Spring Loaded: A Message from the Editor top of page | cover page

Welcome back once again to Pezhead Monthly.

This is a very exciting time of year to be a Pezhead, as we are right in the middle of the busiest part of the convention season. The St. Louis convention wrapped up in late June, Pezamania in Cleveland is right around the corner, and the Minnesota convention isn't too far off either. I had a chance to check out the St. Louis convention for the first time this year. You can read all about it in this month's issue.

Also in this issue, Dr. Pez returns from his sabbatical to dish out some advice on preparing for Pezamania. Then, one too many questions are asked of Stella Skunk Pez and chaos ensues. Wrapping up the issue as always is some Pez Poetry and the Pez Almost-Quote. And by the way, did you know that there are now more than 50 Pez Almost-Quotes? To get a random one, and another, and another... click here.

Finally, a programming note. As mentioned last month, the 2006 Pez Poetry Slam is still scheduled to happen, just a bit later in the year, likely October. And it's certainly not too early to submit your Pez Poetry and be a part of the extravaganza.

Thanks much for reading, and see you next month for a recap of Pezamania 16!

Joe Durrant
Editor, Pezhead Monthly
joe@pezheadmonthly.com

Dr. Pez Presents: Preparing for Pezamania top of page | cover page

Hello again, dear readers. With the big Pezamania convention happening this month, I thought I'd address some recent mail I have been getting. The following two letters represent two opposite ends of the spectrum; on the one hand, we have someone who is ready to go to his first Pez convention ever. On the other hand is someone who's already been to the Pez convention and is worried that she has in fact seen all there is to see. And yet they are tied together by their common bond of needing some Pez help. So without further ado, let the healing begin. Dear Dr. Pez,

Here is the problem- it is still over a month away!! How am I supposed to conduct myself on a daily basis when this magical weekend is so far out of reach? And do you have any advice for me once I get there?

Help me! Help me!!

Sincerely,
Lloyd from Lexington

Dear Lloyd,

Whoah, settle down there, fella. Take a deep breath, do a couple of laps, and then drop and give me 20.

No, just kidding. First off, it is perfectly natural to be this excited and anxious before your first Pez convention. I mean, you are about to see more Pez in a matter of hours than you've likely seen in your entire life. That is a lot for one person to take. To prepare yourself, I recommend doing a Google image search for "Pez collection." You will likely come across many photos of vintage Pez all lined up for your viewing pleasure. Now image all that, only right in front of you. It's like, holy cow, dude, if I may borrow a phrase from the kids.

Oh, and bring money. And your ATM card. And, if it has a PIN number, maybe your credit card too. But before you visit anybody else, be sure to pay a visit to Mr. Laspina to get the best Pez price guide out there. Then, go nuts. And have fun!

And remember, friend, you are not alone. You can read all about this experience in my new book, "Attention! Apprehension and Tension Before The Pez Convention." The price? I won't mention, as it may bring about hypertension. Sorry about that, it's just that I have student loans like you wouldn't believe.

Dear Dr. Pez,

I'm sure you get lots of weirdos writing to you with their Pez problems, but I have a problem that may not sound all that traumatic. See, I have already been to three Pez conventions. The first time I was blown away, so much so that I accidentally spent my son's entire college fund. The second time, I had a better understanding of how these things work, but I still had to hitchhike home because I spent all my gas money on a die-cast Mickey Mouse. But by the third time, I was a well-oiled machine. I knew all the dealers, I knew what I wanted to buy, I had enough money, and I made some new friends and partied like it was 1999.

My problem is, where do I go from here??? I've still got Pez in my bones, I still need my fix, but have I seen and done it all? Have I built up immunity to the fever brought about by Pez conventions? Should I even bother going back?

Sincerely,
Rhonda from Rhode Island

Dear Rhonda,

I can understand your problem, and it is more common than you may think. I mean, who doesn't want to go back to a Pez convention after their first time? And again and again, even? But sooner or later, you may reach a point where you really feel like you've seen it all, and there's nothing more that could possibly tempt you if you were to return.

But oh, how wrong you would be to believe that! For one, surely you don't have all the Pez vintage pieces available. And where else can you go where you know you will see rows and rows of Pez dispensers, for prices that you know are fair? Certainly not your typical flea market or antique mall, where- if you're very lucky- you might find a neat dispenser that's also reasonably priced. Just think, every time you attend another Pez convention, your collection is guaranteed to grow with some great stuff!

That alone should be inspiration to go back year after year, but there's also the connections you build with the people. It gives you a chance to meet up with them again, see how they're doing, and see what neat finds they've gotten this year. It is fun for one and all.

Plus, there's always at least one thing each year that is new and unique. Like one year, when someone had a custom-made neon Pez sign. Trippy, man. Real trippy. (To borrow another term from the kids, of course.)

So hop back in that car and make the drive to Cleveland again, Rhonda. You won't regret it for an instant.

I wish all of you well, as we are now knee deep in the Pez convention season. With St. Louis already in the books, Cleveland right round the corner, and Minnesota soon after that, it is nonstop action for Pezheads everywhere. So put your fears and worries aside, because anytime you're able to get to a Pez convention is a time that you will remember forever.

To Pezamania… and beyond!

Pez Always Heals,

St. Louis Brings The Pez top of page | cover page

Those of you who have been following this newsletter over the course of the past five years may be under the impression that there is only one Pez convention out there. I'm talking, of course, about Pezamania. But in actuality, this is merely the only convention that I attend each year. It's the biggest convention and is fairly close to where I live. Plus, I don't think I'd be able to afford going to other conventions elsewhere in the country or the world (go here for a complete list of conventions). So, Pezamania it is and always has been.

That all changed this year.

Don't get me wrong, I still plan on going to Pezamania. Are you kidding me? But last month, I decided to catch the tail end of the St. Louis Pez convention. Due to work obligations and finances, I missed the seminars and room-hopping of the first two days, but I did manage to make it to the final portion of the convention, where it becomes open to the public for a small fee. I met up with some friends I hadn't seen in a while and, of course, I saw tons of great Pez dispensers.

While I hesitate to draw comparisons between the Cleveland and St. Louis conventions, as I really only caught the end of this one, I did notice that the final show was a bit smaller in volume than it was in Cleveland. But there were still tons of great people and Pez to be found in St. Louis. And speaking of St. Louis, I'd like to send some props to Blueberry Hill restaurant, and the whole fantastic Loop at Delmar.

And, of course, I came home with more Pez than I arrived with. The first thing I got was the 17th edition of the most widely recognized and accurate Pez price guide out there, signed by the author, Mr. John Laspina. As for the rest of my haul, I got a Mystical Crystal Ball (it's... the future... I see more money being spent); a blue crystal Barky Brown offered up by the Animal Welfare League of Australia, with funds for these particular dispensers going towards displaced pets of Hurricane Katrina; a French Tweety from the Looney Tunes Back In Action set; and, for the big vintage piece, I got a Baloo from the original Jungle Book set.

Here is a picture of the entire haul:

While I enjoyed St. Louis immensely, I know that the showstopper will definitely be in Cleveland. Look for a recap of my Pezamania adventures in next month's issue.

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