Time travel with PEZ

The concept originated in Vienna, Austria, as a compressed peppermint candy packaged in small tins, a unique entry into the market by Eduard Haas in 1927 as an alternative to smoking or at least to mask ashtray breath.

The founder coined the term PEZ after the German word for peppermint, Pfefferminz, capitalizing the P, E and Z.

To accommodate the brand’s expansion, PEZ built a factory in Czechoslovakia in 1935, later introducing the first dispenser at the Vienna Trade Fair in 1949. The company entered the U.S. retail universe in 1952 after opening a distribution headquarters in New York City, though still importing the candies. Here are some other milestone moments for PEZ:

1957 - First PEZ dispenser character head is introduced
1960s - Unusual candy flavors like licorice, flowers and chlorophyll are introduced (no longer available); the PEZ Boy is introduced as a detective who dresses up in disguises to solve mysteries
1973 - PEZ breaks ground on the Orange, Connecticut, manufacturing facility and warehouse
1991 - First ever PEZ convention is held in Mentor, Ohio, attracting collectors from the U.S., Canada, Europe and Japan
1993 - Forbes magazine features PEZ on its cover
2000s - PEZ introduces Fuzzy Friends plush dispensers
2005 - The first limited edition set is introduced: Star Wars
2006 - PEZ introduces living people on its dispensers for the first time, featuring the Orange County Choppers family, the Teutuls
2007 - 80th anniversary of PEZ and launch of special Disney Mickey Mouse collectible tin
2011 - PEZ Visitor Center opens