New Disney Pin Rules Remove Designated Trading Spot at Disneyland

Disney has new rules for pin trading via an update to the etiquette & location guidelines on the Disneyland website as well as handouts being distributed in Frontierland. We’ll share a rundown of the rule changes, followed by our on-the-ground experience today, tension between the interests of regular guests and pin traders, explosion of popularity in Tuesday Pin Drops, and more.

Let’s start with the big change, which is that Disneyland is eliminating the primary pin trading hub near Westward Ho Trading Co. in Frontierland. (Or rather, repositioning the space for the Kids Rule Summer special event.) This location has been controversial for years, with tension between regular guests and pin traders.

Recognizing this, Disney made a major rule change back in November 2023 that confined all in-park non-lanyard pin trading to Westward Ho, and banned pin trading from the benches. It also reduced the hours from park opening to 3 pm.

At the time, we recall that this was a welcome and overdue change. It freed up benches to use for actually sitting, as opposed to binders. It also seemed to reduce the density of trading, overall. Since then, the traders have been confined to tables near Westward Ho.

The situation has gradually worsened in the 3 years since, simply from the perspective of the proliferation of pin traders in this area. They’re not doing anything wrong, per se, or breaking any rules.

There are just often a lot of people standing around in this area, which is the main thoroughfare leading into Frontierland. When the park is busy (so almost always) this exacerbates congestion.

If you’ve never experienced this firsthand, here’s the crowd from today (May 12, 2026) to help contextualize it:

Along with this, Disney is distributing fliers to pin traders explaining new rules going forward. Here’s the latest on that:

Important Update for Pin Traders

Beginning Friday, May 22, 2026, the designated area for pin trading located near Westward Ho Trading Company in Frontierland will transition into a kids-only pin trading area as part of Kids Rule Summer.

To ensure appropriate guest flow and movement around kids-only trading areas, please be advised that effective Tuesday, May 19, 2026, guests will no longer be able to set up stationary pin trading spaces in front of Westward Ho Trading Company in Disneyland, or any other areas around the resort. Guests can continue pin trading using a lanyard or other small handheld pin trading accessory.

Trading must follow current Disney Pin Trading guidelines.

Here’s the updated pin trading etiquette and guidelines, which has already been updated on Disneyland’s online FAQ:

• Official Disney Pins – Only official Disney pins may be traded. The main criteria when judging whether a pin is tradable or not (although other factors may be considered) is that the metal pin needs to bear a “©Disney” mark on the back, representing an official Disney event, place, location, character or icon. A Disneyland Resort Cast Member has the sole discretion to determine whether or not a pin is tradable.

• Pin Condition – Pins should be in good, undamaged and tradable condition, with the pin backing attached.

• Safety – For a safe trading experience, please trade one pin at a time.

• Trading Maximum – Trade a maximum of 2 pins per Cast Member or trading board, per day. Each trade is limited to one pin for one pin.

• Ask First – Please refrain from touching the pin or lanyard of a Cast Member or Guest. If you need a closer look, kindly ask the Cast Member or Guest wearing the lanyard to give you a clearer view.

• Not Exchangeable for Trade – The following may not be exchanged or in any way used when making a trade for a pin:
  • Monies
  • Gifts
  • Vouchers
  • Receipts
  • Multiple pins for one pin

• Pins That Are Okay to Trade with a Cast Member
  • Any tradable pin that is not currently displayed on a Cast Member’s lanyard or trading board
  • Pins from other business units of The Walt Disney Company (e.g., ABC and ESPN), when a Cast Member determines them to be tradable
  • Operating participant pins that show a Disney, Disneyland Resort or Walt Disney World Resort affiliation, when a Cast Member determines them to be tradable

• Pins That Are Not Okay to Trade with a Cast Member
  • Unauthorized pins, plastic pins, rubber pins or other nonmetal pins
  • Personalized name pins
  • Brooch-style or clasp pins
  • Disney Service Award pins, Disney Legacy Award pins, Spirit of Disneyland Resort pins, Partners in Excellence pins or Cast Member costume pins (including Host/Hostess badges and Disney Trainer pins)

• Retail Locations
  Shop for approved Disney pins at the following locations:
  • Disneyland Park
    • 20th Century Music Company
    • Emporium
    • Westward Ho Trading Company
    • TomorrowLanding
  • Disney California Adventure
    • Trolley Treats
    • Pan-Pacific Pin Traders
    • Radiator Springs Curios
  • Downtown Disney District
    • World of Disney
    • Disney’s Pin Traders

• Pin Trading Locations
  Trade pins anywhere in the Disneyland Resort, using a lanyard and small handheld pin-trading accessories.

• Limit the Items You Bring
  Lanyards and small handheld pin-trading accessories are allowed, subject to the Disneyland Resort rules, but no additional decorations or collateral (e.g., lights, signage, displays, etc.) are permitted.

• No Use of Benches, Chairs or Tables
  Pins are not allowed to be displayed on benches, chairs or tables. Benches and chairs are for seating purposes only.

Valid Park admission and reservation required for Park entry. Disney Pin Trading guidelines are subject to change without notice. Guests suspected of abusing the guidelines may be subject to, among other things, removal from the Disneyland Resort premises.

I’m very much on board with this change. There’s a part of me that feels badly for the pin traders, but it’s just gotten out of hand. The status quo is unsustainable, and negatively impacts the overwhelming majority of guests who are not visiting Disneyland with binders of pins.

Clearly Disney agrees. Although this is being presented as a transformation of the space into a kids-only pin trading area for Kids Rule Summer, that’s merely a pretext so it doesn’t appear as harsh or heavy-handed to a niche audience that spends a lot of money on merchandise.

If Disney was okay with this type of pin trading with binders and displays, they could’ve simply relocated it to elsewhere at the resort. Instead, these type of stationary spaces are effectively banned everywhere, and only lanyards or other small handheld pin trading accessories are allowed.

I’m not a fan of the stationary displays and binders, and am glad Disneyland is taking further action here. I can appreciate that people want to pin trade, but that’ll still be possible, and without impeding crowd flow.

The current area reminds me of a Disneyana convention, which is not a bad thing in and of itself, but it is a very different thing versus an active theme park. It’s also very transactional, but without the ability to do business using actual money. There’s a time and a place for this sort of thing, and to me, it just doesn’t seem like a crowded walkway in one of the world’s busiest theme parks is it.

Maybe this is a situation where a few bad apples spoil things for the whole bunch, but my perception of this type of trading is not positive. It makes pin trading less approachable and overly commercial, and does not present a favorable first impression of the pin trading community.

I would hazard a guess that nothing has done more to damage the opinion of pin trading in the eyes of more casual Disneyland fans than this Westward Ho Trading Co. location. I know it’s not just me, either. The comments in Disneyland social media circles are brutal.

On a separate but tangentially related note, my anecdotal perception is that pin trading is enjoying a strong resurgence in popularity.

I’m out of the loop when it comes to most merchandise releases, but I am familiar with “Pin Drop Tuesdays.” I have noticed long lines at select merchandise locations early in the morning hours, and a seemingly ever-increasing number of guests participating at Disneyland, as well as Disney’s Hollywood Studios, when I’ve happened to be in the parks on recent Tuesdays to do rope drop field testing (today included).

From my perspective as an outsider, pin trading is bigger than ever. It seems to have made a huge comeback over the last few years, post-reopening. When we first got into the fandom as adults, it felt like pin trading was around the peak of its popularity. It dropped off after that, but has seemingly made a resurgence since. I’m not sure of timing, but it’s interesting to see.

It’s also cool to see! Although our pin trading days are over (for now–until our daughter is a little older, assuming she shows an interest), I still appreciate how multifaceted the fandom is, and there are niches within our niche. I have nothing against pin trading as a whole, just to be clear.

My issue is how the setup in Frontierland impedes crowd flow and exacerbates congestion in a busy area of a busy park. I also think that can present an unfavorable perception of pin traders, but I very much recognize that’s a very small subset of the community.

Ultimately, these changes should be a net positive for pin trading at Disneyland. Repositioning the area around Westward Ho Trading Co. as being for kids will introduce more children to the hobby, which is a fun one. That’ll be good for casual guests and even pin traders, as it’ll get more people into the fun at a young age.

Likewise, with Disneyland banning the behaviors that are most abrasive, pin trading will gain wider acceptance in the fandom. All of this may seem insignificant from the outside, but a little bit of etiquette would go a long way in cleaning up how the hobby is perceived! Kudos to Disney for these changes.

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Your Thoughts

What do you think of Disney’s new pin trading etiquette and policy changes? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!