Disneyland Resort has drawn a line on Disney Pin Trading in Frontierland, explicitly prioritizing children over adult collectors.
A Hobby That Got Out of Hand
Disney Pin Trading has been a beloved park tradition for decades, but in recent years, the designated trading area near Westward Ho in Frontierland at Disneyland Park has begun to resemble more of a flea market than a theme park land.
Benches filled with collectors, corkboards, elaborate binder setups, and the kind of serious negotiating more at home at a trading convention than a family vacation destination had become a persistent source of frustration for regular Southern California Disney Park guests.
Disneyland Resort had already taken steps to rein things in. Trading was restricted to tables during certain hours, decorative additions like lights and signage were prohibited, and guests were limited to lanyards or small fabric trading books — no corkboards. Despite those measures, the complaints kept coming.
What Changes on May 19
This week, Disneyland Resort announced the next phase of restrictions, and it goes further than anything the park has implemented before. The designated Pin Trading tables near Westward Ho are being removed as of May 19, and the area is being converted into a kids-only Disney Pin Trading zone as part of Kids Rule Summer at Disneyland Resort.
Reddit user u/ActiveNews shared photos of the official Disneyland Resort pamphlet outlining the new rules. Adult guests with a lanyard or small handheld Pin Trading accessory can still trade with cast members and other guests throughout the park, but they may not enter the designated kids-only area, and they are limited to official Disney Trading Pins only.
Disneyland Pin Trader updates
Whether the change will outlast the summer hasn't been confirmed. Walt Disney World Resort has not announced a similar kids-only trading area as part of its own Cool KIDS' SUMMER event.
What Disney Fans Are Saying
The reaction from Disney Parks fans has been largely positive, particularly among those who witnessed adults taking advantage of younger, less experienced traders by convincing children to swap valuable pins for lesser ones.
“It's great they're prioritizing the kids instead of Disney adults,” said u/sunsetradiostillon. “It's kinda sad this has to be done.”
“I hate seeing all of those trashy binders and the people scowling at kids doing pin trading for fun instead of profit,” u/underbadger replied.
Others had more complicated feelings. u/competitve-self374, who identifies as an “active pin trader,” drew a distinction between the problem participants and the broader hobby:
“Pin Trading in the park is supposed to be fun, casual, and accessible to newbies and veterans of the hobby. The best trades are the ones you do while in a ride-line because you struck up a conversation with someone, and you just trade the common/what's available in the shops atm sets. Leave the rare pin sales/trades, trades that need heavy negotiating for pin trading events and online.”
“I have mixed feelings- on one hand then crazies that are just mean and predatory need to go. On the other hand, I get genuine joy from interacting with other collectors and seeing what everyone is going for,” u/trickedmomma wrote. “Some of my best memories are at those benches and I lowkey dreamed of bringing my own book or two for a day.”
Have you ever traded pins at Disneyland Resort or Walt Disney World Resort? Tell Disney Fanatic about your experience in the comments!
