PEZ

by Shawn Peterson

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  One plausible scenario that explains the pear and pineapple shortage comes from a story related by a longtime employee that recounts at some point around this time a container of goods arrived at the factory in Orange from overseas. When the container was opened, the entire contents had the strong smell of garlic. It was found that during the transport process, another container was loaded on top of the dispenser shipment and severely leaked, and garlic oil found its way inside the container. Nothing could be done to salvage the goods, and the entire container was sent to the landfill.

  Major changes took place at PEZ in 1979. Longtime executive vice-president Curtis J. Allina left PEZ, followed shortly thereafter by other longtime senior leaders. The change in management personnel is likely why the rubber head program failed to move forward (coupled with an unexpectedly high production cost). The planned efficiency and cost savings would be lost, and the vision was now gone.

  DISPENSER TIMELINE: 1970s

  1970 angel with ornament loop, Santa with ornament loop, chick in egg no hat, elephant with hair, Indian chief, lil’ lion, Mr. Ugly, octopus, one-eye monster, pony, three-piece witch, Sparefroh and seven new PEZ Pals: doctor, fireman, girl, maharajah, nurse, pirate and policeman

  1971 hippo, Indian brave, Mickey Mouse with removable nose

  1972 Alpine Man, knight PEZ Pal, sheik PEZ Pal, skull, Make-a-Face 1973 raven, cowboy, panda, duck with flower, cat with derby, cow A, Pinocchio B, Mary Poppins, Jiminy Cricket

  1974 snowman, Asterix, Obelix, Muselix

  1975 cockatoo, gorilla, long face clown, Daniel Boone, Betsy Ross, Uncle Sam, Pilgrim, captain, wounded soldier, Indian maiden, stewardess, pilot, bride, groom, engineer PEZ Pal, ringmaster PEZ Pal, orange, practical pig B

  1976 chick in egg, cow B, crocodile, elephant with flat hat, elephant with pointy hat, fishman, giraffe, lamb, lion with crown, Mimic the Monkey, rooster, Olympic Snowman, yappy dog

  1977 astronaut B, sheriff PEZ Pal, duck nephew, Scrooge McDuck, Dumbo

  1978 Bambi, Bugs Bunny, Chip, Captain America, Daffy Duck, Dalmatian, Hulk, Merlin Mouse, panther, Red Nose Reindeer, Speedy Gonzales, Spiderman, Sylvester, Thor, Thumper, Tweety Bird, Winnie the Pooh

  1979 Soft Head Superheroes: Batman, Joker, Wonder Woman, Batgirl, Penguin; Soft Head Disney (not sold to the public): Captain Hook, Donald Duck, Dumbo, Goofy, Mickey Mouse, Pluto; Soft Head Monsters: Air Spirit, Spook, Vamp, Diabolic, Scarewolf, Zombie; Peter PEZ; pineapple; pear; A and B series trucks; Coach Whistles

  In 1979, the suggested retail price for a dispenser with candy in a clear cellophane bag was fifty-nine cents; that usually included one dispenser and two rolls of candy. The suggested retail price for the exclusive supermarket program introduced that year (featuring one dispenser and four rolls of candy on a blister card) was seventy-nine cents. This was referred to internally as a 1+4 (one dispenser and four rolls of candy) The same terminology is still used today; more commonly now though, most blister cards are 1+3 (one dispenser and three rolls of candy).

  Chapter 4

  Quiet Times

  The 1980s ushered in a new era. Two longtime senior leaders who were key in development and vision for the company had left. Curt Allina and Fred Blum had retired or moved on to other opportunities. Andy Udvarhelyi was brought in to lead the company. Udvarhelyi took the executive vice-president position in the fall of 1979 and remained until 1982. Upon Udvarhelyi’s departure, Frank Lundblad assumed the leadership role for a brief time through the remainder of 1982 into early 1983.

  In 1983, Scott McWhinnie became president/CEO. McWhinnie had been vice-president of marketing for a toy company prior to working for PEZ and had just come from a leadership role at General Mills in the children’s cereal division. His background seemed like a natural fit for PEZ. During McWhinnie’s tenure, a couple of notable things happened: blister card packaging went from solid red, blue and green colors to the themed artwork we continue to see today, and feet were added to the dispenser bases in 1987 to help them stand upright. The latter of these two changes is regarded by most collectors as the division between new and vintage dispensers.

  Some of the dispensers offered in 1980 added a new layer of play value and entertainment: whistles. Merry Music Makers, as they were called, had a round tube inserted in the back of the head that made a kazoo-like sound. The initial line included camel, clown, dog, donkey, duck, lamb, pig, rhino and rooster. “MMMs,” as collectors often refer to them, offered a fun new product direction without the cost of licensing fees. The following year, the line was expanded to include a frog, koala, panda and owl. The whistle idea was smart; unfortunately, it added a layer of cost to the dispenser that ultimately led to them being retired.

  A press release, dated September 5, 1979, announcing Andy J. Udvarhelyi as the chief executive officer of PEZ-Haas, Inc.

  Groundbreaking photo, circa mid-1980s. Left to right: Lisa Viera (computers), Carl Quaranta (vice-president, sales), Kathy Testa (sales), Scott McWhinnie (president/CEO), Dora Dwyer (treasurer) and Mark Morrissey (plant manager).

  Most whistles can be found with or without feet. The owl whistle was the last dispenser in this line to be produced. The multiple-piece head required separate molds for each piece. The expense to produce, assemble and pad print along with the whistle tube exceeded cost estimates, and the dispenser was dropped from production. Few of these dispensers were made, and none that are known made it to retail. Examples today in excellent condition have sold for almost $2,000 each.

  During the 1980s, PEZ started moving away from the longtime, iconic PEZ Girl advertising and started using a clown mascot dubbed “Peter PEZ.” The girls had been a key part of advertisement from the inception of the brand. Their look and style evolved with the times, and dare I say, they were as relatable to the brand as the candy itself. The Peter PEZ dispenser was first introduced in 1979, followed again in 1993 and again in 2001 but with a noticeable makeover. The ’93 version was nearly identical to the ’79 version with the exception of the name “PEZ” on the front of the clown hat and, of course, feet on the dispenser base. Both versions said “PEZ”; the remake would use the brick shape logo, and the original did not.

  Advertising with the clown image would soon follow the initial Peter PEZ release and would remain in place for several years to follow. The majority of advertising used a photo of a person in costume dressed as the mascot. The clown would appear at industry events and special events such as supermarket promotions. The use of the clown mascot was not as widespread as that of the PEZ Girls; likely, the imagery didn’t resonate with consumers quite the same. Perhaps the difficulty and added expense of hiring talent to portray the character was a factor in the decision as well. Once the remake dispenser was issued in 2001, the mascot, as well as any advertising associated with the clown, quietly faded into the background.

  PEZ acquired two major licenses in 1980: MGM and Warner Brothers. The MGM licenses included such notable dispensers as Barney Bear, Tom & Jerry, Spike & Tyke and Droopy Dog. The license would be carried for most of the 1980s and would provide a wide variety of dispenser variations. The Warner Brothers license added new characters that included Cool Cat, Foghorn Leghorn, Henry Hawk, Wile E. Coyote and Petunia Pig.

  On October 31, 2010, a rare elephant dispenser sold on eBay for $6,254.89.

  Peter PEZ mascot, circa early 1980s, with the PEZ sales team. Left to right: Jerry Deignan, Flora Tartaglia, Howard Cohen and Carl Quaranta.

  The following year, in 1981, the DC Comics license was expanded to include Wonder Woman. Several versions of Wonder Woman would be offered over the years, including a soft head variation that is the most valuable. Most notably, the Wonder Woman dispenser was often used by people bootlegging KISS dispensers. Perhaps her long hair made it the easiest to convert from superhero to the painted-face band members. PEZ would go on to release an actual KISS set in 2012.

  That same year, the Incredible Hulk was updated from the original 1978 release and added
to the Marvel line, this time in a lime-green version. Seasonal offerings were updated with a new jack-o’-lantern and snowman dispenser, and the trucks were updated with a new “C” series version. The “C” designation refers to the version or series; in this case, it was the third series. A was the first, B was the second and so on. The easiest way to tell the first three truck series apart is by the rear wheels. “A” series trucks only have one set of wheels with a single fender and axle on the trailer. “B” series trucks have two sets of wheels on two separate axles, and the fender has an indention between the rear wheels that looks like the capital letter B on its side. “C” series trucks also have two sets of rear wheels and a smooth fender that coincidentally looks like an elongated letter C turned on its side.

  In 1982, PEZ received a high-profile mention in the Steven Spielberg movie E.T. the Extra Terrestrial. The main character, Elliot, shows E.T. a variety of toys and action figures, including a PEZ dispenser, and describes them to the alien: “See this is PEZ, candy. See, you eat it. You put the candy in here, and then when you lift up the head, the candy comes out and you eat it. You want some?” It wasn’t for another twenty years, until 2002, that an E.T. PEZ dispenser would become reality.

  In 1982, PEZ launched an Annie dispenser to coincide with the movie release of the same title. Unfortunately, the movie wasn’t a hit, and neither was the dispenser, making it somewhat difficult to find. That same year, PEZ produced another space gun to capitalize on the space craze caused a few years earlier with the Star Wars movie. The space guns could be loaded in similar fashion as a traditional dispenser; the “clip” worked like a dispenser base and was slid into the grip of the gun. When the trigger was pulled, the gun actually shot candy. Two versions of the gun exist, one “Made in Austria” and the other “Made in Hong Kong”; both could be found in either red or silver. The silver color is the harder of the two colors to find.

  Production of the guns ceased soon after, and the tooling molds used to make the guns were sold to a company in Taiwan. The Taiwanese company used them to produce the DSH Space Gun. The color of the gun was remolded in either white or black plastic, with the letters “DSH” now replacing the PEZ logo once found on the top of the grips. Instead of shooting candy, the gun shot black plastic pellets that happened to be similar in shape to that of a PEZ candy tablet. The packaging graphics depict an outer space theme with several astronauts on an alien planet fighting a serpent-like monster. There is no indication on the packaging or gun that offers a clue as to what “DSH” may stand for. The gun has interest with space gun collectors as well as PEZ collectors. Examples rarely show up for sale, and when they do, they have sold for several hundred dollars each.

  One of the rarest dispensers known has its roots in 1982 as well. The “World’s Fair Astronaut” was created but never offered to the public. The dispenser looked identical to the astronaut dispenser that was first released in 1977; the notable difference was the inscribed dispenser base. In raised letters on the side of the stem are the words “1982 World’s Fair Knoxville Tennesse.” There are two versions of the World’s Fair dispensers known; one astronaut has a teal-green stem and helmet, and the other has a green stem and white helmet. Both have the exact same inscription, and for those of you paying close attention, yes the name Tennessee was spelled incorrectly. No one can say for sure why this dispenser was made or how it was intended to be sold. Nothing to date has been found in corporate records that can shed light on this project. Anyone who worked on the project left the company years ago. One can only speculate as to why this project never made it; perhaps it was the misspelling that led to its demise.

  PEZ was first introduced in 1927 as a breath mint for adults and an alternative to smoking.

  Some years later, at a collector convention in Stamford, Connecticut, the owner of one of these World’s Fair dispensers agreed to have the item on display and offered to sell it to anyone who was willing to pay the $100,000 asking price. The dispenser was displayed for the duration of the show and was accompanied by its own uniformed security guard. The dispenser drew a lot of interest from the media and those attending the convention. In case you are wondering, even with all the attention, the dispenser did not sell.

  As the ’80s progressed, the yearly offerings shrank to the point of only one or two new dispensers being released per year. In 1984, PEZ partnered with Ralston Purina to offer a free roll of PEZ candy on select boxes of Donkey Kong Jr. cereal. The boxes included an offer that could be mailed in to receive a Donkey Kong Jr. dispenser. The same dispenser happened to have been released years earlier as the monkey sailor; the difference now was a very small transparent sticker with a single J that had been applied to the sailor cap of the monkey. Today, the monkey sailor can still be found with relative ease, but good luck finding the J version. For most examples, either the adhesive sticker has long since dried up, causing the sticker to fall off, or it was easily peeled off. Either way, finding one with the sticker intact is quite difficult. The cereal box with the PEZ promo has become quite collectible in itself. Box collectors (yes, there are people who collect cereal boxes) as well as PEZ collectors search for this coveted box. Original examples, when found, have sold for several hundred dollars each.

  The year 1984 was a pivotal one for PEZ in Europe. It was this year when feet were first added to the dispenser bases to help them stand upright. The idea to be able to stand your dispenser up while on display was challenging because the narrow base and wider, usually heavier head on top caused the dispenser to tip over. The solution to the problem would be called “feet”: small, rounded tabs added to the base that would now give the dispenser added stability.

  European advertisement, circa 1984, announcing feet would be added to the dispenser base.

  A few years later, in 1987, feet would be added to all dispensers sold in the United States. The initial launch in both Europe and the United States was footed dispensers that are known by collectors as “thin feet.” The tabs weren’t very thick and, because of the delicate nature, could be broken rather easily. Dispensers were shipped in bulk boxes for packaging, and the feet were often damaged or broken in transport. After several years, the damage to new product became such a problem that PEZ reinvested in the tooling to come up with a solution. The remedy to this situation was to add more plastic. The thickness of the feet nearly doubled, creating a new variation among collectors: “thin feet” versus “thick feet.”

  Thin-footed dispensers were sold for several years before transitioning into the footed version that is currently offered today. Recent time has shown increased interest among collectors to find these thin-foot variations. Sale prices on the secondary market have shown a modest increase in value.

  Many dispensers released during this time can be found with or without feet. They are known as transition pieces. Since PEZ usually keeps a good amount of finished goods on hand, anytime a change is made, it can take some time to filter through existing dispensers before the changed design is seen at retailers. This was a dramatic change and took longer to completely transition into the new footed design. It also marks the point in time when most collectors draw the distinction between vintage and modern dispensers.

  In 1984, Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, hosted the XIV Winter Olympic Games. This was the first Winter Olympics held in a communist state. Readers of Yugoslav newspapers were asked to choose the mascot for the Winter Olympics from six potential finalists: a chipmunk, lamb, mountain goat, porcupine, snowball and wolf. The latter was the contest winner: a little wolf named Vučko (pronounced voo sh-co), designed by Slovenian illustrator Jože Trobec, would go on to represent the Olympic Games as its official mascot.

  PEZ introduced the Olympic mascot as a dispenser exclusive to the games. Three main variations of the wolf were offered: no hat, stocking cap and bobsled helmet. Today, there are numerous variations of these three dispensers that can be found—some with black or gray heads, some with red or yellow hats and helmets, some with red or gray noses and
of course feet or no-feet versions, to name a few. If you look closely at the back of their heads, you will find the Olympic Rings molded just under that hat.

  These dispensers are difficult to find, and those that have surfaced recently generally come from European countries. Prices for more common versions have held fairly steady in the $200 to $300 range, with unusual examples commanding an additional premium. The Olympic wolf is a more recent dispenser, or at least one from a time when production numbers should have been quite high. Collectors have often discussed the possibility of finding large stashes of this dispenser that have been stored away. Chances of that, however, are highly unlikely. Sarajevo was under siege and in the middle of war for nearly four years. The city was devastated by this war, and anything that was stored away was probably destroyed. This dispenser will likely remain difficult to find, and versions that do surface are often snapped up and put into private collections. The Vučko wolf has remained a symbol of Sarajevo ever since the Olympic Games.

  In 1984, PIF the dog was released. PIF was the original creation of French comic artist Jose Cabrero Arnal and dates back to 1948. The humanized yellow dog, originally titled Pif et Hercule, was a regular part of the French newspaper L’Humanité. PIF later got his own magazine called Pif Gadget, which was very popular with children. The “gadget” part of the title referred to the free toy that came with each issue. The magazine spawned some international spinoffs such as YPS in Germany and Jippo in Scandinavia. It was the YPS spinoff that gave us the PIF PEZ dispenser.

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  For most collectors, footless dispensers are usually more desirable. Desire doesn’t always translate to value, and as we have learned, there are exceptions. When given a choice between a footed and non-footed dispenser with the same head, the preference is usually toward the non-footed version. When the overall condition of two dispensers is the same, a non-footed dispenser will almost always sell for more than the same dispenser with feet. Footed dispensers that historically had the most interest (i.e., value) include the Vučko wolves, the owl whistle and rare variations with the original 2.620.061 patent number.