Saturday, May 4, 2013
Thursday, March 22, 2012
FIRST National Robotics
This arrived today:
It's from the FIRST Robotics Competition at EPCOT in 2000. (I thought the keyboard made for a nice background.)
Monday, February 27, 2012
Pin Collecting: Are We Having Fun?
Almost a year ago, I became a Disney convert, complete with the symptomatic condition of collecting Disney pins. I scoured estate sales. I approached eBay auctions with the same wide-eyed enthusiasm that some people have when entering an Old Country Buffet.
Pins! Everywhere! And at a fraction of the original prices!
I soon racked up a large collection of Haunted Mansion Pins, Nightmare Before Christmas Pins, and even a few Vinylmation and retired Disney pins. On top of that, because I was using eBay, I was getting pins at an incredible discount! What could possibly go wrong?
The Hangover
It wasn't long after I started collecting pins, when the term "scrapper" appeared on my radar. I joined a few Disney pin collecting forums, and found out there were unauthorized pins, flat out fake pins, and some pins which were indistinguishable from the real McCoy - but were still considered fake. (That last one still has me scratching my head, but I'll touch back on this in a little bit.)
I felt a bit let down. Cheated, actually. Here I was, spending money on Disney pins to add to my collection, and they weren't even legitimate?
Well, this disappointment turned to outrage, and I investigated a few claims on Disney pin collecting sites about what to do, and what to look out for when buying or trading Disney pins. It was around that time that two people got in big trouble over fake Disney pins. Upon researching this, it wasn't so much a case of selling fake pins as it was blatantly stealing intellectual property from Disney and having a manufacturer in China reproduce it. Kind of like sneaking a camera into the movies to record the original from the screen, and then selling homemade DVDs that you filmed, complete with people walking in front of the screen. Luckily, someone took notice and those people were shut down. These were people who knowingly tried to cheat people. What about the second and third-hand sellers on eBay who couldn't tell that they were selling fakes? How was a buyer (such as myself, and many other fans) to know if he/she was being scammed?
Tilting At Windmills
There was a lot of concern on various sites over real pins versus fakes, how to approach sellers on eBay who probably didn't know a real pin from a scrapper from a beer bottle cap. There was talk of starting a site to make note of obvious scammers (which really went nowhere), and there have been a few helpful guides written by eBay clients to help people when buying pins.
However, when all was said and done, people selling used Disney pins still sold them regardless of if they were scrappers. People buying Disney pins on eBay still complained about getting counterfeit pins, and very little was resolved. Unless you figured out the source producing fake Disney pins, you couldn't really fault the unwitting seller, and that Caveat Emptor axiom would always come back to bite buyers, especially when it came to used goods.
What could possibly be done about this?
Of Smart Shopping & Bruised Pride
There I was, with a collection of Disney pins, and a portion of them were (according to other enthusiasts) counterfeit. I stopped trading and collecting from eBay, and resolved to only buy pins from the Disney Online Store, or from the parks (whenever I got around to going). It was really the only way to ensure I was getting 100% genuine Disney merchandise for my hard-earned money.
Then something hit me out of the blue while I was writing an article for a web site that deals in skepticism...
Why do I collect Disney pins? And why did I get so upset when someone told me part of my collection contained fakes?
These were questions I had to ask myself, because I allowed my enjoyment of a hobby to get ruined before it even got off the ground. Then I came to some realizations (a few of which I know are not going to be popular with the more vociferous Disney pin collectors) which got me back out of my Disney pin trading funk and let me enjoy the hobby once more:
Collecting Disney Pins is not funding my retirement legacy
First and foremost, whether I give money directly to Disney for brand new pins, or if I take a risk and buy used Disney pins elsewhere, no matter how much the perceived value of my Disney pins appreciates over time, it's not likely that I'm going to get rich because of it. If anything, the amount I spend on Disney pins moves me further from financial stability (which is the way with most obsessions). Dealing in Disney pins isn't like investing in penny stocks, nor is it like collecting fine art. They are pins - little things, if you will - that make people happy.
Authorized Disney Pin Sellers, present your certificates!
Do you know who is authorized by Disney to sell Disney pins? Disney stores. When it comes to those pins I mentioned earlier - the ones where the fakes can't be differentiated from the real thing? Ultimately, Disney has the final say in which ones are authentic, and unless we're talking an egregious case of intellectual property theft (as mentioned above), the House of Mouse isn't going to take a stand.
Why?
Because, apart from speculative errors pointed out on pin enthusiast sites, there is little (if any) way to tell if a Disney pin - made in China and stamped as such on the back - is real, or if it is simply a knock-off that was manufactured in China (also stamped as such on the back) and sold directly to people without being handled by Disney in any official way. Simply put, Disney pins do not fall under the same auspices as Faberge Eggs or Cisco Network Solutions. Traders and re-sellers do not have to be certified, and the cost of a fraud prevention screening would ultimately make even the act of trading pins with Cast Members a bureaucratic ordeal.
I don't know if it's art, but I like it!
If someone knew you liked something - let's say Disney's Beauty and the Beast, and painted a picture for you based on the characters in that animated feature, would you turn them in for trying to defraud The Happiest Place On Earth? If you were at a garage sale or poking around Etsy and saw items based on Disney intellectual property, at a price that seemed very reasonable to you, would you cry foul? Did the Catholic Church, eBay, or descendants of the Merovingian bloodline crack down on the person selling that grilled cheese with the Virgin Mary on it a few years ago?
The reason for all of the rhetorical questions is because the perceived value of a thing will always outweigh the component value. This is why we don't refuse to buy Disney pins that are over 20 cents, and also why "scrapper pins" can sometimes sell for more than the real thing. (On a side note, I know a number of people who collect fake pins, either out of morbid curiosity, or as some personal crusade to remove what fakes they can from the current pin trading market. Disney responds to both groups with a nod and a smile, like one would the tinfoil hat crowd, but they're never going to hand out merit badges for this sort of behavior.)
As an example, if you offered me the rarest, most sought after Figment pins for a penny each, I would not take them off your hands. The personal value of those Disney pins is actually less than, say, a fake version of a Donald Duck pin that everyone owns (and I don't particularly care for Donald, to give you some perspective). The point is that what makes something valuable to me, could mean it's utter garbage to someone else. This is how trading and buying used goods works.
Bottom Line
If you like something, and it's not hurting anyone - be it collecting Disney pins, praying to the deity of your choice, or liking Figment (in which case, you are a misguided individual who makes even kittens cry) - then I'm not going to stop you. Likewise, I'm not going to tell someone that spending money on second or third-hand goods might yield in some fakes, when ultimately the price looked great compared to paying the full retail value at a Disney store.
Do I expect that sort of open mindedness in return? No.
Why? Because this is the age of the Internet - where decorum is easily eschewed for raining on someone else's parade, and going overboard with hyperbolic threats over opinions has almost become a digital arena sport.
Who's better - Superman or Batman? Which Disney pins are worth more, and OMG I can't believe you might have paid good money for possibly fake pins by buying them from places that aren't Disney!
Outrageous, no? Yet you can have my Donald Duck pin with the "Wanger Bros." logo (yes, I am aware of everything I just did there) when you pry it from my cold dead hands.
Pins! Everywhere! And at a fraction of the original prices!
One of my personal treasures
Never forgive. Never forget: Toad Hall Piece of History
I soon racked up a large collection of Haunted Mansion Pins, Nightmare Before Christmas Pins, and even a few Vinylmation and retired Disney pins. On top of that, because I was using eBay, I was getting pins at an incredible discount! What could possibly go wrong?
The Hangover
It wasn't long after I started collecting pins, when the term "scrapper" appeared on my radar. I joined a few Disney pin collecting forums, and found out there were unauthorized pins, flat out fake pins, and some pins which were indistinguishable from the real McCoy - but were still considered fake. (That last one still has me scratching my head, but I'll touch back on this in a little bit.)
I felt a bit let down. Cheated, actually. Here I was, spending money on Disney pins to add to my collection, and they weren't even legitimate?
Well, this disappointment turned to outrage, and I investigated a few claims on Disney pin collecting sites about what to do, and what to look out for when buying or trading Disney pins. It was around that time that two people got in big trouble over fake Disney pins. Upon researching this, it wasn't so much a case of selling fake pins as it was blatantly stealing intellectual property from Disney and having a manufacturer in China reproduce it. Kind of like sneaking a camera into the movies to record the original from the screen, and then selling homemade DVDs that you filmed, complete with people walking in front of the screen. Luckily, someone took notice and those people were shut down. These were people who knowingly tried to cheat people. What about the second and third-hand sellers on eBay who couldn't tell that they were selling fakes? How was a buyer (such as myself, and many other fans) to know if he/she was being scammed?
Tilting At Windmills
There was a lot of concern on various sites over real pins versus fakes, how to approach sellers on eBay who probably didn't know a real pin from a scrapper from a beer bottle cap. There was talk of starting a site to make note of obvious scammers (which really went nowhere), and there have been a few helpful guides written by eBay clients to help people when buying pins.
However, when all was said and done, people selling used Disney pins still sold them regardless of if they were scrappers. People buying Disney pins on eBay still complained about getting counterfeit pins, and very little was resolved. Unless you figured out the source producing fake Disney pins, you couldn't really fault the unwitting seller, and that Caveat Emptor axiom would always come back to bite buyers, especially when it came to used goods.
What could possibly be done about this?
Pictured: Goatse Mickey (not this pin's official name outside of my house)
It's a fake, though. I may not be able to tell you how, but heaven knows someone will let you know why.
Of Smart Shopping & Bruised Pride
There I was, with a collection of Disney pins, and a portion of them were (according to other enthusiasts) counterfeit. I stopped trading and collecting from eBay, and resolved to only buy pins from the Disney Online Store, or from the parks (whenever I got around to going). It was really the only way to ensure I was getting 100% genuine Disney merchandise for my hard-earned money.
Then something hit me out of the blue while I was writing an article for a web site that deals in skepticism...
Why do I collect Disney pins? And why did I get so upset when someone told me part of my collection contained fakes?
Pictured above: You can see how certain claims might lend to the confusion.
These were questions I had to ask myself, because I allowed my enjoyment of a hobby to get ruined before it even got off the ground. Then I came to some realizations (a few of which I know are not going to be popular with the more vociferous Disney pin collectors) which got me back out of my Disney pin trading funk and let me enjoy the hobby once more:
Collecting Disney Pins is not funding my retirement legacy
First and foremost, whether I give money directly to Disney for brand new pins, or if I take a risk and buy used Disney pins elsewhere, no matter how much the perceived value of my Disney pins appreciates over time, it's not likely that I'm going to get rich because of it. If anything, the amount I spend on Disney pins moves me further from financial stability (which is the way with most obsessions). Dealing in Disney pins isn't like investing in penny stocks, nor is it like collecting fine art. They are pins - little things, if you will - that make people happy.
This was placed next to a quarter to show you how you can get a cup of coffee with your pin collection.
Authorized Disney Pin Sellers, present your certificates!
Do you know who is authorized by Disney to sell Disney pins? Disney stores. When it comes to those pins I mentioned earlier - the ones where the fakes can't be differentiated from the real thing? Ultimately, Disney has the final say in which ones are authentic, and unless we're talking an egregious case of intellectual property theft (as mentioned above), the House of Mouse isn't going to take a stand.
Why?
Because, apart from speculative errors pointed out on pin enthusiast sites, there is little (if any) way to tell if a Disney pin - made in China and stamped as such on the back - is real, or if it is simply a knock-off that was manufactured in China (also stamped as such on the back) and sold directly to people without being handled by Disney in any official way. Simply put, Disney pins do not fall under the same auspices as Faberge Eggs or Cisco Network Solutions. Traders and re-sellers do not have to be certified, and the cost of a fraud prevention screening would ultimately make even the act of trading pins with Cast Members a bureaucratic ordeal.
I don't know if it's art, but I like it!
If someone knew you liked something - let's say Disney's Beauty and the Beast, and painted a picture for you based on the characters in that animated feature, would you turn them in for trying to defraud The Happiest Place On Earth? If you were at a garage sale or poking around Etsy and saw items based on Disney intellectual property, at a price that seemed very reasonable to you, would you cry foul? Did the Catholic Church, eBay, or descendants of the Merovingian bloodline crack down on the person selling that grilled cheese with the Virgin Mary on it a few years ago?
The reason for all of the rhetorical questions is because the perceived value of a thing will always outweigh the component value. This is why we don't refuse to buy Disney pins that are over 20 cents, and also why "scrapper pins" can sometimes sell for more than the real thing. (On a side note, I know a number of people who collect fake pins, either out of morbid curiosity, or as some personal crusade to remove what fakes they can from the current pin trading market. Disney responds to both groups with a nod and a smile, like one would the tinfoil hat crowd, but they're never going to hand out merit badges for this sort of behavior.)
As an example, if you offered me the rarest, most sought after Figment pins for a penny each, I would not take them off your hands. The personal value of those Disney pins is actually less than, say, a fake version of a Donald Duck pin that everyone owns (and I don't particularly care for Donald, to give you some perspective). The point is that what makes something valuable to me, could mean it's utter garbage to someone else. This is how trading and buying used goods works.
Bottom Line
If you like something, and it's not hurting anyone - be it collecting Disney pins, praying to the deity of your choice, or liking Figment (in which case, you are a misguided individual who makes even kittens cry) - then I'm not going to stop you. Likewise, I'm not going to tell someone that spending money on second or third-hand goods might yield in some fakes, when ultimately the price looked great compared to paying the full retail value at a Disney store.
I don't like you.
Do I expect that sort of open mindedness in return? No.
Why? Because this is the age of the Internet - where decorum is easily eschewed for raining on someone else's parade, and going overboard with hyperbolic threats over opinions has almost become a digital arena sport.
Who's better - Superman or Batman? Which Disney pins are worth more, and OMG I can't believe you might have paid good money for possibly fake pins by buying them from places that aren't Disney!
Outrageous, no? Yet you can have my Donald Duck pin with the "Wanger Bros." logo (yes, I am aware of everything I just did there) when you pry it from my cold dead hands.
But...it was only $1.99 on eBay! Why didn't anyone tell me it was fake?
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Of Bedknobs, Broomsticks, and Jungle Books
These awesome pins came in the mail yesterday, courtesy of my sweetheart:
Limited Edition of 250
Also a Limited edition of 205 - Baloo & King Louie dance!
I cannot tell you how happy I've been, having a wife who actually encourages my obsession.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Ya Big Hag!
This came via UPS today, and was a surprise gift from my sweetheart! This is a jumbo (note the quarter on the right for comparison Snow White Limited Edition (only 350 were made) pin!
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Pieces of History
Saturday, November 12, 2011
To The Max
Many of you might already know that I am a big fan of Disney's Black Hole. This is why I was very surprised and excited to find the following pin in the mail last week:
Sometimes the best villains don't need to utter a single word.
It's a shame that the characters from this movie (mainly, the robots) only show up on a few pins. Though with their appearances in Tron Legacy, and rumors of a remake, I can hope to see their proliferation once again.
Friday, November 4, 2011
A Wild Ride
Here's to super secret surprise presents!
This arrived in the mail today, courtesy of my wonderful (and sneaky) wife:
This arrived in the mail today, courtesy of my wonderful (and sneaky) wife:
Through the third eye I saw
The battle left to be won
The battle left to be won
This pure face ornamented
With long and pale red scars
Everlasting under the golden stars
With long and pale red scars
Everlasting under the golden stars
The time has come
For you, my son
To bear the mark of power
For you, my son
To bear the mark of power
Gods, hear me know
I will revive the serpents throne
Gods, hear my cries
The throne is mine to rule alone
I will revive the serpents throne
Gods, hear my cries
The throne is mine to rule alone
See this our providence,
Your breed and your blood
The everlasting stand
Through (the) devouring flood
Your breed and your blood
The everlasting stand
Through (the) devouring flood
It's time for one
To become
Heir to the throne of fire
To become
Heir to the throne of fire
I care not if you hate me
As long as you will fear me
I rise monuments as
The victor's fortune
And as display of your fallen
And failed creation
For what I have undone
I stand here as the peerless son
As long as you will fear me
I rise monuments as
The victor's fortune
And as display of your fallen
And failed creation
For what I have undone
I stand here as the peerless son
"You helped to put the sword in my hand
We have climbed this mountain together
And I stand on your shields at the top
Your spears - my fortification
Your enemies are mine
But I speak the words of the gods
And I can summon the thunder"
We have climbed this mountain together
And I stand on your shields at the top
Your spears - my fortification
Your enemies are mine
But I speak the words of the gods
And I can summon the thunder"
The time has come
For the one
To bear the mark of power
For the one
To bear the mark of power
Through the third eye I saw
The battle left to be won
The battle left to be won
Friday, October 21, 2011
Fantasmic!
My rare Disney-MGM Studios Fantasmic Pin
That and a few other rare/hard to find pins can be found at our store!
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Bacon Framed By The Mouse
This is the superbacon from earlier, flanked by our latest acquisitions - Mickey Mouse kitchen towels.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Pirate Pin With Booty!
My beautiful and amazing wife got me this awesome pin, and it arrived in the mail today!
More details in a little while. Right now I'm too excited!
Reverse of pin reads:
Reverse of pin reads:
This Limited Edition trading pin
contains pieces of the
Audio-Animatronics (R) Figure of
the original Pirate Ship Captain
from the Pirates of the Caribbean (R)
attraction.
This figure was featured in the
attraction until Captain Barbossa
was added in 2006.
This Magic Kingdom (R) Park
attraction opened on
December 15, 1973.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Be Our Guest - 1972
I found this. It's from the year after the opening of Walt Disney World. While I would love to say I was there, the truth is that next year will be my first time ever to a Disney park of any kind.
If you want it, I just listed it for sale.
Tokyo DisneySea Grand Opening Coin
This was in my big haul form last week:
It's still sealed, but I know virtually nothing about Tokyo DisneySea. I do know that this was a Cast Member Exclusive, and the back even had a short letter:
It's still sealed, but I know virtually nothing about Tokyo DisneySea. I do know that this was a Cast Member Exclusive, and the back even had a short letter:
It is with great pride that we present this Cast Member exclusive medallion
to you in celebration of the grand opening of the newest generation
of Disney theme parks, Tokyo DisneySea.
Tokyo DisneySea is a richly imaginative world of adventure, romance,
discovery and fun - a celebration of the myths and realities of the sea
in the grand tradition of Disney family entertainment.
Please join us in celebrating this momentous occasion
as Tokyo DisneySea joins the Disney theme park family.
Jim Cora
Chairman, Disneyland International
However, I need to fund my pin collecting obsession, so I am putting this up on eBay for anyone that's interested.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Not Just A Fan Of The Mouse
They're here! They're here! They're here!
Okay, so maybe I've become more of a fan of Star Wars merchandise over the movies during my post 1999 fanboy career, but these are so cool!
Okay, so maybe I've become more of a fan of Star Wars merchandise over the movies during my post 1999 fanboy career, but these are so cool!
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Monday, October 3, 2011
Stations of the Mouse
Sometimes people look for conspiracies where there are none. Sometimes the conspiracies exist, based on misdirected truths. Sometimes the conspiracies are very real, but the evidence connecting the salient points only mock the person who just knows something isn't right, when viewed from a more grounded standing.
Oh, before I go further into this post, you should probably play the following on repeat until you are done reading:
Oh, before I go further into this post, you should probably play the following on repeat until you are done reading:
We see references to the number three everywhere we look. It's a magic number, after all. Three signs of the Holy Trinity. Three rings in a circus. Three circles to draw...a mouse?
How could I have been so blind?
Well if one 3 is magical, then two of them would be twice as nice, right? Plussed, even. Here I present Walt Disney's own exclusive Club 33 - named after (according to the two stories) the address of the club (located at 33 Royal St. in New Orleans Square in Disneyland) or the 33 corporate sponsors of Disneyland when the club opened in 1966-67. You decide.
Let me offer up a different theory. Club 33 exists because Walt himself (along with Winston Churchill, John Adams, Buzz Aldrin, and a host of others, if you believe the list) was a 33rd Degree Mason. The highest of the order, and privy to all sorts of historical secrets, Walt probably designed both parks as giant maps to Masonic and Templar treasures.
And what better way to hide those secrets than with grinning cartoon mascots? Seriously, who would believe a person ranting about the secrets of the Founding Fathers, along with the true Grail Legends and location of the hidden Templar treasure, if he or she told you that everything was revealed by following the Hidden Mickeys at the Disney Resorts, or by analyzing the motions of the little audio-animatronic children on the It's A Small World ride, correlating them to astrological charts, and then discovering that the ultimate answer in in the chemical bonds of a Dole Whip?
This is how Disney discredits Dan Brown, Michael Baigent, and the History Channel in one fell swoop.
So what is the real truth? What am I trying to reveal in this article that is so urgent that I will stop at nothing to let the facts be known?
Well, the first thing of note is that the black and yellow pin in the first picture is from the Cast Lanyard Collection 4 from Walt Disney World. It was released in 2005 and contains a Hidden Mickey in the lower right of the circle.
The second is the pin below. It depicts a skull wearing a Mickey crown, with a Hidden Mickey at the bottom of the pin itself. It's from the Disneyland 2007 Hidden Mickey Lanyard Pirate Collection.
In Hoc Signo Musculus
Special thanks to PinPics.com and the fine folks at DisneyPinForum.com for information on these pins.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Certifiable
I took yesterday off from blogging, but today I was met with much in the way of pins. (SO MANY PINS...yet somehow, never enough.) I was happy with that, and found myself bouncing around the house at the new and shiny arrivals, but there was also another package. It contained...
MY D23 MEMBERSHIP KIT!
That's right. Back in the early part of September, my wife gave me the gift of a D23 membership (still getting a foothold on this Disney delirium, I had no idea what this was or what it meant), and I saw that the kit with official papers, a card, and a watch (more on that in a little bit) would be arriving in 3-4 weeks, so rather than marking days on the calendar, I started reading about the D23 Club, what it means to be a member, and what I can and can't do with the bestowed privileges (that part is an experiment in progress).
The club is designated as D23 in commemoration of the year (1923) when Disney opened up his animation studio in Hollywood. Members get a card (shown at the bottom of the photo above), a certificate signed by both Robert A. Iger (President and CEO of the Walt Disney Company) AND Mickey Mouse (though between you and me, I think the first signature may have been forged), and watch.
The watch itself is very interesting, as the face depicts Mickey as a bandleader (I've heard something similar in a song somewhere), and the only positions that are marked with numbers are the 2 and the 3.
Get it?
Pretty cool, huh? But (I say to you, adjusting my plaid blazer, polka dotted bow tie, and tipping my straw hat) that's not all!
You see, being D23 member isn't just about being able to show off a watch and a club card to people in order to see how many different types of shrugs have been developed by people, or to have even those closest to you smile and nod in hopes of mollifying one's Disney-related madness*. It also allows you to receive invitations to events that regular Guests (and if you like any aspect of Disney, you're far from regular) cannot attend, as well as being able to buy merchandise exclusive to D23 members.
Yes. In addition to being able to attend special events, my D23 membership allows me to empty my wallet in ways no one else can!
Of course there are exclusive pins!
Let's take a look at a typical day in the life of a D23 member, to give you an idea of the awesomeness that is experienced:
You wake up and spring from bed, still wearing your Eeyore footy-pajamas with the tail tacked to the partially-buttoned butt flap. As you rub the sleep from your eyes, a host of woodland animals fly in through your open window (because that's the kind of safety you feel, being a D23 member), and begin cleaning your house, preparing breakfast, and dressing you for the day ahead. You bound to the door, throw it open and greet the Sun with a wink (if only because it's polite enough to wink back at you, knowingly). Marching down the street, you sing a happy tune. If you stop, a passerby will pick up where you left off, or a bird will chirp the refrain back to you. Heck, you can even cross in the middle of a busy intersection and the cars will all honk in chorus to your jaunty little song. People shower you with attention and give you exclusive deals at stores. Every day is like your birthday, winning the lottery, and being anointed King Ralph** rolled into one!
Then you really wake up. Well, you don't really wake up so much as learn about Newtonian Physics the hard way when you realize that the song you heard was really your snooze alarm going off for the seventh time, and you rolled too far in the opposite direction of the clock on your nightstand and abruptly met with the floor. Struggling to your feet, you slip once again on what may have been a bag of Doritos or one of the many Disney vacation planning guides scattered all over your bedroom floor. People on the street don't so much sing with you as much as they yell at you, because you're trying to make it to the corner store for a cup of coffee and your somnambulation is causing you to get right in the path of oncoming joggers, cyclists, and dogs who are more than happy to ensnare you in the leashes by which they are leading their owners. The cars honking at the intersection? That really happens, and it actually does sound musical if you stand still long enough while you get your bearings. You cannot (and this is important to note) pay for coffee, energy drinks, or beer with your D23 membership - nor is a card depicting Chip and/or Dale considered legal identification at most convenience stores, bars, or gun ranges.
However, go into a Disney park, Disney store (I'm sure there's one at a mall near you), and most Disney-related areas and flash your D23 card - and you will be given glimpses and opportunities to get things that no one (save for other D23 members) else can have! Pins. Film cels. Events. Tours. Pins. Books. Ornaments. Statues. Did I mention pins?
These are the advantages of being a D23 cardholder. It's for those few who appreciate Disney...in a very mature way.*** No jumping around. No getting giddy and squealing like an overly excited man-child. This is serious and official stuff.
Right?
* There is no mollification. Not successfully, anyway. Once afflicted, a person will forever have Disney Madness, and start seeing Hidden Mickeys in clouds, bowls of cereal, and (so help me) even bank statements.
** I have never seen this movie. I just assume (hopefully) that it's about a man who, because he witnessed something to do with Roseanne Barr in the late-80s, was granted royalty status and all the Burger King meals he could eat, as reparation for his suffering.
***Like Peek Freans
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Five Days Of Figment Part IV, A New Hope
Today I have realized the true magical nature of Figment.
This comes in the form of a gift. For you. For me. For Figment, himself. A bank error in your favor. A way out of the fun house.
I was going through my pin collection, when it hit me that I don't have enough Figment pins to give you a full week of happy, smiling, winged, betailed, and bepurpled (you can tell me they aren't real words when you can argue the etymological existence of words such as "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" and "Imagineer" - so ferme la bibbidi bobbidi bouche) dragons.
Figment and I both have come to an accord. How do I feel about not having to post more about Figment? Oddly enough, the same way Figment feels about my daily harangues.
In a word:
This comes in the form of a gift. For you. For me. For Figment, himself. A bank error in your favor. A way out of the fun house.
I was going through my pin collection, when it hit me that I don't have enough Figment pins to give you a full week of happy, smiling, winged, betailed, and bepurpled (you can tell me they aren't real words when you can argue the etymological existence of words such as "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" and "Imagineer" - so ferme la bibbidi bobbidi bouche) dragons.
Figment and I both have come to an accord. How do I feel about not having to post more about Figment? Oddly enough, the same way Figment feels about my daily harangues.
In a word:
He's even sparkling at the notion!
This particular pin is part of the 2011 Cast Lanyard series, and features a Hidden Mickey. Actually, there are a number of pins with Disney characters holding the word "Good," such as Goofy and both Chip N' Dale, but I'm saving those characters for week-long celebrations of their own...but those posts are for WAY in the future.
As always, special thanks to PinPics.com for the factual information on this pin.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Five Days Of Figment Part III, Northwest Parking Territory
This pin arrive the other day, along with a bevy of others from a trusted seller (which were not Figment related):
I had no idea what any of this meant at first. Were there very narrow age ranges for creative activities at Walt Disney World? Is Figment a misguided Polk supporter with a poor sense of geography? Does the C stand for "citrus," and is that a scary orange in the background? Were those the numbers of the local growers unions?
A little research has shown me that this cryptic pin denotes a parking area at Walt Disney World. As in C-section (the C is for "Create" in case any of you are getting apprehensive about the qualifications for going on vacation), parking rows 38 thru 42. Oh, and that orange thing in the background? It's Spaceship Earth. There are no conspiracies to be had, save for those intentionally looking for them.
This pin is part of the Cast Lanyard Series #3, and contains a Hidden Mickey.
If you've been with me in this celebration of Figment, stay tuned for tomorrow's special entry!
Thanks to PinPics.com for the non-speculative information on this pin.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)