The Surprising Story Behind Pez Dispensers. You Thought You Knew It All!

Well, your eyes do not deceive you! That is exactly what Pez dispensers are designed to remind you of. Before they were given all sorts of other flavors, like wild cherry and orange, Pez was advertised as anti-smoking mints.

Not only was mint the only flavor that was available for Pez candy pieces, but the word “Pez” is actually short for Pfefferminz, which is German for—you guessed it—”peppermint.” At the time, marketing such a product to children must have seemed absurd.

The original Pez advertisements employed a technique that was common at the time and would continue into the present day: using pictures of beautiful women. After all, the company needed to do whatever it could to present a non-smoking lifestyle as an attractive option, especially considering how popular the practice was back in the day!

In 1955, the brand started to actively market its product to children. It achieved this by introducing tastier fruit flavors, and of course, by producing the dispensers in a colorful and appealing packaging.