"Collecting and Trading Disney Pins" Social Studies Fair project won 2nd place

[wehavesix]

My sixth grader son is so excited that his project won 2nd place at his school's social studies fair. He did nearly everything himself which I think makes a big impression on the judges. Now he gets to go compete at the regional level and we need to beef things up a little. He already has plans to add some more information to his display. He also needs to beef up his written report some. He only has 2 resources other than his personal experiences: some info from the Pin Traders site and the Disneyana pin trading book. I couldn't find anything else on Amazon but maybe someone on here has some suggestions for web sites or publications we can get our hands on in the next week or so. TIA for any suggestions.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

How about dizpins.com, pinpics.com, and odpt.com (which is the official Disney site)?

 

[Uncle Remus]

My sixth grader son is so excited that his project won 2nd place at his school's social studies fair. He did nearly everything himself which I think makes a big impression on the judges. Now he gets to go compete at the regional level and we need to beef things up a little. He already has plans to add some more information to his display. He also needs to beef up his written report some. He only has 2 resources other than his personal experiences: some info from the Pin Traders site and the Disneyana pin trading book. I couldn't find anything else on Amazon but maybe someone on here has some suggestions for web sites or publications we can get our hands on in the next week or so. TIA for any suggestions.

Since it's a social studies class, your son might be interested in this info:

As soon as word got around in the Army and Navy as to what Disney had done, the Disney office was bombarded with requests to design insignia for tanks, minesweepers, bombers, and fighter planes. Disney did his best to comply. When Brigadier General S. B. Buckner, commander of the Alaska Defense Force at Fort Richardson, Alaska, received his outfit's design — a seal balancing the letters ADF, the general wrote Disney:
Since the arrival of the insignia, all of the seals in Bering Sea have been out on the ice pack halancing Ds on their noses, sneering derisively at the polar bears, expanding their chests, and cavorting merrily over being chosen to represent our defense forces.
It was clear that Disney and his artists had created a whole new system of heraldry, comparable to the ancient knightly arms. With requests for insignia stilt pouring in from the Army and Navy, the Disney studios announced that they had already completed more than 200 designs, and were expected to do at least 500 more.

http://www.skylighters.org/disney/

"The insignia meant a lot to the men who were fighting ... I had to do it ... I owed it to them."
- Walt Disney, 1901-1966

Walt Disney Productions created approximately 1,200 designs during World War II for both American and Allied military units. Designs were also created for other organizations such as civil defense and war industries. All of this work was done by the studio free-of-charge as a donation to the war effort.

http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=7883


And congratulations to your son.

 

[wehavesix]

Thanks for the web site information. I've bookmarked them for my son.

Uncle Remus, those are some cool links! Very interesting information. I'm going to see if there is some way to incorporate some of that info into the project. Thanks for sharing.

 

[NHMickey]

Congratulations to your son

I would also add that it has gone beyond just trading. It has inspired a lot of friendships that have left the pin trading behind but the friendship is still strong. I know people who have planed family vacations with people thay have met doing this and have never met in person for years.

 

[chaoscent]

How about a questionnaire that he could distribute over the net (wow, too bad they didn't have internet when I was in school). you could use the sites listed above for a potential audience. I for one would fill out the survey for him. Ask for age, how they got into it, different states they are from, how many pins they have??? etc. I bet if he made it short/simple, 1 page he would get responses from most every state and a few countries. I would be glad to bug some of my pin buddies to particpate. How exciting he did most of it himself. Penny

 

[NHMickey]

Don't forget to keep us updated...

 

[wehavesix]

How about a questionnaire that he could distribute over the net (wow, too bad they didn't have internet when I was in school). you could use the sites listed above for a potential audience. I for one would fill out the survey for him. Ask for age, how they got into it, different states they are from, how many pins they have??? etc. I bet if he made it short/simple, 1 page he would get responses from most every state and a few countries. I would be glad to bug some of my pin buddies to particpate. How exciting he did most of it himself. Penny

That is an awesome idea! But we only have a little over a week to get it ready for the regional fair so I don't think we have time. On the plus side, we've been contacted by Disney via this site. The project manager for Disney pin trading is going to act as a resource for my son. They are going to talk sometime this week. I'm thinking that Disney may have some demographic info he can share with us and maybe some info about the future of pin trading.

The regional fair is March 26th. I'll let y'all know how it goes.

 

[chaoscent]

That is an awesome idea! But we only have a little over a week to get it ready for the regional fair so I don't think we have time. On the plus side, we've been contacted by Disney via this site. The project manager for Disney pin trading is going to act as a resource for my son. They are going to talk sometime this week. I'm thinking that Disney may have some demographic info he can share with us and maybe some info about the future of pin trading.

The regional fair is March 26th. I'll let y'all know how it goes.

Best of Luck, that is cool someone from Disney is helping out. I will keep my fiingers and toes crossed. Penny