pez

photo: www.retrorepros.com

after a busy afternoon, i was in a café enjoying something to drink and watching this kid play with what looked like a toy. after a minute or two, i figured out it was not only a toy but also the dispenser for the candy i ate so many years ago called pez.

i decided it would make for an interesting entry, so here is some information on pez:

pez was originally a black lozenge created by anti-smoking advocate eduard haas of austria in the late 1920's to mask smoker's breath. its name was derived from its german name, PfeffErminZ.

it wasn't until 1948 that a dispenser was thought up. but one had to wait until 1952 before children got hold of it. the appeal of the dispensers took childrens' and adults' fancies and the rest is history, as they say.

there are whole shops devoted to pez. its dispensers can cost a fortune for collectors, some of which are feverishly sought after.

interesting reads are at pez.com or the official collectors site which looks quite nice, called pez.org and more fluff is available at useless information.

there is even a museum. read the article here or visit the museum.

i should have saved my dispensers.