Everything You Always Wanted to Know About PEZ

October 10, 2013

PEZ is an Austrian product which originally came in only one flavor, Pfeffermintz..thus the name, an abbreviation of peppermint in German language.  E-Bay credits the start of the business to PEZ because the first E-Bay site was created for the wife of the founder to trade her PEZ collection on line.  More than 800 distinct designs have been produced since 1950.  At the Burlingame Museum of PEZ Memorabilia you can view all 800 of them.  The gift shop has all the latest and some vintage dispensers for sale.  There are also PEZ flavors with which to fill them, of course.  I am an enthusiastic fan of the museum even though owning PEZ dispensers does not really call to me.  For collectors I am sure this is a true Mecca.

originals

50’s PEZ

early cartoon PEZ

PEZ gun

I visited and had the tour, then convinced my friend Donna to experience the museum the following day.  I was graciously admitted again, given an extension on my first ticket, to join them on the tour.  The great thing about collecting tiny objects is that many can fit in a small space.  The museum is packed with PEZ and PEZ art as well as classic toys still in production like Lincoln Logs, and a set of toys that have been taken off the shelves for safety reasons.  My favorite of the banned toys is the atomic lab that came with real radioactive material for your child to use.  I had all kinds of science kits as a kid, and probably would have had my own atomic lab if my father had known about it.