PP152872    DLR - Canoe Races 2012 - 49th Annual Canoe Finish

From a knowledgeable pin collector: Starting 57 years ago at Disneyland, teams of Cast Members gathered around the Rivers of America and raced each other in the Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes. For about 2 1/2 decades now many of these events have had pins issued to commemorate the event. Many in small quantities and many one could call rare, or at the very least, extremely scarce.

These races, having started at Disneyland (in 1963) and simply called "Canoe Races" expanded to Walt Disney World in an 1973 (1999 gives us is the 1st identifiable pin for WDW), Disneyland Paris (1st pin in 1993), and Tokyo Disneyland (1st pin in 1999). There could be earlier unidentified pins as well as races prior to the issuing of pins, but this is the best data I can give you at this point. In Walt Disney World though, the Canoe Races had the name expanded since the resort is so massive to the acronym C.R.O.W., or "Canoe Races Of the World".

This pin features two canoes nearing a finish line banner which says "49th Annual Canoe Finish". Disneyland resort is written at the top left corner.