History
The Origin of PEZ
In 1927 Eduard Haas III., who was of upper austrian origin, invented the PEZ-drop. His idea was to offer smokers a healthier alternative to cigarettes. For that reason he created mint-drops out of pressed sugar and peppermint-oil. The name of the brand PEZ was made out of the first, the middle and the last letter of the word "PfeffErminZ“ (Peppermint).
PEZ-drops were at first sold in small tin cans until 1949 where the PEZ-box was created, which is a dispenser with a tilt-release mechanism made of plastic and because of the target group it resembles the form of a lighter. In the 1950´s Eduard Haas discovered the potential of the product for children: Thereupon he fabricated fruity flavors and put heads of comic-figures on top of the dispensers. It started with the famous Disney characters Mickey and Donald in 1962. Since then Disney and PEZ remained partners.
Well-known are also the vending machines of PEZ. The first one was erected 1956 at the western train station in Vienna.
Read more about the History of PEZ
PEZ candies – small, rectangular, iconic!
The small, rectangular PEZ candies are unique in appearance and have remained unchanged in form since they were created in 1927. Today, the candies are available in various flavours, as fizzy candies and also as a sour variety.
PEZ candies are gluten-free and contain no animal by-products or raw materials of animal origin.
The dispenser-boxes as cult objects
Since the introduction many diverse dispensers were generated. The base of the dispensers stayed the same, while the heads changed according to current trends. Over the years PEZ became a popular brand for collectors. The dispensers are also sold at auctions.
Since 1927 PEZ was promoted by "PEZ-Girls". Especially the images of Gerhard Brause, who was responsible for the graphic appearance of PEZ from the 1950´s to the 1970´s, are still very popular.
PEZ: the cult brand
The PEZ Group is a company that operates worldwide. Besides Europe and the USA, Japan and Australia are among the most important markets. PEZ products are available in more than 80 countries. Approximately 70 million dispensers and 5 billion candies are manufactured annually. 750 people are employed by PEZ worldwide.
PEZ Candy Inc., USA
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