Kim's Corner
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Where’s Mickey? Pin Event
Getting Closer… Getting Closer… Getting Closer…
A-Ha!… Almost There
the good - the bad - the ugly & the future
So - as we sat enjoying another dinner at Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen - last month was a gathering to celebrate my birthday and this time to celebrate a friend’s - we were giggling over our bread pudding and enjoying the constant flow of people walking by and not shaking our heads wondering what went wrong. I knew that I would have a much easier time working up this review - it’s always easy to write good stuff. I truly enjoy the hobby of pin collecting - I have met and made many friends through the hobby of pin trading - I’m hard-core to some and a rank amateur to others - and I’ll support just about anything that keeps the pin trading promotion going at the Disney theme parks. I like having friends - and I dislike having to tell them that they have missed the mark - I’d rather be liked for the work that I do - but won’t risk selling out whatever measure of professionalism I have gained to insure that that’s the case.
I’m more than a bit jaded when it comes to the machinations of the global Disneyana marketplace and I still go to each and every event looking for the fun. Mostly - it’s fun being me.
Let me take a few sentences here and reflect a bit on the LaughingPlace.com coverage of the SoundStation pin event. It was really the first time that LP had run a comprehensive "review" of an event - top to bottom - inside and out - warts and all - and the first time that I have written a column with a negative review of the efforts of some folks whose work I admire. It's the hardest column I've ever written for the site - as it took me almost three weeks to put together as I talked it over with friends, CMs and other pin traders - and I'd rather "play" than "work" when I'm at the resort.
And - I'll also admit to more than a little trepidation before I hit the button and sent the column to Doobie. I didn't know what his reaction would be - although he told me not to "spin" it - I didn't know what the reaction of LP's readers was likely to be - I had no idea how the DLR's pin traders would react - and I was a bit worried about what the reaction of the DLR Merchandise division would be - I didn't know if I would be opening either the site or myself to some harsher criticism than I meted out. It was a tough call.
If the couple of responses I got on the discussion board - or the dozen or so e-mail replies sent through LP and the various pin trading boards I post to - or spending time on Sunday with those who wanted to talk my review over face to face - are any indication I needn't have worried. Seems that most of LP's readers also understand that balance is a good thing - and the merchandise folks are still talking to me as well. Seems that there is more to be learned and more to be shared than I had thought - and I needn't have been worried.
On with the event -
Coming on the heels of last month’s SoundStation pin event fiasco, I’ll have to admit that we had little more than a slim hope that the Where’s Mickey? event would be much better. After all change happens at the DLR almost as quickly as an Ice Age melts - so bright and early on the morning of September 8, 2002 - off we went to find the mouse. It was pretty much the same group who had attended the SoundStation event - but this time we had an event "newbie" with us - someone who had NEVER done a Disney event of any kind at ANY park for anything before and I was a bit worried that - as the day went on - she would think that we were crazier than she already did - if that were possible. But - I’m a Mickey collector and crazy is a prerequisite.
We decided to start after park opening - again - as I had heard a rumor the day before that the last of the 100 Mickeys pins - "Prince" - had been short-shipped to the resort and that there would be another mad dash to try to get it - I had already pre-traded for mine with one of my on-line pin pals - so I wasn’t worried about adding it to my collection and none of the rest of the group was willing to risk life and limb in the press to prosper - so we slept in (more on this pin release later…).
After meeting at City Hall at 10:00AM - and with caffeine in hand - we wandered over to the Fire House and were - quite frankly - surprised…