For almost a century, PEZ has been a household name for sweet lovers. Their eye-catching dispensers and the tasty treats they contain have captured the imagination of people all over the world.
The iconic dispensers make the simple act of having a sweet very satisfying. Pair this with the many pop culture figures they’ve teamed up with over the years and it’s no surprise that there’s a global community and devoted fandom surrounding it. With dedicated collectors, known as PEZ Heads, and an ever growing range of dispensers and new flavours, there’s no denying that PEZ is a giant in the world of sweets.
It all began in Austria when Edward Hass III created the original peppermint-flavoured treats in 1927. Initially intended as an alternative to smoking, the treats got their name from the German word pfefferminz. Haas took the first, middle and last letters to create the name PEZ! They began life as round candies and were known as ‘PEZ drops,’ but they soon changed to the brick shape that we know and love today.
In the 1940s, they were packaged in small metal tins that were a similar size and shape to a cigarette lighter. The first dispensers were revealed in 1949 and shared many similarities with those you see today. With a hinged cap and holding 12 PEZ sweets at a time, these were known as ‘regulars’ and lay the foundations for all dispensers to follow.
A few years later, the brand set up in America and began making it’s dispensers and candies there as well as in Europe. The American market had a real hunger for the brand, and it was through this that they were able to grow on a global scale! This gave the boffins at PEZ scope to have some fun and they launched the Space Gun dispenser in 1957, followed quickly by the Halloween Witch later that year. This was the first example of a three-dimensional head crowning the dispenser, and the next year Popeye was the first licensed character. Many more characters have followed over the years, with more than 500 to date contributing to the thousands of variants available globally.
This ginormous range reaches far and wide, with notable figures of all kinds being honoured with their own PEZ sweet dispenser over the decades. Cartoon characters are particularly popular, with a wide range of classics having signature lines. There have also been plenty of PEZ originals along the way, and the range is constantly growing. The range stays up to date with everything from the latest TV show and film characters to video game stars, meaning you can get your hands on anything from Minions to Super Mario PEZ sets. Plenty of real people have had their likeness immortalised atop the famous candy container, too. The Presidential Series Collection saw the first five to take the oval office become a collectors PEZ set. Other notable names range from Colonel Sanders to Elvis and even Mozart. But, having been on sale since 1955, Santa is the best-selling Pez dispenser of all time!
With such a wealth of models over the years there is a huge catalogue for PEZ Heads to dive into. The first ever PEZ collector convention was held in 1991. Fans travelled from all over America and Canada as well as Europe. Some even travelled from Japan! Today, rarer and historically significant models fetch eye-watering sums at auctions, with competition for prized PEZ memorabilia fierce.
There are many desirable dispensers that sell for hundreds of dollars. But, for the highly collectible ones, it can be much more. A clear Space Gun from the 1950s sold at auction for over $11,000. Although, rumour has it that this was a fake and fell apart shortly after purchase!
Probably the most notorious sale of a PEZ dispenser, though, is the World’s Fair Astronaut B. This collectible spaceman was made specifically for the trade show in Tennessee and was auctioned in 2006. The winning bid was $32,205; however the bidder never owned the item as they didn’t have the money! Within the community of PEZ fans, consensus is that it’s still worth around $10,000 today.
Among the most expensive PEZ dispensers ever sold are two special editions with links to the British Royal Family. Both the Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and the Prince William and Duchess Kate PEZ dispensers were auctioned online with all proceeds going to charities. The Harry and Meghan set raised £7,300 for the Make a Wish Foundation, whilst the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge figures fetched £8,200 for the Starlight Children’s Association. The Will and Kate set the record for the most expensive PEZ dispensers. However, the Democratic Donkey and Republican Elephant dispensers gifted to President Kennedy are considered the most valuable in the world. Gifted to Kennedy on a trip to Vienna in 1961, these are valued at around $25,000. If nothing else, these shows just how powerful the pull of PEZ is!
Looking at the sheer volume of products that PEZ makes to cope with demand each year shows the scale of their popularity. Around 70 million dispensers are made annually to keep up with popular demand. To fill all of these, and all of those that customers are topping up, the American and European factories make 5 billion sweets between them. Yep, 5 billion, with a ‘B’! This includes a host of new flavour mixes as well as the original.
Surprisingly, the classic peppermint flavour hasn’t always been available over the years. As the brand shifted to cater for kids rather than those trying to quit smoking, they found that fruity flavours were more popular – particularly on the American market. Peppermint was reintroduced in the nineties with remakes of the ‘regulars’ – then it went again! Flavours available today include Fruit and Exotic mixes alongside Cola, Sour and Fizzy PEZ refills, too.
Always with their finger on the pulse, the newest PEZ dispensers are always in line with what’s going on in popular culture. For example, they are up to date with the latest film releases, with everything from Marvel Superheroes to popular Disney characters, as well as hit kids’ TV shows like Paw Patrol. Here at Wholesale Sweets, we’re huge fans of all things PEZ and regularly update our range. So whether you’re building your own collection or looking for the perfect gift for a little sweet lover, you can enjoy brilliant wholesale value! If you have any questions about our PEZ range, or any of our other bulk sweets for that matter, simply reach out to our team and we’ll happily help you out!
