A Stitch on time saves F5
Posts: 1308
(3/1/05 11:42 pm)
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Extremely long recap of Monday's One O'Clock Pin Talk
Dear Academy Member,
Submitted for your review and consideration for an entertainment award:
Scoop's One O'clock Pin Talk
Treatment for screenplay: "Scoop's Madcap Monday"
Starring — Scoop Sanderson, Main Street USA Reporter and Pinthusiast
Co-Starring — Darlene Dumas, Merchandise Event Manager
Special Appearances by Pin Traders and Collectors
Surprise Cameo — Stitch
Songs by Dapper Dans
We open on a scene in an old-time movie theater. People are milling about and filling the rows of seats. A booming voice is heard greeting and welcoming those who have come upon this scene. The view pans across the room to find a smiling face under a straw hat and above a vest of plaid that would make a turn-of-the-century Mother proud. Without the use of Latin genus subtitles like "Scoop-tastic Pin-masterous," you know at once this must be Scoop Sanderson.
Cut to a scene of Scoop introducing the darling of Special Events, Darlene Dumas. Applause follows. Edit and cut that intro. Something grander and more befitting of Darlene's One O'clock Debut is needed. Reset the stage and light the spot. Splice in a musical number. Cue the Dapper Dans. Warm up the audience with a great version of "Dear Old Dad" with Scoop as the fifth wheel on the barber shop quartet. Then to introduce the Guest Speaker, hum along to a singing rendition of "Darlene Dumas" set to the music of "Cruella DeVil." Take two... Take three...
The leading lady Darlene takes the stage with more applause. The brief introduction is interrupted by the intrusion of an alien visitor. Stitch has come to welcome Darlene and the Pin People in the audience because he just has to stick his blue face in everywhere... especially if pins are involved.
Quick cut to Stitch attempting to get first crack at trading off Scoop's lanyards and weighty pin trading vest. Stitch thinks he is going to trade for the best pins before the Pin Folks in attendance get a chance....
Stitch, GET YOUR OWN MOVIE!!
Well... now that Stitch has distracted us from the fantasy world of this screen play, let's just recap the highlights of the afternoon gathering.
Scoop interviewed Darlene to learn of her history with Disney. From a start working retail in the Magic Shop on Main Street, Darlene quickly learned a few tricks and began moving up the merchandise ranks including organizing merchandise events like the Official Disneyana Convention. Now with Special Events, Darlene is in charge of the upcoming Pin Route 498 event at Disney's Animal Kingdom. Darlene spoke of a few interesting parts of the job. One was the experience of being on-hand as event "exclusive" merchandise like the Walt Disney Art Classics Haunted Mansion Dangle pins were destroyed after the conclusion of the event in order to protect the exclusivity and desirability of event items.
I personally doubt this type of destruction of pins has happened in many years since Disney has discovered they can keep doling out those "exclusive" pin on trading boards, lanyards, and as game prizes or awards. This would certainly have a lot to do with the large amounts of event leftovers going stale on the racks and the allure of event items failing to attract enough buyers to sell out. There used to be an excitement over the breaking of a mold or knowing that only the people who paid to attend an event would have the opportunity to be "first owners" of an event piece. It is understandable that the "profit centers" (aka theme parks) have to purchase the pins and merchandise items that are sold at the events, and, of course, they want to make the most profit... er... theme (aka goodwill) with the items as possible. So, now, instead of destroying them, we see the pins that we thought were long gone (someone mentioned Jumbo Ravens) continuing to show up in dribs and drabs beyond the event the pins were created for. I can remember the days of the "Official Disneyana Convention" when the Random Selection Process (called Merchandise Lottery in the old days) did NOT mean you would get everything you put on your list. Edition sizes were smaller and items were more desirable, creative and appealing to a larger collecting base so items would usually sell out. This helped to fuel demand on the secondary market and further increased the desirability of an event exclusive item.
Anyway... Scoop in his investigative mode of reporter tried to get Darlene to tell everyone what the final edition size was for the Haunted Mansion Dangle, but Darlene had obviously been trained in Disney Torture Resistance techniques. Ms. Dumas (showing her beginnings on Main Street were not forgotten) quickly employed the classic, magician's distraction trick by pointing to bright and shiny objects (aka pins) on the display board she brought with her. She was showing some (and only a few "some") of the actual pins to be available by RSP for the Pin Route event. Darlene also had a sample of the "A Surfin' Road Trip" ( Item #25 ) that is a great sculpt of Stitch's woody. The vehicle/box was very heavy and the pins look great even if there is not a seagull on any of them.
Unfortunately, I was (and I suspect a few other Pin-tendees were) at the Pin Talk to finally see the pins that guests will be granted the chance to purchase prior to the event. It turned out that Darlene was unable to bring most of the pins because the pin samples were needed at a Leadership (aka Disney Management) meeting the next day. Apparently, Disney Management purchases more pins and then profits the company more than those free-spending guests who pay to attend the events and buy pins. It was disappointing to not have all the pins available to view.
Darlene appeared to sense that the crowd could turn ugly at the lack of preview pins. So, again, falling back on her training in the Main Street Magic Shop, Darlene pulled an ace out of her sleeve and dazzled the audience with a debut appearance of the event registration gift pin. A gorgeous Tinker Bell pin with a compass to guide guests on their journey along Pin Route 498.
Darlene's discussion continued with occasional questions from the audience. A brief listing of the highlights that I recall (and many other bits of information from the Pin Talk were mentioned in other posts here):
· There will not be a Haunted Mansion event at WDW or DLR. This is mostly because of all the additional events being planned to tie in with the DLR 50th Anniversary celebrations.
· There will not be a pirate themed event..... this year.
· The Pin Route 498 event is not sold out.... yet.
· Artist Proof pins that show up after events are provided from the pin factory and can run up to ten percent of the edition size, but it is usually much less than 10%. (More "official" info on A/P pins can be found here.
· Events for the rest of the year at WDW and DLR are being finalized in the next week or so and an on-line brochure of all events for the rest of the year should be posted after that time.
· The Pin Cruise will, again, be the same week as a "Spectacle" type weekend event.
· All of the available sample pins and RSP items should be on display at one or both of the Pin Trading Nights this week.
Scoop thanked Darlene and she received a round of appreciative applause before collecting her pins and having to leave for a meeting.
I hope Magic Kingdom management (and/or Pin Powers That Be) will consider having more, regular Guest Speakers in for the One O'clock Pin Talk.
After Darlene's departure, Scoop continued talking about pins. He discussed lanyard pins and the Pin Pixies that refresh the lanyards at night. He also showed off a great gift idea. Scoop had used Disney picture frames and inside he placed postcards signed by characters and a theme-matching pin. The three samples of this gift idea were themed to road trips and travel. Scoop gave away the three framed cards and pins as prizes during the Pin Talk.
After all the questions were answered, Scoop began a pin game for the enjoyment of everyone who came out for the Pin Talk. He asked a series of trivia questions relating to the upcoming Pin Route 498 event and road trips. Pin People who correctly answered questions were given the chance to select a "mystery" pins from Scoop's suspenders. If the mystery was revealed to be a villain pin, then you were not going on a road trip for pins. But if you found a state character pin (travel theme... get it?), then you were lucky enough to participate in the final pin game.
The game participants were charged with collecting the most state pins or vehicle (for a road trip) pins that they could find. Guests who help them reach their goal by trading a state or vehicle pin were presented with the opportunity to select a "gift" pin from Scoop's well-stocked pin trading vest. The game participants were judged and everyone received great prizes of very special, limited edition pins (some boxed and some jumbos). Then before Scoop had to return to his reporting duties for the Main Street U.S.A. Gazette, everyone in the audience who had not received a pin got the chance to trade a pin from Scoop's vest. A few of the Pin Folks stayed behind in the theater trading and talking pins.
It was a fun and informative afternoon in the Magic Kingdom. I look forward to seeing you there next time.
Daniel
