Toys come and go all the time. Before there were exclusive vinyl figures, $4 mystery people or whole stores dedicated to these grab bag gifts there was PEZ. Patented in 1952, and their most recent in 2009, the candy dispensing collectable hasn’t actually changed a whole lot… in the American markets. PEZ comes from the word ‘PfreffErminZ’ meaning peppermint in German because it was originally made in Austria. In 1927, Eduard Haas III stamped the first peppermint and they ended up banking so much that in 1935 they had a factory built in (at the time) Czechoslovakia.
As the years went on and PEZ became popular throughout Europe, even though Haas Food Manufacturing Corporation of Vienna needed to slow down production for World War 2, in 1948 the first true “regular” dispenser was created. Amid a rising concern over smoking, inventor Oscar Uxa created a device to dispense a single PEZ tab for refreshing breath instead of a cigarette. This was also a way to prevent spreading germs because before the dispenser PEZ was sold very similarly to Altoids.
Now back to 1952, When Eduard Haas III meets Curtis Allina as a sales rep for PEZ Haas, he convinces him of the idea to produce fruit-flavoured candy tabs with playful character heads. Whether or not it’s Curtis’s idea is debated to this day, but it was clear that it came out of the United States office, according to David Welch author of “Collecting PEZ”.
The first two approved PEZ Dispensers were actually a full bodied Santa Claus and detailed blue Space Trooper. The success of these led to the hinged head dispensers of Easter Bunny, the witch and an astronaut. Afterly landing their first license with Popeye, they expanded to Casper, Bozo the clown but most important Mickey Mouse. By the time the 1960’s were done they had a whole lineup of Disney characters. Goofy, Thumper, Baloo even Bouncer Beagle!
This trend only continued as the company moved from New York City to Orange, Conn. in the 1970’s. Introducing DC super heroes like Batman and Wonder Woman was now the tip of the iceberg when it came to the different licenses PEZ now acquired. In the 80’s and 90’s, PEZ exploded into pop culture and collectors rooms who are willing to pay sometimes thousands for the rare and vintage dispensers. The original “regular” dispenser was reproduced during this time as well.
The 2000’s brought many new exclusive box sets. From plush fuzzy dispensers, sour candies to cereal prizes. 2005, they release their first collectors set of Star Wars. The following year they released their first dispensers featuring living people… and they picked American Choppers family the Tuetuls? Ok, I still collected it.
This is the when I started collecting. Way before the choppers guys though. It started with a 12” Homer Simpson dispenser. I now have boxes of boarded and bagged dispensers, multiple gift sets and dare I say I’m making my own display. I’m a proud PEZ-head and will be for years to come. Now I just need to get to one of the conventions...
PEZ has been manufacturing their candies in the USA ever since they've been putting heads on their dispensers. You may be collecting some Chinese plastic but you're ingesting 100% American sugar!
Let me know any of your memories with PEZ!
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Fox, Margalit. “Curtis Allina, 87; Put Heads on Pez Dispensers.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 4 Jan. 2010, www.nytimes.com/2010/01/05/business/05allina.html.
“PEZ History.” Do It 101 Vintage Collecting Pez Dispensers, doit101.com/Collectibles/PEZCollecting.html.
“The History of PEZ - About Us.” PEZ Candy, us.pez.com/pages/history.
“Patent Numbers of Dispensers : Pez Collectors Store, The Ultimate Pez Shopping Site!” Pez Collectors Store, www.pezcollectors.com/pages/patent-numbers-of-dispensers-69-2.html.
Geary, Richard. PEZ Collectibles. 3rd ed., Schiffer Publishing, 1999.
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