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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: The name PEZ was derived from the German word for peppermint, Pfefferminz, the first PEZ flavor. PEZ was originally introduced in Austria, later exported, notably to the U.S., and eventually became available worldwide. The all-upper-case spelling of PEZ echoes the trademark's style of type on packaging and the dispensers themselves, drawn in perspective and looking as if the letters were built out of brick-like PEZ candies. 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 . 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 and Orange, Connecticut. Dispensers are produced in Hungary and China. Candy PEZ candy has come in a wide variety of flavours over the years, including: General General (Cont) Sour Flavours Sugarfree Flavours 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: 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. 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 formerly had a general rule against creating likenesses of real people. In the 1970's, three historical figures were created: Betsy Ross, Daniel Boone, and Paul Revere which were released as part of the Bicentennial series. These dispenser heads were not made to actually look like the people they represented, but instead used generic faces with different accessories. In 2006 a limited edition series of three PEZ dispensers were made to look like the Teutul family from Orange County Choppers. These are the first dispensers to have been made in the actual likeness of living people. The NASCAR-themed dispensers are based on the helmets of famous drivers, rather than their actual likenesses. 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 including providing images and release dates for different series. 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 Cars: Lightning McQueen, Doc Hudson, Sally Carrera, Mater. 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. Mr. Bean: Mr. Bean, Irma Gobb, Teddy, Mini 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 Nintendo: Diddy Kong, Koopa Troopa, Mario, Yoshi 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 The Simpsons: Bart Simpson, Marge Simpson, Lisa Simpson, Homer Simpson, Maggie Simpson. The Walt Disney Company Sports: Baseball, Basketball, Football, Hockey Puck, Baseball Glove, Soccerball Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael Universal Monsters: Creature from the Black Lagoon, Frankenstein, Wolfman 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 Trivia See also | ||||||||
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