Best Pin Releases of 2021
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I don’t think we’ve done a recap thread for 2021, so I thought I’d start one.
What do you think was/were the best pin releases of 2021?
For Wonderland, I think the pin that absolutely most knocked my socks off last year was this one:
Great use of underused characters, great design, great use of pin-on-pin for depth, along with that nice swirly paint background. Simply an amazing pin. And one of my all time favorites now. I cannot resist a big round pin. lol Just wish I'd gotten a second one when they came out as the posts are wiggly on mine!
And shockingly, I’m going to give an honorable mention to something I generally hate – a domed/globe/bubble pin – the Disney Employee Center has been doing a series of pins based on actual Disney Snowglobes. So the art is really fun and different from a lot of the stock poses they generally otherwise use (such as those on the Wonderland playing card set):
(bottom right image is the Wonderland one - pic from DPB)
Although craziest release of the year award has to go to the dual-pinsanity from WDI of their matching LE10 and LE25 70th anniversary frame sets!
Overall, while I hate the continuing trend of licensed pins going more and more to soft enamel or that cheap thin metal style with clear coating on top (looking at you Loungefly) for the small individual and far too many mystery set releases, I think equally, Loungefly absolutely knocked it out of the park this year with their jumbo boxed hard enamel releases. And that co-branded one at the top that's my pin of the year.
I also continue to be drawn to the good size and poses of Figpins and they did a nice Wonderland set this year.
2021 being an anniversary year for Wonderland, I was also thrilled to see rarer and more unusual characters utilized in some of the mystery sets such as the WDI aDorbs set and the parks 16-pin anniversary set which included so many of the Tulgey Wood characters that ‘twas brillig!
But prize for least effort of the year goes to DSSH for their Christmas Tree Release where they made a pink tree and claimed it was for the Cheshire Cat. #weaksauce
On the Marvel side, equally there was one pin that stood head and shoulders above the rest and absolutely stole my heart away – and it was a simple rack pin from the parks. Sometimes simplicity is best – this was a huge and perfect pin for any Marvel fan:
No, really - this thing is HUGE!
I know – how could I choose that over the multitude of Loki pins released last year? Simple – the majority of those were the awful soft enamel or other poor quality processes. And quality also matters.
I did also like the Marvel pins that Figpins continues to create – so the big missing piece was: where was their Loki series pin??? They made pins for all the Disney+ Marvel series but that one? I just don’t get it. A President Loki pin in their line would've SLAYED. I would've liked a TVA Loki, too. Serious missed opportunity.
But again, going with simplicity - I also liked the Hidden Mickey Marvel icon pins on both coasts and am working on completing those sets. With Marvel, logo/icon pins - and Skottie Young pins - and Loki pins lol are my weakness.
Those are my picks for 2021 – what are yours?
What do you think was/were the best pin releases of 2021?
For Wonderland, I think the pin that absolutely most knocked my socks off last year was this one:
Great use of underused characters, great design, great use of pin-on-pin for depth, along with that nice swirly paint background. Simply an amazing pin. And one of my all time favorites now. I cannot resist a big round pin. lol Just wish I'd gotten a second one when they came out as the posts are wiggly on mine!
And shockingly, I’m going to give an honorable mention to something I generally hate – a domed/globe/bubble pin – the Disney Employee Center has been doing a series of pins based on actual Disney Snowglobes. So the art is really fun and different from a lot of the stock poses they generally otherwise use (such as those on the Wonderland playing card set):
(bottom right image is the Wonderland one - pic from DPB)
Although craziest release of the year award has to go to the dual-pinsanity from WDI of their matching LE10 and LE25 70th anniversary frame sets!
Overall, while I hate the continuing trend of licensed pins going more and more to soft enamel or that cheap thin metal style with clear coating on top (looking at you Loungefly) for the small individual and far too many mystery set releases, I think equally, Loungefly absolutely knocked it out of the park this year with their jumbo boxed hard enamel releases. And that co-branded one at the top that's my pin of the year.
I also continue to be drawn to the good size and poses of Figpins and they did a nice Wonderland set this year.
2021 being an anniversary year for Wonderland, I was also thrilled to see rarer and more unusual characters utilized in some of the mystery sets such as the WDI aDorbs set and the parks 16-pin anniversary set which included so many of the Tulgey Wood characters that ‘twas brillig!
But prize for least effort of the year goes to DSSH for their Christmas Tree Release where they made a pink tree and claimed it was for the Cheshire Cat. #weaksauce
On the Marvel side, equally there was one pin that stood head and shoulders above the rest and absolutely stole my heart away – and it was a simple rack pin from the parks. Sometimes simplicity is best – this was a huge and perfect pin for any Marvel fan:
No, really - this thing is HUGE!
I know – how could I choose that over the multitude of Loki pins released last year? Simple – the majority of those were the awful soft enamel or other poor quality processes. And quality also matters.
I did also like the Marvel pins that Figpins continues to create – so the big missing piece was: where was their Loki series pin??? They made pins for all the Disney+ Marvel series but that one? I just don’t get it. A President Loki pin in their line would've SLAYED. I would've liked a TVA Loki, too. Serious missed opportunity.
But again, going with simplicity - I also liked the Hidden Mickey Marvel icon pins on both coasts and am working on completing those sets. With Marvel, logo/icon pins - and Skottie Young pins - and Loki pins lol are my weakness.
Those are my picks for 2021 – what are yours?
