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Pezhead Monthly
September 2010

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Spring Loaded: A Message From the Editor

Hello and welcome to Pezhead Monthly!

While I only got one new Pez dispenser in August (that being the Vampire Pez... more later, you can "Count" on it!), I added four new autographed Pez to my collection at Chicago Comic-Con. In fact, the story of how I came to get each of these autographs is the main feature in this month's issue. Also in this issue is a Pezhead Monthly salute to Super Mario, who turns 25 this month, and a Pez Almost-Quote. And let's not forget this month's cover image, which commemorates (and Pezzifies) the new iPod Touch that came out this month (even though the picture is from a previous generation iPod). I don't have one yet, but soon, oh yes soon, it shall be mine.

Thanks for reading, and see you next month!

Joe Durrant
Editor, Pezhead Monthly
joe@pezheadmonthly.com


Chicago Comic-Con: All Signs Point To Pez

Only in recent years have I deciced to add autographed Pez dispensers to my collection. I am not sure why I didn't think to do so sooner. A lot of it might come down to being in the right place at the right time. Indianapolis is not exactly a magnet for celebrities, much less celebrities who are associated with Pez dispensers. So it requires a bit of vigilance to see who is coming to town, along with a willingness to travel in some cases, as time and money allows. And, in some cases, there is a need for some creative leaps to connect a particular celebrity with a particular Pez dispenser.

The first Pez dispenser I had signed was an Elvis Pez dispenser. Now, it's not too hard to do the math: Elvis Presley died in 1977, and the Elvis Pez set was released in 2007. Getting Elvis to actually sign my Pez would be rather impossible, short of procuring a plutonium-powered DeLorean that hits 88 mph. However, a unique opportunity presented itself in January 2009, when my girlfriend took me to an Elvis Tribute Artist concert. After the concert, I met one of the three artists, Donny Edwards. He was a little surprised when I pulled out an Elvis Pez dispenser for him to sign- and I can guarantee he had never signed one to that point- but he gladly did it for me. Here's a picture of me, Donny, and the signed Elvis Pez, as first reported in the January 2009 issue of Pezhead Monthly.

The next month, I caught word of a celebrity coming into town for a car show called World of Wheels. That celebrity was one of my favorites, Henry Winkler, best known for portraying Arthur "The Fonz" Fonzerelli on the landmark show "Happy Days." Alas, Pez has not (yet) released a Fonz Pez dispenser. So I got to thinking: when you think of Fonz, you think of cool. This, combined with my name being Joe, brought me to the obvious conclusion that I needed Henry Winkler to sign my Joe Cool Pez dispenser. He was a really nice guy in person, and, like Donny Edwards, was surprised when I presented Joe Cool to him (and, I can safely say, had never been asked to sign a Pez dispenser before), Here's a picture of the signed Joe Cool dispenser, as first reported in the March 2009 issue of Pezhead Monthly.

Since the Fonz experience, I went a long while without adding more autographed Pez to my collection. That streak ended in August 2010, when I had the chance to attend the Wizard World Chicago Comic-Con. While this epic convention did not have the scope or media attention that the San Diego Comic-Con has, it nonetheless played host to a variety of celebrities, artists, and vendors. I endured the crowds and anxiety in Chicago to experience 6 hours of pop culture bliss, meeting a variety of celebrities from TV and film. And as a Pezhead, I had a unique opportunity to get autographs for a number of Pez dispensers at one event. Prior to the Chicago Comic-Con, I wrote a piece for my favorite pop culture blog Pop Candy, outlining my plan to get autographs from five celebrities.

So, did all go according to plan? Well, not quite, but it was still a grand occasion.

The first celebrity who I got to sign a Pez dispenser was Jake Lloyd, who played 9-year-old Anakin Skywalker in the first "Star Wars" prequel, "The Phantom Menace." As every person in the universe knows by now (also, spoiler alert!), Anakin Skywalker grows up to be one of the baddest bad guys ever, Darth Vader. So of course, in this glorious moment I had no doubts about presenting him with a Darth Vader Pez dispenser to sign (the same Pez dispenser, in fact, that was the subject of Pezhead Monthly's second ever Five Questions feature). He was a great kid and was happy to sign Darth Vader Pez.

Right next to Jake Lloyd was Daniel Logan, who played young Boba Fett in the second "Star Wars" prequel, "Attack of the Clones." He was, of course, an ideal candidate to sign my Boba Fett Pez dispenser! When it was my turn, I asked Daniel's assistant (who, it turns out, was also his father) if it would be okay if he signed Boba Fett Pez for me. His response nearly knocked me off my feet: "Are you JoePez?" It turns, Daniel enjoys reading Pop Candy and was quite enthused when he saw the piece I wrote the day before! He was quite excited to meet me. Allow me to repeat... young Boba Fett... was excited to meet... me!! This had to have been one of the most geektastic moments of my life. Daniel happily signed my Boba Fett Pez dispenser and posed for a picture. They even waived the autograph fee for me!

There was one small snag, though. If you read the Pop Candy piece I link to above, you'll see that I initially wasn't exactly enthused to get Jake Lloyd's signature on Darth Vader Pez. This was mainly due to the fact that I felt the prequels somewhat tarnished the Star Wars legacy. Realistically, this could not be blamed on a single person (unless, arguably, that person's name is George Lucas), much less a child. But that didn't keep me from opening my big mouth in the Pop Candy piece.

Immediately after I met with Daniel, I went back to Jake and apologized profusely. The same geek inside of me who was overjoyed at Daniel's recognition was absolutely mortified that about what I wrote about Jake. I felt terrible. Fortunately, Jake had no idea what I was talking about as I babbled and stammered my way through the apology (or at least he put on a good show of it). If nothing else, it was a stark reminder to watch what you say on the Internet, especially if there's a chance that you will meet that person face-to-face.

I somehow collected myself after this incident, and soon thereafter was on my way to the biggest Pez dispenser autograph ever. That's right, I said ever. I am referring, of course, to the legendary Adam West, who played Batman in the campy, fun, wacky Batman TV show and movie of the 60s. I had done my homework prior to this event: a very knowledgeable and friendly dealer at Pezamania 20 warned me that Adam is only contractually allowed to sign the original, blue comic version of Batman. I had my Sharpie all ready, and a roll of Pez stuck in the sleeve so that it wouldn't snap as he was trying to sign it. As I got closer and closer, though, my plans of showing him a picture of my Batman Pez shelf were forgotten as I got more and more nervous.

When I finally met him, I was pleased that he was such a cool and classy guy. However, when he saw the Pez dispenser, he said that he didn't think he could sign it. I let out a quick flurry of words explaining that this was exactly the Batman Pez dispenser that he could sign (I managed to avoid the word "needed," although I don't know how). He waved his hand and went ahead and signed it. Yes! What a thrilling moment. I was so excited. He handed it back to me, and I thanked him and told him that he was the reason I came to Chicago Comic-Con. I think he appreciated that, even without seeing a picture of my Batman Pez shelf.

Here's a picture of me and the signed Batman Pez just after the autograph. Notice that he also signed my Batman DVD, although that got a little smudged. I'm not complaining- the Batman Pez autograph is perfect!

(That picture was taken just before I almost got run over by former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich and an army of cameras, but that's a whole other story.)

The final Pez signature happened courtesy of Julie Newmar, who along with Lee Meriweather and Eartha Kitt was one of the three actresses to play Catwoman on the 1960s Batman show. Julie has always been my favorite, and I was so thrilled to meet her in person. While there is sadly no Catwoman Pez dispenser (yet!), there is a Halloween Black Cat dispenser (who happens to be another Five Questions subject). When I presented this to Julie, she was stunned. She asked what it was, and at first I thought she was wondering which set it came from, or which trademarked property it was (as I learned ealier, this is sometimes an issue). But as I explained that it was a Pez original not affiliated with any other company, I came to realize that she was asking what a Pez dispenser was! Surely she had come across one at some point. Maybe she did a while back and forgot. So I had the joy of explaining (or perhaps re-explaining) what a Pez dispenser was to Julie Newmar. She was happy to sign the dispenser for me. I thanked her, and also got a picture and her signature on a Catwoman photo. Alas, she did not sign it "To Joe, Thanks for everything, Julie Newmar." But she did sign it "Purr-fect." Yes, I'd say so!

Lou Ferrigno, also mentioned in the Pop Candy piece, had to bow out of the convention at the last minute due to a family illness. I'll have to track him down at some other event and have him sign my Hulk Pez dispenser, if he is willing and able of course. As for William Shatner, he was undoubtedly the biggest star of the show and the crowds around him were crazy. I did get within a few feet of him but did not manage to get his autograph on a Captain Kirk Pez dispenser. Perhaps I could have waited in line, but after the events earlier in the day, I decided that I had reached my limit.

All in all, Chicago Comic-Con was a fantastic event, not just for a Pezhead but for a pop culture junkie such as myself. I met all kinds of celebrities and had some crazy adventures along the way. And, I added four more autographed Pez dispensers to my collection! Here is a picture of all of my signed Pez dispensers to date.

So, who will be the next person to put Sharpie to plastic and sign another Pez dispenser for my collection? Only time will tell when another opportunity will present itself. But I sure am looking forward to finding out!

(Editor's Note: In addition to all of the above craziness revolving around Pez dispensers, Joe experienced much more at Chicago Comic-Con. For a non-Pez photo gallery filled with great pop culture pictures, click here.)


Pezhead Monthly Salutes Super Mario

The classic Nintendo game Super Mario Bros. turns 25 this month. Super Mario, it turns out, has been on the pages of Pezhead Monthly more than once. The first instance is in this Five Questions feature, when Super Mario Pez astutely notes,

"Video games nowadays are so complex, so graphic and intense. Pez dispensers are relatively simple things: you load them, you dispense them, and you load them back up again. They are so much fun to collect, display, and share. I'll take that over an angry mushroom any day of the week."

In addition, as part of this Pezhead Monthly photo essay on video games and Pez, the bricks in Mario's world are made a bit more colorful. And sometimes, Super Mario enjoys Pez so much that he just can't stop jumping for joy.

So happy Birthday, Super Mario, from Pezhead Monthly!


Pez Almost-Quote of the Month

"There's no time like the Pezzin'."

 


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