Misfit
Misfit is a collector term for dispensers produced in colors that differ from a dispenser's standard production colors. In its narrower, official sense, it refers to a line of off-color dispensers that PEZ released in the late 1990s and sold as premiums through mail-order, the PEZ website, and later the PEZ Visitor Center.
Background
The official Misfit line grew out of the gray-market activities of American dealer Steve Glew (a.k.a. the "PEZ Outlaw"). During the 1990s, Glew paid European factories—mainly in Hungary—to produce existing PEZ dispensers in non-standard color combinations, which he then sold to collectors at a premium. In response, PEZ USA released its own copies of these color variations at a fraction of Glew's prices, undercutting his market (the episode is documented in the 2022 film The Pez Outlaw). Collectors sometimes refer to Glew's originals "Glew variations" or "Holiday Colors," which are distinguished from the official Misfit PEZ dispensers by their lack of country of origin on the stem. Among collectors, both the Glew originals and the official PEZ releases are generally referred to by the names coined by Glew (see below). Official Misfits were packaged on the standard boy-and-girl card with a pink "Misfit" sticker. Some were packaged on European striped cards printed with Chinese text on the back for the Taiwanese market. Official Misfits dispensers were sold through PEZ's mail order program.
Dispensers with Misfit versions
The official Misfit line was originally distributed as numbered mail-order offers. Although the offers indicated which characters were included, the stem color could not be chosen.
Christmas
- Santa Claus (a.k.a. Mex-Tex Santa) — tan face, white hat
- Stem: blue, green, red, white
- Patent: 4.9
- Country: NC, Slovenia
- Red Snowman - red head, black teeth and eyes, white nose and hat
- Stem: black, blue, red, white
- Patent: 4.9
- Country: NC, Slovenia
- Yellow Snowman (a.k.a. D.E.T.Y.S Snowman) — yellow head, gold teeth and eyes, white hat and nose
- Stem: green, orange, white
- Patent: 4.9
- Country: NC, Slovenia
Halloween
- Skull (a.k.a. Diablo) - black skull, yellow eyes, red cowl
- Stem: black, blue, green, red, yellow
- Patent: 4.9
- Country: NC, Slovenia
- Black Witch (a.k.a. Voodoo Mama) - black face, white hair, neon orange hat
- Stem: blue, neon green, neon pink, neon yellow
- Patent: 4.9
- Country: NC, Slovenia
- Yellow Witch (a.k.a. Jaundice Witch) - yellow face, brown hair, white hat
- Stem: green, red, yellow
- Patent: 4.9
- Country: NC, Slovenia
Safari Animals
- Lion (David W. Lion, named in honor of PEZ author David Welch) — tan face and ears, brown mane
- Stem: neon green, neon red, neon orange, neon yellow
- Patent: 4.9
- Country: NC, Slovenia
- Elephant (a.k.a. Pinky) — pink head, black trunk, on green or neon yellow stems
- Stem: blue, dark green, neon green, white, neon yellow
- Patent: 4.9
- Country: NC, Slovenia
Glow Pals
- Alpine Boy (J, named after Glew's son, Joshua) — glow-in-the-dark head, neon green hair, yellow hat
- Stem: blue, neon pink, neon yellow
- Patent: 4.9
- Country: NC, Slovenia
- Pilot Boy (S, named after Glew's daughter, Stephanie) — glow-in-the-dark head, neon pink hair, black hat
- Stem: blue, neon orange, neon yellow
- Patent: 4.9
- Country: NC, Slovenia
- Shell Boy (M, named after Glew's daughter, Moriah) — glow-in-the-dark head, neon orange hair, neon green hat
- Stem: blue, neon green, neon red,
- Patent: 4.9
- Country: NC, Slovenia
Miscellaneous
- Black Bear (Donna Bear, named after Glew's employee) - black head, white eyes, nose, and mouth
- Stem: black, blue, neon green, neon pink, neon red, neon yellow
- Patent: 4.9
- Country: NC, Slovenia
- Brown Bear (Corey Bear, named after Glew's grandson) - brown head, white eyes, nose, and mouth
- Stem: neon green, neon orange, neon pink, neon red, neon yellow
- Patent: 4.9
- Country: NC, Slovenia
- Neon Pink Psychedelic Eye
- Stem: neon yellow
- Patent: 4.9
- Country: NC, Hungary
- Neon Yellow Psychedelic Eye
- Stem: neon pink
- Patent: 4.9
- Country: NC, Hungary
