Where do Pez Come From?

I was browsing through all the candy that Sweet City Candy has to offer and began to wonder about one in particular – Pez!  Where do they come from and when were they invented?  So I set out to find the answer, and here you have it, people – the history of Pez!

• Pez was invented in 1927 in Vienna, Austria as a breath mint.  Pez is actually an abbreviation of the German word “Pfefferminz” (peppermint)
• In 1948 the first Pez dispenser was invented.  It resembled a cigarette lighter and was meant to encourage people to quit smoking.
• In the early 1950′s, to grow its American market, Pez created fruity flavors and character shaped dispensers
• In the early 1960s, Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters were introduced as Pez dispensers.  You can still purchase those today from our website here.
• Feet were added to the dispensers in 1987 to make them more stable when standing up, say on someone’s lap during a piano concert causing her to laugh so hard it disrupts the recital (what is iconic TV show is this a reference to? Find out here.)
• June 15 1991 the first Pez Collectors Convention was held in Mentor, Ohio.
• In 1993 Pez was featured on the cover of Forbes Magazine
• In the late 1990s, Pez released Star Wars themed Pez dispensers, now the most popular dispensers in Pez’s history
• In 2002 Pez Sourz dispensers were introduced and had new sour flavors including pineapple, blue raspberry, watermelon and green apple.
• 2007 marked Pez’ 80th anniversary and released a commemorative Mickey Mouse dispenser in a collectable tin
• 2008 Pez launched a chocolate flavor
• 2011 Pez expands its flavors again and added strawberry-vanilla and raspberry lemon