Pez candies were invented in 1927 as a breath mint in Vienna, Australia, by Eduard Haas lll. The name pez comes from the German word for peppermint, taking the P from the first letter, E from the middle, and Z from the last letter. Oscar Uxa designed the first Pez Dispenser As a cigarette lighter to encourage people to quit smoking in 1948. To grow the U.S. market in 1950, Pez introduced fruity flavors and character dispensers, targeting the kids/children. In 1960 Pez added a new dimension to the dispenser base with stickers and die-cuts. Pez’s Subsidiary Headquarters in New York City and obtained a patent for their dispensers. In 1974 U.S. Company Headquarters relocated to Orange, Connecticut. In 1987 feet were added to the dispensers to make more stable standing. The First Pez collector’s convention was held in Mentor, Ohio in 1991. In 1970 the interchangeable rubber head characters were introduced. In 1993 Christie’s auction house in New York held the first ever pop Culture auction featuring Pez. In 2000 PEZ Fuzzy Friends, the first plush Pez dispensers, were Introduced. In 2010 mini Pez dispensers were featured as gifts with Purchase With select of General Mills cereals. From 1950-2010 new characters were made for the dispensers such as Popeye, Mickey Mouse, Tweedy Bird, Spider Man, Star wars, Elvis Limited Edition Collectibles, Disney Mickey Mouse, Wizard of Oz and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. And with the snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Set received Disney’s Prestigious 2010 Product of the year. In 2008 they added the flavor of chocolate.
Eduard Haas III was born outside Vienna, Austria in 1897. His family was very rich and his father, Eduard Haas II, owned a successful grocery store. At a young age, Haas patented a baking powder mixture for cakes based on a recipe from his grandfather. His goal was to sell this at his father's store. This was successful and brought him into the confectionery business.
He began purchasing peppermint oil in the 1920s from a chemist. Using this, he created a small, flat, minty candy later known as Pez in 1927. These mints became immediately popular. The name of the candy originated from "Pfefferminz" which is German for peppermint. Locally, the Vienna- based Haas Food Manufacturing Corporation's Pez candies were successful. Haas wanted more though. The candy gained popularity as an anti-smoking mint. It freshened their breath and provided something for them to have in their mouth instead of a cigarette. In 1955, they began using cartoon heads on the top of the dispenser and introduced fruity flavors. This was an immediate hit.
The Pez Entrepreneur Didn’t creates a new product they just made improvements to it.