Michigan’s Rogue PEZ Smuggler Is The Subject Of Latest Netflix Doc
Everyone has to have a hobby, right? For some it's birdwatching, for others it's collecting sea glass from the shores of Lake Michigan, but how much would you be willing to pay for a Pez dispenser? Would you pay $11,000?
The toy character head candy dispensers were first introduced in the U.S. in 1955 and have been a part of our childhoods ever since. I personally don't think much of the candy, but I know some folks go crazy for Pez collections. What if I told you there's a secret cut-throat underground Pez industry and its mastermind is based right here in Michigan?
Pez Outlaw
The self-proclaimed "Pez Outlaw" is Steve Glew and he's the subject of the latest documentary to hit Netflix. Thanks to a loophole, the Dewitt, Michigan man found a way to sneak knock-off Pez dispensers into the United States from Europe and sell them to overzealous Pez collectors who were more than happy to shell out big bucks for them.
Legal? Depends on who you ask!
Jim Blaine, a consultant for the film and organizer of one of the largest Pez conventions in the world in Detroit, told MLive,
It’s illegal, but...Glew would sell the Pez to collectors and also dealers buying in bulk from him. The products were technically Pez as they were coming from Pez factories.
Where to Watch
Dubbed The Pez Outlaw, the documentary was nominated and won multiple awards at both domestic and international film festivals, including awards for "Best of Festival" at the 2022 Freep Film Festival and "Acting in a Documentary" at the 2022 SXSW Film Festival.
Adds Blaine,
In the end, [the documentary] wasn’t about Pez, it was about the love a man had for his family that he would do anything for.
The documentary is available to stream on Netflix with a subscription or you can rent it on platforms like Amazon Prime, YouTube, or Redbox for $3.99. Check out the trailer below: