PEZ

by Shawn Peterson

  SLEEVE: The part of the dispenser the head is attached to and pulls out of the stem to hold the candy. The United States patent description refers to this part as the magazine.

  SOFTHEAD: The head is made of a rubber, eraser-like material that is pliable and softer than traditional plastic head dispensers, hence the name. Softheads can be found in the Erie Specter and Superhero series along with a very rare Disney set that never made it to mass production.

  SPINE: The groove on the back of the dispenser that runs the length of the stem. On a vintage footless dispenser, the spine should be the same depth as the channel. Some unscrupulous people will try to pass off a dispenser as footless by cutting off the feet and claiming that it is old. To detect tampering, turn the dispenser upside down and compare the spine to the channel. The spine on a footed dispenser should be deeper than its channel.

  SPRING: Refers to either the spring inside the stem directly under the button or the spring in the top of the dispenser that keeps tension on the character head. There are three basic types of springs in the top of the dispenser: the classic wire mechanism, the “blade” spring and currently a “leaf spring” mechanism.

  STEM: The lower part of the dispenser. It usually has the PEZ logo on at least one side and possibly country of origin, patent number and injection mold code. The front raised groove is known as the channel, and the back raised groove is known as the spine. Depending on the dispenser, the stem may also be die-cut or be completely smooth on one or both sides. It may or may not have feet.

  TRANSITION PIECE: A dispenser that has characteristics of a previous model but also has features of a current dispenser. These pieces must still be in their original packaging to show they are void of alterations. Example: an old style character head that is on a footed stem.

  W/F: With feet.

  Fred Blum

  I talked with Mrs. Fred Blum (Gene) at her home in Stamford, Connecticut, along with her daughter, Phyllis, on January 9, 2016. Mrs. Blum was ninety-two years old and still had quite a memory for the time her husband spent with PEZ. She shared stories of her husband’s work and some of the people he used to work with.

  Fred Blum was the first advertising manager for PEZ Candy. He was part of the original management team for PEZ when it was founded in New York City in 1952. Fred lived with his wife, Gene, in Queens, New York, and saw an ad in the newspaper for an advertising man; he applied and got the job. He was responsible for many things, including all advertising for the brand, trade shows, press releases and some product development. He was originally from Germany; when he came to the United States in 1938, he was twenty-three years old. He would start working for PEZ at the age of thirty-seven and, with the exception of a few years in the middle of his tenure, would continue until 1980, when he retired.

  Fred attended many industry events and trade shows as part of his job with PEZ. During one such event, he was seated at the same table with a popular television actress at that time, Agnes Moorhead. If that name isn’t familiar, you may remember her as the mother-in-law Endora on the 1960s show Bewitched. In the photo on page 184, she is the woman in the group with Blum seated fourth from the right with red hair.

  In 1956, the Blums had one child, a daughter named Phyllis. As she grew up, Phyllis would become the sounding board for Dad and his many ideas for new dispensers. During our conversation, Phyllis remarked, “He always tried the new ones on me. He showed me his drawings and always had my input… . I was the test market kid.” Some of these ideas would lead to the development of the PEZ Pal line, which Blum created along with his counterpart in Austria, Werner Benzinger. The PEZ Pals would go on to be one of the most successful and brilliant lines PEZ ever produced. Fred is also credited as the person who came up with the idea for the Make-A-Face dispenser.

  An industry dinner, circa 1960. The man seated second from left is Fred Blum.

  Blum would continue with PEZ for another eleven years. In 1963, the family moved back to Germany and lived in Munich for several years. During this time, Fred worked for Radio Free Europe as a German-to-English translator. Mrs. Blum remarked, “We had a wonderful time in Munich. He got all of the German holidays, the American holidays. We were constantly traveling, but he didn’t like the job. It was 9-to-5 with no creativity… . Allina came to see us in Munich; he brought us things we couldn’t find in Germany.” Blum missed his job with PEZ. Just a few short years later, the family moved back to the United States, and Fred continued his work with PEZ.

  Upon his return, Blum was instrumental in the original mail-order program. Children could save their candy wrappers and send them back to PEZ to receive a special premium offer such as a flashlight (secret code flasher), clicker and dispenser stand, to name a few. Fred enjoyed the letters he received from kids. Mrs. Blum remembered, “He was very good with children. They would write notes, and he would write back.” It was important to Fred that any child who sent a letter to the company would get a letter back.

  In conjunction with the mail-order program, PEZ also offered a variety of promotional items. To keep track of these items in an era before computers, booklets were created with small thumbnail images of the items. A brief description was also included and a notation describing the type of material it was made from. These booklets are quite rare; only a handful are known to still exist. Several were found in the PEZ archive, some containing handwritten notes in pencil on the pages with the date and quantity that item was last ordered. One of the books was marked to indicate it belonged to Werner Benzinger, Blum’s counterpart in Austria. The other book was not marked but may have been Fred’s personal copy.

  Premium booklets from the 1950s; the bottom copy belonged to Werner Benzinger, and the top book may have been Blum’s personal copy.

  As a child, his daughter, Phyllis, had fond memories of going to Radio City Music Hall in New York to see the Rockettes. “Disney always sent him tickets. Every year, we would go to see the Rockettes and to see the premiere of whatever the Disney cartoon was that year.”

  Mrs. Blum said that over the years, “everything had the PEZ logo: pens, clips, the scotch tape dispensers—we had to do that to bring the business in, you know. Now you don’t have to do that much anymore.” Many PEZ products and dispensers found their way into the home. Fred was known as the PEZ man. “He used to give them away for Halloween, Christmas, Easter,” Phyllis remembers. “My birthday parties, he would always come into the classroom with PEZ. All the kids would get excited.”

  Fred “was a perfectionist.” He preferred the Dewey Decimal system and required office staff to file everything by this system. It was his precision work and meticulous cataloguing that would benefit me later. As I researched information for this book, I found a number of binders stored away in the PEZ archive. It’s my belief that it was Fred who assembled these binders and made the notations on photos identifying the people and the places. I showed one of these binders to Fred’s family during our interview, and they, too, thought it looked like his work. The information he provided proved to be invaluable years later. I like to think Fred unknowingly helped contribute to this book by providing such wonderful information that would be discovered years later.

  Fred passed away in 1985 at the age of seventy. His meticulous work and contributions were instrumental in PEZ becoming the brand it is today. Thanks, Fred.

  PEZ Girls

  The PEZ Girls have been an iconic part of the brand since its inception in 1927. From the beginning, they were used to create an attraction to this then unknown brand. Beautiful women were the focus of advertisements, always with a playful smile and eager to offer a sample of this delicious new sweet. Created in the 1920s, the outfits were avant-garde and a bit sexy for the time. A woman wearing trousers was edgy and controversial. The tray the PEZ Girl carried (with samples of candy) was reminiscent of the cigarette girl, strengthening the message of the original marketing strategy that PEZ was an alternative to smoking.

  Upon its initial introduction and for the n
ext several decades, PEZ was intended for and marketed to adults. Marketing the candy using sex appeal was a purposeful strategy to leverage an interest with the core male consumer. As fashion changed, so did the look of the PEZ Girl. Early outfits (consisting of long sleeves and pants), considered edgy for their time but conservative by today’s standards, gave way to more form-fitting, low- cut styled outfits reflective of the times.

  The artist who painted one of the earliest works for PEZ was Manasee. (Information about the artist remains a mystery.) His work, titled Classic PEZ Girl, depicts a cheerful young woman using both hands to hold an open box of peppermint just under her chin. She is wearing a pillbox hat with a short bob hairstyle peeking from one side. Her big dark eyes and friendly smile are a focal point of the ad. The phrase Bitte sich zu bedienen (translated as “Please help yourself to”) is cast in bold letters across the bottom of the ad.

  Soon after, PEZ worked almost exclusively with artist Gerhard Brause. It was Brause who would go on to solidify the advertisements into the sexy, iconic imagery that was the staple of ad campaigns for years to come. His work in the ’40s and ’50s was already known throughout Europe. He was the artist who created many of the leggy advertisements for Palmers Stockings. Upon comparison, one can see the influence his work there had on his work for PEZ. The paintings were a reflection of popular American pin-up art. No doubt the iconic imagery he created through his paintings is in some way responsible for the success PEZ enjoyed.

  An artistic rendering of the classic PEZ Girl, circa 1960s.

  The real-life versions of these girls were used as brand ambassadors. They staffed booths at industry shows and often attended events dressed in the familiar blue outfits and signature pillbox hat. The shoulder-supported product tray that often accompanied the ladies was how many people got their first taste of a PEZ peppermint. The ladies were always where a crowd was gathered, or (it could be argued) they were the reason there was a crowd. The samples and the smiles were always plentiful. The global awareness of the brand was in no small part due to the association of the girls. Promotional photos often depicted the ladies mingling among the crowd, sharing samples in front of some of the most recognizable landmarks in the world such as the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe and the Atomium at the Brussels World’s Fair.

  As the decades progressed and gave way to the next “hip” style, so did the PEZ Girls’ outfits. Skirts became the norm, in various length and styles, sometimes accompanied by large pockets accented with the PEZ logo that were used to hold candy samples. The artistic style was always fun, bright and full of life. The appearance changed, but the persona remained: the cute, girl-next-door type playfully offered a variety flavors.

  As PEZ expanded the candy line to include new flavors, the ladies came to be known as the “flavor girls.” Each depiction cleverly tied to the candy she was advertising. The colors or style of her outfit were closely associated with the color or flavor of the candy itself.

  An original PEZ Girl painting by Manasee, circa 1930s.

  A PEZ lady posing in front of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France, circa 1953.

  PEZ ladies at the International Sample Fair in Barcelona, Spain, June 15, 1969.

  Outtakes of a conceptual outfit, circa 1970s, for PEZ Supergirl.

  PEZ ladies in Brussels, Belgium, handing out candy samples during the World’s Fair in front of the Atomium, circa 1958.

  A progression of styles and outfits, circa 1920s, 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.

  A woman with a golden, tropical tan, a wholesome smile and who was using her skirt to carry an abundance of oranges that were spilling out, revealing a hint of her thigh, was the imagery that accompanied the orange flavor. Similar in style (and equally revealing) was the woman in the tight, form-fitting blouse and Caribbean style carrying the large platter of lemons.

  Couples were also included in some advertisements, but not to the extent of the single pin- up-style woman. The couples were regularly pictured in an exotic, tropical locale and were often shown sharing a PEZ. The woman was curious, leaning in to find out more. The man confidently held open the dispenser in an outreached fashion to share a single tablet of candy. The poster encouraged the interpretation that ladies are drawn to a man with PEZ, or, from the male perspective, you can actually meet a lady by offering her a PEZ candy.

  One of the most well-known PEZ models is Gerda Jahn of Austria. In her teens, she responded to a print ad looking for a model who could be photographed. The ads were for PEZ, and the artist was Brause. The photos she posed for were the basis for several of his works depicting the iconic PEZ Girl.

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  During a trip to Austria in the mid-2000s to do research and take photographs of a collection for my next book, in my files I had retained a note from years earlier mentioning Gerda Jahn as a PEZ model. All I had was a name and nothing else to go by. During the visit, I asked my friend Johann Patek if he could help locate this person. It was his collection we were there to photograph, and the look he gave based on my request said, “You’re crazy.” Apparently the surname Jahn is fairly common in Austria. Chances of finding her were slim; chances she still lived in Vienna after all these years even slimmer. Even so, Johann obliged the request and began making phone calls to every Jahn in Vienna. I don’t speak a word of German, but I could tell it was the same basic conversation met time after time with the wrong number. Finally, after dozens of calls, I noticed a conversation taking place with the word “PEZ” mentioned several times; perhaps he had found her? My suspicions were correct; not only had he located the Gerda Jahn, but we had an appointment to meet her that afternoon!

  Away we went. The photographer, Johann and I set off across Vienna to find the hair salon where she worked. I believe she was a bit surprised to have our group so eager to meet her. Johann graciously acted as interpreter and explained who I was and why I wanted to meet her. She took time out to share the story of her early involvement and how she had won a contest years earlier to be chosen for the modeling gig. We posed for photos and went on our way. Now in her seventies, she still makes the occasional appearance at European collector conventions. Jahn has continued her modeling career and enjoyed much success to this day in various print advertisement and television commercials.

  PEZ model Gerda Jahn and the author in Vienna, circa 2007.

  A conceptual painting by artist Gerhard Brause, circa 1960s.

  PEZ ladies and a host of costumed Disney characters, circa 1960s.

  The PEZ Girl advertisements would continue as a marketing staple until the early 1980s. At that time, the iconic imagery faded to the background, and the new focus and mascot became Peter PEZ. Advertising with the clown image would soon follow the initial Peter PEZ release in 1979 and would remain in place for several years to follow. The use of the clown was not as widespread as that of the PEZ Girls; likely the imagery didn’t resonate with consumers quite the same. PEZ issued several Peter PEZ dispensers; the most recent version of the dispenser was issued in 2001. The mascot, as well as any advertising associated with the clown, slowly faded into the background.

  Currently, the PEZ Girl is enjoying quite a resurgence in the United States and Europe. Her likeness in the United States has been prominently featured on a variety of merchandise such as T-shirts, coffee mugs and posters, to name a few. European marketing has used several contemporary and classic depictions as the feature images on the sugar-free peppermint advertising.

  The Royal PEZ Set

  The marriage of Prince William and Catherine (Kate) Middleton in 2011 generated mass media coverage and captured the interest of millions around the world. The wedding took place on April 29, 2011, at Westminster Abbey in London, England. Some estimates place one million people along the procession route between Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace to catch a glimpse of the couple. The ceremony was broadcast and viewed live by tens of millions more people around the world, including seventy-two million live streams on the Internet. Television audiences
peaked at over thirty-six million people watching all or at least some part of the coverage.

  To commemorate this global event, PEZ International created a special set of dispensers to auction for charity. The dispenser set depicted a bust of each member of the couple. PEZ Prince William wears a dark jacket and red neck tie, and the current Duchess of Cambridge wears a simple blue dress and necklace. Both dispensers were placed in an elegantly detailed window box featuring the PEZ logo across the middle and the names “William & Catherine” in script font, along with the date of the wedding on each side of the box. To announce the creation of the set, the following redacted press release was issued by PEZ International:

  PEZ Charity Auction:

  William and Kate Go Under the Hammer

  Unique PEZ sweet-dispenser to be auctioned for charity

  (TRAUN, Austria—March 29th, 2011)

  For the forthcoming wedding-of-the-year in the British royal family, the world-famous Austrian sweet manufacturer PEZ has created a pair of PEZ dispensers representing the happy couple Prince William and Catherine Middleton. This unique item will be auctioned on ebay.co.uk to raise money for charity. For collectors of the much-loved PEZ sweet-dispensers, as well as for fans of William and Kate, this is a unique opportunity to own a wholly original collector’s item.

  Offers can be made for the royal PEZ couple on the “eBay for Charity” auction platform from 7 to 17 April 2011. The proceeds will all go to a charity supported by Prince William and Kate Middleton.