New vending machines at Disney California Adventure and Downtown Disney sell mystery pins for $18 each. There are 15 character designs, plus rarer chaser pins, and they’re only sold through the machines.
Disneyland pin traders have a new way to spend money, and it works a lot like a soda machine.
New pin vending machines showed up at the Disneyland Resort on Thursday, Oct. 1, per Mickey Visit and Disney Pins Blog. Each one sells a mystery pin for $18.
You don’t pick the pin. You pay, the machine drops a ball, and you find out what you got when you open it.
Where are the Disneyland pin vending machines?
Three spots so far, per Mickey Visit:
Bing Bong’s Sweet Stuff on Pixar Pier at Disney California Adventure
San Fransokyo Square at Disney California Adventure
Disney’s Pin Traders in the Downtown Disney District
Disney Pins Blog counted seven machines across those areas. Since Downtown Disney doesn’t need a park ticket, that location is the easiest to reach if you’re not spending the day inside a park.
How do the Disneyland pin vending machines work?
Each pin comes inside a baseball-size ball, per Mickey Visit. The machine drops it out “as if they were cans of soda,” the site said.
The pins are blind, meaning you don’t know which design is inside until you open the ball. That’s the whole hook. You can get a favorite on the first try, or end up with three Dumbos.
Mickey Visit didn’t say which payment types the machines accept or whether there’s a limit per guest. If you’re planning a big haul, ask a Cast Member at Pin Traders first.
Which pins are in the Disneyland vending machines?
The set has 15 character designs, per Mickey Visit. Characters include the Queen of Hearts, Aurora, Dumbo and Simba, and each one looks like it’s popping out of the same kind of ball the pin comes in.
Most pins have white markings on the back. Pins with blue markings are chasers, the rarer pins that come in smaller numbers, per Mickey Visit.
The pins are only sold through the vending machines, not in regular stores, per Mickey Visit.
Are $18 mystery pins worth it?
That depends on how much you like surprises.
A single mystery pin isn’t cheap, and collecting all 15 could take a lot more than 15 tries since doubles are part of the deal. If you’re after one specific character, the trading market may be the cheaper route.
But pin trading at Disney has always been about the hunt. And at least the doubles work for trading. Bring them to a Cast Member with a pin lanyard or a trading board and swap.
Has Disney done pin vending machines before?
Yes, but mostly at special events.
At the Celebrating 25 Years of Disney Pins event at Walt Disney World in September 2025, Disney used vending machines that dropped mystery balls, each with one randomly selected pin, per Disney Pins Blog. There were 11 designs, plus a Baymax chaser. That event needed a separate ticket.
The new Disneyland machines are different because regular guests can use them, no event ticket needed.
When did Disney pin trading start?
Pin trading became an official Disney tradition in 1999 as part of Walt Disney World’s Millennium Celebration, and it spread to the other parks after that. Today it’s one of the most popular hobbies in the parks, with new pin releases almost every week.
Disney hasn’t said how often it will refresh the machines or whether more designs are coming. If the first set sells well, don’t be surprised to see the idea show up at Disney World too.
Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.
Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Hat Tips:
Mickey Visit (Oct. 1, 2026), locations, $18 price, ball format, 15 designs, chaser markings and exclusivity, citing photos from @provostparkpass on Instagram
Disney Pins Blog (Oct. 1, 2026), launch and machine count
Disney Pins Blog (2025), the 25 Years of Disney Pins event vending machines
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