Are You a Pez Head?
By Teresa Ambord
If you're a Pez Head, you're not alone. Pez dispensers were one of the first pop culture products to gain popularity as a collectible. Here are a couple of quiz questions for you to test your Pez IQ.
Where Did Pez Come From?
Pez candy was created in Austria in the 1920's as a compressed mint candy. In the 40's it was packaged in tins shaped like cigarette lighters, with familiar heads like Santa Claus, doctors, and nurses. Back then, they were marketed mainly to smokers. The extremely popular dispensers first appeared in the United States in 1952. Sales really took off when children bought the product for the dispenser. After some market research, a new fruit flavored candy was developed to have even greater appeal to the kids.
By the way, Pez is a name derived from the word Pfefferminz, which is the German word for peppermint.
Starting a Collection is Easy
If starting a Pez dispenser collection appeals to you, it's as easy as going to the local flea market. You probably won't find all of them, but you can find a lot. Santa Claus and Mickey Mouse have traditionally been the most popular classics.
How Old is Your Pez Dispenser?
Some of the rarest dispensers are:
- Captain America, no feet
- Baseball Glove, no feet
- Batman with black hood and cape
If you find one of these, you know you've got a valuable collectible.
It can be difficult to figure out just how old a Pez dispenser is because there are so many variations and releases. Here's one clue: If a Pez dispenser has no feet, chances are it was made before 1989. Some of the earliest models were sold in boxes. If you find one in a box and it is in mint condition, it could be worth several hundred dollars.
Books About Pez Collections
Here are two books you might find interesting:
- Pez Collectibles (Schiffer Book for Collectors), by Richard Geary
- A Collector's Guide to Pez, Identification and Price Guide, 2nd Edition, by Shawn Peterson.
Fun For Kids
Let your kids browse around the Pez Fun website, where they'll find coloring books, mazes, and word searches:
