Polar Blair's Den- Candy: PEZ

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PEZ was created in 1927 in the country of Austria by Eduard Haas III. It was originally peppermint candy. But how did the name "PEZ" come about? It was a shortening of the German word for peppermint, which is "pfefferminz". Obviously, this word is too long to be commercially appealing, so the first, middle, and last letters were taken out to spell "PEZ".
The original idea of PEZ was adult breath mints that could be taken as an alternative to smoking. A far cry from the many fruity flavors of PEZ that were to come.
PEZ was carried around in pocket tins for many years. It wasn't until 1948 that the first PEZ dispenser was made for sale. The original PEZ dispensers were made to look like cigarette lighters since this was, afterall, an alternative to smoking.
In 1952 the company set its sights for America. To boost sales, they decided to put heads on the dispensers and aim its marketing towards children. At this same time, fruity flavors to appeal to children were also made.
What character PEZ dispenser was made first? This is uncertain, but it's been narrowed down to either the full body Robot or the full body Santa. Full body meaning that the whole PEZ dispenser looks like a body for the character.
Feet were added to the bases of PEZ dispensers in 1987. Because of this change, PEZ dispensers that pre-date 1987 have become increasingly more valuable. I actually like the feet on the dispensers because they can stand up better.