I've Created a Monster

I've learned over the years to pay attention when the Mrs. says she likes something and might want to get it someday, because those little bits of information are always valuable when birthdays and Christmas comes up. During a Fall trip to Disneyland she was looking at the pins in one of the many pin trading booths and said that sometime she might want to start a collection of some of the "bling" pins - the ones with crystals that make them sparkle.

I was having trouble figuring out what to get her for Christmas and remembered that conversation about the pins, so on my way to Northern California to pick up my daughter for Christmas break I stopped off at Disneyland and picked up some of those "bling" pins to start her collection. The pins I gave her all were various designs of the castle and some included her favorite Disney character, Tinkerbell. She was thrilled.

Of course, you realize that Disney only makes about a million different pins and once you start collecting you could probably buy one a day for the rest of your life without duplicating a single one. There are also various accoutrement's that go along with pin trading that you just have to have. One our New Year's Day trip she added a lanyard and several more Tinkerbell pins, and today we stopped over there again where she added four more pins plus the requisite lanyard medal (the big piece that goes on the bottom of the lanyard so it hangs right). I've created a monster. At left she is hitting the pin trading store in Downtown Disney.

Pin trading is a big deal at the park. Right next to the store where we were shopping was an area set aside for the serious traders who bring big books of pins and haggle with each other. I don't think they're allowed to actually exchange any money - they just negotiate this pin for that pin. There are several of these areas around the park, with the biggest at the pin trading area in what used to be a restaurant on the hub in central Disneyland.

You'll never see us hanging around the trading area because my wife refuses to give up any of her treasures, but I think we're in this for the long haul.