Hunting for the Holy Grail of PEZ dispensers
Summary
PEZ candies were invented in Austria in 1927 as peppermint mints and were first sold as an anti-smoking aid. In the U.S., PEZ became popular in the 1950s after adding cartoon character heads to the dispensers and switching to fruit flavors. Today, PEZ produces billions of candies yearly and has a large collector community, including a Guinness World Record holder with thousands of unique dispensers.Key Facts
- PEZ candies were created in 1927 by Eduard Haas III in Austria.
- The name PEZ comes from the German word for peppermint.
- Initially marketed as a way to replace smoking by freshening breath.
- PEZ was introduced to the U.S. in 1952 but failed at first.
- Adding cartoon character heads and fruit flavors helped PEZ become popular with children.
- The PEZ company in the U.S. makes about five billion candies a year in Connecticut.
- Brian Trauman holds the Guinness World Record with over 6,481 unique PEZ dispensers.
- A very rare PEZ dispenser linked to President John F. Kennedy was recently found and sold for $10,000.
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