DVIDS – News – The Wonderful World of Pez: The Unique Collection of a Wing Data Manager

Many of you know Mr. Robert Tipton, Data Manager for 141 Air Refueling Wing, who has been with the unit for some time.

What you might not know about Tipton is his unique hobby, Pez’s collection. From vending machines, candies, signs, vending machines, one-of-a-kind items, Tipton has it all.

“I started collecting Pez when my wife, Faye, and I used to go hunting and the kids were bored, so we usually let the kids find something inexpensive while we went shopping. One of the boys, my son Bud, found a Rudolph Pez distributor, ”Tipton said.

“From that first Pez dispenser, it just evolved into collecting Pez with my family. ”

Tipton started collecting in the early 1980s and his collection is extremely impressive.

As you walk down the hall, the walls are lined with display frames filled with dispensers of Funko Pop Pez figures and Pez panels.

This hallway has two rooms: Tipton’s office and his main showroom. Both are of course filled with various dispensers and Pez knickknacks.

The showroom is floor to ceiling Pez. You name it and it’s probably on a wall somewhere in this room. From college football to Pez Ray Gun distributors, there is something in every “flavor.”

Speaking of flavor, there are packages of all flavors of candy produced by the company. When a person has such a large collection of Pez, there are candies everywhere. Tipton could probably feed a small army for a week just with the amount of candy that was collected from the dispensers.

Pez’s story is almost as interesting as the Tipton collection itself.

According to Pez, the creation of Pez in 1927 by Eduard Haas III in Austria marks the birth of Pez.

Originally presented in small cans, the refreshing candy has proven to be extremely popular. The name Pez comes from the German word for peppermint, “Pfefferminz” taking the P from the first letter, E from the middle letter, and Z from the last letter to form the now iconic brand name Pez.

The original shape of the Pez candies was round and was called “Pez drops”. The candy quickly took on the familiar brick shape that is still made today.

While this is a unique pastime for some, Robert and Faye Tipton attend PEZCON, a gathering of self-proclaimed PEZHEADS who come together to share the Pez collection hobby.

You can buy, sell, trade, and even find unique Pez dispensers handmade by designers around the world.

This lifelong Tipton hobby isn’t going away anytime soon. Looks like he might have to build on another room or two to store his unique Pez collection.