Please help me give away some pins!

[Simba's Mom]

Next time I'm in WDW I've always just wanted to give away a few of my traders to some of the children around just starting out. No, I don't have anything special-DS pins mostly. I just want to keep my collection down and at the same time, make some little child happy (I hope). I guess I got into some impulse buying at the DS! So you who spend more time trading pins at WDW, is there a place where you'd suggest I go to do this? And how should I do it? I'm afraid if I just offer some little kid a pin they'll say "yuck, I don't like that one!" Maybe I should show them 4 or 5 and let them take one? Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

DW Lauri (yes, the one who has earned the nickname "MeanLaureen" ) and I have given away pins to kids a number of times. What we usually do is this: we'll wear pins on our lanyards for CM lanyard trading, usually the DS pins. Often, kids just getting into pin trading will look at the pins we have. If they don't point one out they like, we'll usually ask them if there's one they like.

Sometimes we'll do a trade, but usually the kids have few pins on their lanyards, and it will be something they want to keep or something they just traded for. That's when we offer the pin to them for nothing. Oh, you should see their faces light up!!! To be honest, I think the parents are sometimes more surprised than the kids are!

Wear a variety of pins on your lanyard -- Fab 5, Pooh, Toy Story, Princesses. That way there's bound to be something any kid will like.

 

[EpcotKilterFan]

Oh my mom is a good one for that.... The last few trips I gave her a bag of pins just to give away. LOL!

The key thing we always remember, is that we offer it to a parent first. "I see you are pin traders, I would like to give this to your child..as a gift to get her started" or something like that. We just don't want a child to take something from a stranger.

Last December, mom branched out... she was giving away wands to little girls. One special time was during the TORENTIAL downpour at MVMCP and this mom was trying to get her 2 daughters and a smaller child who was in a stroller, out of the rain with all their stuff and their dinner. So we helped them out and then handed her the wands for the daughters, and I think the mom was more excited than the kids LOL


So have fun with it!!! I know we have.

Debbie

 

[olbear]

Fred and I have done this several times.

We will often see a child who is obviously wearing a new lanyard with very few pins. They have always been with their family, so we approach them with a friendly geeting, introduce ourselves. And then ask the child what their favorite character is. Then we look and most always manage to find a pin of that character and give it to them. It is always magical and loads of fun. Great for producing pixie dust!!

Blessings,
Winnie

 

[Luv2Roam]

The Sept 11 DS pins were great for that. JudithM and I gave away severel to kids. We made sure to tell them and their parents the pin was special.
I have given pins away to kids (as well as adults ).
With gifting to kids I have found you almost have to judge by the individual situation. I have even had parents tell me they didn't want me to give the pin to their child, because they wanted them to learn about trading. And I don't want any parent to think I am up to no good.

 

[JudithM]

Originally posted by Luv2Roam
The Sept 11 DS pins were great for that. JudithM and I gave away severel to kids. We made sure to tell them and their parents the pin was special.

Yes, Barb, we did have a good time sharing some Americana magic! Also, thank you to the DIS person who so kindly gave us the pins to give away.

Simba'sMom, it is so much fun to give away pins to little traders! Sometimes I ask if the child has a favorite character. This was easier to do a few trips ago when I had bunches of TDS pins .

Last May Beauregard & I were at the Festival of the Lion King show at the AK. A British family (mom, dad, son) sat down next to us just before the show started. The son was about 7 or 8 & was picked to do the opening for our section plus later march around the stage. I switched seats with dad so he could get better, unobstructed, photos. Plus we gave them tips on when he might get good shots of his son. After the show we talked with them for a few moments. This family was on holiday before dad left for the Middle East with the British military. The son had a lanyard around his neck. I handed him a TDS pin of Mickey with the USA flag in the star. The boy was stunned for a moment, but mom was so excited. We thanked dad for his part in world events.

Another time shortly after pin trading began we were on a bus from our resort to the MK. Several of us were standing, & I was chatting with a dad & his little girl. It was their first trip, so I pointed out the Castle as soon as we could see it. Her expression was priceless. I offered her a pin to trade - turned out she had two little sisters sitting in the back with mom, so I gave her two more pins for the little sisters. I couldn't just give one child a pin!

 

[Mickey527]

The best places I have found to give away pins to children is at one of Scoop's seminars, and at the resort meets. Kids who are new to trading show up at both and love the chance to receive some pins for them to use as traders or to keep or themselves.
Most of the time I let them pick from my kids pages and they take things they like and tell me they will not trade them because they are "just what I wanted"
I do see some new child traders (no Ed and Jeff, children who trade, not people trading children) at the parks, I see them looking at my lanyard but are afraid to approach strangers. AT the meets and Scoop's traders are less threatening. Peggie

 

[goofyforwdw]

What I often do is when sitting on the bus or a bench or just about anywhere I can sit a few minute I strike up a coversation with the kids and or their family (as I will talk to most anyone) I will wear my laynard and if the child is wearing a laynard we will sometimes do a trade or just chat about pins, fav character ect. I will trade two for one ,one they like alot and one they don't so much so they will have a trader to do another trade with someone else when they see a pin they like. I find that the kids like all their pins so they don't want to trade so if I give them a pin they are not wild about they will be willing to part with it. I also make up laynards for friends and relitives kids who are going to Dw and do the same thing put some they will like and some they dont so they will trade.Good luck and have fun with it. Brenda

 

[AZ JazzyJ]

Originally posted by SimbasMom
Next time I'm in WDW I've always just wanted to give away a few of my traders to some of the children around just starting out.

What is it with you people? Let me repeat, people cannot be bought, sold, or traded. I am pretty sure that there is a rule against this kind of thing on the DIS even if you offer to do it at cost. The moderators may however suggest that you use the DIS Auctions.

It is pretty cool though to hand pins out (not just to kids). Trina and I usually give pins away while we are waiting in line (especially in Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom). Trina gave a princess pin to a little girl while we were waiting to get on the flying Peter Pan thing (which I still think would be a cooler ride if they played the battle theme music from Apocolypse Now). She got a smile and a hug from a little girl there on vacation. It was pretty cool and makes you feel good the rest of the day.

Originally posted by Mickey527
Most of the time I let them pick from my kids pages

I dunno about Ed, but I am not buying Peggie telling us she doesn't trade kids. You can see from the quote above that she even has special pages in her book to put the kids. If she doesn't trade children, why have a page in your book? I may have been born at night but it wasn't last night.

Jeff

 

[3kids4me]

Have you guys tried giving away Fast Passes? Now that is truly the coolest thing. You go up to someone who is at the end of a realllllllly long line, and hand them your Fast Passes. It is a real Magical Moment!!

 

[Boo Mc]

Peggie and Darlene (and a guy with a Suwanee name tage - I never did thank him properly, whoever he is) were kind enough to give our kids several pins on our last trip. The kids simply could not believe their good fortune and kept saying how "nice those two ladies were. Can you believe they gave us pins for free?" They were thrilled and I think it taught them a great lesson. A couple days ago they were hanging out in their room trading with each other. After several trades, my daughter came out and excitedly told me that her brother gave her a pin "for free". DS told me he didn't see anything else of hers he wanted so he just gave her one for free. So you guys are teaching the kiddies well! Thanks again!!

 

[Mr. Plutonium]

Hey you guys!
This all seems rather subversive, giving away pins to cute kids. How is Disney supposed to make money if you give away the store? LOL!
Actually I congratulate all of you in your generousity. Well Done!
The little ones are always watching and learning from the grown ups.
What they learn depends on us. Too bad these days everyones' guard is up
and you just can't hand over free stuff without arousing suspicion.
I once had a guy try and negotiate a price on a free chair at a garage sale.
"Dude it's free, you can't get it for less than that!"
-Gene

 

[Dancind]

DD 12 and I love to trade pins together. She's always wearing a lanyard or two full of traders, and invariably some younger child will notice them. I'm going to suggest she give away a few next time. I think she would really enjoy the interaction and would also enjoy that Fairy Godmother feeling! Diana

 

[pointandshoot]

Ride queues and transit seems to be the best places for me to share some pin magic. If a child starts staring at my lanyard, I try to strike up a conversation with the parent and child.

One time on the monorail, I had a little girl with the biggest smile showing off her new lanyard to me. I noticed that she had many princess pins and I always have a stash of those on hand for my daughter. With a little conversation with her mom, I was able to fill out her lanyard.

I have some friends heading to WDW in a month and thought about putting together a lanyard for their children. I am afraid if their kids get addicted to pins and they end up shelling out major $$$, I will be convicted as a conspirator I think I will take my chances...

Chuck

 

[travelitis]

Y'all (no, I really don't say that in conversation) are so nice giving pins and fastpasses! My kids got their first pins over Easter at MGM when they went for an egg hunt in one of the stores. Then they went nuts chasing down cast members and trading their 1 pin. My 4 yr old liked it the most and made some unusual choices. It didn't matter what was on the CM's lanyard, she traded for something. I just bought 8 pins on eBay, meaning that doesn't split evenly between my 3 kids, so I have to get 1 more. I didn't want to load up the lanyards, because they won't appreciate the money it takes to do that, but I was feeling a little badly that they were going with such limited inventory. I'm not going to worry about it. If they had such fun with 1 pin, they'll be quite pleased with 4 each.

 

[tigger2esq]

I have given pins away to both kids AND adults. In WDW last year I was waiting for Illuminations and standing next to a family with two daughters (about age 10 or so) and saw they had lanyards (fairly empty). I struck up a conversation with the entire family about Disney in general and then pin trading. Just before Illuminations started I gave each of the girls a DS pennsylvania pin (to remind them of their new pin trading friend from PA). They were ecstatic!

My favorite experience was in Disneyland in line for the Jungle Cruise. AN older couple was standing in line in front of me and Mom and the woman was admiring my lanyard. we struck up a conversation and it turned out they were into motorcycles and traveled a lot to meets and she thought trading pins at those meets would be a good idea. She noticed my Belle pin and told methat was what her DH called her and what was painted on teh side of her bike. later in line I took the pin off and pressed it into her hand and told her to have a great visit. She was shocked. It made my week. I figured what goes around comes around and sure enough--that day they released a Mystery Pin! now thats Pin Karma!