This Psychedelic Eye 1998 is a re-release of an 1968 PEZ.  This PEZ is non-footed (but do not confuse it with dispensers sold before '87). 

An FYI...for stability, PEZ "shoes" can be purchased for no feet dispensers.  You can find them on ebay by doing a search on "vintage PEZ no feet shoes".

R.I.P. Curtis Allina

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/05/business/05allina.html

Curtis Allina Dies at 87; He Put the Heads on Pez

Curtis Allina, a candy company executive who presided over a powerful innovation in marketing that was less about the candy itself than it was about the container it came in — and who in unintended consequence created a universe of enraptured collectors — died Dec. 15 at his home in Olympia, Wash. Mr. Allina, who helped bring the world the modern Pez dispenser, was 87.


I cannot imagine a life without PEZ heads? Thank you, Mr. Allina.

This Bride and Groom PEZ was a re-release a few years ago.  The originals were released in the 1970s and are probably the most valuable PEZ around.  I remember seeing a set at the first MNPEZ Con that Stephen and I attended in 1996 when we lived in Minneapolis.  At that time, they were valued at $1500 and were NOT FOR SALE.

These were offered by mail-order (and later online at http://www.pez.com/ but that store is currently closed) directly from the PEZ company.  I paid $25 for the set.  I am sure they would be worth more if I had kept them MOC (mint on card) but I prefer to play with my PEZ.  :)
Since that time, PEZ has also released a bride with brown hair and an African-American bride and groom couple.  All bride and groom PEZ are currently retired.

Pluto PEZ with no feet.  Actually, I think the correct term is NON-FOOTED but I call it NO FEET.  Anyway, I believe this is another one found in my mom's crawlspace so it would have been an original that either I bought or was purchased as a gift for me in the '86 or '87.

This Popeye PEZ was given to Stephen and I in 1998 by Stephen's cousin's husband (or ex-husband - they are together but were apart then). Anyway, he had originally purchased it when he was a child in the late 1950's and had kept it all these years. He knew we were collectors so he gave it to us when we were back in Toronto visiting for my brother-in-law's wedding.

This PEZ is probably our most valuable PEZ. It goes for between $50-$100 on eBay.

Genie PEZ purchased for me in '86 or '87. Another PEZ with no feet. I love the little noses on all of these PEZ guys. All of the heads are the same (you can see the hole in this guy's nose where the moustache for the fireman would go).

I found this PEZ about 10 years ago in my mom's crawlspace (a cement crawlspace not the icky, stinky one like I have that is full of dirt and spiders!). I was delighted that I found it because I had forgotten that I had him.

Fireman No FEET

This fireman (I guess I should call him a firefighter since fireman is so pre-2000) is another PEZ that was originally purchased for me pre-FEET era. He is not in near-MINT condition because he is missing the badge on his hat. I believe this PEZ design dates to the 1970's.

PEZ heads refer to the head on the PEZ dispenser. The stem (or body) is the same design on most PEZ dispensers. The word PEZ is stamped on both sides. The country of original and patent number is also stamped on the side. Many of my PEZ were made in Yugoslavia ("Jugoslavia"), Slovenia, Hungary although most of the new ones are made in China.

Here is a photo of another Fireman that I have (also missing his badge). His body is just a different colour so I guess he will not rate a post of his very own.

Please excuse the formatting in this post. I am working with blogger's own formatting and am still trying to work out the kinks.

Snowman PEZ circa 1986. Purchased for me by my guy when we were dating. Definitely one of my favourite dispensers because of the NO FEET (feet were added to PEZ dispensers in 1987 for stability) and because this dispenser was the unofficial beginning to my collection.