For more than 70 years, PEZ candy has been a pop culture phenomenon, with its colorful plastic candy dispensers topped with the busts of iconic cartoon characters, superheroes, and TV icons. But that’s not what the little rectangular sweet treats were first known for.
Long before the brand became famous for its playful character dispensers, it was invented in Europe as a peppermint candy for adults, created as an alternative to smoking cigarettes.
According to the official PEZ company history, Austrian entrepreneur Eduard Haas III introduced the candy in Vienna in 1927. His goal was to offer a refreshing peppermint treat that could help people resist the urge to smoke. The candy’s name comes from the German word Pfefferminz, meaning peppermint, and the company’s early slogan was “Smoking Prohibited – PEZ Allowed.”
Originally, PEZ mint candies came in a tin box. But in 1949, the company introduced a mechanical dispenser, designed by Austrian engineer Oscar Uxa to resemble a small lighter, further driving home the anti-smoking message.
The company first introduced PEZ candy to the U.S. in the early 1950s. When the anti-smoking message didn’t excite American consumers, executives decided to branch out by targeting children with fruit flavors and redesigned dispensers. The first character-head dispenser, featuring a Halloween witch, was introduced in 1957. Soon, the company was licensing well-known Disney characters, and kids began collecting the dispensers, turning PEZ candy into a pop culture phenomenon that lasts to this day.
According to CBS Sunday Morning, PEZ produces five billion candies a year at its headquarters in Orange, Connecticut, which includes a 4,000-square-foot museum of PEZ dispensers. Collectors from all over the world have already sold out the 100th anniversary party being held there in May 2027, though there’s a waitlist in case space opens up.
Meanwhile, new dispensers are always being designed. In October and November, PEZ has plans to release new dispensers featuring Pikachu (the most popular Pokemon character), a generic Christmas puppy, and gift sets featuring the KPOP Demon Hunters gift set and Bluey characters.
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