With great-tasting flavors and collectible dispensers, PEZ is more than just a candy … it’s the pioneer of “interactive candy.“
In 1927, after many years of careful thinking and hard research, Eduard III realized his dream of creating the finest peppermint tablet that could be made.
PEZ Drops wrapper, circa late 1920s. The original candy was round but quickly transitioned to the current brick shape in the early 1930s.
An early order sheet that offered candy three different ways: round drops, pocket tins and traditionally wrapped brick-shaped tablets, circa late 1920s–early 1930s.
An extremely rare PEZ Drops display box, circa late 1920s.
In 1928, Haas bought a former belt factory located at Ruprechickà No. 32 in Liberec. Here is where he would launch the mechanized production program for his new pressed candy and sales organization under the name Tovàrrna Poživatina (Foodstuff Factory), Eduard Haas Liberec.
At this time, peppermint lozenges were manufactured by adding flavoring material to a hot, boiled sugar substance and were only sold in chemist shops. The cost of these peppermint lozenges was not cheap. Haas sought to reduce waste in the process of using such costly ingredients in the same manner. Under the current process, he calculated, flavoring materials would evaporate before flavor fully developed on the taste buds.
A new manufacturing process permitting the natural effect of the additives had to evolve. As early as the 1920s, the research department of the Ed. Haas factory in Linz, under the direction of a chemist named Dr. Ortner, started working on this problem and developed a cold pressing process that today has international recognition as the “PEZ processing method.”
A rare European PEZ Drops advertising sheet, circa 1920s.
An early PEZ advertisement, circa 1930s. The words above the couple translate to “Deliciously Fresh Breath!”
The results of the work were astounding. Visitors who were given samples of the then nameless round lozenges gave great reviews, and there were many inquires. Demand dictated increased production. The company began to investigate production possibilities to capture the largest possible market and perhaps go global.
Eduard III saw this new product as the essential piece, the bridge he had been dreaming of since his youth, that would allow him to “assist people everywhere and thus be regarded as a friend by one and all.”
The product had to be refined. There were some challenges. The new tablet must be of a shape that would not need to be hand-packed and could be wrapped by machines. This demanded a flat-faced tablet. The round “PEZ Drops” tablets that were initially offered would soon switch to the familiar brick-shaped tablet we recognize today to better accommodate a mechanized manufacturing process.
Another problem was a name. What should this exciting new tablet be called? One can imagine the company chief who had already produced a number of well-known products sitting at his desk, experimenting with names, juggling words and letters. His product was a peppermint sweet. The German word for peppermint is pfefferminz. Shortening a bit here, discarding what he had assembled thus far and searching for something better, the master businessman arrived at just three letters: P-E-Z. Haas used the first, middle and last letter in the word pfefferminz to construct this new name. Short and striking, it seemed just right. It is a lucky coincidence that this name was free and available to be used in all countries of the world and that it was available for trademark. One can only wonder if, at that time, Haas had already envisioned an American market. The astonishingly sure touch of this man led him to discover a word that is pronounceable and easily understood the world over. Millions of people all over the world would soon be persuaded to accept PEZ as a new word in their vocabulary.
“Kicker” is the name of the part located on the back of the dispenser head that pushes a single piece of candy out when the head is tilted backward.
In the days of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, eleven different language wrappings were required for a single article. To get around this difficulty and added expense, PEZ were labeled in English only. The fact that the peppermint oil used in these new peppermint tablets came from England facilitated the brand expansion considerably. Due to the cost of the expensive peppermint distillate, the price of PEZ was relatively high compared with that of other confectionery goods. From a confectionery point of view, PEZ was expensive. For the chemists, who were accustomed to the product’s exclusivity, the price was a good value.
This is an original order form, circa 1933.
One of the earliest known traditional candy packs, circa 1930s. Notice the name “Reichenberg” is on the side panel.
A rare Gymnastik PEZ candy roll, circa 1920s. The wrapper was perforated and contained a picture so it could be used like a trading card.
When PEZ first appeared in the market, the Czechoslovakian chemist union put forward a motion in the Prague parliament proposing that the sale of PEZ in food and confectionery shops be prohibited because the menthae piperitas (peppermint) contained in PEZ should only be allowed for sale in chemist shops. The motion did not receive the required majority vote; it was rejected. PEZ was available for sale everywhere in the world. The initial price for fourteen bonbons (candies) was twenty groshen (at the time, one hundred groshen were equal to approximately one schilling; conversion rates are not readily available, but my estimate is that the price equated to about a penny, maybe a bit less).
Zdravotni is Czech for “healthy” or “for health.” This is a very rare candy wrapper, circa 1930s.
This new peppermint enjoyed a fast-growing demand and significant market base. Demand soon exceeded the Linz factory’s production capability, and other Haas factories were soon switched over to accommodate the high production needs. The majority of production took place in the newest factory installation in Reichenberg (Liberec), Czechoslovakia.
PEZ advertising began with the employment of attractive girls wearing stylish trousers—a sensation in the 1920s! This alone attracted attention and served as the catalyst of a very popular and successful advertising campaign. PEZ Girls were grass-roots marketers; they went where there were large crowds of people and offered samples of this refreshing new peppermint. PEZ Girls would soon arrive at famous landmarks around the world, offering the public a new way to freshen breath and refrain from smoking.
Notice the large candy tablet just above the driver’s head. This was likely part of a large advertisement that she could drive around.
PEZ Girls on the street in Vienna handing out candy samples, circa 1928.
Success would soon be halted when the Second World War brought about an abrupt and painful stop to manufacturing. All factories abroad were confiscated without compensation, and the Linz factory had no raw material to manufacture.
At war’s end, Eduard IV (Consul) returned to Austria to begin reconstruction of the Linz factory. With a talent for organization and business tactics, he managed to obtain the necessary raw materials that were so difficult to acquire and improved the worker/management relationship. Ration cards, which allowed for meager portions, still existed, and rigorous law was still in place by the occupational powers in Austria. Two main products of the Haas factories were now temporarily prohibited: Haas baking powder and Haas blancmange. During the years from 1945 to 1949, shortages were the rule and product that could be delivered immediately was the exception.
A painting of the Haas headquarters building located at 10 Parkring Circle, Vienna, Austria.
Franz Fellner worked for the company from the mid-1940s into the 1970s as the import-export manager in Linz. He was with Haas during the worst years of business the company experienced as a result of chaos caused by the war. He was part of the company’s reconstruction effort in 1945. His recount of this time is taken from an interview that was conducted in January 1971 for the Haas family magazine:
Nothing existed at that time. Raw materials were practically impossible to obtain and in particular we had to struggle under the handicap of the Russian demarc
ation line. But within six years after the end of the war, in 1951, we were able to start building up the export business. At the start, only a few crates were dispatched to Switzerland. Nowadays 25–30 tons of PEZ are exported per week to the USA and other countries of the world.
PEZ peppermints were once again manufactured using the familiar blue-and-gold packaging. They represented the start of returning to normal conditions. For the younger generation, PEZ represented an exciting novelty, while for the older generation the familiar flavor conjured prewar memories and hopes for the future. If this peppermint sweet with the slogans “Are you a PEZzer too?” and “Smoking prohibited—PEZzing allowed” could be rescued from the chaos of war in the newly resurrected Austria, there was the hope that many other things would soon return to normal as well.
An extremely rare side panel from metal display, circa 1940s. To date, there are only two complete displays known.
A statue in the lobby depicting an eater, drinker, smoker and PEZer. The sign, done in candy tablet shapes, translates to “the free and the addicted.”
Within a very short time, expansion resulted in increased demand for these tasty peppermint candies. Eduard III’s desire to create an alternative to smoking well before the ill effects of this habit were known placed him solidly in confectionery history. There was doubt that such a product was needed, much less could be successful. Eduard proved otherwise.
Until this point, PEZ peppermints were only offered in paper- and foil- wrapped rolls or sold in metal tins that could be carried in your pocket. People had to place their fingers into the tin to retrieve a single piece of candy. Sharing would involve other people touching the candy. Eduard III decided that sharing could be a more hygienic event. In the late 1940s, Haas hired a freelance engineer named Oscar Uxa to create a dispenser for the tablets. It was required that this dispenser fit neatly in a trouser pocket, dispense one tablet at a time in a hygienic fashion and be easily operated with one hand. The snap-gadget that Oscar Uxa created and patented provided a huge leap in sales. The company applied for an Austrian patent on October 28, 1948. Nearly one year later, on October 14, 1949, the company filed for a U.S. patent. The item, the “pocket article dispensing container,” was approved. The patent was registered for a thirty-dollar fee. On December 2, 1952, U.S. Patent number 2.620.061 was assigned.
This is the patent application, dated September 23, 1949, stating Oscar Uxa is the sole inventor of “pocket container.”
This is the original patent document. Notice the change in red ink from “Pocket Container” to “Article dispensing container.”
A mechanical drawing for the original dispenser. There is only one known original dispenser in a private collection, and it matches the drawing perfectly.
The Austrian factory in Linz was soon much too small to keep up with the demand of this new product. A new, fully automated factory in St. Martin, Austria, was established and the new PEZ BOXes were being sold by the millions. The small, brick-shaped white peppermint tablets (assembled and packaged in finger-length rolls) were packaged to prevent flavor loss. The rolls were shipped to the markets of the world along with their new PEZ BOX companion. One year later, in 1949, the PEZ BOX would debut at the Vienna Trade Fair. Participants gave the new product a positive review, and demand increased.
Jagoda (ja’goda) in Eastern Europe and erdbeer in Germany are the names for the popular candy flavor strawberry.
“BOX Trademark” was molded in raised letters near the base of the dispenser and was the first indication the new product was under patent. This would soon be followed by “BOX Patent”; both are the earliest designs and are only found on regulars. Once the patent number was awarded, subsequent versions would bear the mark “U.S. Patent 2.620.061.” During World War II upon the fall of Germany, the Allies occupied and sectioned off the country into four occupied zones. The occupation started in 1945 and lasted until 1952. During this time, the manufacturing facility that made regulars was in the zone controlled by the United States. These dispensers have the mark “U.S. Patent 2.620.061 Made in Germany U.S. Zone.” These regulars are referred to by collectors as “U.S. Zone regulars.” This was the first time transparent plastic was experimented with, and some of the dispensers from this time are quite beautiful. The four most common colors are red, blue, amber and green. Clear does exist, but they are quite rare. Mostly it was on the dispenser base that the transparent plastic was used, but some examples have transparent caps as well. BOX Patent and BOX Trademark dispensers are rare and quite difficult to find. U.S. Zone regulars turn up on a consistent basis and are more common. Likely, many were brought back to the United States by service members who were in Germany at that time.
On average, PEZ uses 100,000 pounds of sugar every week to make PEZ candy.
There has always been an association or assumption that the PEZ Box was designed to intentionally resemble a cigarette lighter. Although there is definitely a similar appearance and it may have well been an intention, researchers have yet to find evidence to indicate this was done purposely. In fact, there is anecdotal evidence to suggest that it was not. The Bic lighter, most commonly associated with the look of an original dispenser, wasn’t invented until 1973, well after the creation of the original dispenser. (Coincidentally, both PEZ and Bic are currently headquartered in Connecticut.)
Although one could argue the Zippo lighter was of the correct era and served as inspiration, there is no evidence to date connecting the two items. The shape of the tablets stacked one on top of the other likely dictated the shape and size of the dispenser. The finger-length roll of candy itself determined the ultimate design of the dispenser. It does make for a good story—a product created as an alternative to smoking is sold in a dispenser that resembles a cigarette lighter—but that seems to be all it is.
European sales in 1951 were strong. PEZ-Unimint GmbH was incorporated in Munich, Germany, and its own sales organization was established for western Germany. Dr. Ludwig Josef Meyer managed this division. Dr. Meyer was an expert with vending machines and would play a key part in the expansion of PEZ. Later in 1961, PEZ-Unimint GmbH would proudly announce the placement of the 40,000th PEZ vending machine in western Germany.
Chapter 2
Coming to America
Eduard Haas III had long considered expansion into the American market. He had applied for and received a patent. He traveled to the United States to explore possibilities; the result of this visit would lead to the incorporation of PEZ-Haas, Inc., in New York City and the establishment of a distribution network throughout the United States.
Eduard III selected Curtis J. Allina to lead the American operation. Allina was born on August 15, 1922, in Prague, Czechoslovakia, and moved to Vienna, Austria, as a child. In the early 1990s, collectors delighted in meeting Allina and hearing him speak at the first Annual National PEZ Collector Convention in June 1993 in St. Louis, Missouri.
When he was a child, Allina’s family lived in Vienna at 18 Berg Gasse Street. Sigmund Freud happened to live at 19 Berg Gasse and was his neighbor. When asked if he ever spoke to Freud, he responded, “Why? I was a little boy, he was an old man, I had no reason to talk to him.” While the story itself isn’t remarkable, the fact that he lived next to such a worldly figure is an interesting side note. As an adult, Allina stated that he was imprisoned during World War II in a concentration camp for a time but was removed and taken to England and trained by the OSS (Office of Strategic Services). He stated that he returned to Germany to do intelligence work for the Allies.
Allina came to the United States in 1948 and settled into private life, working for a food company in New York. Haas was looking for an individual who could speak German and was familiar with American business. He found Allina through a family member on Allina’s side who had worked for the Haas Company in another part of the world.
Haas approached Allina with a proposal to lead U.S. operations and be the first executive vice-president of PEZ-Haas, Inc. The contract of employment
was dated December 11, 1953, and lists the place of business as 75 West Street, in the city of New York (the New York Post building). The contract placed Allina’s residence at 775 Riverside Drive in the borough of Manhattan. Allina would later move to 2727 Palisade Avenue in Riverdale, which would prove to be beneficial to business shortly thereafter.
According to Allina, Alfred Harvey (Harvey Comics founder) had an apartment in the same building, and the two would occasionally cross paths. They had a friendly relationship and would sometimes talk business. It was this relationship that led to an early licensing deal and appearance of Casper the Ghost on a PEZ dispenser.
The original American division of PEZ-Haas, Inc., included those listed below. Their years of service to PEZ are in parentheses.
Curtis J. Allina, executive vice-president (1952–79)
Dr. Whittenberg, attorney (exact time representing PEZ is unknown)
Joseph Graff, accountant (the Graff Agency remained with PEZ until 2014)
Ruth T. Urso, treasurer (1957–76)
Fred Blum, advertising manager (spent approximately twenty-five years with PEZ)
Marion Marx, office manager (exact time with PEZ unknown)
AUTHOR’S NOTE
During this time, candy distribution was typically handled by brokers and distributors who also represented tobacco products. The industries often shared the same customers, so it was common to offer the widest variety of products. The tobacco industry had its own trade magazines; these magazines now make great resources to find original PEZ advertising and new product line announcements. They have proved to be great resources when trying to determine release dates. These days, the industries have gone their separate ways, and the co-mingling of the two product lines by the same broker is now more the exception than the rule.
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