PEZ originally marketed as smoking cessation aid

Smithsonian magazine has a fascinating history of PEZ candy, in which I learned that it was originally created and marketed in Austria in the 1920s as aid to quitting smoking.

The creator, Eduard Haas III, was an early anti-smoking advocate …

An anti-smoking advocate, Haas III wanted to create a tablet that would "not only refresh one's breath but could also help consumers who were anxious to cut down on smoking or overeating," writes Shawn Peterson, company historian at PEZ Candy, Inc.,