Star Wars Pez

A Star Wars Pez is a Pez candy dispenser themed after the Star Wars movies, and is one of the company's most prominent merchandising deals. Over fifty dispensers have been released on the market from 1997 to 2020,[1][2] among the many collectibles spawned by the franchise.[3]

The extreme interest of marketing executives in all things Star Wars has spawned a scholarly interest in the "materializing fantasy media" such as these PEZ dispensers.[4] It has also led to several museums to feature such Stars Wars memorabilia in their exhibits and/or gift shops, as well as media attention on this fairly odd phenomena.

In museum exhibits and gift shops

In recent years, several museums around the United States have featured Star Wars Pez in their exhibits and/or gift shops. These products are displayed and exhibited because they are classic Americana.[5] Despite the dispensers' "popularity and cult status," the manufacturer's original factory in Austria does not give tours or sell fancifully-shaped memorabilia.[6] Only in January 2012, this group of dispensers became prominently displayed at the company's new North American headquarters in Orange, Connecticut: one travelogue wrote, "The company has been making the cartoonish plastic heads for 60 years now, representing everything from Star Wars to U.S. presidents to the Geico chameleon."[7]

The Clayton Historical Museum, in Clayton, California opened a new exhibit on the history of candy manufacture in January 2012 that featured these confectionery dispensers.[8]

Pez with Star Wars characters have been featured prominently in the Star Wars Museum in Maryland.[9][10] The Star Wars Pez dispensers are pictured on a fan website, which describes them as "some Candy Heads from 1980".[11]

The Pacific Science Center sold Pez at a popular exhibit about "Star Wars".[12]

These branded dispensers were among the "top sellers" at the gift shop at the Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia, outside San Francisco.[13] The museum also displayed "a whole lot of Star Wars Pez,"[14] in Plexiglas displays.[6] This "unofficial shrine" to the collectibles is unaffiliated with Pez Candy, Inc.,[5] and the manufacturer sued the Burlingam museum in 2009 for copyright infringement.[15][16] There was a notorious, giant Pez sculpture of C-3PO and Chewbacca locked in a slash fiction kiss.[16][17] As of December 2019, the museum is now closed.[18][19]

Another Pez museum in Easton, Pennsylvania also has featured prominently their obligatory Star Wars memorabilia,[20][21][22] ("Of course, we had to include the Star Wars Pez Dispensers"), including an oversize Darth Vader figurine.[23] As of early 2012, this museum appears to have closed to the public.[24]

Other influences

Carrie Fisher's "Princess Leia Pez dispenser" is one of the "merchandising horrors" she discusses in her one-woman show Wishful Drinking.[25]

These candy dispensers are featured prominently in the 2010 Emmy Award-winning fan film, Star Wars Uncut.[26][27]

Star Wars Pez has a gateway drug-like effect for some young collectors. One fan of Pez dispensers started her huge horde with Star Wars figurines at the age of three.[28] Another fan calls Pez dispensers generally "a 'gateway drug' to hardcore collecting".[29] Pezheads shopping for new dispensers frequently place "Star Wars" first on their shopping lists.[30]

Chronology of releases

Five Star Wars Pez were released in 1997:

Four Star Wars Pez were released in 1999 "in advance" of the May 19 premier of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace:[31]

Also released in 1999 was a Jar Jar Binks Pez Hander battery operated toy.[32]

Three Star Wars Pez were released in 2002 for Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones:[2]

Fourteen Giant Pez were released in 2005 to "commemorate" Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith:[33][2]

Pez also released five standard-size dispensers in 2005[34] for the Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith movie release:

For the 2009 animated release of Star Wars: The Clone Wars (film), Pez released three dispensers:[36]

Pez released two dispensers in 2012 for the 3D release of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace:[40]

One Star Wars Pez was released in 2013, a re-issued and re-painted Boba Fett – now with a green base.[2]

Four limited edition crystal Star Wars Pez were released in 2015 as a gift tin:[41]

In 2016 a Rogue One gift tin was released containing four dispensers:[42]

From 2016 - 2017, seven individual Pez were released for Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Rogue One:

In 2017 a Millennium Falcon gift tin was released containing four dispensers:[43]

For the 2018 theatrical release of Solo: A Star Wars Story a gift tin containing four dispensers was released:[44]

For the 2019 theatrical release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker four dispensers were released:

  • D-O (Star Wars)
  • Rey (Star Wars) (second version, white base)
  • Kylo Ren (second version, red cracked mask)
  • Sith Trooper

For the 2109 holiday season, a limited edition gift tin of which "only 75,000 tins" were produced, was released for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker:[45]

  • First Order Stormtrooper (2017 version, re-released
  • Kylo Ren (second version, red cracked mask)
  • Sith Trooper
  • White Rocket Trooper

PEZ released 3 new dispensers in 2020. A giant Darth Vader to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back[46] and a gift set for The Mandalorian[47]

References
  1. Nina Chertoff and Susan Kahn, "Star Wars", Celebrating Pez (Sterling Publishing Company, Inc., 2006), 87.
  2. https://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-pez-dispensers
  3. Ryder Windham, "Toys and Games", The Ultimate Visual Guide to Star Wars (DK Children, 2007), 136.
  4. Dou, Cookie (February 1, 2012). "Q&A: Turning Fantasy (Media) into Reality with Professor Bob Rehak". Swarthmore Daily Gazette. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  5. Kiger, Patrick (n.d.). "How PEZ Works". How Stuff works website. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  6. Asturias, Corinne (March 13–19, 2003). "Rite of Pez-age: Museum of Pez Memorabilia". Metro (San Jose, California newspaper). Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  7. Karge, Anthony (January 29, 2012). "Road Trip: PEZ's New Visitor Center: Check out the just-opened visitor center at the U.S. headquarters in Orange". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  8. Hartlove, Denisen (January 9, 2012). "Clayton is sweet on candy exhibit". Clayton Pioneer. Archived from the original on 2012-07-18. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  9. Matt Lake, Mark Moran, and Mark Sceurman, Weird Maryland, p. 137, 138 (2006 Sterling Publishing Co. Inc.), ISBN 978-1-4027-3906-4, found at Maryland at Google Books. Accessed February 2, 2012.
  10. "The Star Toys Museum, Inc". Reader's Advice. n.d. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  11. "Star Wars Museum, images from April 2009". April 2009. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  12. Zier, taryn (March 23, 2011). "Clayton A Parent's Review: "Star Wars" exhibit at Pacific Science Center". Seattle Child website. Archived from the original on 2011-09-08. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  13. Cairns, Becky (January 8, 2012). "PEZ dispensers get respect at museums". Standard-Examiner. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  14. Terdiman, Daniel (November 15, 2007). "Savoring Pez's sweet history". CNet News. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  15. Doctor Popular (July 1, 2009). "Pez Suing Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia". Laughing Squid website. Retrieved February 2, 2012. Original source available at Archives of Inside Bay Area.
  16. Xeni Jardin (July 6, 2009). "Pez Candy Inc sues Museum of Pez Memorabilia for copyright infringement". BoingBoing website. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  17. Beale, Scott (July 6, 2009). "C-3PO & Chewbacca, Together At Last". Laughing Squid website. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  18. https://www.smdailyjournal.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/old-post-office/article_6bb67884-4230-11ea-bbb8-9b60c3934888.html
  19. https://www.yelp.com/biz/burlingame-museum-of-pez-memorabilia-burlingame
  20. "Colorful PEZ museum captures Crayola crowd". USA Today. October 17, 2003. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  21. "PEZ: Candy dispensers fill new Pennsylvania museum, Free Lance-Star, October 25, 2003, p. E-1. Found at Google newspapers. Accessed February 2, 2012.
  22. "Roadside Attractions in America," found at Infoplease, n.d. Accessed February 2, 2012.
  23. Beale, Scott (November 2007). "Easton Museum of Pez August 15, 2007". Project Absurd website. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  24. Easton Attractions, found at Planetware website Archived 2008-01-19 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed February 2, 2012.
  25. Smith, Tim (February 2, 2012). "Wishful Drinking makes rough landing at the Hippodrome, but still flies". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  26. Acuna, Kirtsen (January 27, 2012). "Here's What 'Star Wars' Would Look Like If Made By Fans". Business Insider. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  27. Juan F. Marcelo (January 24, 2012). "Nueva versión de Star Wars IV creata (in Spanish) por los aficionados de la saga". Tuexperto.com Internet. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  28. Ripley, Dan (November 20, 2010). "Collectors converge at Children's Museum". Dan Ripkley's Antique Helper. Archived from the original on 2010-11-23. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  29. "A Collection a Day #54 – Pez dispensers," posting of August 2, 2010. Found at Cool and Colelcted blog. Accessed February 3, 2012.
  30. Andre Pope, post, "South Carolina's Largest Garage Sale", July 23, 2010. Found at The Digitel Myrtle Beach. Accessed February 3, 2012.
  31. "New 'Star Wars' Dispensers Make Their Pez-ence Known" (April 9, 1999) and Robert L. Jamieson, Jr., "May the Pez Be with You Chewy on This: 'Star Wars' Characters to Land at Candy Store Near You", Seattle Post-Intelligencer (April 7, 1999).
  32. https://www.starwars.com/news/collectibles-from-the-outer-rim-jar-jar-binks-pez-machine
  33. "Giant Pez dispensers commemorate Star Wars movie (All Candy Expo Official 2005 Product Preview)", Professional Candy Buyer (01-MAY-05).
  34. "Pez - Collector's Corner". pez.com. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  35. https://us.pez.com/products/emperor-palpatine-glowing
  36. "Pez - Collector's Corner". pez.com. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  37. https://us.pez.com/products/obi-wan-kenobi
  38. https://us.pez.com/products/anakin-skywalker
  39. https://us.pez.com/products/Ahsoka
  40. "Pez - Collector's Corner". pez.com. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  41. https://us.pez.com/products/star-wars-gift-tin
  42. https://us.pez.com/products/rogue-one-star-wars-set-pez-dispensers
  43. https://us.pez.com/products/millennium-falcon-gift-tin
  44. https://us.pez.com/products/han-solo-gift-tin
  45. https://us.pez.com/products/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-limited-edition-4pc-gift-tin
  46. https://us.pez.com/collections/star-wars/products/giant-darth-vader-pez-40th-anniversary-empire-strikes-back
  47. https://us.pez.com/collections/star-wars/products/the-mandalorian-the-child-pez-gift-set

Further reading
  • Peterson, Shawn (2001). Collectors Guide to Pez: Identification and Price Guide. Krause Publications, 2001.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.