Attention! Input results shown will be +/- 10% from middle value. Hint: The closer your min and max inputs are, the more accurate your results will be!

Attention! Input results shown will be +/- 10% from middle value. Hint: The closer your min and max inputs are, the more accurate your results will be!

Attention! Input results shown will be +/- 10% from middle value. Hint: The closer your min and max inputs are, the more accurate your results will be!

Attention! Input results shown will be +/- 10% from middle value. Hint: The closer your min and max inputs are, the more accurate your results will be!

How Compression Springs Played a Role in Popularizing a Specific Candy Brand

We often mention how springs are everywhere and how compression springs are commonly found in all kinds of everyday applications. In some cases, they are used in applications you probably wouldn't think of. That is why we want to share a few fun facts and interesting bits of information about a commonly known candy that comes with a compression spring.

There are numerous candy manufacturers and an immense variety of these but one of the most unique and interesting in our industry is PEZ candy. These cute and traditional candies are well known for their unique dispenser designs and a large variety of displayed characters. PEZ candies started out as mint candies in the late 1920s in Austria. In fact, the word PEZ is due to the German word for peppermint: PffeffErminZ. As you can see, the first, middle, and last letter of that word were taken to form the word PEZ, the brand name of this popular candy.

In the 1930s and 1940s PEZ candy went from being sold as brick tablets in pocket sized tins to being sold as the first candy dispenser. In fact, it was inventor Oscar Uxa who developed and patented the mechanical box that dispensed these tablets.

This mechanical box was a special dispenser that allowed each candy tablet to be dispensed thanks to the magazine spring it has inside. Magazine springs are compression springs with oval or rectangular shaped coils. These type of springs are popular in guns but it is interesting to find them in these candy dispensers, and their unique design makes it ideal for these brick shaped candy tablets.

dispenser magazine spring

As the company grew, they brought their candy overseas to New York and were awarded the first US patent for a dispenser in the early 1950s. These mint candies were first created to be used as an alternative to smoking, but that changed when they came to the U.S. and had a higher appeal on children.

pez head torsion spring

In the late 1950s PEZ started to come up with innovating designs. First, with their space gun dispenser, and then with their first character head dispensers which were a Halloween witch. They then introduced other flavors, characters, and interchangeable heads. They became more and more popular thanks to their unique design and attractive dispensing gimmick.

Later, the brand came out with interchangeable heads for their dispensers. In fact, the heads of the PEZ dispensers also contain another spring, a small torsion spring. Torsion springs are made to rotate/torque instead of compress or extend, and these help create an open/shut motion. The small torsion spring in the PEZ head allows the head to close automatically when opened to dispense the candy outward. These springs can be used in many other devices and applications similar to this as well.

Around the 1990’s, PEZ collecting became more and more popular and today there is even a visitor center in Orange, CT. These interesting candies have revolutionized throughout the years. They were to brilliantly and effectively connect two ordinary concepts into one extraordinary marketing strategy for candy. That is what a little creativity and a few springs can do for you.

With the right idea in mind and the perfect spring, you can turn, even the most simple product, into something amazing. Let us empower your efforts by providing the ideal spring for your needs. Contact us today at: (951) 276-2777.