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

Believe it or not, this issue marks the beginning of the fourth volume of Pezhead Monthly. Once again, we kick off another year of Pez Poetry, interviews with dispensers, comic strips, and all the Pez literary tributes fit to print. Plus, it looks like this year PezheadMonthly.com will celebrate its 10,000 visitor!

Having recently returned home from Pezamania 14, I can tell you that it was an incredibly great time. Read all about it in this month's feature, "Pezamania 14: My Pez Cup Overfloweth." Also in this issue is Five Questions for the Crazy Octopus Pez, some convention-themed Pez Poetry, and last but not least the Pez Almost-Quote of the Month.

Here's to the start of another great year of Pezhead Monthly. Thanks for reading and for contributing, and see you next month!

Joe Durrant
Editor, Pezhead Monthly
joe@pezheadmonthly.com

Pezamania 14: My Pez Cup Overfloweth top of page | cover page

It's hard to believe that I have just returned from my fourth Pez convention. Has it really been four years since, at the last minute, I learned of this event and quickly pulled together the small amount of my paycheck that I had not already spent on bills, groceries, and fast food and headed off to Cleveland, not knowing what to expect? I had no idea that I would soon witness more Pez then I had ever seen before, more Pez than I ever dreamed existed.

The Holiday Inn sign welcomes Pezheads around the world for Pezamania 14.

On the one hand, not a heck of a lot was different this time around. There's still the same amount of cool vintage dispensers- although this year I noticed there were a few less than the past couple of years- and the same kind, helpful, and knowledgeable people at the convention. There's still the standard "room hopping," where you go from room to room to buy your various Pez wares and meet all kinds of people, and there's still the useful seminars for people new to the hobby or those who are just interested in what's going on in the world of Pez. There's still the wildly popular Pez Bingo on Friday night, with the chance to win lots of great Pez items all at once. And of course there is still the official show on Saturday, when convention registrants get a head start, and then the general public busts down the doors for perhaps their once-in-a-lifetime chance to see some vintage dispensers, and maybe even buy one or two of them.

On the other hand, I definitely came into Pezamania 14 a lot more prepared than I did Pezamania 11 (not having to use my credit card to buy a Pez dispenser alone was a huge difference!). For one thing, I brought more money to the convention. I believe I actually started saving for this convention a few days after coming home from Pezmania 13. That, combined with a tax return that was the result of letting Uncle Sam take as much as possible out of my paycheck throughout the year, meant more money to spend on Pez. And spend I did, as I will share a bit later on.

This year also marked the highest degree of preparation I have ever put into going to the Pez convention. It was actually a bit scary. But, with the assistance of eBay and a very helpful Pez dispenser pricing website, I was able to put together a wish list that would fit within my budget. Of course, it is very nearly impossible to keep your wish list within your budget. So I grouped together 2 or 3 dispensers of approximately the same price range and decided that I would just decide on which one to buy when I got to the convention.

Now it should be said here that those who know me could attest that I am not known for my quick decision-making skills. I can spend a good hour at the CD or video store trying to decide between purchases, and more often than not I come home with nothing. In the case of Pezamania, of course, the chances of this event of this happening are about the same as David Hasselhoff winning an Academy Award for Best Actor. Still, I knew it would be hard to choose between dispensers. So from the moment I got there, I sort of abandoned the "either/or" strategy and decided to go with the "if it feels good buy it" one that seemed to work well in the years before.

Highlights of the convention

Of course, the true stars of Pezamania 14 were all the great vintage and new dispensers. However, two other experiences stand out as highlights for me.

First, there was the Thursday night swap party. For the past three years, I have tried in vain to trade and/or sell my Pez for other ones that I might be interested in. One problem prevented this, however- my collection was not quite expansive enough for me to have anything of worth to trade or sell.

This year, however, was different. Over the course of the past year my collection grew to include such interesting accessories as the Pez sleep pants, Pez soap, and the limited edition Less Than Jake Evolution Kid. This apparently made all the difference- I was able to both trade and sell for the first time! I traded for the European Shrek and Lion King sets, as well as the rare African-American Fireman from the recent great Emergency Heroes set and one of the new Pez windup race cars. And, I even made $13 by selling other stuff! Let the good times roll!

The quite cool Magic 8 Ball dispenser, custom made by the Cincinnati Pezheads.

The other highlight of the convention for me had to have been the after-Bingo party sponsored by the Cincinnati Pezheads. But first, let's back up a bit. When it came time for Pez Bingo to start, the people sitting at my table informed me that one of the bigger names in Pez collecting, a dealer and all around great person named Red, would be sitting with us. This was great news, not only because he's a nice guy to hang out with, but also because good luck seems to follow him- for some reason, the table where he sits always wins at Pez Bingo. When Red came into the room, however, he informed us that he would be sitting at another table instead. We were disappointed, but we made a small request of Red: to rub our table for good luck. He graciously obliged, and guess what? Out of the four people sitting at our table, two of us won! Thank you Red!!

The good news was that my luck had not quite run out, and had in fact carried over to the post-Bingo party. During this party, the Cinci Pezheads held a raffle to benefit the famous Pez car, which has fallen on some hard times and is in need of some repairs. The winners of the raffle were to receive a very cool prize indeed: a custom Magic 8 Ball Dispenser made by the Cinci Pezheads exclusively for this raffle and the party. They only made 130 of them, so when they called my number, I screamed like a preteen girl at a Justin Timberlake concert. My head was spinning, partially because of this awesome Pez score and partially because of the wine. And then, I won another one! Can you believe that! The funny part was I had only bought three raffle tickets.

I think that once again thanks are due to Red.

My Pezamania 14 haul

Okay, so what exactly did I come home with this year? I don't think the word "haul" really does it justice. Thanks to having a little bit of extra money, being able to trade/sell some stuff at the swap party, and finding some really great deals on some vintage pieces (and, yes, paying for the hotel room with a credit card), I made out like a bandit this year. So much so, in fact, that I don't think I'll ever get this much again. But don't quote me on that, please.

Some of the highlights:

- I got plenty of more recent Pez, including the aforementioned Shrek and Lion King sets (and the great Shrek Silver Donkey dispenser), AA Fireman, and Pez racecar. I also got some other miscellaneous dispensers, including a Boy Pez to replace the one I accidentally crushed with my knee earlier in the year.

That Sad Yet Harmonious Post-Pezamania Feeling

It took me a while to adjust to life after Pezamania 14. Hopping from room to room in search of cool Pez, meeting with people who actually share your passion for the hobby, Pez as far as the eye can see… this sort of thing doesn't happen everyday.

Adjusting to the post-Pezamania world is a considerable obstacle, but I try to take it day by day. I just think of all the fun and all the Pez I experienced, and I know that next year I'll do it all over again, although I doubt it will be able to top this year. Again, please don't quote me on that.

So it is with fondness and gratitude that I put Pezamania 14 behind me now. Thanks to all who offered such great deals, all the old friends I got to see again this year, and all new friends I'll hopefully see again next year.

And thank you, Pez, for rocking my world yet again.