The Tao of Pez

People will collect anything.  My husband's childhood stamp and coin collection is gathering dust in the basement. My kids used to collect pressed pennies from places like the Field Museum and Santa's Village, a small (and relatively unsafe) amusement park.  I recently heard people collect gift cards with no money left on them.  No wonder people are hoarders.  You can't throw anything away because some fool might deem it valuable.  

My grandniece introduced me to the wonderful world of collecting Pez.  If you're going to collect something, it may as well be fun and whimsical, right?  There was a Pez convention in town last week, and I had the pleasure of attending with her and her family.  

Fun fact:  The original Pez dispenser was shaped like a cigarette lighter and the candy was peppermint.  They had retro Pez at the convention.

They even had a real Pez girl!  They made these replica uniforms to celebrate the company's 75th anniversary a few years ago.

It was a fascinating morning.  I saw Pez dispensers that were priced at $1,  $2,000, and everywhere in between.   

I'm convinced that my grandniece will insist that these little gems top her wedding cake.  (The bride and groom.  Not Santa and his buddy.)

They not only had Elvis Pez, they had Army Elvis, black-leather-wearing-hot Elvis, and Vegas Elvis!  Frankly, they should have made Vegas Elvis a little wider and with fringe down both sides like his sleeves.  I obviously missed my Pez dispenser design calling.

Orange County Chopper Pez.  Another fun fact:  These were the first Pez made representing living people.  Sad that Elvis never knew he was immortalized in plastic.

Last fun fact.  Promise.  Wonder Woman with "soft side" hair is more valuable than the regular plastic dispensers.  

You name it, they had it there.

But my favorite by far - Paul Frank monkeys.  

We discovered there is a larger convention in Cleveland later this summer.  It's a long way to travel, but it might be worth it.  Nothing says pure joy like being surrounded by colorful plastic and candy.