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The PEZ stop was on our way home from a trip to Yale, with my interest initially sparked by it being the largest public display of PEZ in the world. For $5 you enter a small exhibit of every possible theme to the small candy and it’s fun mini home, and 2 of the dollars can be used as credit towards any purchase made. In 1927 PEZ was initially a round mint, created in Austria by Eduard Haas III to help combat smoking, and in the late 1940’s Oscar Uxa patented the small mechanical dispenser that holds the same amount of 12 rectangular tablets as it does today. By the 1950’s the small candies made their way to the U.S., and shortly after their dispensers began sporting their iconic toppers that the masses have loved ever since.

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The experience was more in the discovery of how many different toppers have actually been produced through the century, and was made especially fun by a seeking game that rewards you with a free dispenser if you find everything. Included in the bi-level space is a large wall dedicated to it’s history, little treasures found in display windows in the walls as well as in the floor, the world’s largest dispenser, and a motorcycle created by Orange County Choppers. For purchase are a variety of memorabilia, including exclusive PEZ dispensers not found anywhere else. It was a cute couple of hours, and we each left with a small pail of the sugar tabs and our top favorite dispensers. While our stop was short and sweet, I could imagine an avid enthusiast of the treat spending much longer among the numerous display cases.

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