Channel - the raised portion on the center front of the dispenser stem. From the inside of the stem, the channel is the groove in which the candy button rises up and down.
Spine – the raised portion on the center back of the dispenser stem. From the inside of the stem, the spine is the groove in which the candy button rises up and down. On newer dispensers, the spine is deeper than the channel and protrudes more than the channel when observed from the outside of the stem.
Feet - the protrusion at the bottom or base of the stem which was added to lend stability to the pez to help them stand upright.
IMC - Injection Mold Code which helps determine the country in which the stem was produced.
DBP - Deutsches Bundes Patent
MIB - Mint In Bag indicates the pez is in the polybag with candies as it was shipped from the Pez Candy Company.
MIC - Mint in Cello indicates the pez is in the clear cellophane bag with candies as it was shipped from the Pez Candy Company in the 1960s or 1970s.
MIP - Mint in Package indicates the pez is in the packaging as it was shipped from the Pez Candy Company.
MOC - Mint on Card indicates the pez is on the card with candies as it was shipped from the Pez Candy Company. The cards may be shrink wrapped styles seen in Europe or on a Bubble Card as seen in the USA.
MOMC - indicates the pez is on a mint condition card with candies as it was shipped from the Pez Candy Company. The cards are in perfect condition with perfect edges, holes, plastic bubbles, etc.
NF - No Feet found on 2.6, 3.4, 3.8 and some 3.9 patent stems. Some current dispensers also have no feet – trucks, Valentine hearts, regulars and some limited edition dispensers such as the Planet Earth, Mystical Crystal Ball, Star Wars Crystal and Golden C3PO, 35th anniversary Sesame Street Crystals and other limited edition dispensers which came with stands all have no feet.
Thin Feet - mostly seen on 3.9 patents, but can occasionally be found on 3.4 patent stems
Thick Feet - mostly seen on 4.9 and 5.9 patents, a few are found on 3.9 patent stems
PDOJ - Pezzy Dance of Joy, a description of the elation felt when finding the pez you have searched for, or when you score a valuable pez for a very good deal. For the more reserved, this is a tumbling feeling inside and for others it may be the whoops, hollars, cartwheels, jumps, leaps and other acrobatics performed when you get around the corner from the antique mall where you found a perfect mint condition Pez Pal Sailor for $10.00.
PHOTM - Pez Head of the Month, a distinction awarded with the following criteria: All these people above have been selected by their peers from the membership of the PEZHeads E-Mail discussion group. They were voted in because of their love of PEZ, their devotion to the hobby, and the time and love they give back to
our wonderful obsession. An individual can only be voted as PHOTM twice in their lifetime and the second time places them in the PHOTM Hall of Fame.
PHOTY- Pez Head of the Year, a distinction given to a single PezHead voted on by previous PHOTY recipients. The recipient list to date includes the following:
- 1998 Cliff Lee
- 1999 Byron Boyd
- 2000 Rob “Mr. Variations” Yarak
- 2001 Eric Thorell
- 2002 Tanya Wilson
- 2003 Maryann Kennedy
- 2004 John COOLPEZMAN Devlin
- 2005 Pam Lenox
- 2006 John LaSpina
- 2007 Robin Fierce
- 2008 Tina Gunsauls
- 2009 Richie Belyski
- 2010 Shawn Peterson
- 2011 Paul Telford
- 2012 Joe Paravati
- 2013 Tom and Ruth Ream
- 2014 Maheba Merhi
- 2015 Aaron Lamay
- 2016 Chris Jordan
- 2017 Jessica Goodsell Orozco
- 2018 Brian Jaskolski
- 2019 Sandy and Cheryl Ghionzoli-Gardner
- 2020 Brian Trauman
- 2021 Nenad Markov
- 2022 Rick Marlowe
- 2023 Landon Proctor and Morgan Rhinehart
UDR - Upside Down R, as in the registered trademark symbol seen after the word PEZ which reads upward on the side of the stem. Some 4.9 Slovenia stems have the registered trademark symbol upside down. Clearly an error in the mold itself, but it makes for a really cool variation!
Melt Mark – damage to the plastic caused by contact with something that causes a chemical reaction with the polystyrene of the dispenser. Wacky Wall Walkers, clinging hands, rubbery fishing lures, old rubber bands and other such items are known to cause melt marks.
Floppy Head – a floppy head can be caused by a weak or broken head spring. The metal head springs may have come detached from the head or the sleeve holding the spring may be broken causing the head to ‘flop’. For dispensers with a leaf spring design, the spring itself may be broken or be bent or stressed so that it is not strong enough to hold the head completely closed when held upside down.
Stress mark – a white mark which indicates that the plastic has been bent, frequently seen on thin feet dispensers where the feet meet the stem or on the sleeve near the hinge pins where the head is attached.
Stem – the outer base or body of the dispenser, sometimes called the stick. The stem usually has PEZ written on both sides, sideways on one side and downward on the other. The patent number, made in country, IMC and other details of interest are also on the stem.
Sleeve – the inner portion which holds the candy. The sleeve may be molded to hold a metal head spring, or may be of the leaf spring or multiple leaf spring design. The sleeves may also have hinge pins for attaching the head and the hinge pins may be of different sizes.
Button – the small separate plastic piece located inside the sleeve. The candy button is mounted on the inner sleeve spring and the candy is loaded on top of it. These have different shapes and colors depending on when they were produced.
Sleeve Spring – the inner spring which causes the sleeve to open and retract into the stem.
Kicker – the candy kicker is the small tab on the back of the head which pushes the candy piece out of the dispenser when the head is tipped backwards.
Head spring – several different styles of head springs have been used, from the metal head spring on older pez, single plastic blade springs and the more recent multi-leaf springs, all of which allow the head to snap back into place after being tilted backwards.
Hinge Hole – the hole on the sides of the head where the hinge pin of the sleeve is inserted to attach the head while still allowing it to pivot back and forth.
Plastic Hinge Pin – the plastic hinge pin may be a small circular tab molded as part of the sleeve which allows the head to be attached to the sleeve while still allowing it to pivot back and forth.
Metal Hinge Pin – the metal hinge pin is the oldest hinge design. The sleeve holds a metal spring through which the metal pin is inserted from one side of the head to the other, which allows the head to be attached to the sleeve while still allowing it to pivot back and forth.
Leaf Spring - a single leaf spring is a tab of plastic on the top of the sleeve which forms a horseshoe shape with the opening toward the back. The back end of the tab is pressed down when the head is tilted backward and it resumes its normal shape when the head is released, causing the head to return to its normal position. Multi-leaf springs work in the same way, but consist of multiple thin plastic pieces stacked on top of one another.
FEB – an acronym which stands for Fat Eared Bunny, a particular pez which was produced in many different colors and on many different stems, very popular among collectors.
MAF – an acronym which stands for Make A Face which is a rare dispenser, similar to a Mr. Potato Head, that it has many different pieces which can be attached to form many different faces.
Die cut stem – a stem in which a design is cut out of the stem, allowing the inner sleeve to be seen from the outside. There are 5 different die cut stems: the Easter Bunny, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Casper the Friendly Ghost, and Bozo the Clown.
MMM – an acronym which stands for Merry Melody Maker or Merry Music Maker. This is a series of pez which have a kazoo like whistle on the back of the head and include Camel, Clown, Dog, Donkey, Duck, Frog, Indian, Koala, Lamb, Monkey, Owl, Panda, Parrot, Penguin, Pig, Rhino, Rooster and Tiger. These dispensers come on various stem colors.
Club Med – a reference to a darker, more tanned face of some dispensers, usually used when referring to the Bicentennial series
Soft Head – refers to the heads of the Eerie Specters series including Air Spirit, Diabolic, Spook, Scarewolf, Vamp and Zombie, super heroes Wonder Woman, Batman, Joker, Batgirl, and Penguin, and Disney characters Donald, Pluto, Goofy, Mickey, Dumbo and Captain Hook which were made of a rubber like material placed atop a modified sleeve clip to attach the head to the sleeve.