Toy character head dispensers were introduced in 1955, after the candy was introduced in the United States. There are over 450 unique dispenser heads with thousands of variations.
The company formerly had a general rule against creating likenesses of real people. In the 1970s, three historical figures were created: Betsy Ross, Daniel Boone, and Paul Revere which were released as part of the Bicentennial series. These dispenser heads were not made to actually look like the people they represented, but instead used generic faces with different accessories.
In 2006 a limited edition series of three PEZ dispensers were made to look like the Teutul family from Orange County Choppers. These are the first dispensers to have been made in the actual likeness of living people. The NASCAR-themed dispensers are based on the helmets of famous drivers, rather than their actual likenesses.
In 2007 a limited edition Elvis set was released featuring 3 dispensers from different time periods in Presley's life. In 2008 the first Star Trek dispensers will be released in a gift set with the 7 original series crew and the Starship Enterprise.
There are many books and websites which catalog all PEZ dispensers which have been manufactured.
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