Who is your Disney Princess?

Why we love pins of the characters we love goes so much deeper than “That’s a pretty princess” or “Yeah, that's that funny mouse from that movie”!

As a new pin collector, trader, and seller I’ve encountered a problem so many of us have… I’ve been trying to decide what/who I actually collect. It’s a common issue, but it brings about some introspection when you’re looking at these characters and trying to decide, “Ok, which ones bring the most joy, which ones do I just kind of like in the moment, and which ones belong with someone who will LOVE them?!”

I was born in October, so I was one of the kids on the edge of being able to start school at 4 or waiting for the following year. I had to interview with Akron Public Schools to see if I was eligible to start Kindergarten early and as the story has been told to me, one of the questions was, "What is your favorite type of ball?" My reply was “The one Cinderella went to.” 😂 Spoiler alert: there were other questions, but I started my Kindergarten year at Highland Elementary in Akron, OH “a year early”. 

So, when I started collecting Disney pins of course I was like, Cinderella is the most nostalgic for me, she’s my princess. I collect Cinderella. Over the last several months though, I’ve come to realize that yes, I do love Cinderella, her story, and her characters, but she isn’t my princess. I associate the movie with my childhood so much because we owned it on VHS, and I watched it all the time. I associate Cinderella with a time where it was mostly my mom and I on our own. While my parents were married, my dad was often deployed and then when they divorced, I lived with my mom. I was an only child and her sidekick for every part of her day. My brother was born when I was idk, like 6,7 (haha, sorry, had to), and from then on I had to share my time with her. Cause ya know, that’s how families work. 😂 

As many of us do, I’ve had a difficult relationship with my mom in adulthood, but the fact remains that I love my mom and think about her daily, even when I side button her calls or roll my eyes at a Facebook reel she sends. 

(I know, I know, Boooooo! Whatever, don’t act like you’ve never done it!)

I also started out collecting Madam Mim and the squirrels from Sword in the Stone! But then, when I find things my husband would like, I’d grab those too! 

When my husband was a kid his parents said, “Hey, we’re having a baby girl and want to name her Allyson, what do you think a good middle name would be?”  (I’m sure it was just that casual too. Hey you, there! Boy! What do you think? 😂) He was like 4 or 5 and said Wonderland! They ended up naming her Allyson Laura (after her paternal grandma) but that’s MY name and I’ve always loved that!

So I was definitely pulling at his heartstrings when I added a new Alice piece but he and my daughter have decided they like Darkwing/Nephews/ Ducktales so I’m going to be transitioning out the Alice for some Aurora, fairies, woodland animals and bringing in some of those for them. (Send me all your Alice requests!)

One of the best parts of doing a live show is getting to know your shoppers, finding pieces to complete their set, and celebrating together. Even deeper, when you open a mystery bag live and it has the one your friend was looking for, you get to become part of their collection story. 

Let me introduce you to @DeeluvsDisney! She purchased an Aurora pin from me that had the 3 good fairies on it and ended up returning it because it had a mark on it I hadn’t noticed. She was so patient and kind about the oversight and we got to chatting more about her Fairies collection. I had her in mind while looking for some other pins she might like, but realized OMG, I love these too, I don’t want to let them go! I’ve had and sold several Aurora/fairies/Sleeping Beauty pins and often miss them or regret selling them, so she helped me realize that I’d been collecting the wrong princess!🫶👸 As it turns out, she and I have more in common than I initially thought; this is her website and it won’t take long to see why I’m so glad my sweet friend, Jill, connected me to her! Speaking of Jill…

Let me introduce you to @Jillzak618!

Quick background to non-pin collectors: Disneyland and Disney World release mystery bags of Hidden Disney (formerly called Hidden Mickeys because they have small mouse ears on them) mystery bags. They used to be annually released, but now are released in two waves throughout the year. Certain pieces are called “chasers” or “super chasers”, indicating that they’re less common and harder to find/rip. Many people trade other pins to get their chasers, so “pulling a super chaser” is really not common for most people. 

Jill manages a theater 🎭 in Florida and gets to work with some incredibly talented people (who also happen to collect pins). They have been so supportive of mine and my kids’ shows, while also encouraging my daughter’s budding musical theater interest and I’m so thankful to have met them!

Our pin character collection choices say a lot about us, but my favorite part of pin collecting truly has been the friends I’ve made along the way! (Ugh so cheesy, right?) Sorry, not sorry. 🤷🏻‍♀️