Kansas City Food Blog

It should be a sweet story.

Gary Doss opened the Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia in the California town of the same name 14 years ago. Over that time, his collection has grown to more than 800 of the dispensers -- seemingly endless rows of cartoon and movie characters.

The dispensers are in mint condition, but everything is not cherry according to a National Public Radio story from yesterday. Doss is entangled in a legal battle with the Pez Candy Co. A lawsuit filed in San Francisco by the Austrian company alleges that a homemade 7-foot-10 inch snowman dispenser that stands at the entrance to the exhibit is a case of trademark infringement.

The snowman is made from the same plastic as an actual dispenser and is fully functional. That's why it qualifies as the world's largest Pez dispenser, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. 

The case is muddled because Doss is a well-known collector and dealer in the secondary Pez market, where rare dispensers like the Make-A-Face Mr. Potato Head can sell for as much as $5,000. He toes the line between hobbyist and dealer -- an extensive gift shop is adjacent to the Pez exhibit. Doss also sells regular snowman pez dispensers out of the mouth of the Pez sculpture. 

The thing that remains to be seen is whether, in trying to protect its brand, Pez will end up harming the company's image. You don't see Peeps suing artist David Ottogalli for selling commercial sculptures made out of the marshmallow bunnies and chickies.

[Image via Flickr: Hryckowian]