PEZ

PEZ is the shortened name of PEZ Candy Inc.
PEZ (or Pez) 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.

The name PEZ was derived from the German word for peppermint, Pfefferminz. Pez was originally introduced in Austria, later exported, notably to the US, and eventually became available worldwide. The all-upper-case spelling of PEZ, besides its status as an acronym, 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 bricks.

PEZ have applied the razor and blades business model to the confectionery market, by selling candy dispensers, usually with character merchandising, which are useful only to dispense Pez-shaped candy (or to admire as an amusing and ingenious artifact). 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.

Contents

1 History 2 Patents 3 PEZ dispenser tags 4 Characters 5 See also 6 External links

History

PEZ was first marketed as a compressed peppermint candy in Vienna, Austria. The candy was invented in 1927 in Vienna by a candyman 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 US 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".

The enthusiasm and nostalgia surrounding Pez are suggested by the existence of two single-block streets in the US, 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
US2853206*	1958	Dispensing tablet container; tablet dispensing receptacle
US2620061	1952	Pocket article dispensing container; First patent for the Pez dispenser
US3410455	1968	Dispensing Device for tablets
US3432074*	1969	Vending machine
US3845882	1974	Spring cage for use in a tablet dispensing receptacle
US3863804*	1975	Medicant-dispensing container
US3942683	1976	Tablet dispensing receptacle
US4295579*	1981	Tablet dispenser
US4966305	1990	Tablet dispenser
US5048720*	1991	Tablet dispenser
US5071033*	1991	Tablet dispenser
US5080258*	1992	Tablet dispenser
US5460295*	1995	Candy dispensing system
US5560516*	1996	Tablet dispenser
US5984285	1999	Plastic spring
US6543639*	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 what country it came from. 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. 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

Charity

Barky Brown (Animal Welfare League NSW)

Christmas

Angel, Elf, Polar Bear, Reindeer, Rudolph, Santa Claus, Snowman

College Football

LSU Football

DC Comics

Batman, Batgirl, Joker, Penguin, Wonder Woman

Easter

Chick, Duck with Flower, Egg, Lamb, Rabbit, Rooster

Garfield

Garfield, Arline, Odie, Nermal

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)

Marvel Comics

Captain America, Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man, Thor, Wolverine

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Tom, Jerry, Barney Bear, Droopy Dog, Spike, Tuffy, Tyke

Misc

Bozo the Clown, Psychedelic Hand, Psydelic Flower, Bubble man, E.T., Jack in the Box, PIF, Zielpunkt

Moomin

Only in Japan, five minis.

Mr. Bean

Mr. Bean, Irma Gobb, Teddy, Mini Cooper

The Muppets

Kermit the Frog, Fozzie, Miss Piggy, Gonzo

Nintendo

Diddy Kong, Koopa Trooper, 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, Footbal 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

Shrek

Shrek, Princess Fiona, Puss-n-Boots, Donkey

PEZ Sourz

Pineapple, Green Apple, Watermelon, Blue Raspberry

SpongeBob SquarePants

Spongebob, Patrick, Squidward, Embarrased Spongebob

Star Wars

Boba Fett, C-3PO, Chewbacca (IV-VI), Chewbacca (III), Clone Trooper, Darth Vader, Death Star, Emperor Palpatine, Ewok, Jango Fett, General Grievous, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, R2-D2, Stormtrooper, Yoda

The Flintstones

Fred Flintstone, Pebbles, Dino, Barney Rubble

The Simpsons

Bart, Homer, Lisa, Maggie, Marge

The Smurfs

Brainy, Gargamel, Papa, Smurf, Smurfette

The Walt Disney Company

• Bambi, Thumper
• Bouncer Beagle, Chip, Daisy Duck, Dalmatian, Huey, Dewey, Louie, Donald Duck, Dumbo, Goofy, Gyro Gearloose, Mickey Mouse, Pluto, Scrooge McDuck, Webby
• Peter Pan, Captain Hook
• Baghera, Baloo, Kaa, King Louie, Mowgli, Shere Khan
• 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

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael

The Tweenies

Bella, Doodles, Fizz, Jake, Milo

Universal Monsters

Creature from the Black Lagoon, Frankenstein, Wolfman

Ultraman I

Only in Japan, five minis.

Warner Bros.

Bugs Bunny, Bugs Bunny (Back in Action), Cool Cat, Daffy Duck, Daffy Duck (Back in Action), Foghorn Leghorn, Henry Hawk, Merlin Mouse, Petunia Pig, Road Runner, Speedy Gonzales, Sylvester, Tazmanian Devil, Tazmanian Devil (Back in Action), Tweety, Tweety (Back in Action), Wile E. Coyote, Yosemite Sam, Yosemite Sam (Back in Action)

See also

• PEZ Card Game

External links

• PEZ official site (http://www.pez.com/)
• Collecting PEZ (http://www.collectingpez.com/)
• POP-A-PEZ (http://www.popapez.com/)
• Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia (http://www.spectrumnet.com/pez/)
• PEZ Central (http://www.pezcentral.com/)
• The Great Idea Finder PEZ (http://ideafinder.com/history/inventions/story037.htm)
• PEZ world (http://www.pezworld.com/)
• PEZ headquarters: news about PEZ (http://www.pezhq.com/)
• Pezbase, The Online PEZ Database (http://pezbase.beakerboy.com/)