Then during World War II, the company started selling dispensers. The basic Pez dispenser is a small, utilitarian piece of plastic. It looks a lot like a disposable lighter, except that when you flip the top, instead of a flame, out comes a piece of candy. But someone at the company came up with the idea of selling to kids. Kids were the inspiration for the little plastic heads.
Kids are what makes Pez collectible.
The first one was Mickey Mouse, with a painted face, one of the few prepared that way. By the early '50s, Pez had moved into the playgrounds of America. Every year, several new heads were manufactured, which means that by now there are 350-400 differently capped Pez dispensers. Most of the designs have been taken out of service, but at the Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia, they are immortal. Gary Doss, the museum's curator, was in the line for customers with nine or fewer items.