Disney Parks Lanyard Medals

Ok, so the items pictured above aren’t technically keychains. At least, they didn’t start out as keychains. I had to add a split ring to the original metal clip on each one of them before I could justify calling them keychains. Cheating? Maybe. However, when I first started buying these items second-hand, I had no idea what exactly they were. I just knew that the Disney fan in me thought they looked really cool. And that some of them were obviously souvenirs from the Disney parks, and as such must’ve been pricey at original retail. Never underestimate the lure of a perceived bargain. Anyway, it wasn’t until I found one of these at a thrift store, with the original backing card, that I learned what their intended purpose was.

Disney lanyard medals appear to have been marketed to visitors at Disney’s theme parks as accessories for pin traders. The basic construction on the medals is very similar to the Disney park pins, but on a larger scale. Also, the medals in my collection are marked on the back as “Official Pin Trading” products. As the name “lanyard medal” implies, these items were intended to be hung on pin trading lanyards. They could also be clipped to pin trading bags. In my opinion, a lanyard loaded down with metal pins tends to be heavy enough without the extra weight of a lanyard medal. Maybe that’s why lanyard medals don’t seem to be very common on Disney’s official online shopping site anymore. At least, they weren’t the last time I checked. The last lanyard medal I purchased, shown below, was found on clearance at a Disney outlet store quite some time ago. Brick and mortar Disney stores themselves have become a rarity in their own right.

That’s all the information I could find to share on the subject of Disney parks lanyard medals. However, I would like to pass on a warning to other collectors who may be considering seeking these items out. I bought the Stitch lanyard medal, based on the character from Disney’s Lilo And Stitch franchise, used at a flea market. After I bought it, I ended up having to glue some of the enamel bits back into place with strong craft adhesive because they’d come loose and fallen out. I don’t know if this is a common problem with lanyard medals as they age. But I wanted other collectors to be aware of it. So, my secondhand shopping tip for today is, always examine used lanyard medals carefully to check for missing or loose enamel. I currently have all of my lanyard medals stored in individual, sealed baggies, just to make sure that none of the enamel pieces get lost if they start loosening and falling out.

Signed, Treesa

In Person Meet-Up With Heathersmoo: July 2022 (Part 2)

 (Picking up where Part 1 left off)

Anyone who follows Heather regularly on Livejournal knows that she loves My Little Pony. In her efforts to get a complete set of G5 My Little Pony blind bag clips, Heather bought up the remaining stock from a bookstore she shops at, figuring that she could give away any duplicates to her friends. She wrote on Livejournal that she did manage to get all 11 clips in the series. The duplicate pony that she gave me for my keychain collection is named Zipp Storm. I've got to say, I really like her hairstyle/mane situation for some reason.

Next, we have this surprise pet blind box, which I still need to look at in depth. I was planning to write a full review and upload it as a separate post. But I've fallen way behind on my posting, as you can obviously tell.

The last gift that Heather brought along on the lengthy drive from Florida was this keychain advent calendar. I didn't even know that such a thing existed. Heather also bought one for herself, with her idea being that the both of us could open our individual calendars over the holiday season and then show off what we got.

The location chosen for our meet-up was the thrift store near my neighborhood. Heather has heard me mention this store a lot in blog posts and emails. I gave her a few pointers for shopping at this particular store, such as which departments to check for keychains and where that day's special offers would be posted. Unfortunately, Heather visited me on a Tuesday, which is one of the worst days for shopping at this store location.

Every day, one color tag is supposed to be 50% off and a different color tag is 1/3 off. The colors are rotated twice a week on Sundays and Thursdays, with the 1/3 off color going 50% off and a new color going 1/3 off. This helps to clear out older stock and make room for 'new' items. However, due to space limitations at this location, the tag color that goes from 1/3 off to 50% off on Sunday will only be available for purchase at 50% off on that day. Any remaining items with that tag color after the store closes on Sunday night get pulled from the racks first thing Monday morning, presumably to make room for fresh stock. I've seen store employees doing this.

There is another location of this store chain that I shop less frequently, because it's further away, that does seem to leave stuff on the racks for the duration of the discount period. However, that location is much larger, inside of a former Babies 'R' Us. I've gotten the general impression that pulling discounted items off the racks early must be a management decision, rather than a corporate policy. Regardless, I shared what I knew about the situation with Heather as we were shopping. And like me, Heather found the store's 'policy' frustrating.

I did manage to snag a decent 'grab bag' of keychains at the thrift store that day, although not at 50% off, obviously. Still, the price wasn't too bad. And I just couldn't pass up on Alice Snuffleupagus, Snuffy's little sister from Sesame Street, even though the clip needs to be replaced. Also, the Disney Goofy flashlight and the Marvel Comics Spider-Man clip that came in the bag are pretty fun too.

Speaking of Sesame Street, it so happened that Heather's friend/driver for the trip, Josh, works for the corporate parent company that operates SeaWorld and a variety of other theme parks, including Sesame Place. As an employee, Josh can bring a select number of guests into any company owned park with him for free. Since it was within a reasonable driving distance, Heather and Josh suggested that we all go to Sesame Place. Heather had actually brought this up as a possibility via email before leaving Florida, so I knew ahead of time that it might be happening.

I hadn't been to Sesame Place since I was in the Girl Scouts. But I was pretty sure that, unlike the Disney parks, Sesame Place as a whole was primarily aimed at young children, rather than people of all ages. Still, if Josh and Heather could get me in for free, then why not have a look around? Besides, as long as we got to check out the gift shop for keychains and any other fun Muppet goodies, I'd probably be happy regardless.

All in all, Sesame Place was a pleasant way to kill some time. The park itself had some nice themeing, as far as the buildings and the 'set-dressing' went. Heather and I even took a spin on the merry go round. And Heather and Josh let me hit up every gift shop in the park before we left, searching for unique Muppet items. Josh even let both Heather and I use his corporate discount to each pick up a souvenir keychain for our collections.

I'd like to send a big thank you to Heather, and Josh, for making time to come and see me in their already packed trip schedule. The fact that Heather made visiting me one of her priorities, and the fact that Josh was willing to spend time hanging out with me when he didn't even know me, really means a lot. And I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to get this write-up posted. One of these days, I have got to get myself a decent camera that works well, but that isn't too complicated for me to use. Auto focus just isn't doing it for me.

But at least Heather got the thank you card with keychain that I sent to her.

Signed, Treesa

P.S. Heather also promised to pick me up a keychain from the Mothman Museum in Point Pleasant on her way home. But I'll save that package for another post.

Pound Puppies Clip-Ons (A Keychain Sighting And Review)

 

First off, I know that in general I tend to shy away from clip-ons. But just look at those big eyes and those droopy, furry ears! How could I not cave and buy one, especially being an 80s child who loved the original Pound Puppies?

To start at the beginning, just before the extended Fourth Of July weekend I was running some errands at the shopping mall near where I live when I decided that, since I was there anyway, I might as well stop in at Five Below and look around. For anyone who doesn't know, Five Below is a discount store chain that primarily features items priced at five dollars or less. Anyway, when I first saw the little cutie pictured above, I had to get him. He's just too adorable! I also have a lot of nostalgia for the Pound Puppies brand. Like a lot of kids in the 1980s, I had some Pound Puppies, and Pound Purries, plush toys, back in the day.

The $3.99 price sticker didn't hurt either. To my eyes, $3.99 seems like a great deal for something that's officially licensed, and it states on the backing card that this clip-on was actually licensed by Hasbro. It was also produced by Basic Fun, which is now a subdivision of Good Stuff, LLC. Anyone who reads this blog regularly will probably remember my fondness for the original Basic Fun products line.

According to my online research, there were 4 different Puppies to collect in this series release. The Five Below near me had more than one style in stock the last time I visited, so I could theoretically pick up one or two more if I wanted to, and if the stores in my area haven't already sold out.

Let's start the actual review with the packaging. I love the graphics used on the backing card, very retro and nostalgic. The Pound Puppy itself is attached to the card with little, plastic 'anchors' that pass through two of the paws, and also through the tail area. These 'anchors' will need to be snipped, and depending on how tight they are that could be a little tricky.

Thankfully, there was enough slack in the 'anchors' that I was able to cut them without too much difficulty, and the Pound Puppy's 'fur' is plush enough that I'm not noticing any really obvious holes left behind by the 'anchors'. The plush also feels very soft, almost velvety. The furry ears are quite soft as well. The stuffing is packed firmly and holds the Puppy's shape without being floppy. So if you prefer your plush toys on the floppy side, keep this in mind. Personally, I think that the firm stuffing works better in this small scale, especially considering how this little cutie is meant to be clipped onto something and carried around.

I was impressed that the eyes appear to be stitched on, rather than being hard plastic or worse, printed decals. The heart-shaped, Pound Puppies logo is even stitched on the Puppy's side, like it would've been on a 1980s Pound Puppy.

I'll sum up this review as follows.

Good Points:

Where do I start? From the retro packaging to the stitched logo, this clip-on pushes all the right nostalgia buttons with nice attention to detail. It also has the look and feel of a good quality, well made product.

Bad Points:

This is a minor quibble, but to my eyes the Puppy seems just a little too big to be practical for daily use, even as a clip-on and not a keychain. But then again, I've certainly seen larger clip-ons.

Final Verdict:

Overall, I'm really pleased with my purchase, even though it is a clip-on and not a traditional keychain. I'll most likely be adding a split ring to it at some point.

Signed, Treesa

P.S. I want to apologize for how late this post is. I intended to post it sooner, but family obligations over the extended Fourth Of July weekend got in the way.

'Dollar Tree' Store Finds

 Dollar stores seem to have a bad reputation in the public mind. Many people look down on them, assuming that they're all stocked with low quality, off-brand merchandise and cheap knockoffs. And then there's the fact that not all stores with the word 'Dollar' in their name actually price everything at a dollar. Places like Dollar General and Family Dollar qualify more as discount stores, since they sell things for a dollar and up. A lot of smaller, non-chain 'dollar stores' do the same thing.

The Dollar Tree chain of stores is what I would consider true 'dollar stores'. Everything they sell is priced at one dollar. I'll admit, some of the items they stock aren't the best quality. But if you need disposable party plates for a birthday celebration, or to use as palettes when working with decoupage medium the way I do, does it really matter what brand they are?

The thing I really love about Dollar Tree, however, is that sometimes they get old stock of name brand items.

Like these Harry Potter Backpack Buddies blind bag wands for example. These were made by Paladone, and if I remember correctly they were previously being sold for five dollars apiece at my local Five Below discount store.

The packaging states that there are 8 different wands to collect. I believe I've mentioned before that I tend to have bad luck with blind bags, so even at a dollar apiece I wasn't going to go crazy buying a bunch of these and risk getting mostly duplicates. But I did pick up one for my collection.

I ended up getting Ron Weasley's wand. Not one of the more elaborate designs, I'll admit, but it does have a decent amount of molded detail, considering the simplicity of the design. Just to clarify, the wand is made from a hard plastic. I know there was at least one other company making blind box wand keychains from metal, but that's a subject for another post. I'm also planning to replace the plastic clip on this with a split ring.

While I was at Dollar Tree, I picked up a Series 1 Lucky Fortune pack by WowWee as well. I forgot to photograph this in package, but each 'fortune cookie' came packed in a clear bag so buyers could see what color the 'dipped' ends were. The 'cookie' opens similar to a real fortune cookie, and inside you'll find a fortune plus 1 mystery bracelet. According to the packaging, Series 1 had 100 different bracelets that you could collect. However, it didn't really matter to me which bracelet I got, since I was more interested in the fortune cookie itself.

I ended up getting a bracelet with a unicorn charm that, according to the Collector's Guide, is Very Very Lucky. The bracelets are categorized on the sheet as either Lucky, Very Lucky, or Very Very Lucky. This seems to correspond to the supposed rarity of each charm. However, I don't know enough about this product to say for sure if there really are fewer of this unicorn charm than other charms.

Also, the charms are broken up into color coded categories that seem to match up with the different colors used for the 'dipped' ends of the fortune cookies. The categories are coded as follows: Adventure (light blue), Friendship (pink), Success (darker blue), Love (light purple), and Happiness (bluish green). The 'dipped' ends of my 'cookie' seem to be the Adventure blue color. However, according to the Collector's Guide, the unicorn charm belongs in the Happiness grouping, which again is color coded as bluish green. I wonder if this mix-up was a common problem for these Lucky Fortune packs, or if this batch was somehow defective and that's how they ended up at Dollar Tree. Or maybe the bracelet selection really is supposed to be completely random.

Incidentally, the gold tone ball chain didn't come in the pack. I added it myself to convert the cookie into a keychain.

And that's it for this keychain haul. I hope you enjoyed the post. And the next time you're near a Dollar Tree store, why not stop in and see what they have. You never know what you might find.

Signed, Treesa

(Note: This post has been in draft for longer than it should've been, and my neighborhood Dollar Tree store is already sold out of the two items I discussed here. I apologize to anyone who was planning to check the stores in their area for these specific blind bags.)

Christmas Gifts: 2019

This past holiday season my third sister, A., proved just how well she knows me. She gave me keychains for Christmas!

Here's a photo of my Christmas keychain haul. My sister picked these up at various places she stopped while driving home for the holidays, after her seasonal position in the Great Smoky Mountains was over. Anyway, let's take a closer look.

This first keychain came from Goats On The Roof in Tiger, Georgia, a tourist attraction that seems to defy description. While researching the location online I saw it alternately described as a restaurant, a country store, and a petting zoo.

These two keychains came from the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The purple rocket keychain is 3D printed according to my sister, and the circular keychain looks like it was made from a poker chip. There's a cool looking NASA logo on the back.

I forget where my sister said she bought the keychain pictured below.

I also don't know enough about boats to definitively identify the shape and form. But from what I found online, I think this keychain is meant to be some kind of canoe with outriggers. What I can tell you is that it's made from varnished wood.

This red, bear-shaped keychain is made of metal. I've seen similar keychains in other animal shapes before, and I'm reasonably certain that the bear's front claw is meant to be used as a bottle opener. I researched the website printed on this keychain, and discovered that it's an informational site providing safety tips for people who live in the same territory as black bears.

My sister wasn't the only one who gave me something for my collection this past holiday season. I found this little guy in my Christmas stocking. He's an Elf On The Shelf Plushee Pal. I've replaced the plastic clip with a metal split ring, as I normally do. Add this to the keychains my sister gave me, and I'd say I got a pretty good haul.

Signed, Treesa

Converting Backpack Clips Into Keychains (A DIY Project Post)

It's probably happened to all keychain collectors who shop secondhand. You're at a flea market or yard sale and ask the seller if they have any keychains, and they hold up something with an oversized plastic clip that there's no way you could store keys on. Or you're on your favorite online auction site and type in the search term 'keychain lot', only to have your search results come back riddled with these oversized plastic backpack clips. I know there are some collectors who don't see this as an issue. Large or small, metal or plastic, they collect them all. But as far as my personal collection goes, I happen to think that if something is being sold as a keychain you should be able to actually put keys on it.

The problem is that some of these 'backpack clips' are just too adorable for me to pass up. So in this post, I'll be discussing how to replace the plastic clips with actual keychain findings, just in case there are other collectors out there as neurotic as I am. To start this project, you'll need a backpack clip. Backpack clips are usually fairly easy to find second hand, because many fast food restaurants use them as premiums in their kids' meals. And when a family with young children is having a yard sale, fast food toys are often some of the first things that are put out for sale.

I've chosen a plush Simba character from Disney's The Lion King for this example. According to the tag, this clip originally came from The Disney Store, so the quality is probably a little better than your average fast food backpack clip. The important thing when choosing a backpack clip to modify is to make sure that the clip part is made from plastic, the softer the better. In this demo, the plastic clip is attached to the top of Simba's head with a small loop of ribbon. The trick for me is to remove the clip without damaging this ribbon loop, since I'll need it later to attach a keychain finding. The easiest way I've found to do this is to cut off the clip with an inexpensive pair of medium sized wire cutters, like the ones pictured below.

I would not recommend using expensive wire cutters for this project. Cutting plastic is probably not one of the approved uses for this tool, and most likely dulls the heck out of the cutters. Now, the ribbon loop on Simba's head is threaded through a plastic loop at the bottom of the clip. I carefully shift the ribbon over to one side, then cut through the opposite side of the plastic loop. I then make a second cut below the first one. If both cuts went all the way through, this will cause a chunk of the plastic loop to fall out, leaving a gap in the loop where I can remove the ribbon.

You may want to wear eye protection while you're cutting, just to be safe. Keep in mind that some types of plastic are softer and easier to cut through than others. Also keep in mind that the edges of the gap might be a little rough or jagged. Be careful not to snag the ribbon as you remove the clip.

After removing the plastic clip from Simba, I replaced it with a gold tone metal split ring.

I felt that the gold would coordinate better with Simba's coloring than silver.

If the backpack clip you want to modify uses a metal clip, there are ways to work around this. In the photo below I took a Cancun souvenir clip and added a split ring to it.

You can see that the original metal clip is still there. But manufacturers have, in the past, made keychains that feature both a split ring and a clip so I'm not that worried about it.

Very rarely, you'll find a metal backpack clip like the one pictured below. The metal was so thin and lightweight (it felt like aluminum, or something similar) that I was able to cut right through it.

Originally this clip was attached to a Disney princess coin purse. I replaced the clip with a split ring. You can see the end result in the photo below.

Of course, there are some items used on backpack clips that are too oversized to work convincingly as keychains, even if they are converted. Keychains are generally pocket-sized, though I've been known to stretch this a little in my own collection. Your best bet is to use your own judgment when choosing backpack clips to convert into keychains.

Like I said at the beginning of this post, not every keychain collector is as neuerotic as I am. I wouldn't be surprised if there are some collectors who think I'm insane for spending so much time and effort replacing backpack clips with split rings and other keychain findings. But for collectors like me who have placed certain limitations on their collections, I hope that this post helps to open up new avenues to explore on their collecting journeys.

Signed, Treesa

'Retro Tech' Keychains

For some reason, I'm really drawn to items that feature designs based on older technology. Typewriters, record players, audio cassette tapes - if there's a piece of clothing or a home decor item that features one of these motifs, I'm going to stop and look at it. I bought the keychain pictured below solely because it has an audio cassette design on it.

 (According to my online research, Denon is a Japanese electronics company.)

I can't really explain my fascination with this 'retro tech'. Maybe it's because I still remember some of these older technologies. I had a toy typewriter when I was a kid. I still remember how hard I had to pound on the keys to get it to work. I also had a Rainbow Brite record album when I was very young, and I definitely remember my first audio cassette. (It was Trisha Yearwood. Long story.)

Anyway, just to make the point how obsessed I seem to be with 'retro tech', let me tell you a little about the keychain pictured below.

I bought this keychain, not because it's also a pencil sharpener (which admittedly is a handy thing to have), or because I like The Flintstones (which I don't, not really anyway), but because it's shaped like a record player. True, it's a cartoony, 'stone age' interpretation of a record player. But it's still recognizable as a record player.

I've wanted one of these World's Coolest Polaroid camera keychains ever since I saw a photo posted on a doll collector's blog. The camera doesn't actually take pictures, but it does have some moving parts. The 'simulated film' is partially ejected from the camera when you push a button. Just so you know, I did replace the original clip 'finding' with a split ring, because I'm nitpicky like that.

Speaking of cameras, this souvenir keychain from Niagara Falls is shaped like a roll of film. Inside is a paper 'film strip' with photos printed on it. The back of the strip is designed so that it can be used as both a ruler and a telephone directory. (Unfortunately, because the strip retracts it was impossible for me to photograph. But I tried.)

One thing that I'd really like to add to my collection someday is a keychain shaped like a typewriter. I've tried looking for one online, and while I've seen a number of keychains that have pictures of typewriters on them, finding one that's actually shaped like a typewriter has been more difficult. Still, as someone who shops secondhand venues a lot I know that there's always a chance one will turn up at the next flea market I attend.

Signed, Treesa

Keychain Goodie Box From Heathersmoo

I know I've said something like this before on this blog, but keychain collectors with an online presence seem to be few and far between. At least I've had trouble finding anyone on the web who shares this hobby. So I was beyond thrilled when I was able to make contact with Heathersmoo. Heather is behind Keychain Of The Day over on Livejournal. I especially enjoy seeing her posts showcasing the keychains she's brought back from her many trips abroad.

Heather and I have been exchanging emails now for awhile. I also found some keychains with the name 'Heather' on them at my local thrift store that I was able to send to her. When I found out that Heather and I both have December birthdays, I sent her a few more keychains as a combination birthday and holiday gift. So, when Heather took a trip to Africa earlier this year, she offered to bring me back a keychain or two for my own collection. She also offered to send me a few of her spare keychains. I wanted to share what she sent here, now that I've gone through the package and have finally gotten everything photographed. A big shout-out and a big thank you to Heather for her thoughtful gift.

Here's a look at the box Heather sent before I unpacked it.

And here's a photo of all the fun goodies that were inside. Along with the keychains, Heather also included a very nice letter, as well as two rooibos infusion packets. Apparently rooibos is steeped in hot water to make a beverage like tea. However according to Heather rooibos comes from the redbush plant, which isn't actually related to the tea plant. This is a good thing to know, since traditional tea is too bitter for my taste. Anyway, let's take a look at the keychains Heather sent me.

Here are the two keychains that Heather brought back from Africa for me. The letter she sent along says that the Protea flower pictured on the one keychain is the national flower of South Africa. Even though over the years I've managed to collect a lot of keychains from places I've never visited, I haven't found many Africa keychains for my collection. So these were really nice to get.

According to the letter Heather sent, she knit this letter T monogram keychain herself. She called it a "T-ring". She even used my favorite color, purple.

Here we have two Webkinz Kinz Klips, a 'Cocoa Dino' and a Dalmatian. Heather made a point of asking me if I already had any Webkinz in my keychain collection, so I sent her a list of what I owned. It's funny, but when I first opened the package I thought the dinosaur was supposed to be a dragon. The Dalmatian makes me think of one of my sister's best friends, who happens to be a big fan of Disney's 101 Dalmatians. I'll be replacing the plastic clips with split ring 'findings', because I'm very particular like that.

Last we have this Rainbow Dash My Little Pony. Heather's letter says that this line of My Little Ponies was originally sold in blind bags at Target stores. Once again, I'll be replacing the clip with a split ring.

I want to say another big thank you to Heather. It means a lot to me being able to share this hobby with someone, even if we never get to meet in the 'real world'.

Signed, Treesa

Ocean City Vacation: July 2018 (Keychain Souvenirs Haul)

Remember how, in a previous post, I wrote about the lack of souvenir keychains in gift shops? Well apparently, there's at least one place where souvenir keychains can still be found in abundance, and that's Ocean City, New Jersey. My best friend and I took an 'extended weekend' trip there near the end of July, and I came back with over half a dozen keychains for my collection.

My best friend bought this first keychain for me as a gift. I was eyeing it at one of the shops on the Boardwalk. But because it was the first day of the trip, I was trying to decide whether I should just buy it then or wait and see if I could find it cheaper elsewhere. My friend must've gotten tired of waiting for me to make up my mind, because she offered to buy it for me. The turtle itself is made from wood and has the words "Ocean City" painted on the underside.

This next group of keychains came from a shop on Asbury Avenue called Hoy's 5&10.

I first learned about 5&10, or five-and-dime, stores in my grade school social studies textbook. I don't know whether the store in Ocean City actually dates back to the 'golden age' of five-and-dimes. But I did realize that, due to inflation, there wouldn't be anything in the store for five or ten cents at the store. However, because there's a chain of stores in my area called Five Below (where everything for sale is five dollars or less) I thought that maybe the 5&10 in the name had been updated to mean five and ten dollars. I was wrong in that assumption. There were a number of things for sale at Hoy's 5&10 that were over ten dollars. Actually, this lot of three keychains ended up costing me over ten dollars. But honestly, where was I ever going to find that noodle bowl keychain again in the United States. And as the previous keychain featured in this post demonstrates, I have a real fondness for turtle design keychains. The black shell with the rainbow-colored floral design is actually a coin purse, made from two shells that had been painted black and stitched to a zipper.

This record player keychain, or 'turntable' as it's called on the packaging, is from the World's Coolest line by Super Impulse. Record players, like typewriters and VHS tapes, are 'old school' technology, and have received renewed attention in recent years. The resurgence of these items in popular culture has genuinely piqued my interest, since I fondly remember such things from my childhood. In my keychain collection, I categorize these and similar items as 'retro tech', the word retro meaning inspired by or imitating the recent past. I plan on devoting a blog post to the subject at some point.

I was looking at the 'turntable' keychain in a store called Kay Jay's Doll Shoppe, but I put it back because I thought the price was a little high for one keychain. I was also feeling guilty for spending over ten dollars on keychains at Hoy's 5&10. My best friend bought the record player for me when I wasn't looking, then handed me the bag after we left the store. I replaced the original metal clip on the keychain with a split ring after getting home from vacation, because I'm nitpicky like that.

I found this seashell keychain for sale at a candy shop on the Boardwalk. Now, the thing I've noticed about seashells is that they can be fragile. Shells with thinner walls can easily crack or crush. So when I looked through the basket of shell keychains at the store, I made sure to pick one that not only looked interesting, but also had decently thick walls. Hopefully this will make it more durable.

This dolphin keychain came from a 'dollar store', also located on the Boardwalk. The store had a similar keychain with a sea turtle design that I was considering buying. However, the sea turtle seemed to have a rather unpleasant expression, while the dolphins looked much more cheerful. And I do have the same soft spot for dolphins that I have for turtles.

I think I was drawn to this last keychain because it's made to be three collectibles in one. First off, it's a souvenir keychain. Secondly, it's a collectable souvenir spoon. And thirdly, it can function as a bottle opener, thanks to the way the back is shaped. Not only that, but there's a 'spinner' element at the top as well.

In spite of the impressive number of keychains that I brought home, there were a few I saw that I'm wishing I'd picked up. Hoy's 5&10 had a clearance priced keychain showing the Ocean City Music Pier. The Music Pier happened to be right near the Boardwalk entrance that my friend and I always used, because it was the entrance closest to our hotel. There was also another keychain I saw at one of the Boardwalk shops that had a quote on it about how the sand and the salt water would wash away but the memories would last forever, or something like that. I really should have bought it, since I liked it so much and since it wasn't that expensive. But I was feeling guilty again for already buying so many keychains on the trip.

Of course, collectors often think about 'the ones that got away'. It's one of the factors that drives them to keep collecting. I hope that you enjoyed seeing what I got on my trip. And to any other keychain collectors out there, I wish you luck on your own collecting journeys.

Signed, Treesa

Clip Or Keychain, Is There A Difference?

I used to have the opinion that anything with a clip type attachment wasn't really a keychain. In my mind, keychains were designed to store keys, while clips were designed to hang from backpacks or purses. Clips were glorified zipper pulls, as far as I was concerned, and didn't belong in my collection. However, my narrow, black-and-white viewpoint did allow for some grey areas. If something had a traditional split ring along with a clip type attachment, like the example below (made by Applause) of Piglet from Disney's Winnie The Pooh popping out of a watering can, then I still considered it a keychain.

Sometimes I even took the clip attachment off, if it was one of those large, plastic clips. At the time, I was still set on earning a World Record for the World's Largest Keychain Collection, and I think I was worried that at some future date someone was going to challenge me and say that something 'didn't count' because it wasn't really a keychain.

Then something happened that threw a monkey wrench into my whole system. Basic Fun Inc. began producing their licensed keychains with a new type of attachment that had more in common with a clip than a traditional split ring, yet the packaging still labeled the items as keychains. The "Birthday Barbie" keychain shown below is one such example.

I'd been collecting Basic Fun Inc.'s keychains for a long time, starting with their Barbie line, and this change threw me for a loop. I still loved Basic Fun's products. The question was, were they really still keychains, or had they become something else?

I eventually decided that, if the product packaging said that they were keychains, then they were keychains. Besides, the new attachment was different enough from a more traditional "lobster clasp" style clip that I could sort of convince myself that they were two different things. However, I still keep any keychains I own that only have a clip type attachment in a separate box, just in case.

Signed, Treesa

Split Rings, Ball Chains, And Snake Chains (Basic Keychain Terminology)

This post is intended to give a brief summary of the various types of hardware used to make keychains. In jewelry maker's lingo, any metal component that is used in making jewelry is called a "finding". Despite what non-collectors might think about all keychains being the same, there are actually a variety of findings that can be used to make keychains. The most common of these findings seems to be the "split ring" or "keyring".

A split ring is shaped like a circular coil with two ends. To attach a key to a split ring, one end of the coil is fed through the hole in the top of the key. Then the key is slid along the length of the ring until it passes under the other end.

This isn't as complicated as it sounds, but it can be a little tricky if your fingernails aren't long enough to separate the coils of the ring.

The second most common finding, at least for older keychains, would probably be the "ball chain" or "bead chain".

As the name suggests, a ball chain looks like a chain made up of tiny metal balls. The last ball in the chain slides into a clamp of sorts at the other end.

To attach a key, simply unclip the last 'bead' of the "bead chain", then slide the chain through the hole in the top of the key and snap the end 'bead' back into the clamp.

An "infinity ring" keychain is similar to a split ring, except that instead of being shaped like a circle, the loop part of an infinity ring is shaped more like a figure 8.

The example shown above commemorates a Revolutionary War re-enactment event in Bordentown, New Jersey. Turned sideways, the figure 8 shape becomes the symbol for infinity, which explains the name "infinity ring".

The "snake chain" keychain was named, not for the clasp that the keys attach to (which is called a "snap end") but for the snake like chain that attaches the snap end to the decorative part of the keychain.

I've also seen snap end keychains that use a standard chain, instead of a snake chain. An example would be this vintage 'tiki' keychain from United Airlines.

The next type of keychain used to be called a "c-ring", but the term seems to have fallen out of favor, since nowadays the word 'c-ring' refers to something completely different.

(Incidentally, the bird keychain pictured above is branded on the back with the 'designer' fashion brand, Chico's.)

This keychain finding was likely referred to as a c-ring because it's shaped like a letter C, with a ball or some type of decorative element on each end. On the Philadelphia Phillies major league baseball team keychain that is pictured below, one end is shaped like a baseball while the other end is shaped like a baseball glove. I believe the pink ribbon charm is for breast cancer awareness.

A key is attached by unscrewing one of the ends, sliding the key onto the 'C' shaped part of the keychain, and then screwing the end back on.

A "screw lock" keychain sort of combines the functionality of a c-ring with a more traditional keychain shape.

Screw lock keychains feature a rectangular or an ovoid shaped loop at the top. A segment of this loop is unscrewed so that keys can be attached. The screw lock keychains pictured above are souvenir items from Glenhardie Country Club in Wayne, Pennsylvania and the city of Schweinfurt in Germany, respectively.

Keychains can also be made with a clip type finding. There are a few variations of these, some of which might not technically qualify as keychains. But I'll be discussing that in more detail in my next post. For now, here is a photo of a few different clip type findings.

The first clip in the row is called a "lobster clasp", due to the fact that it resembles a lobster's claw. As you can see above, some clips are plastic rather than metal.

"Carabiners" were also popular as keychains for a time.

Originally used by rock climbers, carabiners became trendy with the general public, who used them for keychains and backpack clips. Basic Fun Inc. even released carabiner versions of some of their popular board game keychains.

I've done my best to verify the names of the different keychain types, both online and at my local craft stores. If anyone reading this post notices any corrections that should be made, please leave a comment. If nothing else, I think I've proven my point regarding keychains not all being the same.

Signed, Treesa