Variations

What is collecting without variations?  BORING!!!!!

When collecting PEZ, there are no shortages of variations.  At this time, there are heated debates over the number of variations of Santa Claus alone!

Everybody has their opinion of what makes up a variation.  To some, it must be a major change to the dispenser that usually requires a new mold.  To others, it can be a minor revision to a copyright.  Even others include the various stems in their definition of a variation.  So, as you can see, once you think you got 'em all - YOU DON'T!!!!

On this page, I will attempt to catalog some information on variations.  This is by no means a definitive list.  James Day has made great efforts to attempt to catalog all variations, and I am absolutely NOT challenging him for that honor!  You can find the fruits of his labor here:

Guide:    http://www.pezworld.com/pezguide

A to Z    http://www.pezworld.com/az

When I first started actively collecting PEZ, I quickly rounded up all of the dispensers that had been laying around the house in boxes, drawers and various other places.  At that time, I didn't really know what they were, just that they were dispensers to add to the collection.  I was looking at one of my Garfield dispensers and I noticed that it was on a 3.9 stem.  It's always neat to get surprised and find that a dispenser is older than you first expected!

I don't know what prompted me to do it, but I bought a few more of that same dispenser.  I knew it would be on a 4.9 stem, but other than that, I thought it was the same.  Since I am not a stem variation collector there is even more question as to why I bought them!!!  When I got them home, I decided to look a little more closely at them and compare with my 3.9 version.  At first I noticed the bolder paint and markings.  I chalked that up to my 3.9 not being in pristine condition.  I kept on comparing, and WOW!  I couldn't believe it, they were different!!!  The differences were subtle, but they were definitely there.

In both of the pictures below, the 3.9 is on the left and the 4.9 is on the right.

It is a little difficult to see in the above picture, but the bumps for his cheeks are much larger on the 3.9 than the 4.9.  If you pay attention to the highlights in the eyes, you can see the more pronounced bulge on the 3.9.

In the picture above, you can see a little bit of another difference.  The 3.9 dispenser has bulges in the mold for his eyes.  The 3.9 dispenser has a groove that runs down from the outside of his ears to the cheek bulges.  The 4.9 is smoothly contoured around the outside of the eyes.

Another difference is in the copyright.  The copyright for both is the same "GARFIELD r 1978, 1981" on the first line.  The 'r' after the word GARFIELD is the registered symbol.  The second line is "United Features Synd, Inc."  The difference is in the placement.  The 3.9 has both lines placed very low on the back of his head and very close together.  The 4.9 has them higher on the back of his head and much farther apart.