Disney pin fans travel far and wait long for coveted D23 collectibles

Kyle Liddane has been collecting Disney pins for about 10 years, and has no plans to stop.

"I'm trying to obtain some of the really fancy pins at Mickey's of Glendale, the (Disney) company store, and the Hollywood Studio store," he said while standing in line at Disney's official pin store booth at the Disney fan convention known as D23.

"They have really nice-quality pins that are very sought after, they've very limited edition," he added.

Disney pin collecting took off in the 1990s after the company launched pin-trading programs in its parks. The initiative transformed pins from simple souvenirs into coveted collectibles and helped foster a global community of traders and collectors.

Purchases at the Mickey's of Glendale Pin Store booth inside the Anaheim Convention Center are available only through a virtual queue, which fills up almost instantly each day. Often fans are in for long waits and sold-out items.

Among the rarest items at D23 is the 2026 Premier Collection, a limited-edition set of 15 pins released to commemorate the convention. Each pin is part of an LE1000 series, meaning only 1,000 were produced worldwide for each character design.