The beginnings of PEZ

In 1927 he invented Upper Austrians Edward Haas III the PEZ candy. His idea was to offer smokers an alternative to cigarettes. He created for that Peppermint candies made from pressed sugar and peppermint oil. The name of the brand is derived from this: PEZ was created from the first, middle and last letters of the word “ peppermint ”.

PEZ candies were initially sold in small tin cans, but in 1949 the PEZ box was developed, a dispenser with a snap dispensing mechanism made of plastic, then in the form of a lighter to suit the target group. Recognized during the 1950s Edward Haas the product's potential for children: He then had fruity flavors developed and put the heads of cartoon characters on the PEZ dispensers. The Disney characters Mickey and Donald started in 1962. Disney and PEZ have remained partners ever since.

The PEZ vending machines are also well known. The first was in 1956 Vienna West Station set up. 36,000 machines followed throughout Austria and Germany. It was only with the introduction of the euro that they disappeared from the cityscape and subsequently became popular collector's items. Continue reading...