| From the Beginning | Dispenser Timeline | A Future Perspective |

"From the Beginning..." A Brief History of PEZ Dispensers (top of page)

In 1952, PEZ was first introduced to the United States, but that's not the beginning...

1927 was the year, Austria the place, when a man named Edward Haas III invented a potent Peppermint candy using family owned baking powders. He cherished his Peppermint tablets, and frequently impressed his friends and neighbors with his tasty creation. Impressed with his creation, his close friends and family began to think young Haas was on to something big. Time proved that they were right, but the only problem with Haas' creation was that there wasn't a way to store and preserve the mints. Soon enough Haas had an idea: to serve the mints in small, hand-size containers. He devised, and manufactured a small tin to hold the mints, similar to the modern Altoids tins.

All he needed now was a name for his new product. Haas selected the first, middle and last letter within the German word for Peppermint (Pfefferminz), and the result was PEZ! In time, Haas' PEZ mints began to catch on with the general public. Although he regarded his creation as a way to make some quick money, Haas began to put more effort into marketing to selling his mints. He decided to target the smoking community with his mints: Using the peppermint mints and a dispenser that resembled a cigarette lighter to assist a smoker to quit his or her habit. He took his idea a step further and began designing this cigarette lighter look-alike dispenser.

Although his designs continued to evolve, eventually Haas finalized his plans and created his first mint dispenser. It was the first PEZ mint dispenser disguised as cigarette liter. Haas predicted that when flicked, the contraption would dispense a peppermint candy which would remind a smoker of their commitment to give up smoking. The candy would also freshen their breath in return. A great idea, right? Well the smokers didn't exactly go for it. A discouraged Haas soon noticed that children began buying the dispensers and mints, and almost immediately, he began marketing to the youth.

World War Two came at a bad time for Haas and his PEZ dispensers. It interfered with marketing and production progress, and most of the early advertising was destroyed. In 1945, manufacturers devised and promoted the PEZ Box Regular, one of the first PEZ dispensers ever made. They began to infiltrate the PEZ market, and were regarded as a "new" and "hygienic" solution to eating peppermint candy. In time, these dispensers became increasingly popular, and in 1952, the PEZ industry migrated to the United States.

In the U.S., a man named Curtis Allina was put in charge of PEZ. He headed the company and began to work hard to make PEZ just as popular in the U.S. as it was in Austria. Three years after their introduction to the U.S., in 1955, the PEZ company realized that it was likely that they would sell more dispensers if they put heads on top of the stem. To test out this idea, two full body dispensers were manufactured: Santa Clause and a Spacetrooper. Sales did indeed rise, and shortly thereafter, the company began to place popular cartoon characters and famous historical figures on top of PEZ dispensers. As you know, PEZ are still with us today, but now there are more than 450 different dispensers.

Dispenser Timeline (top of page)

Here is a brief scetch of PEZ dispenser history. This timeline is by no means complete, but still a valuable guide to consult.

A Future Perspective (top of page)

PEZ dispensers have taken many twists and turns during the past 70 years. Ever since PEZ hit the United States markets, they have assumed status as a cultural icon. Even despite waxing and waning prices, this iconicity will never change. Now, more than ever, companies and large corrporations are looking to PEZ to show off their new branding or marketing strategies. They understand the timeless appeal of PEZ and that by establishing themselves on a dispenser is the closest thing to immortality other than immortality itself. Although this may prove to be merely a trend of the early 21st century, one thing is certain: the collectors aren't going anywhere. Conventions are still going strong around the globe, and more dispenser lines are being generated every year. Licenses for new PEZ lines featuring movie characters have increased dramatically this past decade, and appear to continue for some time. For this reason, dispenser line production will be shortened, and in the eyes of the collector, this may mean certain current dispensers will become more valuable and harder to find than others. PEZ is still just as strong as ever.