Birthday Presents!!!

For my birthday in February, my wonderful husband got me a new lanyard and seven new pins!


I got the tea cup and donut set:

and five of the Mickey Icon mystery pins:

Gift
February 2012

Captain Hook

This pin is part of a Hidden Mickey series of villains and fits perfectly into my Peter Pan collection:

Pin #: 75114
Purchase on PinTalk
February 2012

Disney Bear: Part 2

Here's another Disney Bear!

Pin #: 58005
Purchase on PinTalk
February 2012

Mint Julep

I had my first Mint Julep (granted it wasn't a real Mint Julep) on our honeymoon at Disneyland along with some Mickey Mouse beignets. I didn't realize at first that this pin was of a Mint Julep, but once I caught on I fell in love with it!

 

Pin #: 85636
Purchase on PinTalk
February 2012

Aurora Tea Cup

I've always had a thing for tea, so I was hoping to add one of the princess tea cups from this Hidden Mickey series.

Aurora is one of my favorite princesses, so I was especially excited to get this tea cup!

Pin #: 71402
Purchase on PinTalk
February 2012

"B" for Baloo

It's embarrassing to admit, but I had never seen The Jungle Book until last week! I have now seen it twice and watched The Jungle Book 2 for good measure. Needless to say, I loved The Jungle Book! The music is some of Disney's very best and the characters are so lovable (except for that Shere Khan!).

 
So since I found a new movie to love, I had to have a pin. This Baloo pin is great--it works as both my first Jungle Book pin and as an addition to my bear colection!

Pin #: 82324
Purchase on PinTalk
February 2012

Alice in Wonderland Comics Trio

I've been reading the Alice in Wonderland book and the story has been reemerging as one of my favorites. Here are three of the five Alice in Wonderland Comics Hidden Mickey series from 2011. 

I really like the simple but bold styling of these. There is also an Alice pin and a Cheshire Cat pin in the series.

Pin #: 82309 (Queen of Hearts); 82310 (Mad Hatter); 82311 (Caterpillar) 
Purchase on PinTalk
February 2012

Jiminy Cricket

I've been on the lookout for a Jiminy Cricket pin and really thought this cute version was, well, cute! 

Always let your conscience be your guide!!

Pin #: 74885
Purchase on PinTalk
February 2012

Scrapper Comparison: Park Icons 2011

My first attempt at buying some of the 2011 Park icon pins was not very successful. I purchased three pins (Dumbo, Castle, and Ear Hat) on ebay and received scrappers!

Scrappers are pins that were manufactured outside of the producers contract with Disney (say they make an extra 200 copies of an LE 750 pin) or that did not meet quality standards and were meant to be destroyed but were instead sold. Scrappers are lower quality and have certain characteristics. For example, the paint is often not completely filled in. The paint or metal may be the wrong color. Furthermore, the pin may have rough edges, feel too light, or have incorrect backstamp information and/or designs.


The park icon pins I received were wrong in both the metal and design colors. The park icon pins have a unique blackened metal, similar to the Sea Serpent pin from the Vinylmation Park #7 collection. However, the pins I was sent were the usual silver color.

In these photos, the authentic pins are on the left and the scrapper version is on the left. It can be hard to see the difference in the metal coloration in a photograph, but there are also other variations between the authentic pins and the scrappers. The detail is much greater in the authentic pins of the castle and of Dumbo. It is also clear that the yellow is different on the ear hat pins. The authentic pin has a bold, true yellow color, while the scrapper has a watery, almost-green yellow color. 

The backs of the pins also highlight some key differences between the two versions.

authentic

scrapper

The metal color difference much clearer on the back, but pay special attention to the area in the red box in the second photo. The scrapper version of the pin is plagued by one of the surest signs of a scrapper: the border on the Mickey head waffle pattern. See how the pattern doesn't reach all the way to the edge? It's also pretty clear that the scrapper doesn't have a real Mickey head waffle--the shape is more like a teddy bear head than a Mickey head. 

Hopefully this comparison is useful when evaluating the authenticity of a pin. Especially online, scrappers are hard to avoid, but the best tool pin collectors can have on their side is knowledge!

Disney Bear

In addition to my obsession with Disney pins, Peter Pan, puppies, etc., I also love, love, love bears! I didn't have any bears in my pin collection, but I have now corrected this serious oversight with the waving Disney Bear:

This little bear reminded me of my Build-A-Bear from Downtown Disney in CA, Peter (naturally). 

Pin #: 56956
Purchased on PinTalk
February 2012

World of Color Fountains

Truth be told, when we were in Disneyland last May I had no idea what these little guys were supposed to be. I saw them around and I was intrigued, but I really didn't get it. Once I got home, I saw them online and discovered that they are fountains from the (amazing, awesome, best thing ever) World of Color show. With that information, I realized I had to have some! 

Pin #: 82319 (Purple); 82318 (Yellow); 82321(Green); 82320 (Dark Blue); 82322 (Light Blue); 88062 (Orange completer)

Purchased on PinTalk

February 2012

50th Pin!! Peter Pan's Flight: Tinkerbell D-Ticket

So... Another Peter Pan's Flight pin... However, this one is unique in a few ways!

I love the retro style of the pin and the reference to the old ride tickets. None of my other Peter Pan's Flight pins have that!

Pin #: 78800
Purchase on PinTalk
February 2012

Daisy Duck "S"

While in Disneyland, I admired the Disneyland Character Letter set. The letters spelling out "Disneyland" are in the likeness of several characters. Now that I have the Daisy Duck "S," I am hoping I will be able to collect the rest of the pins in the set... You know I have my eye on that Peter Pan "E"!!

Pin #: 44973
Purchased on PinTalk
February 2012

Dalmatian Cutie

When I saw this adorable little Dalmatian puppy, he reminded me of my puppy and I felt compelled to add to my collection. Of course this is Pongo from 101 Dalmatians, and my dog doesn't even nearly resemble a Dalmatian... still had to buy it!

Pin #: 74882
Purchased on PinTalk
February 2012

Mickey Bandleader with Trombone

Another music pin! Need I say more about why I got this one? No, probably not! 

Pin #: 48460
Purchase on PinTalk
February 2012

Queen of Hearts Vinylmation

Alice in Wonderland is one of my top picks among Disney films. This Queen of Hearts vinylmation was just released recently with several other Alice in Wonderland characters in vinylmation form. 

I wonder why she's so mad...?

Pin #: 88553
Purchase on PinTalk
February 2012

DeeBee Mouseketeeree

This DeeBee is a completer from the 2011 Hidden Mickey series. I bought this one for my mother-in-law since she has a few DeeBees in her collection. This one is so cute that I may start collecting them myself!

Pin #: 88063
Purchase on PinTalk
February 2012

Soda Bottle: Green Donald Duck

In addition to Stitch and DeeBees, my mother-in-law also likes soda caps and soda bottles. This one from the 2010 Hidden Mickey series is great and hopefully will make a great addition to her collection.

Pin #: 75115
Purchase on PinTalk
February 2012

Stitch

Stitch is not one of my favorite characters, but my mother-in-law collects Stitch so I got these for her. These might be duplicates of ones she has already, but they can still be traded for new pins she doesn't have... 

Pin #: 82049 (Portrait); 74243 (Cutie)
Purchase on PinTalk
February 2012

Traded: Boba Fett for Upside Down Mickey

I've made my first online trade!! I traded my Boba Fett vinylmation (which was cool) for an upside-down Mickey Mouse vinylmation.

Traded this..

for this!

I think this Mickey is pretty unique and will be a conversation starter. And that's why we wear pins, isn't it?

Pin #63500

Trade on PinPics.com

February 2012