What could it cost?

Ok, back! Flops down into my office chair and rolls up to the keyboard. Where was I? Oh crap, I haven’t posted a blog since November 2024!? Where does the time go?!

Well, it’s now January 2026 and some things have happened...

What’s going on, specifically on Instagram and WhatNot, is a collaboration of several parts of myself colliding and it’s been crazy to witness irl. I grew up loving Disney, and then spent many years avoiding it... everyone knows grown-ups don't like Disney, after all. There was a time that my IG stories were filled with memes I thought were funny, angry memes about politics, other times with videos of my family, sometimes comic books or art, but these days, it's all of that and Disney pins… A LOT of Disney pins. 

The pin mania started at Steel City Con in August 2025- the trip was a Father's Day gift to my husband. My daughter bought some pins from a vendor and was so excited about them. She poured over the boards, finally made her selections, and loved them the whole way home to the hotel. The next day, she traded with the same vendor, and THEN loved them the whole way home. As I started looking into them, to see if they were part of a set we could complete, we quickly found out that they are “scrappers”, (i.e.- fakes/lower quality/not tradable in parks.) So, down the rabbit hole, I went...

Once I crash landed in Pin-Land, I found an amazing community that I quickly became addicted to. I’ve met, chatted with, and become friends with some amazing Disney Adults and their friends in the last 5 months. I can’t wait for everyone to meet them and, with their permission, will happily blog about my experiences with them! Spoiler alert: You're going to love them!

Official Disney pin trading has been “a thing” for >25 years, so joining in during a landmark year was intense! Learning about pins, their tradability, how to spot fakes, which pins even are being faked, why some pins are so scarce, etc… has been a fun adventure, and there’s still SO much to learn! 2nd Spoiler alert: I like to learn, so that checks the box for me, in terms of hobby viability!

The first surprise I found upon entering the pin community was how positive, uplifting, and genuinely supportive many people are! Some people are in it for the actual pins, others for business (so max profit or exclusivity is their goal). Some are there for chatting and friendship, some want to engage with your giveaways, some people need to complete sets or find trades. Everyone’s "why" is different, and you'll see the best and worst of humans on full display in some of the Whatnot live shows or Tuesday Pin Drops (in parks), while shopping for pins.

My second surprise was how many fellow children (or spouses) of military service members I've met. It makes complete sense when you think about it, though. Military families bond so deeply over their precious time together at Disney Parks, watching the movies, collecting the merchandise, relocating to various parts of the world, of course they would be there! What a thrill it was the first time I printed a shipping label that was labelled as overseas mail with a customs declaration, only to find out that it was on it's way to a base at Guantanamo Bay. My eyes well with tears recalling the time I spent living on a Naval Air Force Base in Lemoore, CA and my time spent at and around Parris Island/Port Royal/Beaufort.

My third surprise after engaging with the pin community was how diverse the Disney Adult fandom base actually is. I've met grown up theater kids, IMDB accredited film directors, gifted singers and performers, working and aspiring artists, folks who love to create and craft, gamers, vintage collectors, a widowed reverend's wife, medical professionals, legal professionals, stay at home parents looking for engagement and community... and we all can chat for hours about our shared love of everything Disney, but especially our Disney pins. For me, it's a happy space where I can be positive and cheerful, and it's received as genuinely as it's meant!

AJ Wolfe, author of Disney Adults: Exploring (And Falling In Love With) A Magical Subculture does a really great job of analyzing what a Disney adult is, how they came to be, the community built and maintained by the shared love of Disney, and so much more in her book. Chapter after chapter, I found myself agreeing and realizing "Oh yeah, she's right!" Even better, she backs it up with research and genuine historical knowledge that even the most anti-Disney people couldn't deny.

For example, it's a simple fact that it's expensive to go to Walt Disney World or Disneyland. Depending on when you go, lines may be long. Ride times may be lengthy, weather may be inclement, which can ruin the experience. Many non-Disney adults loathe the idea of "wasting money" on tickets to go to a place where they will be hot, crowded, and have to wait in lines, all while simultaneously handing over their hard-earned money from their bank account. Yet, they go anyway because the full immersion experience of a Disney park (from the go away green to the custom smells piped in) is building a lifetime memory for their family. They put up with it all because someone they love, loves Disney, and they are able to help make that dream come true. Shoutout to all the cranky dads & moms that are reading this, thinking I'm writing it about them.

I highly recommend reading or listening to this book if you are, know, or want to better understand a Disney adult.

I've been so blessed to be able to explore this Disney pin community & to unlock/heal parts of my childhood, recalled by the images from a pin, or conversations about Disneyland trips with my family (I have no recollection of ever going to WDW, but supposedly, I went at stroller age) because I found a job with a company that strives to be deeply rooted in community. They have given me space to work from home throughout the week and be available for my children after school. They encourage giving back to the community through service and seek partnerships with other businesses that do the same. They hold reasonably high standards for their employees, and they encourage personal, educational, and spiritual growth. They see the value of employing a mother with a criminal background, an immigrant through H-2B work visas, and other marginalized groups of people, not for cheap labor (they often pay above industry standards), but rather, because they know that taking care of their employees helps their respective communities grow stronger.

Community isn't something I ever felt like I had growing up, until I found the theater community. At various points of my life, I found little groups of people I had things in common with, but always felt like I was missing something- A larger whole to be connected to. (Have y'all watched Pluribus yet?! ) In 2018, I realized my community was here, in Northeast Ohio, and that I was the one excluding myself. By 2020, I withdrew even more, afraid of how my mere presence might negatively impact the room, who would even be willing to talk to me anymore, or how harshly I'd be judged or excluded. It's also a lot of the reason I started this blog, to create a place to share my experiences and an attempt at building a community.

During my Master's program toward a Principalship license, we did research and learned about how to build a school community, but I never completed that program or had an opportunity to put anything I learned into practice. While that sometimes feels like a waste of time and money (I didn't teach long enough to qualify for teacher loan forgiveness programs), I recall things my professor said, such as "signing a contract or rule book isn't how you build trust and community." Helping your school community see and feel connections to each other happens when there are clearly defined goals, open communication, and support at home & extending into the larger community as a whole. (Money-centric people may read this as fundraisers).

The very same can be true for a business. What is the mission statement? Do the employees feel empowered and rewarded for their contribution toward that mission? Does management support the goals of the company? Are there clear expectations for conduct, conflict resolution, and growth?

So many aspects of my newly discovered love of the Disney pin community are applicable to real life work situations.

I'll give you an example: When you are running a live show on WhatNot (also on Poshmark) you are able to "run a giveaway". You have 5 minutes for your guests to join and then a name is randomly selected. During the time that the giveaway is running, you have the viewer's attention. If they leave the show, they're removed from the giveaway, so you have time to show them what's coming up in your show or encourage them to follow another seller that you may be promoting. After that giveaway is pulled, the winner is MUCH more likely to engage/buy something because they also receive discounted or free shipping. The combination of engagement, reward, and discount is sometimes all it takes to create a new friendship. As you are talking with them and chatting about pins you have, you learn what they are interested in, can talk about common interests, etc. Even if they don't buy something, when they receive your giveaway and handwritten thank you note, a connection is made. That shipping is usually not more than $4-$5, but the connection is worth so much more! Most of the Disney adults I've met place value in community & connection, above merchandise and sales, because their "why" is grounded in spreading joy and helping strengthen family bonds.

The same kind of energy is present in businesses that sponsor local youth sports teams, mow the lawns of disabled veterans, and support the annual local Children's Hospitals Radiothon (Coming up 2/12/2026, btw, the same day my eldest turns 18!) Yes, it costs tax-deductible money to do these sorts of outreach programs, but what does it say to you, the consumer, when you are also making your donation? To me, the consumer, it means "this business cares about what I care about".

A pin based example of this: I was watching a live show and won a giveaway. It was a single pin out of a series, 1 of 18. When he arrived, my daughter asked who he was. Shocked, I said, "That's Ray! He's from The Princess and the Frog; do you not remember that movie?" She didn't! So, as soon as we could, we snuggled up together and watched it. Her sweet Gen Alpha heart connected with the animation style, the music, the lessons of the story and now she loves Ray and his movie deeply!

I shared my connection on Instagram and with the seller. She shared it with her Instagram followers, I made new pin pals, she received the dopamine and serotonin rush that comes with knowing you helped someone bond with their kid while spreading joy, and we are connected now! Every pin mail post is about something like that! Whether Ray ends up being traded, sold, or kept, he has spread joy by visiting and spending some time with my kids and I.

So, what's the point? This blog post title is "What could it cost?" (devotees will recognize that as an Arrested Development reference) Are Disney pins expensive? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. For me, and my addictive personality, yes. Part of why I started selling and reselling was to subsidize the collection I was building for kids and myself. However, when you add up the amount of fun, joy, connection, community, and add in an outlet for performing and achievement that inherently comes with "making a sale", my Disney pin hobby is priceless. It's brought my kids and I closer together, it's brought my husband and his well-buried dreams of growing up to be a Disney animator up for discussion (See: Fantasy Pins and previous t-shirt designs). It's created a sense of teamwork among my kids (mostly because they had to learn how to share ripping Hidden Disney mystery bags). It's brought out the creativity and love of crafting that my daughter enjoys. It's brought nostalgia and fond park memories to my USMC retiree Dad. It's brought memories of Cinderella tea parties and silly song memories up for my Mom. My stepdad (also retired USMC) had one record among his Rush, Pink Floyd, and other rock albums that I remembered from childhood- The Muppets Christmas Carol with John Denver. I told him that sharing the Muppets with my kids is something that makes me think back about that time and I thanked him for sharing it with us- a step toward healing our relationship. My brother and his young family have gotten to share Disney fandom alongside us as fellow, albeit less intense, Disney Adults themselves.

To anyone asking what does it cost to be a Disney Adult? The simple truth is that Disney Adults don't keep track and don't care what it costs. It's the cost of not being ourselves that we can't afford. Our memories, connections, and experiences are priceless.