Some PEZ Background

The name PEZ was derived from the first, the middle and the end of the German word for peppermint, Pfefferminz, the first PEZ flavor. PEZ was originally introduced in Austria, later exported, notably to the U.S., and eventually became available worldwide. The all-uppercase spelling of PEZ echoes the trademark's style of type on packaging and the dispensers themselves, drawn in perspective and looking as if the letter were built out of 44 brick-like PEZ candies (14 bricks in the P and 15 in each of the E and Z).

Despite widespread recognition of the PEZ dispenser, the company considers itself to be primarily a candy company, producing more than 3 million candy bricks each year in the U.S. alone. PEZ dispenser are part of popular culture in many nations. Because of the large number of dispenser designs over the years, PEZ dispensers are collected by enthusiasts.