PEZ

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See PE'Z for the Japanese band. See Pez (artist) for the graffiti artist.

A typical PEZ dispenser and packaging

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. (holds 12 pieces of pez candy)

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 ^[1]. 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.

1 History
2 Candy
3 Patents
4 PEZ dispenser tags
5 Characters
6 Trivia
7 References
8 External links

[edit] 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.

[edit] Candy

PEZ candy has come in a wide variety of flavours over the years, including:

General

Apple
Cherry
Chocolate
Cola
Dextrose
Flower
Grape

General (Cont)

Lemon
Menthol/Eucalyptus
Orange
Peppermint
Raspberry
Strawberry

Sour Flavours

Sour Watermelon
Sour Green Apple
Sour Blue Raspberry
Sour Pineapple

Sugarfree Flavours

Sugarfree Orange
Sugarfree Lemon
Sugarfree Strawberry

[edit] 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
	U.S. Patent 2620061	1952	Pocket article dispensing container; First patent for the PEZ dispenser
*	U.S. Patent 2853206	1958	Dispensing tablet container; tablet dispensing receptacle
	U.S. Patent 3410455	1968	Dispensing Device for tablets
*	U.S. Patent 3432074	1969	Vending machine
	U.S. Patent 3845882	1974	Spring cage for use in a tablet dispensing receptacle
*	U.S. Patent 3863804	1975	Medicant-dispensing container
	U.S. Patent 3942683	1976	Tablet dispensing receptacle
*	U.S. Patent 4295579	1981	Tablet dispenser
	U.S. Patent 4966305	1990	Tablet dispenser
*	U.S. Patent 5048720	1991	Tablet dispenser
*	U.S. Patent 5071033	1991	Tablet dispenser
*	U.S. Patent 5080258	1992	Tablet dispenser
*	U.S. Patent 5460295	1995	Candy dispensing system
*	U.S. Patent 5560516	1996	Tablet dispenser
	U.S. Patent 5984285	1999	Plastic spring
*	U.S. Patent 6543639	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."

[edit] 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

[edit] Characters

A Bugs Bunny PEZ dispenser.

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)

Ice Age 2: The Meltdown: Sid the Sloth, Diego the Sabertooth Tiger, Manny (Manfred) the Mastadon and Scrat the Prehistoric Saber-tooth Squirrel

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

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

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

[edit] Trivia

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

PEZ

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 references 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. Also, two members of Less Than Jake, Roger and Vinnie, have PEZ tattoos.

American professional wrestler CM Punk has a purple PEZ dispenser tattooed upon him.

In the Disney/Pixar film Toy Story, one of Sid's mutant toys named Ducky has a duck PEZ dispenser for a head.

In one episode of Futurama, Bender owns an apparently stolen PEZ dispenser, with the head of the character Calculon on it.
- In another episode, Billy Crystal's head is placed on top of a giant Oscar award, and he remarks, "now I know how a pez dispenser feels!".

There are at least two US streets named Pez:
- 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.

In the 2005 film Sin City, Miho (Devon Aoki) swings a large sword at Jackie Boy (Benicio Del Toro), and in the words of Dwight (Clive Owen), "she doesn't quite chop his head off, she makes a Pez dispenser out of him".

In the 1982 film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, while demonstrating to E.T. what to do on Earth, Eliott shows him the things in his bedroom, and one of them is the PEZ dispenser and its candies, which Eliott even shows to the alien.

In Season 2 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Daniel "Oz" Osbourne(a werewolf) gives Willow Rosenberg - who is a witch - a Pez witch as a token of his affections. She comments that she cannot return the sentiment as there is no Pez werewolf.