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Pezhead Monthly
August 2005

Cover and Table of Contents | Page 2 | Page 3

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

As Pezhead Monthly enters its fifth year of publication, the Pez train continues to roll right along. Fresh off of an extremely fun time at Pezamania 15, and the deeply honoring news that I have been selected as the August 2005 Pezhead of the Month, I am very much looking forward to another year of Pez Poetry, hard hitting interviews with Pez dispensers of the day, and maybe even an Academy Award. Well, that last one might be a long shot, but there is always hope.

As always, this opening issue of Volume 5 of Pezhead Monthly features a recap of my adventures at Pezamania. This year I took a very, very thorough approach to the recap, and as a result it is probably the longest thing I've written since my senior thesis- so consider yourself warned! Also in this issue is Five Questions- well, actually, one question for each of the new Bratz dispensers. Rounding out the issue is some Pez Poetry, a special Tom Cruise edition of the Pez Almost-Quote of the Month, and a bit about my recent and highly appreciated Pezhead of the Month award.

Joe Durrant
Editor, Pezhead Monthly

joe@pezheadmonthly.com


Pezamania 15: Batgirl, You Know It's True top of page | cover page

Neil Diamond PezWell, my fifth Pez convention has come and gone, and I am once again left overwhelmed at all the people and all the Pez I saw. And, of course, I came home with much more Pez than I had going in. This year, however, the standard feeling of elation was interspersed with brief moments of high tension and drama. Ultimately, the elation won out. And when it comes to Pez, doesn't it always?

For those of you interested in the short version of the weekend, here it is: I came, I saw, and I Pezzed out like never before.

With that out of the way, what follows is a very thorough account of my wondrous weekend at Pezamania 15. In past years I have taken the "summary" approach, but there was so much going on this year that I decided to go a little more in depth. Next year, I'll likely return to summarizing the weekend, because this is one long mother of an article. But today I've got Supertramp on the brain, so what the heck, let's take the long way home.

Day 1: Under Construction

I pulled out of Indianapolis in the late morning. The first song on the radio was "Good Thing" by Fine Young Cannibals. I smiled at how appropriate this song was, because I was on my way to Pezamania 15, and that was indeed a very, very good thing. Then, the great song "Hooch" immediately followed. I sang loud and proud to the words, "Who got the only sweetest thing in the world," fully convinced that the song was written about Pez candy. I'll tell you, it was like the gods themselves were programming the radio. And that is quite a step up from the usual radio programming. I mean, how many times can you hear "Crazy" by Aerosmith before you finally snap?

I pulled into the hotel just after dinnertime. (As always, I stay across the street from the convention hotel, because it costs less and thus allows for more fundage to be dedicated to Pez instead) The construction around the hotel was pretty bad, and I'm not talking "random orange cone" bad, but "giant freaking holes in the ground" bad. This was the first moment of tension of the weekend- would this construction prevent me from getting to all the Pez magic in a timely fashion? Heavens, that would be most a most egregious turn of events. However, once I found my way around the mess, there was no such problem, so there you go.

After I checked into my hotel, I went to, what for that one weekend, would be the epicenter of all things Pez. It was so great to once again see the "WELCOME PEZAMANIA" sign on the hotel marquee. All of a sudden, that old feeling came over me all over again. So I quickly parked over what must have been three or four spaces and did that kind of "quick walk" that kids often do as they approach their favorite aisle at Toys R Us. In fact, I can't say for sure that my feet were actually touching the ground. But I do know that before I knew it I was at Room 277, where convention participants were to pay for the registration, pick up their badges, and get on down to Pezzin' while the Pezzin' was still good (as if it ever isn't)

This led to the second moment of pure tension- the registration was closed, and showed no signs of re-opening. To quote Howard Dean, "Yeeeee-argh!" If I did not pay my registration dues, I would not be able to partake in the most exciting part of the weekend- room hopping, going dealer to dealer, meeting old friends and making new ones, and checking out all the vintage Pez to be had? This was all too much for me, and I had to pause down in the hotel lounge for a few moments. Then I happened to speak to a couple of dealers who had known me from the past years I had been there, and they said I could feel free to room hop, and that Jill would probably be around later for registration. I'll tell you what, Pezhead membership has its privileges. I immediately began room-hopping, and within fifteen minutes I had already put a dent into my Pez money, obtaining a vintage "Chip" dispenser, as well as the new exclusive Walgreen's Trucks. Alright!!

Then, as with last year, the time came for the Pez Swap Party, where non-dealers can trade or sell their Pez wares to other folks. I participated just like I did last year, only this year I had a bit less to trade. And while I gave away plenty of copies of Pezhead Monthly, I did not trade anything off (despite a couple of interesting offers), and I only made $1.00 selling some Pez lip balm. But I did get to meet up with a lot of familiar faces from years past at the swap party, so it is all good.

The evening rounded off with registering, where I got the 2005 convention exclusive dispenser, a color crystal Check in Egg from the 2004 set. Pretty darn cool, actually. Then I managed to make a couple more Pez purchases. At this point I was getting tired from the drive, and I knew I needed my rest for Friday, which is always the big day of the weekend. So I headed back to my car, when all of a sudden I experienced yet another dramatic moment: I happened to walk past the convention hall, where the seminars, the bingo, and the big convention finale takes place- these hallowed grounds- were closed for construction! Oh, ye cruel gods! A fit of panic overtook me. Somehow having bingo for hundreds of people in a hotel room doesn't seem right. Was this how it was going to go down?

I went to sleep that night glad that I finally arrived at Pezamania, but at the same time haunted by dreams of giant holes in the road and marking off "B12" on my bingo sheet in a very, very crowded hotel room. So much joy, and so much pain. I hardly slept, I tell you. I hardly slept at all.

Day 2: Let The Good Times Roll

After grabbing something quick to eat, I returned once again to that magical Holiday Inn. And immediately, one of my earlier worries was eradicated: The convention hall was no longer under construction! The signs were all down and I was able to take a quick peek inside the doors. What I found was a very well-lit hall that had somehow managed to break free of the 1970s décor and actually looked pretty darn cool! Nothing against 70s décor, mind you, it was just nice to see some updates befitting the perpetually hip spirit of Pez, as well as the monumentous events yet to take place behind those doors.

I spent the next few hours room-hopping, knowing well from previous experience that the few hours in between arriving on Friday morning and the seminars on Friday afternoon were traditionally when I would make my big purchase of the weekend. This weekend was no different- within about half an hour, the 1978 softhead Batgirl was mine, all mine. What a cool dispenser! Easily one of the best I've gotten ever. And from that point on there was a flurry of other purchases and I can't remember the exact order, because I was operating on a whole other plane at that time. I also picked up a copy of the outstanding Pez dispenser price guide by Mr. John LaSpina- updated every year, although this was my first one. And let me tell you, I was darn tempted to read through every page. But I somehow managed to tear myself away from the action and grabbed some lunch.

When I returned, the famous Pez seminars were just getting ready to take place. I have to say that this year's Pez seminars were among the best I have seen, and not only because of the newly renovated convention hall in which they took place. First up was world-class Pez collector and all around cool guy, Red Conroy, talking about and showing off all the factory errors he had in his collection (astute readers of this publication may recall two interviews with Factory Error Pez, including an upside-down Honey Nut Cheerios Bee and a faceless Santa Claus). There were lots of great examples of Red's factory errors, such as Luke's goggles on Princess Leia, a bandana-less Ninja Turtle, and one of the best errors ever, a hairless Fred Flintstone along with a Barney Rubble that had Fred's hair in its package! It was in total a quite interesting seminar.

The next seminar was hosted by Pezheads Jeff Gilligan and Keith Avery, and it was all about Fantasy Pez, which are, of course, those dispensers not made by Pez, Inc., but rather by hobbyists as a creative outlet for their joy of Pez (and unfortunately, in some cases, by less well-intending folks out for a quick buck). Jeff explained how time-consuming but ultimately rewarding the process was for him to make each fantasy dispenser, including selecting the right character head, finding a matching stem, and then hand-painting each individual dispenser. Keith also talked a bit about his Fantasy Pez, including some corporate issues which he suddenly found himself involved in. Keith also specializes in making his Fantasy Pez as "mint in bag" that make it look exactly like a dispenser you'd find at the store, although he is always upfront to potential buyers that these dispensers should be considered Fantasy dispensers. Both Jeff and Keith gave a lot of insight into Fantasy Pez and were great examples of people who do it out of a love for the hobby and not who want to make some easy money.

There was another seminar after those two about the legendary Pez Car, but I had people to see and Pez to buy, so I snuck out of there at that point.

On my way hopping from room to room, slowly but surely adding to my Pez collection, I came upon Room 217. I had passed this room a few times before but did not go in. For what reason, you may ask? Well, this happened to be the room number of the fine folks who are making a documentary about Pez collectors titled "Pezheads: The Movie." Although I had previously written to them about meeting up and maybe filming an interview, all of a sudden I had cold feet about the whole thing. But I finally decided, hey, it's now or never, and walked through the door.

So after getting some initial instructions from Chris and Chris (the interviewer and the director, respectively), the interview began. It started out with some general questions about my Pez collecting skillz, and then eventually moved towards this very newsletter. He asked me questions about how it all began and what it was all about. Without taking anything away from the movie crew, though, I don't think it went that well. The air conditioning needed to be turned off to create an ideal sound climate, but between that and the necessary lighting, as a result it was awfully hot in there. I know I was sweating a lot and I just hope it doesn't show too badly on camera. But on the bright side, I've never been in a movie before so I don't really have anything to compare it too. Also, I do have to say that the interview ended with a bang- we recreated the Pezhead Monthly interview with Emperor Palpatine Pez. I definitely am looking forward to seeing how that turns out. And I really enjoyed meeting Chris and Chris, they were good guys and I wish them the best of luck with this film. I think it's a really cool idea, and not just because one of my lifelong dreams may soon be fulfilled. Could it be? My name, possibly to be in the Internet Movie Database? Hey, a boy can dream, can't he?

Day 2, still: I told you this was a long article!

Between those great seminars, some intense room hopping, and the interview, I definitely needed to head back to my hotel room to collect myself. But not for long- after getting cleaned up and grabbing a quick dinner, I was right back at the hotel. At this point the general feeling, at least for me, is that the time is getting shorter and shorter, with only a few events left in the Pezzerific weekend. So despite a bit of hunger and fatigue, I soldiered on, for the cause of Pez.

I got back to the hotel just in time to get a little more room-hopping in. I scored a Golden Jack-Jack from the Incredibles dispenser set and a Captain Hook, and life was good. And then, before I knew it, it was time for bingo. I almost wept tears of joy at this, a time-honored Pezamania tradition.

Little did I know, just moments later, they would almost be tears of agony. In the final tense moment of the convention, right before Bingo, the organizer of Pezamania for the past 15 years, Jill, announced that this would be her last Pez convention. In that moment, my hands, which were to that point eagerly fingering through the Bingo prize sheet and planning my strategery, suddenly froze up. Was this it for Pezamania? Would this merry band of Pez collectors disband forever? It was almost too much to bear. But then Jill quickly followed up by saying that it was only her last year as the organizer, but Pezamania will go on under different organizers. Suddenly I was able to move again. Jill then introduced the new organizers, starting next year at Pezamania 16. Jill mentioned the time commitment that planning the big Pez convention entailed, and said she needed to move on. I completely understand what she was meant, and I thank her for making these past five years I've been attending so enjoyable. She was a great organizer and she's a great person, and hopefully next year she will be able to attend as a fellow registrant. And, having a chance to meet the new organizers, I can safely say that Pezamania is also in very good hands moving forward.

So Pez Bingo resumed. And two hours later, it was pretty much the standard tears of agony I have come to expect. This is because, once again, I experienced game after game of heartbreaking loss at Pez bingo. Sometimes it was a close one, sometimes there was no chance at all. So close to amazing Pez prizes, yet so far away. But I did get to sit with the same great Pezheads I sat with last year, and we had some good times amid all the lost games. So given this, I really can't complain about blowing 15 bucks, especially considering what I had already spent on Pez up to that point!

And what came next had to be the highlight of the weekend (or at least a very close second to getting the Batgirl earlier in the day)- the famous Cincinnati Pezheads List Party, which happens every year after the last Bingo number is called and all the great prizes have been handed out. The Cinci Pezheads party is great place to meet up with members of the Yahoo Pez list, the best source of Pez information on the Web, and just to meet new people in general. This year at the party I also had the chance to meet up with a bunch of members of the Pez Community message board, which I was really glad to have the chance to do. It is always good to put a name to a face, and we all had a good time talking about what we got at the convention and just Pez and other stuff in general. Lots of laughs and lots of fun, and they were all great people who I look forward to meeting up with next year too.

And once again, the Cinci Pezheads outdid themselves with this year's custom-made party dispenser. This is a dispenser that the Cinci Pezheads make on their own, and only make about 150 or so, specifically for this party. Everyone who attended the party got a dispenser, which is pretty neat. It takes a lot of work, because they do each one by hand, and it is a very thoughtful gesture towards fellow Pezheads, one that is definitely well appreciated. Last year, it was the Magic 8-Ball dispenser. This year, because Cincinnati is also known as "Porkopolis," the special dispenser was, in fact, a Pig. Very cool! They even went all out and put it in a custom bag, with some great photos and a little bit of Cinci history.

After some more chatting with my Pez Community brothers and sisters, and after an undisclosed amount of wine, it was time to play some games for some more Pez prizes. At this point, I usually cut out and try to fit in some more room hopping. But my funds were dangerously close to being tapped out, and I was having such a good time with the Pez Community folks, that I decided to join in the Pezhead games. And I am definitely glad I did, because it was a lot of fun. We played a game involving Nerf blowdarts, and each team had to knock over the other team's Pez dispensers. The team who knocked over the all the dispensers first was the winner. My team performed admirably, especially with the last-minute comeback, but ultimately we were not successful. I accept my fair share of the blame, which was frankly a pretty big share- I don't think I even knocked over one dispenser. I can pin the blame on the aforementioned undisclosed amount of wine, yes, but I also realized I am woefully uncoordinated when it comes to Nerf blowdarts. I will need to spend this upcoming year training pretty hard for the next Cinci party game.

So I was eliminated from the games pretty early on, but some other games resumed. Hopefully next year I'll have the chance to participate in them!

After some more wine and a little bit of late-night room hopping, I realized I only had about 20 bucks left! If I was to manage to buy anything at the public convention the next morning, I needed to stop right there. Besides, it was just time to go back to the hotel. I was tired and needed to rest up for the next day. So I walked, not drove, back to the hotel (did I mention the wine?), took in some Conan O'Brien, and hit the sheets.

Day 3: The Not-So-Long Goodbye

There was a bit of maneuvering first thing in the morning, what with having to get the car from the convention hotel, drive back to my hotel to pack up and check out, and then head back to the convention hotel again. But for Pez, darn it, it's worth it.

Let me tell you, with only about 20 bucks, there is only so much one could accomplish at the big Saturday convention, when all the dealers gather in the convention hall at once, with convention registrants getting first crack, and eventually the general publicbeing allowed in too. Some people say the best deals can be had very early on in the convention, say, Thursday afternoon; others say the Saturday convention in the ballroom offers up some really good deals. Whatever the case, I really had to pick and choose, because I could not afford too much at that point. And don't think that I'm complaining, mind you, because I really had a great haul this year (see below).

So I made a couple of rounds of checking out all the tables, and said goodbye to some friends I won't be seeing again for another year. I also , I think I chose wisely. I picked up the Breast Cancer Awareness dispenser, with all proceeds going to charity. Then, with my last few dollars, I picked up an old Mickey Mouse with a removable nose and a Goofy with moveable ears.

I said my last goodbyes to the people and the Pez that made this weekend such a fantastic one, walked out the door, and into my car. And I was off.

As I was leaving, I decided to take an avant-garde mini-movie, involving the filming of the "Pezamania" hotel sign in my rearview mirror. The idea was that I would have the sign in my driver-side mirror and I would slowly drive off in the distance, all the while with the sign in the mirror. Unfortunately, I forgot to take the car out of reverse when I hit the play button, and I almost caused a collision. So I put the car in drive and got the heck out of there. But I guess it's the thought that counts, right?

My Pezamania 15 additions

So after all was said and done, what did I come home with? Quite a lot, actually. Here is pic of everything but my new "Got Pez?" t-shirt and John's price guide:


Epilogue

Pezamania 15 was such a great time, and the best reminder I've gotten in a long time (about a year, to be exact) that being a Pezhead is truly where it's at. I probably spent more money at this convention that at any of the previous four I've been to, but it was all worth it. Plus, I met up with a lot of old friends and made some new ones too, and I look forward to seeing them all again next year.

As the countdown has already begun to Pezamania 16, I am trying to set aside some money, practice my Nerf blowdart technique, and select my next big scores (Penguin Softhead, I'm looking at you). And who knows? Maybe next year, if there is enough interest, I'll put together a live Pez Poetry Slam, in honor of what at that point be 5 whole years of Pezhead Monthly. But that's a long way down the road, so for now we'll just take it as it comes.

Thanks to Jill, all the Pez dealers and friends, Chris and Chris, and especially the Cinci Pezheads and Pez Community gang for making this such a great year at Pezamania. And this is just a hunch, but I suspect next year is going to be even better.


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