Spring
Loaded: A Message from the Editor top
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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
Well,
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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