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Pez candy dispensers have been delighting kids for decades with their adorable designs. Most of us have never given their shape a second thought, but you have to wonder what inspired them to create such a unique product. It turns out, there’s a lot more hiding in the candy’s history than meets the eye. I was also surprised by how recently the candy actually made its way over to our country from Europe — and that they weren’t even seen as collectibles for so long, either! It just goes to show how quickly fads like these can take over without warning. Do you have your own collection of Pez candy dispensers, or know someone who has shelves lined with their favorite characters? Take a look to learn more about the candy’s unexpected and fascinating history with these facts below, and don’t forget to SHARE all the Pez candy facts with your friends on Facebook! Chances are, you’re familiar with Pez candy, and you’re perhaps even more familiar with those iconic Pez dispensers. They’re whimsical and fun—even when you’ve long since run out of candy to store inside them. sen360.com Considering the fact that Pez dispensers have made use of licenses from just about every popular character or pop culture figure in recent memory—from superheroes to athletes—they’re almost endlessly collectible. youtube.com Yet for all the fun and novelty of eating Pez candy and collecting the dispensers, most people would never suspect that the brand actually has an odd history. In fact, many fans might find the candy brand’s origins to be quite shocking… yourcandyshop.com If you’re still skeptical, look no further than this vintage Pez advertisement. Doesn’t that man almost look as if he is offering the young woman something suspiciously similar to an old-fashioned cigarette lighter? buzzfeed.com 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. pinterest.com 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. rock95.com 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! pinterest.com 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. pinterest.com There was even a time in which you could purchase a Pez candy dispensing gun that would literally shoot out the pieces of candy like bullets! Obviously, this must have been dangerous, so you could imagine why it was discontinued. pinterest.com Even though Pez has such a strange history as a company, none of that has to mean that we can’t still enjoy the candy and dispensers as the cool, collectible products that they are. In some ways, it might actually make them more charming! giphy.com Were you surprised by the history of this iconic candy? Be sure to SHARE the fascinating facts with your friends on Facebook! Credits: boredomtherapy