Via Starwars.com:

STARWARS.COM LOOKS BACK AT 20 YEARS OF PEZ AND A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY.

Does anyone not know Pez? Tabs of candy that you manually load into a dispenser adorned with, usually, the head of your favorite character, Pez was one of the first brands that made candy interactive and fun. It’s been a cultural mainstay, from neighborhood grocery stores to Seinfeld episodes, and remains both a nostalgic and modern favorite.

Created in 1927 in Austria by Eduard Haas III, Pez tabs were initially sold in tins, and only landed in North America in 1952. The now-classic flip-top design hit stores in 1955, leading to well over 1,500 different designs, with over 550 specific heads being sculpted. Today, the candy is produced in Connecticut, while the dispensers are manufactured in China and Hungary.

But it wasn’t until 1997 that Pez would meet the power of the Force. Here’s a run through the history of Star Wars and Pez, with many of the major releases over the last 20 years.

1997

The first five Star Wars Pez dispensers were released back in the busy saga year of 1997. With the Special Editions at the forefront of people’s minds and Star Wars making a high-profile comeback in terms of merchandise, it was the perfect moment for Pez to pick up the license. The Pez range kicked off with a quintet of classic characters — Darth Vader, Yoda, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and Stormtrooper.

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