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Dec 2024
46m 35s

🍬 PEZ: The Cigarette-Inspired Candy | 1...

Wondery
About this episode
PEZ - the fruity, sugary tablets dispensed from your favorite cartoon character’s neck conjure up sweet childhood memories of swapping and collecting dispensers. (I’ll trade you my red Power Ranger for your Pikachu) But when these Austrian-born sweets hit the candy aisle almost 100 years ago, they had a seriously adult mission: Help people quit smoking. Yep, ... Show More
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