PEZ
Encyclopedia : P : PE : PEZ : PEZ
- See PE'Z for the Japanese band. See Pez (artist) for the graffiti artist.''
PEZ is the shortened name of PEZ Candy Inc. It is also the name of two of its product categories, namely:
- pressed, dry candies, straight-edged and shaped like 3/8-inch- (1-cm-) long bricks, and
- pocket mechanical dispensers for such candy.
Despite the world-wide recognition of the PEZ dispenser the company considers itself to be primarily a candy company, producing over 3 billion candy bricks each year in the U.S. alone http://pezco.securesites.com/stuff/about.php. PEZ Dispensers are part of popular culture in many nations. Because of the large number of dispenser designs over the years, PEZ dispensers are collected by enthusiasts.
History
PEZ was first marketed as a compressed peppermint candy in Vienna, Austria. The candy was invented in 1927 in Vienna by a confectioner named Eduard Haas III. Haas invented peppermint candies using family owned baking powders, and decided to serve the mints in small, hand-size containers. He manufactured a small tin to hold the mints, similar to the modern Altoids tins. The first PEZ mint dispensers, known as "regulars", were similar in shape to a cigarette lighter, and dispensed an adult breath mint marketed as an alternative to smoking. Haas Food Manufacturing Corporation of Vienna, Austria, was the first to sell PEZ candies.
World War II slowed marketing and production. In 1945, manufacturers devised and promoted the PEZ Box Regular. In 1952 Eduard Haas introduced his product to the United States, and Curtis Allina headed PEZ's U.S. business. In 1955, the PEZ company placed heads on the dispensers and marketed it for children. Santa Claus, Mickey Mouse and Spacetrooper were among the first character dispensers.
After being unavailable for several years, peppermint flavored PEZ candies were reintroduced in the late 1990's along with remakes of the "regulars".
In early 2006 the family of the original founder of the company bought back 32,5% of the stock from investment company PGH for 18 Mio. Euro. They now own 67.5% of the company. The headquarters are in Traun, Austria. The candies are produced in Traun, Austria and Orange, Connecticut. Dispensers are produced in Hungary and China.
The enthusiasm and nostalgia surrounding PEZ are suggested by the existence of two single-block streets in the U.S., presumably both named "Pez" at the suggestion of Pez enthusiasts:
- Pez Way in Boulder City, NV (near Las Vegas) is a connector, approximately 100 yards (100 meters) in length, between two longer streets.
- Pez Court in North Haven, CT (near New Haven) is a dead-end street, approximately 500 feet (200 meters) in length.
Patents
There are several patents related to the PEZ dispenser. PEZ, Inc. has applied for and received patents related to the PEZ dispensers. Usually, the patent number is molded onto the stem changed every time PEZ, Inc. made a change in the design of the dispenser. Looking at the patent number the dispenser's age can be estimated. The patent number timeline related to PEZ and PEZ-like dispensers follows:
| Patent | Year | Name of patent; notes about the patent | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Pocket article dispensing container; First patent for the PEZ dispenser | ||
| * | 1958 | Dispensing tablet container; tablet dispensing receptacle | |
| 1968 | Dispensing Device for tablets | ||
| * | 1969 | Vending machine | |
| 1974 | Spring cage for use in a tablet dispensing receptacle | ||
| * | 1975 | Medicant-dispensing container | |
| 1976 | Tablet dispensing receptacle | ||
| * | 1981 | Tablet dispenser | |
| 1990 | Tablet dispenser | ||
| * | 1991 | Tablet dispenser | |
| * | 1991 | Tablet dispenser | |
| * | 1992 | Tablet dispenser | |
| * | 1995 | Candy dispensing system | |
| * | 1996 | Tablet dispenser | |
| 1999 | Plastic spring | ||
| * | 2003 | Animated candy dispenser and methods | |
| * indicates non-PEZ patent | |||
Dispensers can also be found with several non-US patents, such as the German "DBP 818.829" (Deutsches Bundes Patent), and the Mexican "Patent Nr 141,242."
PEZ dispenser tags
There are two types of tags on PEZ dispensers.
The first type is the patent number. The patent number can be used to determine how old the dispenser is.
The second tag type is the injection mold code [IMC], it tells you the country of origin. A second number identified the specific facility within that country [which is denoted in brackets].
| IMC | Country |
|---|---|
| 1 | Austria/Hungary |
| 2 | Austria/Hong Kong |
| 3 | Austria/Hungary |
| 4[1] | Austria |
| 4[2] | Austria |
| 4[3] | Austria |
| 4[4] | Austria |
| 4[5] | Austria |
| 4[6] | Austria |
| 4[7] | Austria |
| 4[8] | Austria |
| 5 | Yugoslavia/Slovenia |
| 6 | Hong Kong/China |
| 7 | Hong Kong/Austria |
| 8 | Austria |
| 9 | Vermont, Connecticut/USA |
| V | Yugoslavia |
Characters
Toy character head dispensers were introduced in 1955, after the candy was introduced in the United States. There are over 450 unique dispenser heads with thousands of variations. The company has a general rule against creating likenesses of real people having created only three in its history: Betsy Ross, Daniel Boone, and Paul Revere which were released in the 1970s as part of the Bicentennial series. Several different versions were made of many of the characters listed below, but each character is only listed once. Sites in the links section go into much more detail into the variations of PEZ dispensers.
- Asterix
- Asterix, Obelix, Muselix, Roman Centurion
- Bob the Builder
- Bob, Wendy, Pilchard, Scoop, Spud
- Barnyard friends
- Cow, Duck, Sheep, Donkey, pig
- Bugz
- Ant, Baby Bee, Bee, Beetle, Centipede, Fly, Grasshopper, Ladybug, Worm
- Charity
- Barky Brown (Animal Welfare League NSW), Breast cancer awareness
- Christmas
- Angel, Elf, Polar Bear, Reindeer, Rudolph, Santa Claus, Snowman
- College Football
- LSU Football
- Easter
- Chick, Duck with Flower, Egg, Lamb, Rabbit, Rooster
- Garfield
- Garfield, Arlene, Odie, Nermal
- Halloween
- Skull, Witch, Mummy, Happy Ghost, Scary Ghost, Pumpkin, Slimy Ghoul
- Harvey Publications
- Casper, Green Hornet
- Hello Kitty
- Kitty White, Corocoro Kuririn, My Melody
- The Incredibles
- Mr. Incredible, Mrs. Incredible, Dash, Jack-Jack; Bob Parr, Helen Parr, Dashiell Parr, Jack-Jack Parr (not in USA)
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
- Tom, Jerry, Barney Bear, Droopy Dog, Spike, Tuffy, Tyke
- Misc
- Peter Pez, Psychedelic Hand, Psydelic Flower, Bubble man, E.T., Jack in the Box, PIF, Zielpunkt, Smiley Face, Bozo the Clown
- Moomin
- Only in Japan, five minis.
- The Muppets
- Kermit the Frog with bow tie, Kermit the frog with green collar, Fozzie, Miss Piggy, Miss Piggy with eyelashes, Gonzo
- NASCAR
- Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Bobby Labonte, Richard Petty, Tony Stewart, [[Rusty Wallace
- Olympic Games
- Alpine Man, Olympic Snowman, Vucko Wolf
- Peanuts
- Charlie Brown, Joe Cool, Lucy, Peppermint Patty, Snoopy, Woodstock
- Pez-Pals
- Boy, Bride, Doctor, Engineer, Fireman, Girl, Groom, Knight, Maharaja, Mexican Boy, Nurse, Pirate, Policeman, Ringmaster, Sailor, Sheik, Sheriff
- Pez-Pals 2
- Alpine Boy, Aral Oil, BP, Mariner, Pilot, Shell Oil
- People
- Astronaut, Cowboy, Football Player, Pilot, Spaceman, Stewardess
- Pez-a-saurs
- He-saur, She-saur, Fly-saur, I-saur
- Pink Panther
- Pink Panther, Inspector Clouseau, Ant, Aardvark
- Pokémon
- Koffing, Meowth, Mew, Pikachu, Psyduck
- Popeye
- Brutus, Olive Oyl, Popeye
- Sesame Street
- Big Bird, Ernie, Bert, Cookie Monster, Elmo, Zoe
- PEZ Sourz
- Pineapple, Green Apple, Watermelon, Blue Raspberry
- SpongeBob SquarePants
- Spongebob, Patrick, Squidward, Embarrassed Spongebob
- Star Wars
- Boba Fett, C-3PO, Chewbacca (IV-VI), Chewbacca (III), Clone Trooper, Darth Vader, Death Star, Emperor Palpatine, Ewok, General Grevious, Jango Fett, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, R2-D2, Stormtrooper, Yoda
- Super Heroes
- Batman, Captain America, Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man, Thor, Wolverine, Wonder Woman
- The Flintstones
- Fred Flintstone, Pebbles, Dino, Barney Rubble
- Bambi, Thumper
- Bouncer Beagle, Chip, Daisy Duck, Dalmatian, Huey, Dewey and Louie, Donald Duck, Dumbo, Goofy, Gyro Gearloose, Mickey Mouse, Pluto, Scrooge McDuck, Webby
- Peter Pan, Captain Hook
- Mufasa, Nala, Pumbaa, Simba, Timon
- Mary Poppins
- Snow White, Dopey
- Pinocchio, Jiminy Cricket, Tinkerbell
- Lil' Wolf, Practical Pig
- Pooh Bear, Eeyore, Piglet, Tigger, Roo, Lumpy
- Zorro
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael
- Ultraman I
- Only in Japan, five minis.
- Warner Bros.
- Bugs Bunny, Cool Cat, Daffy Duck, Foghorn Leghorn, Henry Hawk, Merlin Mouse, Petunia Pig, Road Runner, Speedy Gonzales, Sylvester, Tazmanian Devil, Tweety, Wile E. Coyote, Yosemite Sam
Timeline of characters and heads
| Picture | Series | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| Head designs in series
| ||
| No pic | DC Comics | |
| Batman, Batgirl, Joker, Penguin, Wonder Woman
| ||
| No pic | Merry Music Makers | 198?-February 1997 |
| Tiger whistle, donkey whistle, penguin whistle, rhino whistle, clown whistle, parrot whistle, panda whistle, rhino whistle
| ||
| No pic | DuckTales | until 1998 |
| Webby Duck, Scrooge McDuck, Bouncer Beagle, Gyro Gearloose, Huey/Duey/Louie
| ||
| No pic | Zoo, new characters | Late 1996 |
| A lion, a hippo, a koala named Blinky Bill, an elephant and a crocodile | ||
| Blinky Bill is © Yoram Gross Film Studios, marked on the PEZ head as "Yoram Bros".
| ||
| No pic | The Smurfs | 1997 |
| Papa Smurf, Smurfette, Smurf Boy, Brainy Smurf, Gargamel
| ||
| No pic | The Pink Panther | August 1997 |
| Pink Panther, Inspector Clouseau, the Aardvark, the Ant
| ||
| No pic | The Simpsons | March 2000 |
| Homer Simpson, Marge Simpson, Bart Simpson, Lisa Simpson, Maggie Simpson | ||
| PEZ collectors constantly expressed their wants for this series, online, before its release.
| ||
| No pic | PEZ Candy Pen | June 2000 |
| Lime, yellow and pink; orange, blue and lime; black, silver and orange; yellow, light pink and light blue-green. | ||
| Five inches long, the pens contain a secret compartment and flashing lights.
| ||
| No pic | Jungle Mission | early 2001 |
| Purple and yellow, red and green, orange and black. | ||
| PEZ dispensers with flashlight, compass, magnifying glass and metric ruler. The magnifying glass is plastic.
| ||
| No pic | Pokémon | July 2001 |
| Pikachu, Mew, Psyduck, Meowth, Koffings | ||
| Released in Europe.
| ||
| No pic | The Tweenies | 200? |
| Milo, Fizz, Jake, Bella, Doodles the dog | ||
| Fizz and Bella's sticks have flower patterns printed on them.
| ||
| No pic | Jungle Book 2 | 2003 |
| Mowgli, Bagherra, Kaa the Snake, Shir Khan, Baloo
| ||
| No pic | Extreme Disney | 2003 |
| Goofy wearing headphones, Daisy Duck wearing headphones, Pluto has a bone, Minnie Mouse wearing sunglasses, disgruntled Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse with ski cap and goggles.
| ||
| No pic | Mr Bean | 2003 |
| Mr. Bean, Irma Gobb, light green Mini, Teddy | ||
| These were based on Mr. Bean's cartoon series, and available only in Europe.
| ||
| No pic | SpongeBob SquarePants | 2003 |
| Smiling SpongeBob wearing square pants, SpongeBob wearing underwear, Patrick and Squidward
| ||
| No pic | October 2003 | |
| Tazmanian Devil, Daffy Duck, Tweetie Bird, Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam | ||
| European release only. Sticks include images.
| ||
| No pic | Lion King | February 2004 |
| Pumbaa, Timon, Mufasa, Simba, Nala
| ||
| No pic | Shrek 2 | Summer 2004 |
| Shrek, Donkey, Puss 'n Boots, Fiona | ||
| A silver Donkey was also released, as a limited edition.
| ||
| No pic | The Incredibles | 2004 |
| Mr. Incredible, Elastigirl, Dash, Jack Jack, Bob Parr, Helen Parr, Dash Parr, Violet Parr | ||
| The masked series was released in the USA and Europe, while their human alter-egos only were released in Europe.
| ||
| No pic | Hello Kitty | 2005? |
| My Melody, Hello Kitty with bunny friend, and Hello Kitty with bow
| ||
| No pic | BRATZ | 2005? |
| Jade (black hair), Yasmine (brown hair), Cloe (blonde hair)
| ||
| No pic | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Summer 2005 |
| Raphael, Leonardo, Donatello and Michaelangelo
| ||
| No pic | Walgreens Trucks, Limited Edition | Summer 2005 |
| Truck with black grill with a "V", truck with a silver grill with horizontal lines.
| ||
| No pic | Disney Princesses | September 2005 |
| Jasmine from Aladdin, Cinderella from the Cinderella, Belle from Beauty and the Beast
| ||
Trivia
- An episode of Seinfeld, "The Pez Dispenser", centered on PEZ. Jerry made Elaine laugh during a concert by placing a Tweety PEZ dispenser on her lap.
- One common misconception is that eBay was founded to facilitate trading PEZ dispensers. While founder Pierre Omidyar's wife is a PEZ collector, this story has since been revealed as an invention created for marketing purposes.
- The song "Rockstar" by Nickelback mentions a PEZ dispenser.
- In the NBC series The Pretender, the main character Jarod is seen munching on PEZ in nearly every episode. When one of Jarod's prized dispensers is snatched, Jarod finds the thief and locks him in his trunk, and drives around the city for a few hours before releasing him.
- Ska punk band Less Than Jake released an album called Pezcore, and PEZ dispenser motifs are common in the band's merchandise.
- American professional wrestler CM Punk has a purple pez dispenser tattooed upon him.
See also
References
External links
- [PEZ official site]
- [Pez Collectors Email Discussion Group]
- [Collecting PEZ]
- [PEZheads:The Movie]
- [POP-A-PEZ]
- [Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia]
- [PEZ Central]
- [The Great Idea Finder PEZ]
- [PEZ headquarters: news about PEZ]
- [Pezbase, The Online PEZ Database]
- [GASHAPON WORLD SweetsStation] (Japanese mini-PEZ)
- [Pez Community]
- [Minnesota PEZ Convention]
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