Editing Pez (section)

==History==
PEZ was first marketed as a compressed peppermint sweet in [[Vienna]], Austria, in 1927 by [[Eduard Haas|Eduard Haas&nbsp;III]]. The name PEZ is an abbreviation of {{lang|de|'''P'''feff'''E'''rmin'''Z'''}} (German for peppermint).<ref name="about"/> The original product was a round peppermint lozenge called PEZ drops. Over time, a new manufacturing process evolved and the hard pressed brick shape known today was created. The product packaging evolved from wrapped rolls to a small tin to hold the mints, similar to the modern [[Altoids]] tins. The first PEZ mint dispensers, known as "regulars", were similar in shape to a cigarette lighter and dispensed an adult breath mint marketed as an alternative to tobacco. They were invented by Oscar Uxa. Haas Food Manufacturing Corporation of Vienna was the first to sell PEZ products.

[[World War II]] slowed marketing and production. In 1945, manufacturers devised and promoted the Pez Box Regular. In 1949 the first dispenser was officially introduced at the Vienna Trade Fair. In 1952 Eduard Haas introduced his product to the United States, and [[Curtis Allina]] headed Pez's US business. In 1955, the Pez company placed heads on the dispensers and marketed them for children. [[Santa Claus]], [[Popeye]], [[Mickey Mouse]] and [[Donald Duck]] were among the first character dispensers. Since 1950, over 1500 Pez dispensers, including the original character dispensers, have been created.

Pez vending machines were used in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. The first German machines were introduced around 1954 and were produced by DWM ({{lang|de|[[Deutsche Waggon- und Maschinenfabrik]]|italic=no}}) and GWS ({{lang|de|Georg Wiegandt und Söhne|italic=no}}), both of Berlin, Germany. Machines were later introduced in Switzerland and then in Austria, in October 1956; these were produced by Glerios / R.Seipel & Co. and Theodor Braun (Vienna).

In 1973, Pez built a factory in [[Orange, Connecticut]], US.<ref name=Spiro2003>{{cite news |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |title=Made in Connecticut; Pez is in Orange. But Please, Don't Call |first=Leah Nathans |last=Spiro |date=October 19, 2003}}</ref> In 1983, Scott McWhinnie became the president of the Pez company. He retired in 2003. Joe Vittoria became president of the company in 2004. Around 2005 the size of the original factory was doubled and the Pez dispenser line was expanded. In the mid-1990s the peppermint flavor was reintroduced with remakes of the "regulars".

In early 2002 the family of the original founder of the company bought back 32.5% of the stock from investment company PGH for €18M. They now own 67.5% of the company. The headquarters are in [[Traun]], Austria. The Pez mints are produced in Jánossomorja, Hungary and Orange, Connecticut, while the dispensers are produced in Hungary and China. In 2011, a PEZ Visitor Center was opened in Orange, with over 4,000 square feet dedicated to all things PEZ.