kids encyclopedia robot

Pez facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
This page is about the peppermint brand. For other uses, see Pez (disambiguation).
"Pez dispenser" redirects here. For the Seinfeld episode, see The Pez Dispenser.
Quick facts for kids
Pez
Pez company logo.png
The logo was designed by Eduard Haas.
Type Peppermint
Place of origin Austria
Region or state Traun
Created by Eduard Haas
Invented 1927; 98 years ago (1927)
Main ingredients Sugar, corn syrup, plant-based fat, flavorings and colorings
Variations Grape, Cherry, Orange, Lemon, Strawberry, Raspberry, Cola, Sugar Cookie, Fizzy, Sours, Candy Corn, Cotton Candy, Vanilla Cupcake, Banana, Lychee, Mango, Coconut, Chocolate, Dragon Fruit
Food energy
(per 8.5 g (1 roll) serving)
 34.4 kcal (144 kJ)
Nutritional value
(per 8.5 g (1 roll) serving)
Protein 0 g
Fat 0 g
Carbohydrate 7.9 g

Pez (pronounced "pez") is the name of a famous candy and its special dispensers from Austria. The candy is a small, pressed block, about 15 mm (5⁄8 inch) long. Each Pez dispenser holds 12 pieces of this candy.

Pez was created in Austria and then became popular all over the world. The Pez logo is written in all capital letters, like "PEZ". It looks like the letters are made from many small Pez candies.

Even though many people know Pez for its fun dispensers, the company sees itself mainly as a candy maker. Billions of Pez candies are eaten every year in the U.S.A. alone! Pez dispensers are a big part of popular culture in many countries. For example, they appear in the Japanese manga series Bleach. Because there are so many different dispenser designs, many people enjoy collecting them.

Top - 0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

The Story of Pez

How Pez Candy Began

Pez was first sold in Vienna, Austria, in 1927. It started as a compressed peppermint sweet. The name PEZ comes from the German word for peppermint, PfeffErminZ. The very first Pez candies were round peppermint drops. Later, a new way of making them was found, creating the hard, brick-shaped candy we know today.

The candy's packaging also changed over time. It went from wrapped rolls to small tins, similar to modern Altoids tins.

The First Pez Dispensers

The first Pez dispensers were called "regulars". They looked a bit like a cigarette lighter. These were made to hold breath mints for adults, as a fresh alternative to tobacco. Oscar Uxa invented these early dispensers. The Haas Food Manufacturing Corporation in Vienna was the first company to sell Pez products.

Pez During and After World War II

World War II slowed down how much Pez could be made and sold. After the war, in 1945, the "Pez Box Regular" was designed and promoted. In 1949, the first official dispenser was shown at the Vienna Trade Fair.

Pez Comes to America

In 1952, Eduard Haas brought Pez to the United States. Curtis Allina led the Pez business in the U.S. A big change happened in 1955: the Pez company started putting heads on the dispensers. This made them fun for children! Some of the first character dispensers included Santa Claus, Popeye, Mickey Mouse, and Donald Duck. Since 1950, more than 1500 different Pez dispensers have been created.

Pez Vending Machines

Pez vending machines were used in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. The first German machines appeared around 1954. Machines later came to Switzerland and then Austria in 1956.

Pez Factories and Leadership

In 1973, Pez built a factory in Orange, Connecticut, in the U.S. Scott McWhinnie became the president of the Pez company in 1983 and retired in 2003. Joe Vittoria took over as president in 2004. Around 2005, the Orange factory doubled in size, and more Pez dispensers were made. In the mid-1990s, the original peppermint candies were brought back.

In 2002, the family who first started the company bought back more of its shares. Today, they own most of the company. The main office is in Traun, Austria. Pez candies are made in Traun and Orange, Connecticut. The dispensers are made in Hungary and China. In 2011, a PEZ Visitor Center opened in Orange, Connecticut, where you can see many Pez items.

Pez Patents

Pez, Inc. has received patents for its dispensers. A patent number is often molded onto the stem of the dispenser. This number tells you about the design's protection. However, you can't always tell how old a dispenser is just by its patent number. For example, a patent granted in 1999 might not appear on a Pez item until 2002. Also, dispensers can have non-U.S. patents from countries like Germany or Mexico.

Injection Mold Codes (IMCs)

Pez dispenser stems usually have special codes called injection mold codes (IMCs). These codes can tell you which mold position a piece came from. A code on the side of the stem shows the country where the dispenser was made.

  • 1: Austria/Hungary
  • 2: Austria/Hong Kong
  • 3: Austria/Hungary
  • 4: Austria
  • 5: Yugoslavia/Slovenia
  • 6: Hong Kong/China
  • 7: Czechoslovakia
  • 8: Austria
  • 9: United States
  • A: Vietnam
  • V: Yugoslavia

If the IMC code is 4, it will have a second number next to it. This second number tells you which specific factory in Austria made it.

Popular Pez Characters

Pez Collection - Flickr - karen.tkr
Character-headed Pez dispensers.
PEZ PEZ.Die.süße.Freude Braun 5way DE.AT-01
When the price for Pez in a vending machine went up, extra space was added for the cash-box. It says "Pez the sweet joy" and "When coins have dropped, press button firmly".

The first Pez dispensers did not have character heads. They were just simple rectangular boxes. The fun toy character head dispensers were introduced in 1955, after Pez candy came to the United States. There are now over 550 different dispenser heads, with thousands of small changes or "variations" over the years.

In the 1970s, Pez made three dispensers for historical figures: Betsy Ross, Daniel Boone, and Paul Revere. These were part of a special series for the Bicentennial (200th anniversary) of the U.S. These dispensers didn't look exactly like the real people. Instead, they used general faces with different hats or accessories.

Star Wars Pez dispensers have been very popular collectibles since they first came out in the 1990s.

The company usually avoided making dispensers that looked like real people. But in 2006, they made a special, limited series of three Pez dispensers that looked like the Teutul family from Orange County Choppers.

The NASCAR-themed dispensers are based on the helmets of famous race car drivers, not their actual faces.

In 2007, a limited edition Elvis Presley set was released. It had three dispensers showing Elvis at different times in his life.

In 2008, the first Star Trek dispensers came out in a gift set. It included the seven original crew members and the Starship Enterprise. A second Star Trek set, based on The Next Generation series, was released in 2012.

In 2009, for the 70th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz, Pez released a special box set. It had dispensers that looked like the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, Dorothy Gale, Toto, Glinda, the Wizard of Oz, and the Wicked Witch of the West. Only 300,000 of these sets were made.

In 2010, Pez released a Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs set, which came with a story book. These were the first characters on the "Short Stem" body. Only 250,000 sets were made.

In 2011, a special two-piece set was released for charity. It featured Prince William and his wife-to-be, Kate Middleton.

Also in 2011, an eight-piece limited edition set was released with characters from The Lord of the Rings films. These included Bilbo, Frodo, Sam, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and Gollum. Only 250,000 sets were made. A special Walmart-exclusive set was also made, which had the Eye of Sauron instead of Bilbo.

In October 2012, Pez released a limited edition KISS gift set. The band members (Starchild, The Demon, The Catman, and The Spaceman) were shown in a reusable metal tin.

In 2013, Pez released Monsters University Pez dispensers. The characters were Mike Wazowski, James P. "Sulley" Sullivan, Scott "Squishy" Squibbles, and Randall Boggs.

In September 2013, Pez released The Hobbit gift set. It included Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf the Grey, Thorin Oakenshield, Fimbul the Hunter, Radagast, Kili, Bofur, and Dwalin in a printed box.

In 2013, Pez also released a series of 18-wheeler trucks. These trucks featured logos from companies like Walgreens, Wawa, and Safeway.

In 2014, Pez released a giant Raphael from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

In 2014, Pez released an Angry Birds gift tin. It had Red, Bomb, Stella, and a Minion Pig in a reusable metal tin.

Popular Pez Character Sets

Pez Collectors and Events

The Value of Pez Dispensers

Some Pez dispensers can be worth a lot of money to collectors. The highest known sale for a Pez dispenser was a special Mickey Mouse prototype (a very early version) that sold for $7,000. This one was never sold in stores. Some of the most valuable Pez dispensers are three "Political Donkeys," each valued at over $13,000. One of these was owned by John F. Kennedy.

Pez Conventions

The hobby of collecting Pez has grown so much that there are now several conventions held each year around the world. The oldest convention is Pez-a-Mania, which has been held in Cleveland, Ohio, since 1991.

Pez in Media

Envision Media Arts is working on an animated movie version of Pez. Cameron Fay is writing the script for the film.

There was also a Pez Card Game, which is no longer printed. It was a game where players collected points by playing cards with Pez flavors and dispensers. The main set had 204 cards.

In 2022, a documentary film called The Pez Outlaw was released. It told the story of a farmer who made money by bringing foreign Pez dispensers into the United States. The film was available on Netflix in 2023.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Pez (caramelo) para niños

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Pez Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.