In
1927, Eduard Haas,
an Austrian candy executive, developed a small candy
mint which he called PEZ (short for pfefferminz, the
German word for peppermint). The peppermint candies
were stored in a small tin and sold fairly well for
more than 20 years. Initially it was marketed as a tasty
alternative to cigarettes for adults attempting to quit
smoking.
In
an effort to boost sales and develop a brand identity
for the PEZ mints, the first pez dispensers were introduced
in 1948. The original dispensers did not have the trademark
heads which were introduced four years later. These
dispensers had cartoon heads and became very popular
with children who traded them back and forth. These
early dispensers are now very much in demand and are
valued treasures among collectors.
More
than 3 billion PEZ candies are consumed each year and
is sold in more than 60 countries around the world but
the candies have become almost a secondary item serving
as an accessory for the dispensers of which more than
300 have been issued.
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