During this time, the offices were at the 75 West Street location. All aspects of managing the business were conducted from those offices. Warehouse space, however, was not present. For the duration of business in New York, PEZ-Haas, Inc., was essentially a distributor. All goods were imported from manufacturing facilities in Europe and sold through a network of brokers and distributors on the East Coast.
Storage and warehousing in the United States were done using public storage facilities. The initial warehouse location was a tattered building located on Washington Street in New York City. Shortly thereafter, warehousing moved to 330 Manhattan Avenue in Jersey City, New Jersey.
The first office location also moved from 75 West Street to a new, larger space uptown at 10 Columbus Circle, which was located in the exhibition building. PEZ remained at the Columbus Circle address until 1968. That year the offices moved again, this time to 45 39th Street, Long Island City, New York. A few years later, the offices would move to their final New York address: 56–16 37th Street, Woodside, New York.
Some early PEZ inserts (items included in packaging for promotions, etc.) list another address: PEZ-HAAS, Inc. PO Box 702, Church Street Station, New York, New York. This address was established strictly as a collection point for the PEZ premium offers that were mailed in by customers.
A PEZ delivery wagon used at the first New York office address, 75 West Street, New York, New York, circa 1950s.
Left to right: Curt Allina (executive vice-president of PEZ USA), Eduard Haas III (founder and owner) and Werner Benzinger (head of marketing and advertising in Europe), circa 1950s.
During the introduction of PEZ to the American consumer, advertising and marketing were done as they had been for years prior in Europe. PEZ was sold as an upscale product geared toward adults and marketed as an alternative to smoking. As we have learned, Haas had tremendous success for many years throughout Europe selling his product this way. It was the expansion to America that would forever change the PEZ brand.
The initial dispensers that were introduced in the early 1950s were called “regulars”—dispensers with a hinged cap and thumb grip on top. The first flavors advertised in the United States for these regulars were peppermint, lemon and chlorophyll mint. Neither the dispenser nor the candy flavors were designed as a children’s product.
Americans did not respond favorably to this new European product. Alternatives to smoking were not in high demand in the 1950s. Sales did not meet expectations. A new marketing strategy and perhaps a reinvention of the product were necessary. The marketing department ultimately decided on a new direction that would redefine the brand and, arguably, the candy industry. In 1955, the first full-body dispensers were offered (Santa and robot), and for the first time ever, the product was marketed toward children. Fruit flavors, such as orange, lime, grape and wild cherry, were added to the candy to appeal to children’s taste.
The retail cost of these full-body dispensers was twenty-five cents and included two rolls of candy. The following year, a space gun dispenser was introduced that could actually shoot the candy tablets. Both of these new products were priced much higher than most other confections. After all, PEZ reasoned, the product was both a toy and a candy. The average price of a candy bar was just five cents; PEZ was priced five times that amount.
An early advertisement for the “personalized” regular, circa 1957. One side of the dispenser had a coating that consumers could scratch their name into.
Again, sales were disappointing and profits were unimpressive. The cost of manufacturing was high. The Santa and robot dispensers had internal parts and glue seams and used a lot of plastic. Space gun assembly was labor-intensive and also used a lot of expensive plastic. Assembly would have to be mechanized; cost to manufacture would need to be reduced.
Designers reconfigured the dispenser to include a figure on top of a thin rectangular form similar to the original regular. It was less costly to manufacture and required less labor as well. It could be easily produced in a multitude of different colors. The following year (1957), the first traditional-looking PEZ dispenser that we know today was introduced: a witch for the Halloween season. Interest started to grow; sales started to climb. Allina recounted about this time: “Wholesalers and brokers started lining up outside their warehouses with money in hand” to buy whatever cases they could. PEZ was really on to something. PEZ introduced the first licensed character in 1958: Popeye. Sales increased even further.
An extremely rare sales sheet for “ad regulars,” circa mid-1950s.
A full-body robot, circa 1955. Most are found in either red, yellow, light blue or dark blue. The gold color is extremely rare.
An original space gun advertisement, circa 1956.
An advertising sheet, circa late 1950s, showing the first witch dispenser for Halloween and the three other seasonal offerings for Valentine’s Day, Easter and Christmas.
A trade ad featuring a letter from Eduard Haas III, circa early 1950s.
In 1953, Eduard Haas III ran a full-page letter in candy industry publications. He stated, “As the sole owner of PEZ, it is indeed a privilege for me to be so wholeheartedly accepted as a major source of supply to the Candy Distributors who have joined me in rendering a better service in the candy needs of the American Family.” The letter also stated at that time, “in thirty four countries throughout the world, PEZ has earned its enviable position not only as a fast-selling quality confection, but also because it has brought to the consumer a new, practical idea in keeping candy clean and handy in the PEZ pocket dispenser… . PEZ has just completed its first year of distribution in a limited number of U.S. markets. From what has happened sales-wise, one can only gather that PEZ is destined to become one of the leading confections on the candy counters of America.”
The letter concluded by listing all thirty-four countries in which the confection was distributed.
DISPENSER TIMELINE: 1949–59
1949 PEZ BOX trademark regular, PEZ BOX patent regular, locking cap regular
1953 U.S. Zone Germany regulars
1954 Regulars and advertising regulars
1955 Golden Glow regular, full-body robot, full-body Santa
1956 Space Gun, witch regular
1957 Personalized regular, witch (first traditional-looking dispenser) 1958 Easter Bunny, Popeye, Santa
1959 Spaceman
During the late 1950s and early ’60s, PEZ leveraged its advertising on local and regional television programs based in or around the Northeast part of the United States. Product samples were sent to television programs as feature products on the show or samples for audience members. The candy, dispensers or both would be featured and talked about on the program. In addition to the Cocoa March Spaceman television commercial, shows like Romper Room, The Bozo Show and Captain Kangaroo featured PEZ. One of the most high-profile ad campaigns featured Jerry Lester. Lester, a performer himself, hosted the first network late-night television program, called Broadway Open House, on NBC. The comedy/variety show he hosted lasted only a short time but was considered a success that led to the creation of The Tonight Show. Numerous promotional photos of Lester and PEZ featuring his unique toothy smile and surprised look were used to successfully promote the brand. As the advertising progressed, several national programs would feature PEZ. They included Let’s Make a Deal on ABC, Hollywood Squares on NBC and The Price Is Right and Beat the Clock on CBS. A large advertising poster PEZ produced featuring the national ads was done and included the Woodside, New York address, indicating the television spots carried on until the late 1960s or early 1970s.
On December 30, 1957, Haas III was a high enough profile individual that he received a press mention for his visit to the United States. The article stated that he and Werner Benzinger (director of advertising for Ed. Haas Industries in Austria) had arrived in the United States and would be holding conferences with Curtis J. Allina, executive vice-president and American sales manager for the company. The introduction of new PEZ dispenser
s and other new merchandise would be top considerations in the discussions. The article went on to state, “Before leaving, Mr. Haas plans to examine American promotion strategies with special interest in the TV programs on which PEZ is advertised.”
An early advertisement for the Spaceman dispenser, circa 1959.
A news clipping announcing the PEZ television advertising campaign, circa early 1950s.
A promotional photo of Jerry Lester with a regular PEZ dispenser, circa early 1950s.
A press clipping announcing the arrival of Eduard Haas III and Werner Benziner to the United States for meetings at PEZ in New York.
An enthusiastic American public continued to embrace the brand throughout the 1960s, and wholesale orders were strong. Bozo the Clown and Casper the Ghost were introduced in 1960, followed in 1961 by Mickey Mouse. The Disney license would grow to become an important part of the success of PEZ. Over the years, PEZ has produced more Disney dispensers than any other license. The man responsible for the initial partnership was Al Konetzni. He worked for Disney in product development and later worked in the licensing division. The combination would lead to a new business partnership. Konetzni worked directly with Curt Allina to secure the PEZ-Disney licensing agreement in 1961. The partnership forged a long-lasting relationship between the two companies that is still active today. It was Konetzni who approached PEZ about a cooperative venture. He was responsible for designing several iconic pieces of merchandise such as the yellow dome-top lunch box that looked like a school bus filled with Disney characters. His lunch box design alone sold over nine million units. He also designed the Donald Duck pencil sharper and the iconic tie Walt Disney wore.
Konetzni worked for Disney until his retirement in 1980. He celebrated his 100th birthday on May 19, 2015, and is considered a “Walt Disney legend” by the Disney Company. PEZ received an invitation to his birthday celebration and a personal letter from Konetzni himself recounting the relationship between Disney and PEZ:
February 24, 2015
PEZ Candy Inc.
35 Prindle Hill Road
Orange, CT 06477
Subject: Disney Legend Turns 100 years old
To Whom it May Concern:
This May 19, 2015, I will be celebrating my 100th birthday, making me the oldest living Disney Legend, and a century worth of wonderful memories. Recently, I have been reminiscing over my life, and Disney played a huge part.
During my many years as an “Idea Man” for Walt Disney, I had the opportunity of signing up numerous license accounts. I remember what a pleasure it was working with your company. I am happy to see that the PEZ dispensers are still selling strong.
I would like to thank you for allowing me to work on your Disney products that you so greatly manufactured. I may have received credit for signing up your company to be a Disney licensee. Thank you for the good memories and I wish you continued success with your company.
Sincerely,
Al Konetzni
Walt Disney Legend
The first die-cut dispenser, the Arithmetic, arrived in the 1960s. (Die-cut refers to the shapes or cutouts molded into the stem of the dispenser.) The Arithmetic is a unique dispenser. It is a regular with two rectangles die cut into the side of the stem. On the sleeve of the dispenser is a sticker with a series of numbers printed on it. The numbers were visible through the dispenser stem. When the dispenser sleeve is pushed out, the numbers change. This candy dispenser was effectively also a slide rule. It was the first and only PEZ dispenser that could do math. The idea was great; unfortunately, the interest was not.
The Arithmetic faded into obscurity. In fact, the early collector market was unaware of its existence. Even after it was rediscovered, the only known existence was on paper for many years. It wasn’t until the early 1990s that a few examples started to surface in collector circles. Over the years, more have been found, but to this day, it remains a very difficult dispenser to find.
The following year (1961), PEZ introduced additional die-cut dispensers:
• Mouse: with Minnie Mouse die cut into the stem
• Easter Bunny: with a bunny die cut into the stem
• Donald Duck: with nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie die cut into the stem
• Bozo the Clown: with Bozo and Butch die cut into the stem
Despite being well received by the public, the die cuts were short-lived (due, in fact, to production costs that were higher than for traditional dispensers).
That same year, two of the rarest dispensers known were made but never sold to the public: a donkey and an elephant. The donkey’s actual existence wasn’t verified until the mid-2000s. Up to this point, the only hint of its existence was a PEZ press release dated June 13, 1961, announcing the visit of U.S. president John F. Kennedy to Vienna, Austria (first published in a PEZ collector newsletter). Pictured with the press release was an image showing three dispensers, each with three rolls of candy in a cigar-type box with an inscribed lid: a donkey (said to represent the Democratic Party) for the president, a Golden Glow regular for First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and a Bozo dispenser for daughter Caroline Kennedy.
On average, PEZ makes about twelve million candy tablets a day.
To date, this set has never been found, and no one can say for sure if it even still exists. (The donkey that was originally found has an unknown origin. It is unlikely that it was part of the presidential set.) President Kennedy’s Library in Massachusetts was able to provide documentation stating the set was to be returned to sender: “Leather case with Pez candy (To be returned to the sender with thanks by order of the Secret Service).” One can only make assumptions as to why the gift was not accepted; perhaps it was the candy that was included with the set that caused its immediate return. In fact, so little is known about the dispenser that in the mid-2000s, PEZ headquarters in Europe e-mailed the author of this book (who was not yet a PEZ employee) asking for information about the dispenser they had recently located in the PEZ archives in Linz, Austria. The political donkey was no longer just a rumor; it does exist! That donkey still resides in the Linz headquarters but is prominently featured along with a collection of other vintage dispensers in a conference room for everyone to enjoy.
Die-cut dispensers, circa 1962. Left to right: Arithmetic, Easter Bunny, Bozo the Clown, Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse.
An original press release found in the PEZ archive announcing the gift to President John F. Kennedy during his visit to Vienna, circa 1961.
A promotional photo of the set presented to JFK during his visit to Vienna, Austria, circa 1961.
A letter from the Department of State with instructions to return certain gifts the president received during his visit.
A document from the JFK Library listing gifts the president received during his visit to Vienna, including the PEZ gift set.
An extremely rare political elephant dispenser with gold-plated head and round base, circa early 1960s.
In 1963, PEZ partnered with the Taylor-Reed Company, makers of Cocoa Marsh, a Connecticut company that manufactured chocolate syrup mix for milk. At this time, PEZ was working with an advertising agency named Hicks & Griest; this ad agency also represented the Cocoa Marsh license, and a deal to partner was quickly formed. Select bottles of Cocoa Marsh would have a Spaceman PEZ dispenser attached to packages (a marketing effort to increase sales). This dispenser would be unique to the Cocoa Marsh promotion; PEZ created a special stem available only with Cocoa Marsh purchases. The Spaceman dispenser had the PEZ logo on one side of the stem and the Cocoa Marsh name in raised letters on the other side. The promotion was a hit with kids and inspired one of the first television commercials done featuring PEZ. (The original television commercial can be easily found and viewed on the Internet.)
On February 18, 1964, PEZ announced it would once again get back into the adult market with a new product called Smoke-Pause: “a completely new idea of refreshment developed for the adult taste. It is a three way refresher—dextrose, Vitamin C combination wit
h a spearmint flavor. While Smoke-Pause is a refreshment to suit everyone’s taste, it is particularly desirable for pleasing breath between smokes.”
The candy would be offered in small boxes or a tall plastic device referred to as an “automat.” In this device, the candy was stacked flat, exposing the side panel of each pack, and the phrase “pleasing breath” was repeated for the
AUTHOR’S NOTE: THE EMERGENCE OF A SECOND DONKEY DISPENSER
The task of recounting a history often leads to the discovery of lost or forgotten information. Such was my experience. As I began to research corporate history to include on the company website, I inquired as to the location of the corporate archives. There was no official archive room but, rather, a storage area that included a wide variety of materials: dispensers, photos, documents, etc. It was a commonly known area in the company, but with no official record-keeper, the room had become home to piles of unorganized records. I had quite a task ahead if I was to organize and reconstruct a corporate history. The story of the donkey illustrates this well. I spent a few weeks at the beginning of each year working on this archive/storage room, box by box, item by item. Searching, organizing and cataloguing, all the while hoping to find the original press release from 1961. Slowly this room started to take shape, but still no press release. It wasn’t until the last couple of boxes that the discovery was made: an original scrapbook with various newspaper clippings and other mentions of PEZ, including the original Kennedy press release! The document was framed and is now prominently displayed inside the PEZ Visitor Center.
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