Aurora Historical Society Questionnaire for Community Collectors Exhibit Program: July 18, 2006

Cheryl Chlysta—PEZ Collector—Answers some questions about her collection.

Cheryl A. Chlysta—Ravenna, OH Kent State University—B.A. & M.L.S. Branch Manager of Aurora Memorial Branch of the Portage County District Library System.

When did you begin your collection? As near as I can recall, I began collecting Pez around 1991. One of my co-workers at a branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library System, where I worked at the time, sent me a Pez dispenser with candy in the library delivery. I can’t recollect if Stacey was just thanking me for a good deed or if he was just saying, “I’m thinking of you” through Pez.

How many pieces do you have? I haven’t really counted them, but I would guess over 500 pieces, including Pez dispensers of all types & other Pez ephemera, including tee-shirts, a wall clock, jewelry, tote bags, &, of course, books! There are Pez dispensers that featured licensed characters like the Simpsons, Teenage Ninja Turtles, Star Wars characters, etc., as well a people, animals, & things.

One thing that helps when collecting as a hobby is when you start, you are a novice, so if you can find a book about the subject at the library, that will help you quite a bit. I found several books on Pez at the library & these gave me the information I needed to start collecting—where to look, what to look for, etc.

Where do you get them? Well, you can find current Pez dispensers in virtually any store, mini-mart, & gas station store, grocery store, or any place where food items are sold. My Pez collection has been built through combing flea markets, toy collecting periodicals, some from the Internet (but not many—this is not necessary for collecting this item), & Pez conferences (there is an annual one in Cleveland, Ohio. Friends & acquaintances are always bringing or sending me dispensers when they find them at home in their own garages & attics or their children don’t want them anymore. I also find them at places like Good Will Industries, garage sales, etc. In never really focus on going out to find Pez dispensers, it is just a matter of keeping my eyes open.

What does your collection mean to you? The collection means many things to me. It’s a sense of accomplishment, personal fun, & the enjoyment of such a colorful & fun hobby. Most of the time it is an inexpensive hobby, & I like sharing & displaying my collection with others. I especially like to see children & hear their reactions to the many characters I have.

Many of the collection’s pieces remind me of the person who gave them to me or of a place & time when I collected them—so definitely, memories are a large part of colleting & hobbies in general. Also, collecting can be a way to meet people. I met one of the most famous & largest Pez collectors in the nation at a local Pez convention. Pez collectors can also participate in the annual “Pez Head” cruise. I haven’t gone on the cruise yet but the ship does travel to a different location every year, such as the Bahamas or Nova Scotia. The voyage sounds like fun, because it is a ship full of “Pez Heads,” the nickname of Pez collectors.

Do you have a special place where you display or keep your collection? Unfortunately, I do not have a fun place to display my collection at this time My Pez dispensers are stored in boxes which are easily accessible for me to pull them out & share them with friends.

Are you a member of any Pezcollectors’ club or have you ever attended a PEZ convention? I have attended the Cleveland convention & I’d like to attend the Las Vegas, Nevada convention as well as the cruise.

Which is your favorite? Explain. As a collector, it is hard to pick just one, I actually have many favorites. I really like the rare finds that I own from the 1960s that are worth quite a bit of money. One is Disney’s Dumbo from the Disney file of the same name & some of the Disney Peter Pan characters. I also have many of the Pez dispensers from other countries.

Is there a special Pez character that you are looking for or would really like to have? Yes, there are several that I would love to find or purchase. There are three that I can think of right off the top of my head. One is called the “psychedelic eye” from the 1960s. It is a dispenser in the shape of a hand that is holding a groovy eyeball. Another is a baseball Pez dispenser that is rare, & the third is a Pez-Make-a-Face. This one is similar to the Mr. Potato Head toy. The Make-a-Face Pez dispenser is valued at $3,000 - $5,000. It came with face parts that you could change. This is another dispenser that is rare & I have never even seen it in person. It is the Pex promotional dispenser made for the Lion’s Club International Club in 1962. This one was given to attendees of the convention. It is very rare and worth approximately $1,500.

What is the history of Pez dispensers? The word “Pez” comes from the German word for pfefferminz, which means peppermint. Edward Haas first made Pez mints in Vienna, Austria in 1927. It freshened the breath & came in a tin container. Hass adamantly opposed smoking & created his mint candy to providers smokers an alternative to cigarettes. A rumor has it that Haas’ slogan was “smoking prohibited—pezzing allowed!” Later, the company made fruit-flavored candy for children & placed them in colorful character dispensers. The Pez andy Company is privately owned & does not provide any information to the public on its sales, policies, or number of dispensers manufactured. The company is located in Orange, Connecticut but has plants in other countries & Pez International is located in Austria.

Would you recommend collecting Pez to others? Absolutely! They are fun, small, portable, colorful, & most of all, affordable. You can’t help looking at them and smiling!

Pez are everywhere, just take a look around. Keep your eyes & ears open; there was a Tweety Bird Pez dispenser featured in a television episode of Seinfeld, they appear in comic books, & there was quite a discussion of cherry Pez in the movie Stand By Me. Cherry Pez is not longer manufactured; the company replaced it with grape. Cola is another unusual Pez flavor. There are even sugar-free Pez & the original flavor that started it all, peppermint.