26438 - Steamboat Willie - Mickey Mouse Waving

Pin Description:

This pin features Mickey Mouse as Steamboat Willie. The pin is in black, white, and gray. He has is left hand up into the air. There are at least two versions of this pin. The earlier 2003 release appears to be 43626 on PinPics.

From the Disney Parks Blog:

"There are some “error” pins that aren’t errors. They are known as pre-production pins. One step in the development process is reviewing a pre-production or first sample of a pin. After reviewing that pre-production pin, the product developer, a Cast Member who leads the development of pins, may make changes. A color fill or a feature that looked good in the artwork may not look so hot on the actual pin. If a change is made, the pre-production pin becomes unique. In November 2007, we began stamping the backs of pre-production pins with a “PP” mark to help our Guests (and us) identify those pins.

I often use pre-production pins for auctions at Disney pin events like the annual Disney Pin Celebration at Epcot. We’ve offered some unique pre-production auction lots that have given the winning bidder extremely unique pins for her or his collection. A great example of this is the Steamboat Willie pin pictured above. The pin on the left is the final production pin that was released for sale. The pin on the right was the pre-production pin featuring a different color fill. We didn’t like the purple color so it was switched to true black and white. The three pre-production pins featuring Steamboat Willie in purple were sold at auction during Disney Pin Celebration 2006."