Ever heard of Disney Pinnacle? It's the latest app for Disney fans, but instead of a physical collectible, it takes the famous Disney pin-trading experience and takes it online...with a few caveats.

The app was created by Dapper Labs, which you might know if you've followed NFTs before. They are known for creating user-friendly NFT marketplaces like Doodles 2 and most famously NBA Top Shot.

They've teamed up with Disney this time, which on paper, which should bring us something truly magical (right?). Does it though?

Let's see what happens when Disney Pin Trading meets the world of NFTs.

Intro to Disney Pinnacle

Not familiar with NFTs or even Disney Pin Trading? Let me catch you up.

NFTs are essentially digital collectibles that have been verified as authentic through a technology called the blockchain. Let's go back to the aforementioned NBA Top Shot. This revolutionized the trading card industry by putting them on internet.

Now imagine NBA Top Shot, but instead of trading cards, you're swapping iconic Disney pins. Don't know about Disney pins? It's one of the most timeless and thriving collector ecosystems out there actually. They're a BIG deal! Just hop on eBay and you'll see what I mean. Or better yet, take a trip to a Disney park and check out the serious collectors with their binders full of pins. There are walls and entire stores at Disneyland dedicated to Pin Trading and people wear them around the park on lanyards and backpacks.

Now, I don't know about you, but I grew up being a Disney fan, and collecting pins was a big part of that. I remember decking out my lanyard with pins from Disney California Adventure specifically. Some of my first eBay purchases were Disney pins - good times!

So, why am I telling you all this? Well, because Disney Pinnacle isn't just about trading digital pins. It's about recapturing that feeling of excitement and wonder that comes with collecting something special. It's about bringing the magic of Disney right to your fingertips, wherever you are.

It has always made a lot of sense to bring Disney pins onto the blockchain. Counterfeit pins is actually a big issue, so by using Dapper Labs as a partner, they can make them authentic and immutable. Already, they've solved one BIG issue of pin trading!

For that reason, I was initially really excited about Disney Pinnacle's release. However, the question remains to be seen, does the app recreate any of the magic?

The Disney Pinnacle App

I got early access to Disney Pinnacle as I signed up for the alerts when the app was announced in November of 2023.

Signing Up for Disney Pinnacle

I gave my email and was instructed to sign up for an official invite link in their Discord. I joined the Dapper Labs Discord, found the Disney Pinnacle channel, and entered my email again.

From there, I was told to download the official Disney Pinnacle app in the Apple App Store (it's available on Android devices now too) and connect my Dapper Labs account to it.

From there, I was in the app and ready to start collecting pins!

Unfortunately, as constituted, it's rather a barebones app. There are 4 sections:

• The Home Page - Get the lay of the land
• The Shop - Buy Disney pins or mystery capsules (more on that soon)
• Pinbooks - See other people's collections
• My Pins - See your own collection and edit your own pinbook

You can't currently trade on it, which is a big issue. However, as with Top Shot, I'm sure that the reseller marketplace will launch after they've established a base of users.

That dedicated base of users remains to be seen though.

Right now, some of the premium pin drops are not selling out. This does not bode well for the long term sustainability of the app. There needs to be a "market" if they ever hope of having a thriving marketplace.

Starter Pack

Much like in traditional pin trading, there is a starter pack that will get you going. With it, you'll have a base of the famous Mickey Friends...Pluto, Daisy, Minnie and Goofy...for $5.95.

To get Donald and Mickey, you will have to keep an eye on the Revolving Storefront (more on that in a bit).

Buying A Pin

Once you have your starters, you might want to start getting new pins to add to your collection. Luckily, there are always pins for sales and two ways to buy a pin currently in the Disney Pinnacle app.

First, there is a rotating set of individual pins that are constantly for sale, called the Revolving Storefront. For example, you can buy a Mickey pin for $5.95, an open edition pin for $6.95, and a gold for $13.95.

If you're feeling lucky though, you can buy a capsule. Inside the capsule is a random pin from a certain collection called Mystery Capsules. For $6.95 you get a pin that could be a wide variety of options. It even be a rare gold pin, but you pay the same price as you would for a standard pin.

Collections

Mystery Capsules and the Rotating Storefront are from current "Collections". A collection is a set of pins from a certain movie, series or type of pin. For example, there is an Alice in Wonderland collection, a Rogue One collection, and a Villains collection respectively.

There are limited runs of "collections" in the Pinnacle app. The length of the run varies by the type. So far, there are always at least 2 ongoing collections on sale. Strike quick though, once they're done selling they're gone forever! You will only be able to buy them through resale moving forward.

Collections typically run for a month, unless it's a Premium Collection. Premium collections run you $49.95 for one pin and are only available for 1 week only.

While the price is high, the limited run might make them more of a collector's item down the road. I bought a Disney Up premium pin, for example. You can learn more about that experience here.

Rarities

From what I can tell, there are 5 types of pins in Disney Pinnacle so far:

• Standard Open Edition - The basic and most common pin type
• Silver Sparkle - Uncommon
• Golden - Rare
• Digital Display - Super rare!
• Premium - Limited run pins with a fix supply

Conclusion

Despite the underwhelming app and the floundering market so far, there's some cool stuff brewing here.

Disney Pinnacle could totally shake things up with real-world redemption stations at their theme parks or other innovations like that. It's like when you can only get that special Star Wars pin from a specific spot in Downtown Disney. How cool would it be to swap pins right there in the park?

Much like how NBA Top Shot added Challenges, there could be some sort of gamification to the app too. It's all about adding that extra layer of fun and excitement.

Now, I know that Disney could very well kill this app tomorrow. If it's not selling, it's not selling. However, if it lasts, there's a good chance it'll be a good long term play. Disney collectibles might not be the hottest topic right now, but trust me, they've got staying power. Think of them as the classics of the collector's world...the "blue chips" if you will.

Sure, Disney might be going through some changes, but that's no reason to count them out yet. If anything, their venture into NFTs could be a game-changer for the brand. And hey, why wouldn't you want some of the first official Disney NFTs, if you truly believe in NFTs?

So, keep your eyes peeled and your pin collection ready. The magic of Disney Pinnacle is just getting started, and you won't want to miss out on the fun!