“The excitement worldwide about William and Kate’s forthcoming wedding was the perfect opportunity for us to create this uniquely designed PEZ sweet-dispenser. This wholly original item will symbolize appreciation for our extensive community of collectors as well as serving a charitable purpose. The ‘eBay for Charity’ auction enables us to achieve both these aims,” comments head of marketing Gabriele Hofinger on the background of the initiative.
All royal fans and PEZ collectors can find more information about the auction as well as images of the “William & Catherine” PEZ dispenser via PEZ’s Web 2.0 sites; on the PEZ-Blog, on the Facebook site and on Twitter.
“The social media platforms enable us to do what was unthinkable only a few years ago; to be really close to our client and fans all over the world. This is a thrilling prospect, and the feedback we’re receiving from around the world is fantastic,” points out an enraptured Gabriele Hofinger. “It was through our social media channels that we got the idea to sponsor this charity auction.”
PEZ was founded in 1927 and has since become active worldwide. Around 80 million sweet-dispensers and 4.6 billion sweets are produced annually. Besides Europe and the USA, Japan and Australia are among the most important markets.
The auction garnered thousands of views on eBay and generated a frenzy among bidders. American media took notice of the set, and numerous news stories about the sale were talked about on programs such as CNN and The Today Show. At the close of the action, the final bid was £8,200 British (at the time, $13,300 USD). The proud new owner was an American who agreed to loan the special set to PEZ for display in its Visitor Center. The set remained on display for about one year and then returned to the owner. It has been part of a private collection ever since.
The royal couple immortalized in a one-of-a-kind PEZ dispenser set, circa 2011.
The Making of a Dispenser
All dispensers start with an idea. Sometimes that idea is something PEZ creates on its own, such as seasonal dispensers like Santa Claus, bunnies, pumpkins and witches. Sometimes it’s an everyday assortment like Circus Animals, PEZ Pals, Emergency Heroes or Emojis. Other times, they create iconic characters with our various license partners like Disney, Marvel, DC Comics and Sanrio, to name a few. If it’s a self-created character, PEZ designers will sketch various concepts for internal review. Once a final concept is decided, the art is sent to a sculptor to create a three-dimensional design. The sculpts are hand painted and offer the best example of what the actual dispenser will look like. The designs are sent back to PEZ for internal review. If no changes are needed, the sculpts are sent to the factory to begin the tool making process. If changes are needed, the process loops back around until a final design is complete. Licensed designs follow the same process except the licensor provides the character assets, called a “style guide,” that are used to create the character.
Tooling dies have to be created in reverse design so when the dispenser is created the printing or logo is in the correct orientation. Some vintage dispensers had unique designs molded into the stem such as the Cocoa Marsh, Zorro, hippo and football player or die-cuts such as Donald Duck and Casper.
Once all the tooling is complete, the production process can begin. Dispensers are injection molded, meaning plastic pellets are melted and injected into a steel mold, where it will form into the shape of the die. A high-pressure press will squeeze the liquid plastic, forcing it into all the nooks and crannies of the mold. The press will eject the newly molded pieces and the process begins again, all at high speed. Dispenser heads, stems and candy buttons are all molded in multiples. The individual parts are pad printed if necessary to enhance the details and then hand assembled to create a finished dispenser. The completed dispensers are then shipped to the factory in Orange, Connecticut, where they will be packaged with candy and shipped to retailers across the country.
Pad printing head detail on a Darth Vader dispenser.
Pad printing details on a stormtrooper head during the production of Star Wars dispensers.
Numerous stormtrooper heads being boxed for the next step in the production process.
Recently printed stormtrooper heads drying before the next step in production.
Vintage tooling dies used to mold unique stem bases and candy buttons, circa 1960s.
“Feet” is the term for the small tabs located on the bottom of the dispenser base to help it stand upright.
Bibliography
Brown, C. “Revenge of the Philistines.” Forbes, December 6, 1993, 149–54.
Haas. Bringt Freude brochure.
Peterson, Shawn. Collector’s Guide to PEZ: Identification and Price Guide. N.p.: Krause Publications, 2008.
PEZ Company archives.
PEZ family journal, January 1972.
PEZ magazine for the friends of the House of Haas, January 1972.
The Secret of the PEZ Box. PEZ family magazine, 1972.
That’s Haas. Company magazine.
Union Trust. “Topics.” November–December 1973, 4–5.
Welch, David. Collecting PEZ. N.p.: Bubba Scrubba Publications, 1994.
About the Author
Shawn Peterson is a project manager for PEZ Candy Inc. in Orange, Connecticut. Currently, he manages the Visitor Center and acts as the company archivist and historian. He also manages content for the company website and is responsible for the creative content in the Visitor Center. Prior to working for PEZ, he authored the Collector’s Guide to PEZ, which has three versions/updates. He has been a collector since 1990. This book is the result of research, interviews and firsthand experience.
This book occasionally includes personal narrative of his research into the corporate history.
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