PEZ Goes High Tech
Remember the 80s hit song I Want Candy? Now you can play sweet songs like I Want Candy, Candy Shop, by Rapper 50 Cent, or Candy by Mandy Moore on your own PEZ dispenser MP3 player.
The iconic PEZ dispenser is one of the world’s first handheld devices and has been delivering sweets for generations. Now, you can serve up some tunes too.
Pat Misterovich, a stay-at-home dad and inventor, is the man behind this unique MP3 Player. His company Lincoln West Studio, LLC was granted a licensing agreement from PEZ candy after he approached them about his idea. According to Misterovich, he thought the idea was cool and asked the candy makers if they would be willing to license their brand for such a thing. To his amazement, they went for it.
The first generation MP3 Player looks like your favorite candy dispenser however when you flip back the character’s head, instead of a candy, you are treated to an on/off switch. The music player can store 512 MB of data and is powered by an AAA battery that lasts up to twenty hours. Misterovich wanted the design to remain true to the dispenser in both looks as well as simplicity. With that in mind, no special software is required. In addition, the device doubles as a removable USB drive.
While no actual candy is held onboard, this MP3 player is incredibly sweet. You can remove the character head and replace it with your favorites from actual dispensers. This feature takes custom MP3 skins to a whole new level! Your player can feature Bart Simpson, Star Wars characters, Shrek characters, Bratz, Winnie the Pooh, or Mickey Mouse depending on your mood.
How did the designer dream up the PEZ MP3 player in the first place? He had heard of the Altoids competition that had challenged people to take their pocket-sized tin and create something original out of it. The winner had transformed the Altoids tin into a speaker to be used with an iPod.
Misterovich thought that was pretty neat and his imagination kicked in. He realized that his idea would appeal to a lot of people especially given the cult-like status of PEZ. Misterovich had marketed other MP3 players called Secondhand Monkeys to younger audiences with mixed results in the past. Though sales for the Secondhand Monkeys were low, the first production run of the PEZ devices sold out.
If this has you crying out, “I want candy!” fear not. Plans are in the works for the next generation music player with a sweet twist.
