’t be getting down there till summer, but my parents live close to Disney, so I’m sending them on a mission!!
@Lauren – Yes. The 40th Anniversary of Walt Disney World Vinylmation figures will be sold via the on-line Disney Parks store. Look for them in February – http://www.DisneyParks.com/Store
@Joanne – You are in luck. We post such checklists on our http://www.DisneyPins.com site (look under the “Events” pages). We format them as .PDF files. Here is a quick link directly to them. Please note that you will need to have .PDF software in order to read them.
Walt Disney World Resort – 2011 Wave #1
http://eventservices.disney.go.com/files/WDWHiddenMickey2011.pdf
Disneyland Resort – 2011 Wave #1
http://eventservices.disney.go.com/files/DLRHiddenMickey2011.pdf
@Tim – No plans at this time. Then again, Julie Young, our developer for pins, has assumed development of the 2012 pins. She is super creative! 🙂
@Jennifer – The event teams in California and Florida are currently finalizing registration dates. Keep watching DisneyPins.com. I have seen a lot of the art and actual pins. Things are looking super beyond awesomely cool!
I truly love the Yeti pin set…I may need to make another trip to Walt Disney World this year just so I can find all 5 of those pins! Also, I would very much like a video posted of the official “happy pin dance.” I am wondering if it resembles my “happy pin dance” or if I may need to learn some new moves.
@Angela – I think everyone has their own dance. Trust me, I dance about many things (just ask anyone around my office). Just imagine me on December 17 doing the TRON: Legacy dance 🙂 Yes, it was that good. It really comes down to one thing – a sense of completion that everyone (including myself) feels when they have found that one thing. But I’d be happy to throw down some sweet moves (just need some cardboard).
Steven,
Thanks for the response. Will we be seeing any more Fastpass pins for the Disneyland Resort or is Grizzly River Run the last one?
Thanks again,
Tim
Co-Host of the WDW Fan Boys Podcast
@Tim – Let me check with Julie and Jeanne tomorrow (Friday). I’ll post an answer on our DisneyPins.com blog. I know there are some really great pin collections come to both Resorts this year. Thank you for being a “fan boy” (I consider myself one too 🙂
I’m really concerned with the fact that since you have received your new role the Pin and Vinylmation communities have been ignored. Granted the pin site has started adding some February’s pins (most that are already out in the parks) and a few updates on the blogs, but that is about it. It’s the 20th of January and still no date for a WDW trading night. Which it’s probably safe to say there is no trading night this month, but a definite answer would be nice. Many of the out-of-state traders are hoping you guys let us know about February and March soon so they can make trip plans.
Your reply in the DLR Hidden Mickey pin posting “As for Trading Nights, they will continue in some fashion.” is making quite a few of us wonder if that is another way of saying ‘No more monthly trading nights’. Please know that we really do appreciate all the work that goes into the hosting of them. They bring so much fun and enjoyment into the trading/collecting of Pins and Vinylmations.
I don’t think the Pin and Vinylmation team realizes how much monthly Trading Nights means to us! That is why we are all worried that there will no longer be monthly trading nights. So many of us still wish Disney would bring back the weekly trading nights!
Another question that is worrying the pin and vinylmation community is: Will there be someone to take your place? I know this has been asked but no response was given, leaving us to wonder. I know that many of us feel as though someone needs to be in charge (especially with how the past couple weeks have been). If you are waiting for the new guy to make the announcement that is fine, but if you could tell us whether or not there is a new guy that would be great. I do hope that someone will be in charge to make sure that Pins and Vinylmations continue to grow.
Please don’t get me wrong I’m not really complaining, I just would like some answers. It’s because we love Pins and Vinylmations that we are so concerned about where it’s headed.
Thanks all you have done with Pins and Vinylmations and enjoy your new role.
@Jane – I give credit to our fans. Trading would have ended long ago if it weren’t for their passion. In the seven years I was directly involved with trading, I saw that passion first hand. I also know that my fellow cast members in my organization deeply care about all of our guests.
You are correct – there is no trading night in January for Walt Disney World. We have the Love is Magical event on February 5. Timing is everything and we decided that it would be best to focus on that event.
The availability and timing of trading nights depends on many factors. There will be additional trading nights (we made a whole collection of pins for them this year). Yet the frequency will depend upon the balancing of other events and availability of space.
I’m humbled by your question about a replacement. While I’ve served as the “face” of trading, there is an incredible team of cast members who do most of the work. Yes, my role has changed. Since 2003, I’ve discovered I love sharing stories of what we do. Now I get to do it for all of merchandise. That rocks! It is one reason I will retire with Disney – I have outstanding leaders who want their cast members to be in roles that best suit their true passions.
To give you (and others reassurance), pins and Vinylmation will continue for three reasons. The most important factor is you. If you believe things will continue, then they will continue.
Second, things will continue as we have outstanding teams in place to ensure they will continue. It takes MANY people to make this work from development to planning to sourcing to artists to event teams to warehouse to operations to leadership. Things may look a little different behind the scenes, yet the guest experience will continue to be top notch.
Finally, creating tangible memories through merchandise is at our core. Trading is a key part of that tangible memory experience. Many times, it isn’t about the item you are trading, it is the connection you have made with that person (cast member or guest). The most, most senior leadership knows the importance of trading, pins and Vinylmation. So things will continue.
Thank you for your kind words. I must thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts. Trust me, we have so many exciting things coming for pins and Vinylmation. All will be okay. 🙂
Hey Steven,
I love the new pins. I think they are fun and inovative. (Don’t know if I spelled that correctly.) I also think the chaser pins are cool. My question is though: Are the chaser taking the place of the completer pins or Will we be seeing both of them this year? Thanks for such wonderful pins.
@Andres – I’m glad you like them. The chaser pins are something new for the Hidden Mickey pins. There will still be “completer” pins which will be part of future purchase with purchase (PWP) promotions. I don’t exact timing on those promotions but they will take place in 2011. The “PWP” promotions will happen for both coasts (similar to previous years).
I do know which pins are the completer pins (but that would be telling and I love surprises). 🙂
Hi Steve, I see that posted a picture of the chaser pins for WDW. Are their chaser pins for Disneyland?
@Patrick – Aloha! We did not plan any chaser pins for Disneyland Resort this year. The main reason – the west coast is getting a new version of the ever popular alphabet series. That zapped 26 spaces in the collection. (see: https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2011/01/disney-trading-new-hidden-mickey-pins-for-disneyland-resort/)
The chaser pins are a new concept that we are trying. If they are popular, then you will probably see them come to Disneyland Resort in 2012.
Oh, everyone has wondered who “M” is in the alphabet for Disneyland Resort. That would be Maximilian from my other favorite Disney film, “The Black Hole.” I made V.I.N.Cent for the “V” in the Walt Disney World alphabet series. It is my favorite pin in that series.
Hi Steven,
Love the new pins!!! The Yeti and Orange Bird are so cute, I live here in Orlando and have been a fan of the Orange Bird for years. I was wondering if these pins will also be appearing on the new Disney Dream? We are setting sail on the Feb 10th voyage and would like to know if I should be looking for these great pins?
Also, when can we get a sneak peek at the pins for “The Florida Project”?
thanks Roger
@Roger – We will be sending trading supplies to the Disney Dream. Ideally, they will have some of the new Hidden Mickey pins. It depends upon when they arrive in Florida and how quickly we can get them to the ship. I’ve had several fellow Cast Members see the ship and they said it is AMAZING!
As for “The Florida Project,” I know the art team has a few concepts. They have been focusing on the Sci-Fi Academy event in June 2011 first. Yet, the concepts I’ve seen are great. And yes, there will be at least one pin with the Orange Bird. Stay tuned.
We’re headed to FL tomorrow morning, and the excitement with the kids is tangible! They’re flush with Xmas gift cash from Grandmoms, and itching to get some traders and get started on their 2011 collection of Hidden Mickeys!
Alas, we were disappointed to hear there would be two waves this year…We usually only get one WDW trip/yr (last year two!!!), and we like to go in Late Jan….Last year, with one big wave, the kids actually completed everything (except the completers, of course, which are now on the list for this trip)…but it sounds like they’ll be lucky to get a chunk of wave 1 done this trip given our overall trip timing…and, to think, we thought we were going a little later than usual this year…anyway, we leave WDW on the 28th, so they probably won’t have many days with the new HM pins out, and, in years past, the new pins trickled out kind of slowly on cast lanyards….fingers are crossed though…Here’s hoping they get lucky — With SO many WDW trips under our belts, I can truly say that pin trading has added a whole new dimension to our visits…I LOVE watching the kids get excited about finding a new “keeper” pin for their collections!
ORLANDO OR BUST!!!
Steven,
Let me also “pile on” with one earlier poster’s comment about PTN dates…we got to attend our first PTN last year and, even though it was a quick education for novices like us (like getting dropped in the deep end of the pool!), there was unanimous opinion that WE LOVED IT!!! The kids were fascinated that Scoop was in attendance!
Being out-of-staters, though, we have to plan our trips with the kids a little in advance…we’re usually pretty flexible on dates when we’re planning a trip, but once the dates are set, they’re set…as such, we’d LOVE to see a “Save the Date” type announcement for upcoming PTNs….we would DEFINITELY plan our next trip around those dates and I strongly suspect others would as well…I also suspect most out of state traders would understand that logistical issues might mean not really knowing a definite location for the event until closer to the actual date, but getting a little more advance notice on a date would really create even more demand for PTN. My 2 cents!
Hello Steven
Love the new HM pins! I was sad to hear that you would no longer be involved as pin project manager you will be missed! They do need to have someone coordinating things though would that fall to Julie Young as well? Is she the Lady who worked the upcoming pin displays at the PTNs? I was hoping for a WDW PTN to coincide with the Love is Magical event as the night before is a Friday hint hint. Good luck in your new role!
Looking forward to the new collections.
Hope there’ll be some more new Country Bear Jamboree Hidden Mickey pins this year. That would be nice.
Okay thanks Steven. Didn’t think you would tell us any secrets, but I was just checking to see if I should be looking for completer pins or not. So thanx for that
Thank you for your response Steven.
I am disappointed that there will not be another person to pick up where you left off. It was nice to know if we had a question or a problem we could ask you about it at a Trading Night. You always went out of your way to help. You will be sorely missed.
Perhaps, the Pin and Vinylmation team could do a monthly online chat, similar to the Vinylmation chat that was held last April. That way we would be able to ask the Pin and Vinylmation team questions, if we have any.
Also just a little bit of feedback on the Hidden Mickey Chasers, please don’t continue this next year. It seems that the Pin and Vinylmation team are going Chaser crazy. Which is okay when it means extra pin designs. But when it is just a pin without paint it doesn’t really seem that great. When Disney did the special blue Cast Chasers for the 10th Anniversary those were very nice because they were colored differently. Had they had been just all silver or blue metal without paint, I would have chosen not to collect them. I assume that people will be looking for these chasers, but most likely only because they are Hidden Mickey pins.
Thanks again for responding.
I have a couple of questions about these Hidden Mickey Chasers…
Will the Chasers have the same backstamp as the none Chasers? For example: Say the Scary Yeti is numbered 1 of 5, will the Scary Yeti Chaser say 1 of 5 on the back? Or will the Scary Yeti Chaser say 1 of X (X being however many chaser designs there are)?
Will the Chasers of the first wave only be available during the first wave?
And add us to the list of people waiting for the merchandise previews of the Sci-fi Academy and the Florida Project. Speaking of the Sci-fi Academy, while we were at the Trade City Event we saw the Disney Robots boxed set concept art. On the box Maximilian is spelled Maximillion and Carl is spelled Karl. Oops! Not sure if it is too late to fix that but thought I would tell you just in case no one caught it. LOL It doesn’t really matter to us, we’ll be buying it anyways.
these are amazing!! i love the idea of having hidden mickeys all around the Walt Disney World Resort!!!!! can’t wait to find a couple of them to put on my lanyard 🙂
@Janet – As mentioned, there is a great team in place with several members. Julie and Jeanne are the developers but we also have our planner, coordinators and many others. You may have met several of the team. There are no plans to have a trading night before the Love is Magical Event at this time.
@Hannah – No plans on identifying the chasers differently. The main reason is that you won’t be able to miss them – they are all silver in color (as pictured above). There will not be chasers for every single pin – only a select few.
You are correct in that Chasers for Wave 1 will be released during Wave 1, etc. It doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to find them later in the year. But know that at some point, we would stop ordering Wave 1 and introduce Wave 2.
You probably saw early concept stuff at the events. Stay tuned as you will begin to see more info about both events.
Steven,
I heard a rumor that the “green” lanyards were being phased out. Is this true?
When will the 2nd wave of 2011 pins be released.
And were can I locate a PDF of the 2011 completer pins for DisneyLand and Disney World.
Thank you, Rhonda
24 days left and counting down ………
Another QUESTION, I have ALOT of pins, and have been trading for a while, but please educate me on what a “chaser” pin is.
Don’t mean to be ignorant, but I am always loking for new pins.
Thanks, Rhonda
@Rhonda – The second wave of pins will be released toward the middle part of the year. No exact date at this time.
Hmmm … do you mean the Hidden Mickey pins for 2011? If so, here are some links from our DisneyPins.com site. You will need software to read the .PDF files. These lists don’t contain the “Completer” pins that will be a part of a future Purchase With Purchase promotion on each coast. We typically haven’t included those pins within the checklists below.
Disneyland Resort – 2011 Wave #1
http://eventservices.disney.go.com/files/DLRHiddenMickey2011.pdf
Walt Disney World Resort – 2011 Wave #1
http://eventservices.disney.go.com/files/WDWHiddenMickey2011.pdf
As for a “chaser” pin … well, the easiest way to describe it … With “chaser” pins, there is typically some distinguishing feature that makes the pin different than the other pins in the series (different coloring, fill, etc). In the case of these Hidden Mickey “chaser” pins, they will be done in all silver with no color fill. We did not order as many as the other pins in the series, making these rarer to find.
They’re out there now! We just left Orlando and somehow managed to get them all…including 10 chasers! We saw our first one on Friday in Epcot, and saw lots at WoD in DD this more before leaving town this morning…we had to extend the trip for a day to finish, but we are done…for wave 1 anyway!
Thanks to all those helpful CM’s and a few helpful traders in Epcot at pin central (you know who you are!) the kids are over the moon (even getting their 2010 completers).
FYI – the pics dont do the collection justice. The orange birds are really cute and so is skiing yeti and several of the deebees too…who am I kidding…we liked all of them! Really nice job guys!
Btw, the chasers all say x of 20…looks like half/10 will come out in each wave. I’m pretty sure we have all of wave 1 because we have 1-10…and we saw a lot at WOD.
@Brian – So glad to hear your love them and were able to enjoy trading. Oops, I guess I did put X/20 on the back of them. It was done so long ago that I couldn’t remember 😉 I must agree that they look even better in person. Go Orange Bird!!!
Hi Steven! I hope that you’ll still be involved to some extent with the pin & vinylmation trading… you’ve been a great asset to the community! 🙂
I have a question in regard to the trading night at WDW coming up in March & didn’t see another area to really ask about it – I collect both pins & vinylmation & I recently had the chance to attend a DLR trading event where I saw a very nice set-up that I was hoping we may be able to start doing here in Florida. There were a couple rows of tables (in the far section of the room) that were marked off by table cards indicating “Vinylmation Trading”. It was so nice to have all the vinyls in that one section of the room versus scattered all over; it made for much easier trading for for the vinylmation & pin traders. The Vinylmations some times take a little more room, but trades can be made quicker and move people by the tables faster whereas with pins it’s nice to be able to take your time really looking through an individual’s pin books. This can cause a bit of a traffic jam at times in a crowded room, especially for someone who’s only there to trade vinylmations. Could we start doing this here in FL, please? I’d even be willing to make & bring the table cards! lol 🙂
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