PEZ was devised in 1927, by Austrian Edward Haas, who invented a
new peppermint candy, which in German is called "pfefferminz". From
this comes the word PEZ, employing the first, middle and last
letters.
It started life as an adult breath mint, an alternative for smoking and
was intended to be carried around in pocket tins. Not happy with the
delivery system, in 1948 it changed to an "easy, hygienic dispenser"
that quickly delivers the product to the hand or mouth from an enclosed
container, essentially the one which PEZ is famous for. In 1952, a
further innovative development occured when the peppermint was marketed
in the U.S.A., and to make the product more appealing to children (after
all, it could be a candy mint as well as a breath and smoking mint),
they placed heads on the dispensers. That was the beginning. In 1973,
PEZ built a plant in Orange Connecticut, to be followed 10 years later
by an American "PEZident", Mr. Scott McWhinnie.
In 1987, feet were added to the base of the dispenser, making it easier
to stand on end, so most PEZ collectibles can be distinguished
between the before-feet and after-feet designs. The plant, which
doubled in size in 1990, operates 24 hours a day, and since its
inception in the U.S., has produced more than 300 different dispenser
designs. Although the feet and no-feet variations clearly separate the
modern from the earlier designs, there are other variations such as
color and design which can greatly affect the values. Naturally,
condition is of paramount importance, and the collector needs to be
careful to avoid those that contain broken or missing parts. A PEZ
dispenser, not in mint condition, is greatly reduced in value to the
point of being almost worthless.
Original packaging is also greatly
prized, especially if it is one that came out in a blister card, some
with added graphics or information. Early figures were sometimes sold
in boxes, but these are extremely rare. Many times you will see PEZ
containers offered as "mint in package", but these are just cellophane
bags that add nothing to the value. For more information you can find
books covering the subject, such as, "A Pictorial Guide to Plastic Candy
Dispensers Featuring PEZ", by David Welch.
15hqqr.
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