The Pez Candy Company, formerly known as the PEZ-HAAS Candy Company, began in 1927 in Vienna, Austria as the world's first breath mint. Edward Haas, a non-smoker, invented the compressed candy with peppermint oil and packaged them in small tins much like we see Altoid mints today.
The name PEZ comes from the first, middle and last letters of the German word for peppermints, which is "pfefferminz." PEZ was marketed as an adult product that catered mostly to smokers. The PEZ Mint would help freshen their mouth and breath. Mr. Haas marketed PEZ mints as an alternative to smoking, often using his slogan of "Smoking Prohibited - Pezzing Allowed."
In 1948, the PEZ Dispenser shape was created to mock a cigarette lighter and was easily placed in a purse or pants pocket. These early "upscale" dispensers did not have character heads as we see them today. The PEZ Company saw moderate success in the European market.
In 1952, Pez-Haas decided to try and sell its product to the United States market. Within 2 years, PEZ-Haas knew that PEZ was not going to be profitable in the United States. The Pez Company has surely learned to change with the times and reinvented itself by adding fruit-flavors to its line and adding character heads to the top of the dispensers. This change ended up becoming a true success because the PEZ Dispenser now became two items in one; a candy item and a toy item. Brilliant!
The original pez dispensers had "no feet" on them and in the late 1980's, PEZ modified its dispenser to have "feet" on the bottom of the dispenser to give it more stability and strength when standing upright.
The Pez Company is divided into two separate entities; PEZ USA and PEZ International. PEZ USA is located in Orange, CT and handles distribution of PEZ in the United States where they package dispensers and make PEZ Cnady. PEZ International is located in Traun, Austria and handles distribution for the rest of the world where they package dispensers and make PEZ Candy. These two separate companies have their own leadership and handle their own licensing agreements, which is why there may be PEZ Dispensers only available in the USA or only in Europe.
The line of PEZ Candy flavors has changed over the years and more recent additions to the standard flavors of grape, strawberry, lemon, and orange are chocolate, cola, and sour flavors.
The age of a PEZ dispenser can be told by the patent number on the stem of the dispenser. Here is an information list:
U.S. Patent Number: BOX Age: Pre-1950's
U.S. Patent Number: DBP Age: 1950's
U.S. Patent Number: 2,620,061 Age: 1952
U.S. Patent Number: 3,410,455 Age: 1968
U.S. Patent Number: 3,845,882 Age: 1974
U.S. Patent Number: 3,942,683 Age: 1976
U.S. Patent Number: 4,966,305 Age: 1990
U.S. Patent Number: 5,984,285 Age: 1999
The PEZ Company does very little marketing of their product, but PEZ can be found in many small and large stores throughout the world. PEZ Collectors, also known as "PezHeads" buy and trade Pez Dispensers via on-line auction sites and at PEZ Conventions held across the United States each year.
Follow this blog where I will showcase my favorite PEZ and what I know about them. And please remember that I am a collector and not a historian, so not all of my blog information may be accurate. Remember that I collect for the fun of it, not to be the sole authority on the PEZ Company or it's products.
Thanks and enjoy my Pez World blog! Let the smiles begin!!!!
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