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

Welcome to the first issue of Pezhead Monthly, Volume 3. With two whole years behind me, it is a good feeling to start over again for year number three. I am looking forward to another year of Pez poetry, interviews, Petey O'Jay adventures, and all the other literary odes to Pez fit to print. This past year the newsletter has had a nice amount of contributions as well, and I am hoping that this next year we will have even more.

On the Pez hunting front, there has been a lot going on. Having just returned from Pezamania 13, my collection has grown considerably. I also got a nice taste of the spirit of the convention a few weeks before I went, when a vintage Maharajah Pez arrived in my mailbox thanks to eBay.

This issue starts off Volume 3 in fine form. The feature article, "Pezamania 13: Third Time's a Charm" once again details my adventures at the penultimate Pez experience of the year, Pezamania. As you will read, this year was the best year yet. Also in this issue, in honor of the recent news that the Flintstones Pez set will be discontinued, Fred Flintstone Pez is the subject of this month's edition of Five Questions. Also in this issue is a brand new helping of Pez Poetry, along with the Pez-Almost Quote of the Month.

I hope you enjoy this issue, and I will see you next month!

Joe Durrant
Editor, Pezhead Monthly
joe@pezheadmonthly.com

Pezamania 13: Third Time's a Charm top of page | cover page

July 2003 marked Pezamania 13, in the magical city of Cleveland, Ohio. Simply put, it was an occasion I could not afford to miss. I knew after going to the past two Pezamania conventions what to expect: more vintage Pez then I'd ever seen anywhere else, current Pez stuff from Europe, Asia, and Australia, and also meeting up with some friends that I have made there over the past couple of years. However, what I didn't expect was that I would ever have brought home such a variety of great dispensers, simply by creating a "battle plan" and sticking to it (for the most part). The first year I went to the convention (which, of course, led to the

Hey, hey, the gang's all here: Some of the vintage dispensers at Pezamania 13.

Then last year, knowing of the financial strain I was sure to encounter, I saved up for a few months beforehand. I was still overwhelmed but I kept tight control of what I bought and how much I spent. Problem was, I still spent a heck of a lot.

This year was the first one where I really felt in control of my Pez destiny, in part because this year I took "anal-retentive Pezhead" to a whole new level. After saving money for about six or seven months, I came to Cleveland armed with two envelopes, "Pez money" and "Non-Pez Money." I also had a list, detailing exactly what to spend my non-Pez money aside (minor things like food and lodging) and a Pez wish list with prices of dispensers (thanks to the great Pez dispenser pricing site, www.mypezql.com). Actually, the list I ended up with was more of a "reality list" than a wish list, because the wish list ended up costing about 5 times as much money as I had to spend. To complete the anal retentiveness factor, I also brought my Palm Pilot with my entire collection to date (to avoid getting duplicates accidentally), my own bubble wrap and tape for those vintage dispensers I knew I'd be getting and a nifty little box to carry home all my Pez finds.

The box, it turns out, was too small. But I've always known that it is hard, if not impossible, to contain the wonder of Pez.

Five of my biggest scores at Pezamania 13: Rooster Pez, Pony Pez, Popeye Pez, Practical Pig Pez, and Angel Pez.

My admittedly over-the-top planning did end up paying off. I was able to add many vintage dispensers to my collection, such as Popeye, Angel, Pony, and Rooster (all of these ended up in my bubble wrap, of course). I was able to get some of the newer sets of dispensers from Europe as well, specifically the Mr. Bean set and the Sesame Street set, both of which I find to be very well designed. Perhaps the best score from this past year's convention was the double-shot whammy of getting "shoes" for vintage dispensers (custom-made pieces to fit on the bottom of older, non-footed dispensers- see www.pezlist.com/shoes.htm for details) and a

Seeing other Pez collectors and dealers that I have gotten to know over the past few years was fun as well. We had a chance to catch up, and we realized that there was more to life than just Pez, at least that's what we all tried telling ourselves. But the traditional games of Friday night Bingo (and of course the Pez discussion group party afterwards), the "room hopping," and the grand finale of the Saturday show provided plenty of time to bond with fellow Pezheads. One highlight of the weekend was having the chance to personally congratulate Tom Zellmer on his win in the July 2003 Pezhead Monthly Challenge.

So what did I learn from this year's Pezamania? One thing I learned that preparation is essential, but it is not everything. There will always be something to throw you off your track- for me it was the "Proud to be a Pezhead" license plate cover and the crystal Psychedelic Eye Pez.

I also learned that it's much more worthwhile to focus on adding vintage Pez rather than newer Pez to the collection. Gone are the days where I buy two of each new dispenser (you know, one to open and one to keep mint on card or bag). While I know that I will never have every vintage Pez (a good number of them are way out of my price range), getting four or five a year is certainly a realistic goal to shoot for.

Finally, I learned that the countdown is already on for Pezamania 14. I am already saving money and investing in bubble wrap.

Click here for a Pezamania 13 slide show!