Pez :: essays research papers

Pez was invented in 1927 in Vienna, Austria by an already accomplished candyman named Edward Haas III. The word "Pez" comes from the German word for peppermint, which is phefferminz. You take the first, middle, and last letters, put them together and you get Pez. When Edward Haas first invented Pez it was originally a breath mint for adult smokers, thus the first dispenser which came along in 1947, naturally, looked like a cigarette lighter. In 1952 Edward Haas brought his business to America and did extensive research with his products and the way children had grown attached to them. So in 1952 the first fruit flavored Pez was introduced along with the first Pez dispensers with character heads on them. The first flavors of Pez included cherry, lemon, orange and strawberry. These were the flavors that Edward thought the children would like the most. DispensersIn 1947 when the first Pez dispenser was invented it looked like a cigarette lighter and the "characters" that we know Pez by were not introduced until 1952. It is not certain, but some experts think that Mickey Mouse, and several other Disney characters were the first to appear on the top of dispensers. The top selling dispensers of all times are Mickey Mouse, Santa, and Dino the dinosaur from the Flinstones. Since the beginning of dispensers, over 275 different characters have been featured on top of a dispenser. Before 1987 dispensers did not have "feet". Feet are the two tabs on the bottom of the dispenser that help it stand up straight. The new Pez "regulars" are a remake of the first dispenser that looked like the cigarette lighter. The new regulars have no feet. Pez dispensers are made in and imported from Austria, Czech Republic, China, Hungry, Hong Kong, Yugoslavia, and Slovenia. The dispensers are sold at local Toys R Us, K-mart, Walmart, Wallgreens, Target, Eckard Drug, Family Dollar, Dollar Tree, and many other stores. Some dispensers like Bubble Man are only available through Special order direct from the Pez Candy Co. The most money ever paid for a single Pez dispenser was $3,600 brought at auction for a Big Top Elephant dispenser. Dispenser TagsThere are two different types of tags on Pez dispensers. The first type is the patent number. Pez first applied for a patent in 1968, and received the number 2.620.061. The patent number is located on the bottom left side of the dispenser.