December 31, 2008
On this final day of 2008, we reflect upon this past year. It seems like everyone these days has a "Best of 2008" list, so why not DisneyPins.com? We
saw the pins released in 2008 go from concept to reality. There are bound to be a few favorites out there. One of the greatest thrills we get as Disney Cast
Members is to see a Disney pin in a Guest's collection that we worked on. So, we asked a few members of the Disney Pin Team to select one pin they liked
from calendar year 2008. A few people selected two - isn't it so difficult to pick just one? Please note that we aren't saying these particular pins
are better than others (remember - all Disney pins are great!). But the team members' responses were interesting and varied ... just like the
amazing variety of pins we offer.
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John Smith - Product Developer for Limited Edition pins at Walt Disney World® Resort
I selected the "it's a small world" - mystery tin released on May 22, 2008. Kids in Mouse Ear hats - what more do you need? |
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Beth Marinaro - Category Planner at Walt Disney World® Resort
Wow! Do you know what a hard question this is? I selected one open edition and one limited edition pin. These selections are based on personal preference ... nothing to do with revenue (remember, I am the Category Planner [laughs]). My favorite open edition was Pluto as Zero released in September 2008. I loved it because I love dogs, and he was just so darn cute as Zero. |
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My favorite limited edition pin was the 2008 Holiday Framed Set released on December 4, 2008. It was a gorgeous set for so many reasons: Tinker Bell's pixie dust created movement in the art, the Disney characters are playing instruments that just brings a Christmas carol to life, and the characters facial expressions are perfect for them. This was truly my favorite. |
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Jeanne Lewis - Product Developer for Disneyland® Resort
I had two favorites from 2008. The first was released on June 20, 2008 as part of the Disney Summer Pin Festival 2008 - Mickey's Pin Odyssey - Disney's Electrical Parade - Elliott. |
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My second favorite was the "it's a small world" Holiday - Jeweled Happy Clock released on October 31, 2008. Both of the pins I selected featured jeweled attachments - I guess Disneyland® Resort needed some "bling" this past year. |
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Keri Milewski - Product Development Coordinator
It was difficult to pick only two! The first was created by Disney Design Group Artist Rachel Sur - Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty - Featured Artist Jumbo. It was released on September 20, 2008. There are so many reasons why I liked this pin - the style of art, the hidden surprise when opened, the translucent fill, the nice use of soft enamel ... I could go on and on. |
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The other pin I loved was the Jeweled Minnie Liberty Crown released in November 2008. The final version of this pin turned out so nice. |
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Leslie Curtis - Product Development Coordinator
I really liked the Jeweled Face Mickey Mouse pin released in March 2008. This open edition pin looked like a piece of jewelry which I could wear. |
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Terry Henderson - Category Specialist
I liked the Movie Moments - Mary Poppins pin released in March 2008. Walt Disney's Mary Poppins is my favorite Disney movie. |
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Michelle Harker - Project Manager for Merchandise marketing and communication at Disneyland® Resort
I would have to select the Pinbassador Inspirations pins created by Timm Lundeen and Steven Miller. They are my favorite not just because of their unique designs, but because they were inspired by two of my favorite people. They were released on August 10, 2008 and included Fantasmic!, Hitchhiker's Beware , Aloha from Disneyland®, and To Infinity and Beyond. |
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Chris Chapman - Graphic Designer, Disney Design Group
My favorite is the Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas - 15th Anniversary pin I designed with Lock, Shock and Barrel. It was released on September 20, 2008. I love the way this pin turned out - the simple black and white with a shiny gloss and silver metal showing through in areas. All of the finishes really made this pin one of my favorites this year. |
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Steve Zollman - Production Artist, Disney Design Group
My favorite was the Featured Artist Collection - Play Ball!. I designed this baseball-themed pin for Disneyland® Resort, and it was released on April 18, 2008. I am a big baseball fan - Go Mets! |
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Daniel Kaplan - Trading Coordinator
I selected two favorites from 2008. The first was the recently released (Dec. 26, 2008) Featured Artist Jumbo - Mickey Mouse Club. The pin was designed by Mike Sullivan for Disneyland® Resort. I have always loved the opening sequence of the Mickey Mouse Club. |
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The second pin I selected was the Movie Moments - Casablanca pin released in March/April 2008. Casablanca is one of my favorite movies, and I think the expressions for Mickey and Minnie are absolutely hilarious. |
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Tyler Dumas - Associate Graphic Designer for Disney Design Group
I chose several favorites from 2008. I liked Pluto as Zero, Minnie Mouse as Sally, and Mickey Mouse as Jack Skellington by Disney Design Group Artist Garret Webb. It was a great idea executed beautifully. |
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I also chose the Featured Artist Collection - Disneyland® Railroad pin I designed for Disneyland® Resort. It was released on May 16, 2008. The final pin was highly detailed and captured the great artwork and typography of the attraction poster. |
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Sheila Rader - Product Developer for Walt Disney World® Resort
For 2008, my favorite pin has to be the Disney Cruise Line® - Mickey and Princesses. Don "Ducky" Williams' art is so beautiful to work with. This was the first pin I developed and it was quite popular during the event! |
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Jim Matthews - Pin Trading Operations at Epcot®
I liked the Little Green Men - Days of the Week collection released on November 6, 2008. I think Saturday is my favorite with Friday being a close second. Absolutely love the series! |
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Julie Young - Product Developer for Open Edition pins and Accessories
It was too difficult to pick just one. I didn't want to leave any pin out, so I picked three. I liked the Mickey Mouse and friends skateboard. It was something so different that you don't see every day. The second was Mickey Mouse as Jack Skellington. Garret created the original sketches for the series during a staff meeting. It just goes to show that great ideas can happen at any time. |
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The final pin I selected was the Morning Tinker Bell pin released in November 2008. I can relate to her expression on many mornings, especially before my morning soft drink (DisneyPins.com: ...to which we hear the sound of the can opening around 9:30 a.m. every day). |
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Timm Lundeen - Project Manager for Disney Pin Trading at Disneyland ® Resort
My pick for the best pin of 2008 is the E-Ticket Collection - The Haunted Mansion®. It was released on September 14, 2008. I think the pin captures the essence of this classic attraction. With the detail and complexity of the design, it is truly a piece of art! |
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Steven Miller - Project Manager for Disney Pin Trading at Walt Disney World® Resort
For my favorite pin of 2008, I selected the World Geography - Sam the Eagle pin from Disney Pin Celebration 2008 - Pin Trading University. This pin makes me laugh every time I see it. It took a great joke from the attraction and made it better, especially within the context of the event. We all need a good laugh every now and then. So, I wish you more laughter in 2009! |
And with that said, we wish you a Happy New Year! May your 2009 be filled with smiles, magic, laughter and lots of good trades. Thanks for making 2008 a great year for us. We are out of the office for the next few days, so we'll see you next week.
