1 00:00:04,943 --> 00:00:06,641 Okay. Ready? 2 00:00:14,222 --> 00:00:15,518 Cheers, you guys. 3 00:00:15,553 --> 00:00:19,258 ♪ 4 00:00:19,293 --> 00:00:21,821 Oh, ta-- tastes awful. Oh, that's cold. 5 00:00:26,366 --> 00:00:29,499 I always say to you, "Are you mad?" 6 00:00:29,534 --> 00:00:33,437 Doing a movie about Steve? Okay. 7 00:00:33,806 --> 00:00:35,670 In my-- you know, in my eyes, you are-- 8 00:00:35,705 --> 00:00:37,705 you are making a movie about a loser. 9 00:00:37,740 --> 00:00:39,641 So, uh, why are you doing that? 10 00:00:47,651 --> 00:00:51,521 I met Steve Glew about 20 or 25 years ago. 11 00:00:51,556 --> 00:00:53,853 I did not even know what Steve was-- was doing. 12 00:00:53,888 --> 00:00:57,494 ♪ 13 00:00:57,529 --> 00:01:00,431 No one knew him. No one knew where he came from. 14 00:01:00,466 --> 00:01:04,435 No one that you asked had any idea who the hell he was. 15 00:01:04,470 --> 00:01:07,636 But everybody wanted what he was selling. 16 00:01:07,671 --> 00:01:12,179 ♪ 17 00:01:12,214 --> 00:01:14,346 I mean, I was handling amounts of money 18 00:01:14,381 --> 00:01:15,578 that I had dreamed of. 19 00:01:15,613 --> 00:01:18,878 And doing a deal for $500,000... 20 00:01:18,913 --> 00:01:22,420 I had no idea that he had made millions of dollars. 21 00:01:22,455 --> 00:01:24,158 I remember reading something and thinking, 22 00:01:24,193 --> 00:01:25,786 is my dad a criminal? 23 00:01:28,461 --> 00:01:30,560 I learned to protect my space. 24 00:01:30,595 --> 00:01:32,892 I saw people follow me all the time. 25 00:01:38,741 --> 00:01:41,175 I was paranoid beyond belief. 26 00:01:41,210 --> 00:01:46,246 ♪ 27 00:01:51,715 --> 00:01:53,319 When I'd get home, 28 00:01:53,354 --> 00:01:56,619 and open that bag, it was diamonds. 29 00:01:56,654 --> 00:01:58,555 It was gold. 30 00:02:06,565 --> 00:02:07,630 Pez. 31 00:02:08,765 --> 00:02:09,830 I won the lottery. 32 00:02:10,199 --> 00:02:12,338 It's like printin' money. 33 00:02:15,970 --> 00:02:17,244 ♪ Listen, Steve ♪ 34 00:02:18,643 --> 00:02:20,973 ♪ Got your loving, ha ♪ 35 00:02:21,008 --> 00:02:23,844 Welcome to the wonderful world of Pez. 36 00:02:23,879 --> 00:02:25,912 Those colorful little candy dispensers 37 00:02:25,947 --> 00:02:28,915 many of us purchased for pennies years ago. 38 00:02:28,950 --> 00:02:30,983 Well, pennies make dollars, folks. 39 00:02:31,018 --> 00:02:35,460 ♪ 40 00:02:35,495 --> 00:02:38,760 ♪ You nearly made me throw my life away ♪ 41 00:02:38,795 --> 00:02:40,564 What-- what is that, a Pez dispenser? 42 00:02:40,599 --> 00:02:43,435 You want one? 43 00:02:43,470 --> 00:02:46,306 ♪ You played a game only you could win ♪ 44 00:02:46,341 --> 00:02:47,736 Some Pez are quite rare. 45 00:02:47,771 --> 00:02:49,705 And how much is this worth? 46 00:02:49,740 --> 00:02:51,542 Between three and four thousand dollars. 47 00:02:51,577 --> 00:02:54,842 ♪ Your love is like fool's gold ♪ 48 00:02:54,877 --> 00:02:58,945 ♪ Just like a mirage, baby ♪ 49 00:02:58,980 --> 00:03:02,355 ♪ And all that I got from you ♪ 50 00:03:02,390 --> 00:03:04,819 People inside the Pez cell 51 00:03:04,854 --> 00:03:06,920 think that this thing has already peaked, 52 00:03:06,955 --> 00:03:08,592 and it has not. 53 00:03:08,627 --> 00:03:10,957 ♪ Fool's love, oh yeah ♪ 54 00:03:10,992 --> 00:03:15,302 ♪ Nothing but fool's love oh yeah ♪ 55 00:03:15,337 --> 00:03:17,931 ♪ Nothing but fool's love ♪ 56 00:03:37,392 --> 00:03:38,457 That's good. 57 00:03:40,725 --> 00:03:44,595 I've been waiting to tell this story for 20 years. 58 00:03:55,476 --> 00:03:57,872 When we moved out here, we became back-to-earthers. 59 00:03:57,907 --> 00:04:00,512 We had goats, we had chickens, we had pigs, 60 00:04:00,547 --> 00:04:02,613 we had a cow or two. 61 00:04:02,648 --> 00:04:04,582 ♪ 62 00:04:12,625 --> 00:04:14,724 Yeah, you couldn't imagine living anywhere else. 63 00:04:17,927 --> 00:04:20,059 Right there. It was where the grey barn was. 64 00:04:20,094 --> 00:04:22,567 -Silver barn is. -Yeah. 65 00:04:56,768 --> 00:04:58,900 I wear three pair of socks, 66 00:04:58,935 --> 00:05:01,672 and I keep a paper towel with me at all times. 67 00:05:02,207 --> 00:05:03,542 It just helps you cope. 68 00:05:09,616 --> 00:05:12,045 My whole life, I'd been poor. 69 00:05:12,614 --> 00:05:14,883 Poor is when you don't have enough money. 70 00:05:14,918 --> 00:05:19,426 When your house payment's only $125 a month. 71 00:05:20,759 --> 00:05:23,430 Um, yeah, we lived in a ratty old house 72 00:05:23,465 --> 00:05:26,928 that snow came in, till we wrapped it in plastic. 73 00:05:26,963 --> 00:05:28,831 Literally, a big sheet of plastic. 74 00:05:34,641 --> 00:05:37,675 The expectations in my life were 75 00:05:37,710 --> 00:05:39,545 this guy won't amount to nothin'. 76 00:05:39,580 --> 00:05:41,041 He's a joke. 77 00:05:41,076 --> 00:05:43,879 But I've always had an inner person that... 78 00:05:44,783 --> 00:05:47,146 that knew there was more. 79 00:05:48,820 --> 00:05:50,787 Uh, that I could achieve more. 80 00:05:56,498 --> 00:05:59,466 At that point in our life, um, 81 00:05:59,501 --> 00:06:00,731 we didn't have two pennies. 82 00:06:02,031 --> 00:06:03,833 And if you did have two pennies, 83 00:06:03,868 --> 00:06:04,999 it was because you weren't paying something else. 84 00:06:05,034 --> 00:06:08,134 ♪ 85 00:06:08,169 --> 00:06:11,170 There was never excess money. 86 00:06:11,805 --> 00:06:14,206 You used to make, like, $11 an hour as a-- 87 00:06:14,241 --> 00:06:18,210 as a skilled tradesman who knew his stuff. 88 00:06:18,245 --> 00:06:21,686 ♪ 89 00:06:21,721 --> 00:06:24,986 My job was mind-numbingly boring. 90 00:06:25,021 --> 00:06:28,726 I worked for almost 25 years 91 00:06:28,761 --> 00:06:31,025 as a machinist in a factory. 92 00:06:33,568 --> 00:06:36,899 I would set the cut, and, uh, while the cut was running, 93 00:06:36,934 --> 00:06:38,835 I'd have plenty of time to think. 94 00:06:38,870 --> 00:06:42,773 And I'd think about, uh, something better. 95 00:06:45,976 --> 00:06:48,581 Tom Clancy was his author of choice. 96 00:06:53,654 --> 00:06:56,919 He's in books, submersing himself in that story and-- 97 00:06:56,954 --> 00:06:58,591 and kind of living that adventure. 98 00:06:59,220 --> 00:07:01,055 Because he hated his job. 99 00:07:01,090 --> 00:07:03,629 -Target acquired... 100 00:07:06,568 --> 00:07:07,798 I mean, I suffered through it. 101 00:07:07,833 --> 00:07:09,162 Don't get me wrong. 102 00:07:09,197 --> 00:07:11,098 But I always wanted out. 103 00:07:11,133 --> 00:07:13,232 I always was waiting, 104 00:07:13,267 --> 00:07:16,235 every minute of every day, 105 00:07:16,270 --> 00:07:18,204 to figure anything out 106 00:07:18,239 --> 00:07:19,876 that would get me the hell out of there. 107 00:07:19,911 --> 00:07:24,078 ♪ 108 00:07:32,594 --> 00:07:34,693 Yeah, I was pretty miserable, 109 00:07:34,728 --> 00:07:36,959 until I found cereal boxes. 110 00:07:37,328 --> 00:07:38,829 And I just really loved them. 111 00:07:46,168 --> 00:07:48,971 I'm a cereal box guy. Always have been. 112 00:07:49,842 --> 00:07:51,842 Being compulsive obsessive, 113 00:07:51,877 --> 00:07:54,240 it's not the box, it's the stack. 114 00:07:54,976 --> 00:07:57,243 There's a sense of joy when you find 115 00:07:57,278 --> 00:07:58,915 something you hold special. 116 00:07:59,313 --> 00:08:00,983 There it is. 117 00:08:01,018 --> 00:08:05,185 The screwier a box is, the better it is. 118 00:08:16,033 --> 00:08:19,265 ♪ 119 00:08:19,300 --> 00:08:20,838 I love cereal boxes. 120 00:08:20,873 --> 00:08:22,202 They're just fun. Cap'n Crunch. 121 00:08:22,237 --> 00:08:24,039 And they're a part of my childhood. 122 00:08:24,074 --> 00:08:28,109 We were the generation that ate the sweet cereal. 123 00:08:28,144 --> 00:08:30,881 And I eat the sweet cereal still. 124 00:08:30,916 --> 00:08:35,952 ♪ 125 00:08:58,372 --> 00:09:00,845 Steve, uh, was never shy about things. 126 00:09:01,547 --> 00:09:03,650 He'd be running up and down the aisles, like, 127 00:09:03,685 --> 00:09:05,278 "Oh, look at this box variation. 128 00:09:05,313 --> 00:09:07,016 Look at this, or look at that." 129 00:09:07,051 --> 00:09:09,755 And he was very passionate about what he did. 130 00:09:21,296 --> 00:09:24,803 ♪ 131 00:09:24,838 --> 00:09:28,367 Steve figured out a way of working the system 132 00:09:28,402 --> 00:09:30,171 of mail order premiums. 133 00:09:30,206 --> 00:09:33,240 Like, send ten box tops for this free craft radio. 134 00:09:33,275 --> 00:09:35,308 ♪ 135 00:09:35,343 --> 00:09:37,684 Frisbees, sports item, cars. 136 00:09:37,719 --> 00:09:40,049 I was getting all kinds of stuff. 137 00:09:40,518 --> 00:09:42,854 I learned to take those out and sell 'em, 138 00:09:42,889 --> 00:09:46,022 and it was generating revenue back into the family. 139 00:09:46,057 --> 00:09:50,158 And it was thousands and thousands of these items. 140 00:09:50,994 --> 00:09:53,293 He totally skewed their system, and-- 141 00:09:53,328 --> 00:09:57,165 and he did it often enough that they actually changed 142 00:09:57,200 --> 00:09:59,904 corporate policy about-- about premium redemption. 143 00:09:59,939 --> 00:10:01,301 You know that little disclaimer? 144 00:10:01,336 --> 00:10:03,941 They say "one per household." 145 00:10:05,472 --> 00:10:10,277 That's me. I did that. 146 00:10:10,312 --> 00:10:11,982 I mean, it-- it was the first 147 00:10:12,017 --> 00:10:15,183 effort of "push it till it breaks." 148 00:10:17,253 --> 00:10:19,693 We started going to toy shows, 149 00:10:19,728 --> 00:10:22,828 and I was yankin' down 300 bucks a show. 150 00:10:24,832 --> 00:10:27,899 Thank you. One dollar. Thank you. Just one. 151 00:10:27,934 --> 00:10:32,233 ♪ 152 00:10:36,910 --> 00:10:40,373 After they closed the window on cereal premiums, 153 00:10:40,408 --> 00:10:42,177 it seemed like the end of the road. 154 00:10:42,879 --> 00:10:46,346 But I had enough product for one last toy show. 155 00:10:47,415 --> 00:10:50,086 That's when everything changed. 156 00:10:50,121 --> 00:10:51,758 Everything. 157 00:10:51,793 --> 00:10:53,958 It was very, uh, film noire. 158 00:11:00,395 --> 00:11:02,329 I remember the moment completely. 159 00:11:02,364 --> 00:11:07,400 ♪ 160 00:11:09,877 --> 00:11:10,942 Pez. 161 00:11:10,977 --> 00:11:12,438 Oh, my God, oh, my God, 162 00:11:12,473 --> 00:11:14,242 I want one of them, I want one of them. 163 00:11:18,919 --> 00:11:20,479 Oh, my God. 164 00:11:20,514 --> 00:11:22,283 I could sell these and do really, really well. 165 00:11:22,318 --> 00:11:27,321 ♪ 166 00:11:36,937 --> 00:11:41,973 ♪ 167 00:11:44,813 --> 00:11:46,274 Toy world is full of people. 168 00:11:46,309 --> 00:11:48,243 They go, "Shh, shh, don't tell anybody." 169 00:11:48,278 --> 00:11:53,314 ♪ 170 00:12:02,864 --> 00:12:04,127 Where did you get those? 171 00:12:04,162 --> 00:12:07,867 ♪ 172 00:12:07,902 --> 00:12:09,363 Kolinska. 173 00:12:09,398 --> 00:12:11,266 It was-- it was haunting. 174 00:12:11,301 --> 00:12:14,940 'Cause it's like "Rosebud" from, uh, Citizen Kane. 175 00:12:15,676 --> 00:12:18,878 -Rosebud. 176 00:12:18,913 --> 00:12:22,079 And she leaned over and told me, 177 00:12:22,114 --> 00:12:23,850 "You want the good stuff? 178 00:12:23,885 --> 00:12:25,115 You gotta go to Kolinska." 179 00:12:26,085 --> 00:12:27,854 It was like the temptation 180 00:12:27,889 --> 00:12:30,450 of the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. 181 00:12:30,485 --> 00:12:35,521 ♪ 182 00:12:48,074 --> 00:12:49,436 The collectors loved... 183 00:12:51,011 --> 00:12:53,110 things that weren't available to the open market. 184 00:12:53,145 --> 00:12:54,507 Things that you couldn't go down 185 00:12:54,542 --> 00:12:56,344 to your grocery store and pick up. 186 00:12:56,379 --> 00:12:58,445 They wanted what was available in Europe. 187 00:12:58,480 --> 00:13:00,920 And so I was like, "Dad, let's see what we can get, 188 00:13:00,955 --> 00:13:02,383 you know, right from the factory." 189 00:13:03,518 --> 00:13:04,957 I don't go places. 190 00:13:06,620 --> 00:13:09,291 I mean, Europe-- Europe is this thing 191 00:13:09,326 --> 00:13:11,458 that rich people only do, and... 192 00:13:12,967 --> 00:13:14,835 not something in my world. 193 00:13:20,601 --> 00:13:23,569 Welcome aboard. Welcome aboard the spacious... 194 00:13:23,604 --> 00:13:25,142 I was about 20 years old. 195 00:13:25,177 --> 00:13:27,012 I had never been out of the country. 196 00:13:27,047 --> 00:13:28,948 But there was no way I was gonna just 197 00:13:28,983 --> 00:13:30,950 let that dream die anyway. 198 00:13:32,283 --> 00:13:34,085 I kind of took the reins 199 00:13:34,120 --> 00:13:36,956 and contacted a-- a local travel agent. 200 00:13:37,486 --> 00:13:39,222 This needs to happen 201 00:13:39,257 --> 00:13:41,488 in order to take that next step. 202 00:13:41,523 --> 00:13:44,293 How bad do you want that next step? 203 00:13:44,328 --> 00:13:46,460 A new concept in air transportation. 204 00:13:47,166 --> 00:13:48,561 I don't know. 205 00:13:48,596 --> 00:13:50,497 I don't know, yeah, okay. Let's go. 206 00:13:50,532 --> 00:13:53,500 -He got me a passport. 207 00:13:55,108 --> 00:13:56,437 Next thing you know, we had tickets. 208 00:13:56,872 --> 00:13:59,308 Next thing you know, we're on a plane. 209 00:13:59,343 --> 00:14:04,016 ♪ 210 00:14:08,550 --> 00:14:11,089 Well, I heard that he was making a trip to Europe, 211 00:14:11,124 --> 00:14:13,619 and I thought he was insane. 212 00:14:13,654 --> 00:14:16,655 ♪ 213 00:14:16,690 --> 00:14:19,427 He didn't speak any foreign language. 214 00:14:19,462 --> 00:14:22,562 There was no internet, he had no contact people 215 00:14:22,597 --> 00:14:25,136 on the ground, he was just some hillbilly 216 00:14:25,171 --> 00:14:27,435 from Michigan who got on a plane... 217 00:14:28,237 --> 00:14:30,911 and then just landed somewhere. 218 00:14:34,983 --> 00:14:37,643 You know, the state of Europe 219 00:14:37,678 --> 00:14:41,988 was vastly different back then than it is today. 220 00:14:43,255 --> 00:14:47,257 The Berlin wall hadn't been down very long. 221 00:14:47,292 --> 00:14:49,721 The wall has suddenly become irrelevant. 222 00:14:49,756 --> 00:14:52,427 Something, as you can see, almost to party on. 223 00:14:52,462 --> 00:14:54,132 How do you measure such an astonishing 224 00:14:54,167 --> 00:14:56,002 moment in history? 225 00:14:56,037 --> 00:14:59,434 He was operating out of this capitalist scheme, 226 00:14:59,469 --> 00:15:02,404 but he had no idea what he was doing. 227 00:15:11,217 --> 00:15:12,612 But, you know, he has that, 228 00:15:12,647 --> 00:15:15,615 like, magical little troll quality. 229 00:15:19,126 --> 00:15:22,094 When you're doing this, and you're fully invested, 230 00:15:22,129 --> 00:15:23,359 it's either win or lose. 231 00:15:23,394 --> 00:15:24,723 Live or die, you know? 232 00:15:24,758 --> 00:15:28,166 So we always had everything on the line. 233 00:15:28,201 --> 00:15:32,104 ♪ 234 00:15:32,139 --> 00:15:35,371 We had to take out a loan from our credit union 235 00:15:35,406 --> 00:15:37,505 to make this very first trip happen. 236 00:15:38,074 --> 00:15:41,476 Failure wasn't an option. We had to find the factory. 237 00:15:41,511 --> 00:15:46,217 ♪ 238 00:15:46,252 --> 00:15:48,780 But here you are, you know, these small-town guys 239 00:15:48,815 --> 00:15:50,518 going out into the world, you know? 240 00:15:50,553 --> 00:15:52,586 It's-- it's the big adventure of a lifetime. 241 00:15:59,766 --> 00:16:03,234 At this time, the conflict and genocide 242 00:16:03,269 --> 00:16:04,631 in Croatia was going on. 243 00:16:05,400 --> 00:16:08,107 And we were right on the southern border. 244 00:16:12,146 --> 00:16:13,673 So, we were driving around, 245 00:16:13,708 --> 00:16:16,445 you know, trying to go off from a map, 246 00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:20,152 but at one o'clock in the morning, in the dark, 247 00:16:20,187 --> 00:16:22,781 where you're not seeing every sign or anything like that. 248 00:16:23,316 --> 00:16:26,455 And we got hopelessly lost. 249 00:16:30,197 --> 00:16:31,262 We screwed up. 250 00:16:32,826 --> 00:16:35,200 We were on an old dirt road somewhere, 251 00:16:35,235 --> 00:16:37,532 and there was a chain across the road. 252 00:16:37,567 --> 00:16:40,403 ♪ 253 00:16:40,438 --> 00:16:45,474 And it just basically said, "Zagreb - X miles." 254 00:16:45,509 --> 00:16:49,247 ♪ 255 00:16:49,282 --> 00:16:51,084 We were out in the middle of nowhere, 256 00:16:51,119 --> 00:16:53,581 looking in the dark for any pops on the horizon. 257 00:17:11,898 --> 00:17:16,505 ♪ 258 00:17:17,673 --> 00:17:20,080 Well. 259 00:17:33,458 --> 00:17:35,458 -I don't know why... 260 00:17:36,494 --> 00:17:38,395 but Kathy's always believed in me. 261 00:17:41,235 --> 00:17:43,367 We met at age 18. 262 00:17:56,679 --> 00:17:58,910 Kathy was one of the flower children, 263 00:17:58,945 --> 00:18:00,516 uh, the beautiful people. 264 00:18:02,289 --> 00:18:05,257 I was just a guy. Not worth a hill of beans. 265 00:18:05,292 --> 00:18:08,227 And yet, she sees the guy that's-- that's there. 266 00:18:09,659 --> 00:18:10,757 The potential. 267 00:18:18,668 --> 00:18:20,668 The minute I saw her, I knew she was it. 268 00:18:20,703 --> 00:18:22,241 Completely. 269 00:18:22,276 --> 00:18:24,210 And we've been together every day since. 270 00:18:26,247 --> 00:18:28,841 Kathy allows me my dreams. 271 00:18:29,243 --> 00:18:33,846 Until I get too far off path, then she reins me back in. 272 00:18:54,539 --> 00:18:57,672 She knows I get dangerous, and careless... 273 00:18:58,906 --> 00:19:00,213 occasionally. 274 00:19:00,248 --> 00:19:02,446 But she supported me 100% 275 00:19:02,481 --> 00:19:03,909 on the-- the trip to Europe. 276 00:19:09,554 --> 00:19:10,850 I thought we were dead. 277 00:19:12,755 --> 00:19:15,492 But thank God I had Josh. Thank God. 278 00:19:16,228 --> 00:19:19,463 -I mean-- . 279 00:19:21,929 --> 00:19:24,798 I truly began to appreciate him. 280 00:19:24,833 --> 00:19:29,869 ♪ 281 00:19:39,320 --> 00:19:41,947 Our first trip to Europe for Joshua and me was like 282 00:19:41,982 --> 00:19:44,785 our graduation from childhood to manhood. 283 00:19:45,521 --> 00:19:50,527 I did lean on him to be able to emotionally do this. 284 00:19:54,060 --> 00:19:57,028 The next day we were supposed to be finding 285 00:19:57,063 --> 00:20:00,900 the factory, and still we had no idea where it was. 286 00:20:02,805 --> 00:20:04,673 And then, I see it. 287 00:20:06,611 --> 00:20:08,974 It's printed, the address is printed right on here. 288 00:20:10,210 --> 00:20:13,352 It's right there, and you're just, like, holy crap. 289 00:20:13,387 --> 00:20:18,489 ♪ 290 00:20:19,191 --> 00:20:21,789 I'm-- I'm amazed how an American 291 00:20:21,824 --> 00:20:23,560 is able to get into the factories. 292 00:20:23,595 --> 00:20:28,400 ♪ 293 00:20:29,035 --> 00:20:33,834 We really get a long ways by playing up "dumb American." 294 00:20:34,536 --> 00:20:36,639 "Came here for Pez? Dumb American." 295 00:20:36,674 --> 00:20:37,739 You know what I mean? 296 00:20:37,774 --> 00:20:42,810 ♪ 297 00:20:47,685 --> 00:20:50,389 I couldn't make out any sense of this. 298 00:20:50,824 --> 00:20:53,755 Uh, I don't want to insult Steve now, 299 00:20:53,790 --> 00:20:57,495 because appearance-wise, what is it-- like, a homeless. 300 00:20:58,729 --> 00:21:00,432 Yeah. 301 00:21:00,467 --> 00:21:02,632 Actually, he looks like a poor, homeless guy. 302 00:21:02,667 --> 00:21:05,866 ♪ 303 00:21:05,901 --> 00:21:07,340 I got in. 304 00:21:08,838 --> 00:21:10,706 Looking disheveled and crazy 305 00:21:10,741 --> 00:21:12,576 has always worked for me. 306 00:21:15,713 --> 00:21:17,779 Everybody underestimates you. 307 00:21:19,420 --> 00:21:23,048 And that's when I met Marcos. 308 00:21:24,491 --> 00:21:27,360 And what he showed me, it was overwhelming. 309 00:21:27,395 --> 00:21:32,431 ♪ 310 00:21:32,466 --> 00:21:33,993 It was exactly like 311 00:21:34,028 --> 00:21:35,929 Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. 312 00:21:35,964 --> 00:21:39,933 ♪ 313 00:21:39,968 --> 00:21:41,836 We had got our golden ticket... 314 00:21:43,477 --> 00:21:46,544 and we were in there to buy our heart's desire. 315 00:21:46,579 --> 00:21:49,976 ♪ 316 00:21:50,011 --> 00:21:52,484 I saw so much wonderful Pez. 317 00:21:53,253 --> 00:21:55,784 This is the stuff people dream of. 318 00:21:55,819 --> 00:22:00,492 ♪ 319 00:22:00,527 --> 00:22:02,758 It was, like, you hit the lottery. 320 00:22:02,793 --> 00:22:04,892 -It was unreal. 321 00:22:04,927 --> 00:22:09,732 ♪ 322 00:22:09,767 --> 00:22:12,130 Marcos's job was design. 323 00:22:13,771 --> 00:22:15,837 We had made a friend. A soulmate. 324 00:22:15,872 --> 00:22:17,608 That truly appreciates 325 00:22:17,643 --> 00:22:19,544 the artistic talent, the vision. 326 00:22:19,579 --> 00:22:22,613 I-- I got what he was saying and how much he loved it. 327 00:22:22,648 --> 00:22:25,484 It was stuff that just wasn't sold in the U.S. 328 00:22:25,886 --> 00:22:29,521 Pez USA rejected damn near everything Marcos would do. 329 00:22:40,193 --> 00:22:41,929 My name is Bud Damberg, 330 00:22:41,964 --> 00:22:43,964 and I'm the former marketing manager for Pez. 331 00:22:43,999 --> 00:22:45,801 And I was there for about 15 years. 332 00:22:47,805 --> 00:22:49,442 I love working in the candy industry. 333 00:22:49,477 --> 00:22:51,037 It's one of the sweetest industries around. 334 00:22:52,612 --> 00:22:54,744 Literally. 335 00:22:55,246 --> 00:22:58,044 Back in the 1990s, Pez USA 336 00:22:58,079 --> 00:23:00,750 and Pez International out of Austria, 337 00:23:00,785 --> 00:23:02,917 operated very independently. 338 00:23:02,952 --> 00:23:05,051 Pez International had distribution 339 00:23:05,086 --> 00:23:06,690 throughout the entire world. 340 00:23:06,725 --> 00:23:08,494 But not the United States. 341 00:23:09,063 --> 00:23:11,860 Because of Pez USA's agreement 342 00:23:11,895 --> 00:23:14,192 with the parent company in Austria, 343 00:23:14,227 --> 00:23:17,866 they have 100% control 344 00:23:17,901 --> 00:23:20,803 of everything Pez-related in the United States. 345 00:23:21,505 --> 00:23:24,136 And the, uh, president and CEO 346 00:23:24,171 --> 00:23:26,138 of Pez USA was Scott McWhinnie. 347 00:23:28,714 --> 00:23:30,912 Also very fondly known as the "Pezident." 348 00:23:31,981 --> 00:23:34,113 He was the ultimate decision-maker. 349 00:23:34,148 --> 00:23:37,985 He ran a very tight and very lean ship. 350 00:23:38,020 --> 00:23:41,692 "I love Pez" is a very common, uh, statement. 351 00:23:41,727 --> 00:23:44,090 However, the kids of today know nothing about nostalgia. 352 00:23:44,125 --> 00:23:45,597 They love Pez for what it is. 353 00:23:46,633 --> 00:23:48,193 The people at Pez USA 354 00:23:48,228 --> 00:23:51,471 decided what came into the US and what didn't. 355 00:23:52,106 --> 00:23:54,100 If Scott didn't want something sold in the United States, 356 00:23:54,135 --> 00:23:56,102 it wasn't sold in the United States. 357 00:23:56,137 --> 00:23:58,973 Europe would bust it's butt and come up with a great idea, 358 00:23:59,008 --> 00:24:01,041 or get some really good licenses, 359 00:24:01,076 --> 00:24:02,911 and Pez USA would say no. 360 00:24:03,413 --> 00:24:05,914 No, stupid, we hate it, no, 361 00:24:05,949 --> 00:24:07,916 no, you're ignorant, we hate it. 362 00:24:07,951 --> 00:24:11,557 But everything unique and creative 363 00:24:11,592 --> 00:24:14,626 that they came up with, I could not get enough of. 364 00:24:14,661 --> 00:24:16,859 And that endeared us to them. 365 00:24:17,528 --> 00:24:20,159 They loved us. Just loved us. 366 00:24:24,165 --> 00:24:26,836 These people were hungry for American dollars. 367 00:24:26,871 --> 00:24:28,640 They wanted to work with us. 368 00:24:28,675 --> 00:24:31,005 They wanted to do business with us and everything. 369 00:24:33,944 --> 00:24:37,275 I was looking at the, uh, cabinet, in the office, 370 00:24:37,310 --> 00:24:39,112 and they had a display in there of-- 371 00:24:39,147 --> 00:24:41,081 of dispensers that hadn't even hit the market. 372 00:24:42,590 --> 00:24:44,755 Um, one of them was the Bubble Boy dispenser. 373 00:24:48,794 --> 00:24:50,530 Our jaws just dropped to the floor. 374 00:24:51,599 --> 00:24:53,324 Uh, especially once, uh, 375 00:24:53,359 --> 00:24:55,799 he told us the stories behind 'em. 376 00:24:57,099 --> 00:24:59,638 Bubble Man was a reject 377 00:24:59,673 --> 00:25:02,234 from an idea to sell gum. 378 00:25:03,776 --> 00:25:05,974 Now, I had heard of the Bubble Boy dispenser. 379 00:25:06,009 --> 00:25:07,943 He wasn't going to be released. 380 00:25:07,978 --> 00:25:10,077 Well, he gave me one from the cabinet. 381 00:25:10,112 --> 00:25:12,211 I mean, that was-- that was the coolest thing. 382 00:25:12,246 --> 00:25:15,984 He also gave me a purple Dino and a yellow Dino. 383 00:25:16,353 --> 00:25:18,888 Stuff that should never have been out there, 384 00:25:18,923 --> 00:25:20,791 but it existed. 385 00:25:23,730 --> 00:25:25,664 It was just really wonderful Pez. 386 00:25:25,699 --> 00:25:30,735 ♪ 387 00:25:32,937 --> 00:25:35,641 At that point, I was home free. I had my product. 388 00:25:35,676 --> 00:25:39,909 All of the obstacles had been hurdled. 389 00:25:39,944 --> 00:25:44,716 -All except one. 390 00:25:44,751 --> 00:25:47,851 Coming back through US customs was the hard part. 391 00:25:48,620 --> 00:25:50,656 Here at Homeland Security Investigations, 392 00:25:50,691 --> 00:25:52,658 we investigate transnational crime. 393 00:25:52,693 --> 00:25:54,858 Uh, basically any crime that touches, 394 00:25:54,893 --> 00:25:56,222 uh, the United States border. 395 00:25:56,257 --> 00:25:58,290 Uh, either inbound or outbound. 396 00:25:58,325 --> 00:26:00,094 It runs across the spectrum. 397 00:26:00,129 --> 00:26:02,767 It could be, uh, contraband, in that-- in the-- 398 00:26:02,802 --> 00:26:05,000 in the form of narcotics, money, 399 00:26:05,035 --> 00:26:08,333 body parts, human heads, of course, arms. 400 00:26:08,368 --> 00:26:10,676 You know, various animals. 401 00:26:11,145 --> 00:26:13,811 Unfortunately, sometimes those animals don't make it, 402 00:26:13,846 --> 00:26:15,340 but other times they do, and all of a sudden 403 00:26:15,375 --> 00:26:17,111 you're opening a, you know, a suitcase, 404 00:26:17,146 --> 00:26:18,915 and there's birds in there or something else. 405 00:26:18,950 --> 00:26:21,786 ♪ 406 00:26:23,823 --> 00:26:25,053 It can be entertaining. 407 00:26:25,088 --> 00:26:26,758 Uh, for a serious crime, 408 00:26:26,793 --> 00:26:28,793 you could be looking at decades in jail. 409 00:26:28,828 --> 00:26:31,763 ♪ 410 00:26:31,798 --> 00:26:34,667 He just had great big duffle bags 411 00:26:34,702 --> 00:26:39,232 full of thousands and thousands of Pez, and I don't know what 412 00:26:39,267 --> 00:26:41,399 the customs people thought, 413 00:26:41,434 --> 00:26:43,401 or maybe they didn't even really look at them. 414 00:26:44,036 --> 00:26:46,712 They must not have, or he wouldn't have been able 415 00:26:46,747 --> 00:26:49,880 to bring 'em in without all the proper paperwork. 416 00:26:49,915 --> 00:26:53,818 ♪ 417 00:26:53,853 --> 00:26:55,446 It was something I learned. 418 00:26:55,481 --> 00:26:58,284 You had to be methodical about how you went about it. 419 00:26:58,653 --> 00:27:00,990 I had to appear to be... 420 00:27:01,993 --> 00:27:03,355 a fool. 421 00:27:03,390 --> 00:27:05,731 Disheveled. Crazy. 422 00:27:06,233 --> 00:27:10,395 So, I'd stay awake for 24 hours prior to hitting customs. 423 00:27:10,897 --> 00:27:12,463 Well, that's-- that's exactly 424 00:27:12,498 --> 00:27:14,399 what you don't wanna do. 425 00:27:14,434 --> 00:27:16,434 Uh, you know, the more odd and the more you stick out, 426 00:27:16,469 --> 00:27:18,876 if you're disheveled and don't sleep 427 00:27:18,911 --> 00:27:22,308 and you're acting a little, uh, kind of out of sorts. 428 00:27:22,343 --> 00:27:24,750 If anything, that's gonna attract more attention, 429 00:27:24,785 --> 00:27:26,147 and it certainly would for me. 430 00:27:26,782 --> 00:27:28,479 Oh, I knew it would work. 431 00:27:28,514 --> 00:27:31,988 Um, doing crazy things that made no sense. 432 00:27:32,023 --> 00:27:35,486 -Because then I'm harmless. -You should be honest. 433 00:27:35,521 --> 00:27:37,994 You're gonna have to declare what you're coming in with. 434 00:27:38,029 --> 00:27:41,327 You needed to be as honest as you could, 435 00:27:41,362 --> 00:27:44,099 without being completely honest. 436 00:27:45,872 --> 00:27:48,136 Yes, I was definitely doing 437 00:27:48,171 --> 00:27:50,402 something technically illegal. 438 00:27:50,804 --> 00:27:53,240 Did I care? Nah. Not in the slightest. 439 00:27:53,275 --> 00:27:54,439 Not in the slightest. 440 00:27:54,474 --> 00:27:59,719 ♪ 441 00:28:08,158 --> 00:28:10,488 Um, the items that-- that Steve Glew 442 00:28:10,523 --> 00:28:13,326 was bringing over were grey market items. 443 00:28:14,062 --> 00:28:16,395 Um, which were items that were not manufactured 444 00:28:16,430 --> 00:28:18,034 for United States market. 445 00:28:19,235 --> 00:28:21,136 They were legitimate Pez dispensers, 446 00:28:21,171 --> 00:28:22,940 but he did not have the licensing rights 447 00:28:22,975 --> 00:28:24,040 to bring them in. 448 00:28:28,442 --> 00:28:31,278 Pez Candy Inc. in the United States 449 00:28:31,313 --> 00:28:35,414 is the only licensed entity to sell them in this country. 450 00:28:42,230 --> 00:28:45,325 Let me think about that one. 451 00:28:45,360 --> 00:28:49,296 ♪ 452 00:28:53,104 --> 00:28:56,776 A snafu made everything I did possible. 453 00:28:58,406 --> 00:29:01,473 There was one simple, little thing 454 00:29:01,508 --> 00:29:03,442 that would have shut me down. 455 00:29:03,477 --> 00:29:07,919 Pez USA contacting international customs 456 00:29:07,954 --> 00:29:09,151 and registering... 457 00:29:10,451 --> 00:29:12,517 that they were the sole importers 458 00:29:12,552 --> 00:29:14,288 of Pez products from Europe. 459 00:29:16,160 --> 00:29:18,061 My name's Julie Hilario, I'm a special agent 460 00:29:18,096 --> 00:29:19,964 with Homeland Security Investigations. 461 00:29:19,999 --> 00:29:22,461 Oftentimes, we find that trademark owners 462 00:29:22,496 --> 00:29:24,166 may not be knowledgeable 463 00:29:24,201 --> 00:29:26,168 that they need to record their trademark 464 00:29:26,203 --> 00:29:27,972 with U.S. Customs and Border Protection 465 00:29:28,007 --> 00:29:29,875 for enforcement at the border. 466 00:29:29,910 --> 00:29:32,537 One of the customs agents that I dealt with, 467 00:29:32,572 --> 00:29:35,276 he said, "uh, you know, uh, well, you know, 468 00:29:35,311 --> 00:29:37,014 you're not the importer for this." 469 00:29:37,049 --> 00:29:42,085 ♪ 470 00:29:44,485 --> 00:29:47,189 And he got his sheet out, and he was lookin', 471 00:29:47,224 --> 00:29:48,927 and he was lookin', and he was lookin'. 472 00:29:51,492 --> 00:29:53,129 He said, "Oh, my God." 473 00:29:54,231 --> 00:29:56,165 Pez USA, I did check, 474 00:29:56,200 --> 00:29:58,134 and their trademark is not recorded 475 00:29:58,169 --> 00:29:59,498 with Customs and Border Protection. 476 00:30:01,172 --> 00:30:03,040 Yeah, I wasn't aware of that. 477 00:30:03,075 --> 00:30:04,569 I mean, I know that, um... 478 00:30:05,271 --> 00:30:07,473 they had some very expensive lawyers in New York 479 00:30:07,508 --> 00:30:09,145 that spent a lot of time and money. 480 00:30:09,680 --> 00:30:11,983 They were supposed to make sure that it was registered 481 00:30:12,018 --> 00:30:13,512 in all the classes of trade. 482 00:30:13,814 --> 00:30:15,580 They have a US patent 483 00:30:15,615 --> 00:30:18,385 and trademark with USPTO, um, but they didn't take 484 00:30:18,420 --> 00:30:20,651 the second step of actually recording their trademark 485 00:30:20,686 --> 00:30:22,125 with Customs and Border Protection 486 00:30:22,160 --> 00:30:23,258 for enforcement at the border. 487 00:30:23,656 --> 00:30:25,557 And he goes, 488 00:30:25,592 --> 00:30:27,130 "if they're that stupid... 489 00:30:29,299 --> 00:30:31,497 go ahead." 490 00:30:31,532 --> 00:30:36,568 ♪ 491 00:30:50,386 --> 00:30:53,354 When we got back from Europe after the first trip, 492 00:30:53,389 --> 00:30:56,225 going back to work sucked, big time. 493 00:30:56,594 --> 00:30:59,162 It was like being in prison. 494 00:31:03,003 --> 00:31:04,970 But not having any money, 495 00:31:05,005 --> 00:31:06,532 I had to stick it out for a while. 496 00:31:06,567 --> 00:31:09,469 I guess my dad, uh, had done some talking 497 00:31:09,504 --> 00:31:12,406 to, you know, the-- the Pez dealers, 498 00:31:12,441 --> 00:31:15,948 and one of them heard that-- that I had that Bubble Boy. 499 00:31:19,580 --> 00:31:21,118 Buyers appeared... 500 00:31:22,286 --> 00:31:23,450 through word of mouth. 501 00:31:23,919 --> 00:31:26,354 The phone chain was people talking to people 502 00:31:26,389 --> 00:31:27,454 that talking to people. 503 00:31:30,525 --> 00:31:32,360 Honestly, I was flabbergasted 504 00:31:32,395 --> 00:31:34,428 at the prices that people would pay. 505 00:31:34,463 --> 00:31:35,968 They're like, you know, 506 00:31:36,003 --> 00:31:37,299 I'll buy that Bubble Boy from you. 507 00:31:37,334 --> 00:31:40,038 -$1,250. 508 00:31:41,107 --> 00:31:42,403 I was like, what? 509 00:31:42,438 --> 00:31:44,273 I mean, it was a gift from Marcos, 510 00:31:44,308 --> 00:31:46,275 so we didn't have the intention at all of selling it. 511 00:31:46,910 --> 00:31:49,047 Here I am, a college student 512 00:31:49,082 --> 00:31:51,016 paying for my own tuition and everything... 513 00:31:52,184 --> 00:31:54,151 being offered 1,250 bucks 514 00:31:54,186 --> 00:31:57,616 for a piece of plastic that was given to me for free. 515 00:31:57,651 --> 00:31:59,486 The last thing in the world I wanted to do 516 00:31:59,521 --> 00:32:01,323 was sell Bubble Boy. 517 00:32:01,358 --> 00:32:03,061 But, hey, man, I gotta pay some bills. 518 00:32:04,130 --> 00:32:06,460 Money talks. Money talks. 519 00:32:10,169 --> 00:32:12,631 The collectors bought pretty much 520 00:32:12,666 --> 00:32:14,699 everything I had, overnight. 521 00:32:17,275 --> 00:32:20,738 I paid 27 cents each. 522 00:32:21,675 --> 00:32:22,740 300 bucks. 523 00:32:23,109 --> 00:32:26,282 Without those early sales, I never 524 00:32:26,317 --> 00:32:28,251 would have been able to quit my job. 525 00:32:30,491 --> 00:32:32,552 One of my last memories in the shop 526 00:32:32,587 --> 00:32:36,490 was Enya playing on the radio. 527 00:32:41,662 --> 00:32:43,002 And it was just floating. 528 00:32:44,533 --> 00:32:48,139 Through the whole shop. Her voice. And echoing. 529 00:32:48,174 --> 00:32:53,210 ♪ 530 00:32:53,245 --> 00:32:57,544 ♪ Let me sail, let me sail let the Orinoco flow ♪ 531 00:32:57,579 --> 00:33:01,515 Her music was, like, a place I wanted to be. 532 00:33:01,550 --> 00:33:04,749 And traveling to Europe, and my dreams, 533 00:33:04,784 --> 00:33:07,389 married perfectly well with that. 534 00:33:07,424 --> 00:33:09,556 ♪ 535 00:33:16,268 --> 00:33:19,797 When I left the shop for the last time, I went from, 536 00:33:19,832 --> 00:33:24,736 uh, working 79-hour work weeks to doing my own thing. 537 00:33:27,213 --> 00:33:32,711 I went to selling toys and Pez full-time. 538 00:33:32,746 --> 00:33:37,089 ♪ Sail away, sail away, sail away ♪ 539 00:33:37,124 --> 00:33:41,192 ♪ Sail away, sail away, sail away ♪ 540 00:33:41,227 --> 00:33:44,459 ♪ Sail away, sail away, sail away ♪ 541 00:33:51,237 --> 00:33:55,140 At that time, the hobby was kind of this small, 542 00:33:55,175 --> 00:33:57,175 closed group, and we all knew each other. 543 00:33:58,739 --> 00:34:00,574 And Steve was like this, you know... 544 00:34:02,347 --> 00:34:06,514 magical troll who just sprung forth out of nowhere. 545 00:34:07,016 --> 00:34:09,748 But then he found out about the Pez community 546 00:34:09,783 --> 00:34:11,717 and started talking to all of us. 547 00:34:11,752 --> 00:34:14,621 The Pez community was a smallish community 548 00:34:14,656 --> 00:34:17,129 that taught me everything I-- I learned. 549 00:34:17,498 --> 00:34:19,593 Welcome to the wonderful world of Pez collecting. 550 00:34:19,628 --> 00:34:20,693 You're hooked now. 551 00:34:20,728 --> 00:34:25,335 ♪ 552 00:34:25,370 --> 00:34:28,701 I mean, I like to drink scotch, I like fast cars. 553 00:34:29,236 --> 00:34:32,606 But there-- there's nothing that compares with the feeling 554 00:34:32,641 --> 00:34:35,774 you get when you get a great find in Pez. 555 00:34:37,877 --> 00:34:39,118 So, this is my Pez room. 556 00:34:39,920 --> 00:34:41,780 So, I've been collecting about 20 years. 557 00:34:42,182 --> 00:34:45,421 Your Thors, you're gonna be-- $200-300 range. 558 00:34:45,456 --> 00:34:47,192 This Pony would probably go about 1300. 559 00:34:47,227 --> 00:34:49,491 I have 53 covered grandstands. 560 00:34:49,893 --> 00:34:52,395 They each hold 80 dispensers. 561 00:34:53,662 --> 00:34:55,299 I have everything filled up. 562 00:34:55,334 --> 00:34:56,894 Every empty space is filled up with junk. 563 00:34:56,929 --> 00:34:59,303 So, if you want to give me a title, 564 00:34:59,338 --> 00:35:01,602 you can say to me I am a crazy collector. 565 00:35:04,574 --> 00:35:06,508 I will say that I've spent 566 00:35:06,543 --> 00:35:09,412 $2,500 for one dispenser. 567 00:35:09,447 --> 00:35:12,448 The most I ever paid for Pez was $11,000. 568 00:35:12,483 --> 00:35:14,219 -For one? -One. 569 00:35:14,254 --> 00:35:15,748 And so, in the Pez world, 570 00:35:15,783 --> 00:35:18,223 the person who brought the most new product 571 00:35:18,258 --> 00:35:20,555 to us was Steve Glew. 572 00:35:20,590 --> 00:35:25,428 ♪ 573 00:35:25,463 --> 00:35:27,793 With the prices people were paying, 574 00:35:27,828 --> 00:35:29,630 Josh and me were itching 575 00:35:29,665 --> 00:35:31,632 to go back and get more product. 576 00:35:31,667 --> 00:35:34,800 And I had heard the real mother lode... 577 00:35:35,869 --> 00:35:37,671 was Hungary. 578 00:35:37,706 --> 00:35:42,181 And Gunther was a person of importance there. 579 00:35:42,579 --> 00:35:46,482 ♪ 580 00:35:46,517 --> 00:35:49,815 He had been a person within the upper echelon 581 00:35:49,850 --> 00:35:52,719 at Pez corporation in Austria, in Linz. 582 00:35:52,754 --> 00:35:56,756 And he had been tasked with the role 583 00:35:56,791 --> 00:35:59,495 of opening up the East. 584 00:35:59,530 --> 00:36:01,464 He had power. He had power. 585 00:36:01,499 --> 00:36:04,401 ♪ 586 00:36:04,436 --> 00:36:06,436 First time I met him, I believe 587 00:36:06,471 --> 00:36:08,504 it was on our second trip to Europe. 588 00:36:09,006 --> 00:36:10,803 I mean, like, I walk in the door 589 00:36:10,838 --> 00:36:12,673 and I ask about Pez, 590 00:36:12,708 --> 00:36:16,413 and Gunther Leitner came out in the most God-awful 591 00:36:16,448 --> 00:36:20,318 plaid sports jacket I have ever seen in my life. 592 00:36:20,887 --> 00:36:23,255 He comes up to me at the counter and he said, 593 00:36:23,290 --> 00:36:24,619 "I hear you're here huntin' for Pez, eh?" 594 00:36:25,288 --> 00:36:26,819 And I goes, "Yeah, I'm huntin' for it." 595 00:36:26,854 --> 00:36:28,458 He says, "Yeah, I know, I know, I know." 596 00:36:28,793 --> 00:36:30,856 And he says, "Don't you-- don't you know who I am?" 597 00:36:33,597 --> 00:36:35,531 No, I have no idea 598 00:36:35,566 --> 00:36:38,336 who you are and I don't really give a damn. 599 00:36:38,771 --> 00:36:42,340 Gunther took a Post-it, just a stupid little Post-it. 600 00:36:43,109 --> 00:36:45,277 Wrote a few words, signed his name. 601 00:36:45,646 --> 00:36:47,939 He said, "Okay, take this. Go over there." 602 00:36:48,810 --> 00:36:50,876 And I handed the post-it 603 00:36:50,911 --> 00:36:52,680 to the, uh, the guard at the gate. 604 00:36:52,715 --> 00:36:54,682 I mean, he might as well have hopped to and clicked 605 00:36:54,717 --> 00:36:56,915 his heels and opened up the gate. 606 00:36:56,950 --> 00:36:59,489 I mean, really. That little Post-it. 607 00:37:00,459 --> 00:37:03,361 Everybody did anything we ask. 608 00:37:03,396 --> 00:37:04,758 People walked up to me, 609 00:37:04,793 --> 00:37:06,496 and every time I showed it to 'em, 610 00:37:06,531 --> 00:37:08,696 "Yep, yep. Yep, yep. Over here. Over here." 611 00:37:08,731 --> 00:37:11,369 Next thing I know, they got a truck... 612 00:37:11,404 --> 00:37:12,535 for me to load. 613 00:37:13,170 --> 00:37:15,835 And take everything off to the airport. 614 00:37:15,870 --> 00:37:18,442 And he truly was that powerful. 615 00:37:19,676 --> 00:37:21,709 Just wished I could have taken it all. 616 00:37:21,744 --> 00:37:24,349 I really wish I could've, but I couldn't. 617 00:37:24,384 --> 00:37:28,353 I only had 4,000 bucks maybe in my pocket, so, I mean, 618 00:37:28,388 --> 00:37:31,048 it was very disappointing for Gunther, you know? 619 00:37:31,083 --> 00:37:33,655 Gunther didn't give the money to Pez. 620 00:37:33,690 --> 00:37:35,327 He kept it. 621 00:37:35,696 --> 00:37:38,627 Oh, and the last thing he says as he's getting out of the car. 622 00:37:38,662 --> 00:37:41,531 He leans back in and he goes, "I don't know you. 623 00:37:41,566 --> 00:37:42,730 I don't know you." 624 00:37:43,634 --> 00:37:44,864 Oh, my God. 625 00:37:49,101 --> 00:37:52,872 ♪ 626 00:37:52,907 --> 00:37:55,446 So, now we're finding out all these illegal dispensers 627 00:37:55,481 --> 00:37:56,810 are all over the place. 628 00:37:56,845 --> 00:37:58,647 Word came out that somebody took 629 00:37:58,682 --> 00:38:01,078 some pre-production samples and were selling those. 630 00:38:01,113 --> 00:38:04,323 Pre-production samples, illegal, on the black market. 631 00:38:05,125 --> 00:38:08,118 And apparently somebody would go over to Europe 632 00:38:08,153 --> 00:38:11,726 and meet up with some of the, um, workers who worked 633 00:38:11,761 --> 00:38:13,431 in the factories after hours 634 00:38:13,466 --> 00:38:15,532 and pay 'em a few hundred U.S. dollars, 635 00:38:15,567 --> 00:38:17,567 and before you know it you had all these 636 00:38:17,602 --> 00:38:19,503 pre-production samples disappear. 637 00:38:20,737 --> 00:38:21,967 Well, my reaction was... 638 00:38:22,636 --> 00:38:24,706 isn't anybody watching the factory? 639 00:38:26,105 --> 00:38:27,775 It's not like when you go on a vacation 640 00:38:27,810 --> 00:38:29,744 you bring a dozen back with you. 641 00:38:29,779 --> 00:38:32,813 This guy was bringing thousands and thousands of them over. 642 00:38:33,248 --> 00:38:35,079 Scott was furious that this was happening. 643 00:38:36,423 --> 00:38:38,621 So, his mission was to find out 644 00:38:38,656 --> 00:38:39,721 who was doing this. 645 00:38:39,756 --> 00:38:44,528 ♪ 646 00:38:57,202 --> 00:38:59,708 I was a police officer for 20 years, 647 00:38:59,743 --> 00:39:03,877 and I started my newsletter, Pez Collectors News, in 1995. 648 00:39:03,912 --> 00:39:06,011 As a collector, the idea of the newsletter 649 00:39:06,046 --> 00:39:09,949 was to get the word out there to other collectors and just, 650 00:39:09,984 --> 00:39:11,687 what's out there, and what's real, 651 00:39:11,722 --> 00:39:14,151 and is-- is there any fakes going around. 652 00:39:16,496 --> 00:39:19,497 In a lot of senses, Richie was the number one spy 653 00:39:19,532 --> 00:39:21,433 for, uh, Pez USA 654 00:39:21,468 --> 00:39:22,995 No, I wasn't a spy. 655 00:39:23,030 --> 00:39:26,031 People thought I was the Pez police, but no, 656 00:39:26,066 --> 00:39:28,440 I really didn't tell them anything. 657 00:39:28,475 --> 00:39:30,541 Did he report back to Scott? 658 00:39:31,043 --> 00:39:34,171 Yes. Not a doubt in my brain. 659 00:39:35,581 --> 00:39:38,747 Scott McWhinnie absolutely had a reputation 660 00:39:38,782 --> 00:39:42,080 for kind of, "the Pez company hates collectors." 661 00:39:42,115 --> 00:39:45,050 And he's not a particularly likeable guy. 662 00:39:45,085 --> 00:39:47,987 He's a little pompous, he's a little full of himself, 663 00:39:48,022 --> 00:39:49,593 he's a little insecure. 664 00:39:50,195 --> 00:39:53,025 I was told by many people that-- that Scott McWhinnie 665 00:39:53,060 --> 00:39:55,632 had spies in the Pez world. 666 00:39:55,667 --> 00:39:59,163 That anything we would say would get back to him. 667 00:40:00,606 --> 00:40:02,166 Scott was very aware 668 00:40:02,201 --> 00:40:03,805 of the growing collectors market. 669 00:40:04,240 --> 00:40:07,611 He was also very well-aware of the illegal activity 670 00:40:07,646 --> 00:40:09,008 going on in the collectors market. 671 00:40:10,682 --> 00:40:12,583 So, one of the first things we did 672 00:40:12,618 --> 00:40:14,211 to get information out to them, 673 00:40:14,246 --> 00:40:17,115 was we invited Richie Belyski up to the factory. 674 00:40:17,484 --> 00:40:20,723 He had a tour of the factory, um, he interviewed Scott 675 00:40:20,758 --> 00:40:23,220 for an hour or two, and we went to lunch. 676 00:40:24,564 --> 00:40:26,058 It was interesting. 677 00:40:26,093 --> 00:40:27,631 It was the first time I was ever in there, 678 00:40:27,666 --> 00:40:29,226 and they don't give tours to people. 679 00:40:29,261 --> 00:40:34,165 ♪ 680 00:40:37,274 --> 00:40:39,610 Um, yeah. Yeah, he did. 681 00:40:39,645 --> 00:40:42,580 He was sort of a little bit like a PR agency in a way. 682 00:40:42,615 --> 00:40:44,747 That one's worth about $700. 683 00:40:44,782 --> 00:40:46,078 There's another sticker on the back. 684 00:40:46,113 --> 00:40:47,750 An original sticker. 685 00:40:47,785 --> 00:40:49,653 Wow, that's terrific. 686 00:40:49,688 --> 00:40:51,149 Well, thank you, Richard. We appreciate it. 687 00:40:51,184 --> 00:40:52,821 We all love Pez, and now we know why. 688 00:40:53,156 --> 00:40:56,594 I remember when I went to the Pez factory, 689 00:40:56,629 --> 00:40:59,564 Scott McWhinnie pulled one out of his pocket. 690 00:40:59,599 --> 00:41:01,599 He goes, "Hey, you see this dispenser? 691 00:41:01,634 --> 00:41:03,260 -You know what this is?" -And I said yeah. 692 00:41:03,295 --> 00:41:06,131 And he says, "Yeah, I'm gonna be sellin' it soon." 693 00:41:09,642 --> 00:41:11,576 Bubble Man was designed by Scott McWhinnie. 694 00:41:11,611 --> 00:41:13,237 He loved it. 695 00:41:13,272 --> 00:41:14,645 Absolutely, he was passionate about it. 696 00:41:14,680 --> 00:41:16,207 That was his. 697 00:41:20,587 --> 00:41:23,280 He had the character developed and designed. 698 00:41:23,315 --> 00:41:26,756 Even went as far as having the name, um, registered. 699 00:41:26,791 --> 00:41:31,695 ♪ 700 00:41:34,062 --> 00:41:36,733 Um, and it was a project that Scott 701 00:41:36,768 --> 00:41:38,933 pretty much worked on himself. 702 00:41:38,968 --> 00:41:42,167 And I-- I think he-- he cared very much about it. 703 00:41:42,202 --> 00:41:45,104 ♪ 704 00:41:46,745 --> 00:41:49,009 However, that project was put on hold. 705 00:41:49,044 --> 00:41:51,814 And when Scott heard that people were bringing 706 00:41:51,849 --> 00:41:53,882 Bubble Man over into the United States 707 00:41:53,917 --> 00:41:55,851 and selling them for an obscene amount of money, 708 00:41:55,886 --> 00:41:56,984 that burned him up. 709 00:41:59,219 --> 00:42:01,857 Most expensive one here right now is this guy here. 710 00:42:01,892 --> 00:42:04,057 And he's not old. He's from 1992. 711 00:42:04,092 --> 00:42:05,289 He's called the Bubble Gum Man. 712 00:42:05,324 --> 00:42:06,598 He's a prototype. 713 00:42:07,167 --> 00:42:11,295 Scott McWhinnie was watching, um, some news reel 714 00:42:11,330 --> 00:42:15,871 of a Pez convention, and he saw the Bubble Man. 715 00:42:15,906 --> 00:42:17,972 Some girl had one for sale. 716 00:42:18,007 --> 00:42:19,941 There's only about 20 known in the whole world. 717 00:42:19,976 --> 00:42:21,745 It was something they designed 718 00:42:21,780 --> 00:42:23,681 that they didn't have to pay licensing for. 719 00:42:23,716 --> 00:42:25,342 Manufactured a few, and looked at it and said, 720 00:42:25,377 --> 00:42:27,212 "what were we thinking when we made this?" 721 00:42:27,247 --> 00:42:29,214 -And that was the end of that. -It's butt ugly. 722 00:42:29,249 --> 00:42:31,249 - That's right. 723 00:42:32,956 --> 00:42:35,220 And Scott McWhinnie had a fit. 724 00:42:35,255 --> 00:42:36,760 And right now his asking price 725 00:42:36,795 --> 00:42:38,190 is $1200. 726 00:42:38,225 --> 00:42:40,632 Wow, $1200 for a Pez? 727 00:42:40,667 --> 00:42:41,732 That's amazing. 728 00:42:49,775 --> 00:42:52,974 At this point, when Scott became aware of the-- the abuse 729 00:42:53,009 --> 00:42:56,912 that was going, the best way of killing that 730 00:42:56,947 --> 00:43:00,685 was to take those dispensers and put them into the direct 731 00:43:00,720 --> 00:43:03,248 marketing program, and sell it to all the collectors 732 00:43:03,283 --> 00:43:05,316 at a reasonable price. 733 00:43:05,918 --> 00:43:07,692 Okay, this is Bubble Man. 734 00:43:07,727 --> 00:43:09,254 It's worth nothing. 735 00:43:09,289 --> 00:43:11,289 Everybody shouted, "Bubble Man! Bubble Man!" 736 00:43:11,324 --> 00:43:13,159 These are absolutely rare. They will not produce it. 737 00:43:13,194 --> 00:43:14,798 And then it-- then they produced it. 738 00:43:15,233 --> 00:43:18,736 Maybe actually on purpose to-- to-- to-- 739 00:43:18,771 --> 00:43:20,100 to damage the collector scene. 740 00:43:20,469 --> 00:43:23,972 The reason that anybody was willing to pay 1200 741 00:43:24,007 --> 00:43:26,073 to begin with was because, at the time, 742 00:43:26,108 --> 00:43:28,108 they thought that there were less than ten. 743 00:43:28,143 --> 00:43:29,681 I gotta tell you, 744 00:43:29,716 --> 00:43:31,210 when we put Bubble Man out there, 745 00:43:31,245 --> 00:43:33,179 it was insane the amount of orders we got. 746 00:43:33,581 --> 00:43:35,951 People want 'em, you know, for a $1.99. 747 00:43:35,986 --> 00:43:38,085 You got a $1200 dispenser. 748 00:43:38,120 --> 00:43:40,120 So, it was like-- 749 00:43:40,155 --> 00:43:42,452 They've sold more Bubble Boy than any-- 750 00:43:42,487 --> 00:43:45,092 probably any damn dispenser ever, 751 00:43:45,127 --> 00:43:47,963 and it came out of Scott being so mad 752 00:43:47,998 --> 00:43:49,833 that he couldn't see straight, 753 00:43:49,868 --> 00:43:53,738 and ordering the product to stomp on us. 754 00:43:54,873 --> 00:43:56,235 You deal with the devil. 755 00:43:57,909 --> 00:44:00,437 And in all honesty, Scott McWhinnie 756 00:44:00,472 --> 00:44:02,406 was my arch-nemesis. 757 00:44:03,244 --> 00:44:04,441 Oh, I hated his guts. 758 00:44:05,010 --> 00:44:09,886 And that's when I decided to become the Pez Outlaw. 759 00:44:13,023 --> 00:44:16,321 I needed a vessel. A person. 760 00:44:18,226 --> 00:44:20,292 I needed to build him. 761 00:44:20,327 --> 00:44:23,933 So that I can draw him in when I need him. 762 00:44:23,968 --> 00:44:27,772 I definitely viewed the whole thing as an adventure. 763 00:44:27,807 --> 00:44:31,039 The money, the travel, the quest. 764 00:44:31,674 --> 00:44:35,912 My goal from that point on was for accumulation. 765 00:44:35,947 --> 00:44:39,410 I needed the product so I could beat Scott. 766 00:44:39,445 --> 00:44:43,315 Every sale I could take away from Scott McWhinnie 767 00:44:43,350 --> 00:44:45,218 was a nail in his coffin. 768 00:44:47,189 --> 00:44:50,058 As the Pez Outlaw, ain't nothing stops me. 769 00:44:50,093 --> 00:44:51,895 I mean, for good or ill. 770 00:44:54,196 --> 00:44:55,800 I will win. 771 00:44:56,435 --> 00:44:59,034 I will win. In the end. 772 00:45:03,469 --> 00:45:06,041 At that point, we were going to Europe 773 00:45:06,076 --> 00:45:08,846 about every three or four weeks. 774 00:45:08,881 --> 00:45:12,278 And going to shows in between that. 775 00:45:12,313 --> 00:45:14,379 Sometimes even landing at shows 776 00:45:14,414 --> 00:45:16,249 and going directly to them. 777 00:45:22,422 --> 00:45:24,323 We had so much cash 778 00:45:24,358 --> 00:45:27,095 a-- after some of these conventions that, 779 00:45:27,130 --> 00:45:29,526 you know, you-- you did feel like a rock star. 780 00:45:29,561 --> 00:45:33,068 I had so much money that I was absolutely drunk. 781 00:45:33,103 --> 00:45:35,367 And ta-da, we have a basement. 782 00:45:36,876 --> 00:45:39,074 But I mean, we bought a ton of things. 783 00:45:39,109 --> 00:45:41,043 We bought a new house. 784 00:45:41,078 --> 00:45:43,342 Well, guess what? Here's my house in the ditch. 785 00:45:43,777 --> 00:45:45,949 My mom really was able 786 00:45:45,984 --> 00:45:48,182 to have the freedom with them coming into a little more money 787 00:45:48,217 --> 00:45:50,789 to really pursue what she wanted to do. 788 00:45:59,360 --> 00:46:01,327 She went to schooling to become 789 00:46:01,362 --> 00:46:03,362 a therapeutic horseback riding instructor. 790 00:46:06,598 --> 00:46:09,137 Steve had become nouveau riche at this point. 791 00:46:09,172 --> 00:46:12,041 His Pez market was booming. 792 00:46:12,076 --> 00:46:15,044 He was making tons of money, which he never had before. 793 00:46:15,079 --> 00:46:16,441 Hey, that's how I was doing things. 794 00:46:16,476 --> 00:46:18,179 I just-- talk to my bank. 795 00:46:18,214 --> 00:46:19,378 Do this, do that. 796 00:46:19,847 --> 00:46:21,578 He was so generous with his money, 797 00:46:21,613 --> 00:46:23,954 he paid his family and all his helpers well. 798 00:46:23,989 --> 00:46:26,418 I benefitted, 'cause I got to go to college 799 00:46:26,453 --> 00:46:28,222 without having to pay for any of it. 800 00:46:28,791 --> 00:46:31,093 It was magic. The whole time was magic. 801 00:46:31,656 --> 00:46:32,930 I won the lottery. 802 00:46:36,496 --> 00:46:39,629 Pez Outlaw was so dominant in the marketplace 803 00:46:39,664 --> 00:46:42,137 that Scott McWhinnie, the Pezident... 804 00:46:43,569 --> 00:46:45,008 He was losing. 805 00:46:45,043 --> 00:46:47,274 They advertised nothing. 806 00:46:47,876 --> 00:46:52,015 I had two full-page ads in one publication, 807 00:46:52,050 --> 00:46:54,886 a full-page ad in another publication... 808 00:46:54,921 --> 00:46:56,349 every month. 809 00:46:56,384 --> 00:46:58,417 He was blatantly advertising these things. 810 00:46:58,886 --> 00:47:01,189 There's the easiest way to find out. 811 00:47:01,224 --> 00:47:02,861 Steve was his own worst enemy. 812 00:47:03,697 --> 00:47:05,655 You know, put a billboard up, here I am, guys. 813 00:47:05,690 --> 00:47:08,163 Come after me. So, it's like-- 814 00:47:08,198 --> 00:47:10,132 Well, you gotta remember, at the end of the day, 815 00:47:10,167 --> 00:47:11,430 Pez is a brand. 816 00:47:11,465 --> 00:47:13,234 It's a registered brand. 817 00:47:13,269 --> 00:47:15,104 You go over there on vacation, you bring back, 818 00:47:15,139 --> 00:47:16,908 you know, a dozen, yourself. 819 00:47:16,943 --> 00:47:18,470 You can sell them online. Nobody cares about that. 820 00:47:18,972 --> 00:47:20,505 When you start selling thousands of 'em, 821 00:47:21,140 --> 00:47:23,145 and you're running full-page ads... 822 00:47:23,647 --> 00:47:25,279 now you become a business. 823 00:47:25,314 --> 00:47:27,380 Scott took it very seriously, 824 00:47:27,415 --> 00:47:30,185 "I'm gonna protect my product, I'm gonna protect my brand. 825 00:47:30,220 --> 00:47:31,615 They're not gonna get away with that any longer. 826 00:47:32,959 --> 00:47:34,354 ♪ 827 00:47:48,667 --> 00:47:50,667 After I couldn't go with him anymore, 828 00:47:50,702 --> 00:47:55,980 um, I wasn't scared for him, but I definitely was surprised, 829 00:47:56,015 --> 00:48:00,578 uh, that, you know, he was able to-- to go alone. 830 00:48:03,682 --> 00:48:05,253 It was very nerve-wracking 831 00:48:05,288 --> 00:48:06,551 headin' off on my own. 832 00:48:22,734 --> 00:48:27,341 I think his mental health, uh, state of mind, 833 00:48:27,376 --> 00:48:29,640 ex-drug persona, has to-- 834 00:48:29,675 --> 00:48:32,379 it-- it can't not play into paranoias. 835 00:48:36,352 --> 00:48:38,484 I learned to protect my space. 836 00:48:44,327 --> 00:48:48,296 Getting off the highway, taking back roads. 837 00:48:49,530 --> 00:48:51,167 Totally paranoid. 838 00:48:51,202 --> 00:48:52,630 I saw people following me all the time. 839 00:48:53,666 --> 00:48:56,700 If I thought there was somebody behind me, man, I'd ditch 'em. 840 00:49:04,314 --> 00:49:06,743 He had things to be paranoid about. 841 00:49:06,778 --> 00:49:11,484 So, I would imagine that he didn't know who to trust. 842 00:49:13,554 --> 00:49:15,620 Coming from the Midwest, 843 00:49:15,655 --> 00:49:21,428 I had never seen officials with machine guns. 844 00:49:23,069 --> 00:49:26,532 So, every border crossing was a threat. 845 00:49:28,536 --> 00:49:30,734 Not just the people with machine guns... 846 00:49:32,705 --> 00:49:35,541 ...but the biggest nightmare would be losing the load. 847 00:49:37,413 --> 00:49:38,742 That mattered. 848 00:49:42,220 --> 00:49:44,583 Every bag out on to the blacktop. 849 00:49:45,352 --> 00:49:48,455 Every bag open. Every bag dumped. 850 00:49:51,130 --> 00:49:53,130 Could I have possibly gotten arrested? 851 00:49:53,165 --> 00:49:55,099 Yes. 852 00:49:55,134 --> 00:49:58,333 Would traps have been laid? Yes. 853 00:50:00,271 --> 00:50:02,700 Sometimes, all he really wanted was a bribe. 854 00:50:04,275 --> 00:50:06,704 I learned, if something happens of that nature... 855 00:50:09,544 --> 00:50:11,148 Hand out some money, you're done. 856 00:50:17,618 --> 00:50:21,521 Being that close to illegal, maybe illegal. 857 00:50:21,556 --> 00:50:23,358 Of course you're paranoid. 858 00:50:27,859 --> 00:50:29,397 Scott never, ever went to Europe 859 00:50:29,432 --> 00:50:30,794 to go chase down Steve. 860 00:50:30,829 --> 00:50:32,466 So, there-- there's none of this, 861 00:50:32,501 --> 00:50:34,171 you know, Scott in a dark suit, you know, 862 00:50:34,206 --> 00:50:35,667 trying-- you know, hiding behind corners. 863 00:50:35,702 --> 00:50:37,240 You know, "I got you, Glew." 864 00:50:37,275 --> 00:50:38,571 You know? 865 00:50:38,606 --> 00:50:40,177 There wasn't any of that drama. 866 00:50:40,212 --> 00:50:41,343 None of that ever existed. 867 00:50:42,676 --> 00:50:44,511 Would Scott McWhinnie have tried 868 00:50:44,546 --> 00:50:46,249 to have people follow me? 869 00:50:46,284 --> 00:50:47,811 Yeah, he would've done that. In a heartbeat. 870 00:50:49,749 --> 00:50:52,156 But if they were following me, I did shake 'em. 871 00:51:18,184 --> 00:51:19,348 Steve Glew was standing here. 872 00:51:21,649 --> 00:51:24,386 This was the place-- the place Steve Glew was waiting for me. 873 00:51:25,088 --> 00:51:27,785 I just decided to go visit Johann. 874 00:51:27,820 --> 00:51:29,490 I don't know how I had his address, 875 00:51:29,525 --> 00:51:31,855 where I got it, I have no idea, but I did. 876 00:51:31,890 --> 00:51:33,560 He came to me without appointment. 877 00:51:33,595 --> 00:51:35,463 He just was standing in front of my door. 878 00:51:35,498 --> 00:51:38,499 All of a sudden, a guy pulls up on a, uh... 879 00:51:39,304 --> 00:51:40,897 mo-- motorbike. 880 00:51:40,932 --> 00:51:43,207 And I said, "You are lucky, I am Johann Patek." 881 00:51:43,242 --> 00:51:44,571 And he said, "Oh, I am Steve Glew 882 00:51:44,606 --> 00:51:46,705 from America and I want to buy Pez." 883 00:51:46,740 --> 00:51:48,311 I just wanted to buy Pez. 884 00:51:48,846 --> 00:51:50,676 My answer was, "Oh, yes, let's do." 885 00:51:50,711 --> 00:51:53,382 Let's do some deals and I will show you something. 886 00:51:55,683 --> 00:51:57,452 I ask him to wait outside, 887 00:51:57,487 --> 00:52:00,455 and then I went in and brought him some Pez. 888 00:52:00,957 --> 00:52:02,622 I had to sit on the curb 889 00:52:02,657 --> 00:52:05,757 outside this house he owned. 890 00:52:05,792 --> 00:52:07,726 While he went in and got the product. 891 00:52:13,404 --> 00:52:15,206 Johann Patek. Yes. 892 00:52:16,309 --> 00:52:20,310 I do not know very much about him that I would tell. 893 00:52:23,744 --> 00:52:25,249 It's all very basic here. 894 00:52:30,949 --> 00:52:33,422 Johann is a collector in Austria. 895 00:52:33,457 --> 00:52:34,918 You know, is this off the record? 896 00:52:34,953 --> 00:52:37,327 -Oh, okay. 897 00:52:42,565 --> 00:52:44,598 "What's in there?" I don't tell you. 898 00:52:45,997 --> 00:52:47,436 I will tell you later. 899 00:52:48,802 --> 00:52:50,637 There's not much to tell there. 900 00:52:50,672 --> 00:52:54,542 I mean, he's basically just been a competitor of mine. 901 00:52:56,480 --> 00:52:58,579 And now, something dangerous will appear. 902 00:52:58,614 --> 00:52:59,976 Let me see. Uh. 903 00:53:00,011 --> 00:53:03,386 Hi, guys. Hands up, or I shoot you. 904 00:53:04,587 --> 00:53:07,225 It's a genuine Pez shooter. 905 00:53:07,594 --> 00:53:09,755 Now, Zorro. Oho. 906 00:53:10,824 --> 00:53:12,362 I am fighting for the poor. 907 00:53:12,397 --> 00:53:14,364 I am taking the money from the rich. 908 00:53:14,399 --> 00:53:15,893 I am Zorro and I-- 909 00:53:15,928 --> 00:53:17,730 so everybody could recognize me, 910 00:53:17,765 --> 00:53:19,864 I have Zorro written on my stem. 911 00:53:19,899 --> 00:53:22,372 Otherwise, somebody would say, "I am a bank robber." 912 00:53:23,408 --> 00:53:24,869 He knows everybody. 913 00:53:25,304 --> 00:53:27,278 But, yeah, he's a-- 914 00:53:30,415 --> 00:53:32,580 Um... 915 00:53:32,615 --> 00:53:34,912 He was in the right place at the right time. 916 00:53:34,947 --> 00:53:39,257 Steve happened in and kind of got in that territory. 917 00:53:39,959 --> 00:53:43,294 Um, and I don't know if they're friends. 918 00:53:52,833 --> 00:53:54,437 Can we go up there and film? 919 00:53:54,472 --> 00:53:55,999 -No. -No? 920 00:53:56,434 --> 00:53:58,639 -Okay, well, why not? -No. 921 00:53:58,674 --> 00:54:01,873 Because this will-- in-- affect my business. 922 00:54:01,908 --> 00:54:03,347 Oh, I have to... 923 00:54:03,982 --> 00:54:06,515 ...be silent because I'm on a tape. 924 00:54:07,452 --> 00:54:08,682 I have no business. 925 00:54:08,717 --> 00:54:10,552 I never was a businessman. 926 00:54:10,587 --> 00:54:14,688 I always wanted to be part of the collectors game. 927 00:54:16,527 --> 00:54:17,988 He just didn't want me to see. 928 00:54:19,530 --> 00:54:22,630 If people knew how much he actually had, 929 00:54:22,665 --> 00:54:24,665 like, if I had opened my mouth to the world 930 00:54:24,700 --> 00:54:26,502 that he had one bazillion... 931 00:54:27,835 --> 00:54:29,703 uh, the value would have plummeted. 932 00:54:29,738 --> 00:54:32,508 Then, all of a sudden, he wasn't interested anymore. 933 00:54:32,543 --> 00:54:34,070 Because he thought he-- he could get it 934 00:54:34,105 --> 00:54:35,874 for an apple and an egg. 935 00:54:35,909 --> 00:54:40,483 But this was not so, and so we parted our ways. 936 00:54:42,718 --> 00:54:44,718 He did not even know what he was doing. 937 00:54:44,753 --> 00:54:46,687 I mean, every dedicated collector 938 00:54:46,722 --> 00:54:49,118 is crazy a little bit in his mind. 939 00:54:49,153 --> 00:54:51,494 Because otherwise he would not be a collector. 940 00:54:51,529 --> 00:54:53,463 Collecting is, um, 941 00:54:53,498 --> 00:54:55,630 more or less a-- a disease. 942 00:55:11,813 --> 00:55:14,418 I think my symptoms of anxiety, 943 00:55:14,453 --> 00:55:17,553 depression, the highs, the lows, 944 00:55:17,588 --> 00:55:21,458 where you-- you-- the minute you've-- you get high, 945 00:55:21,493 --> 00:55:22,756 the immediate thought... 946 00:55:23,325 --> 00:55:24,956 is what you know is coming. 947 00:55:25,827 --> 00:55:26,859 The low. 948 00:55:27,328 --> 00:55:28,993 So, you don't even get to enjoy it. 949 00:55:51,721 --> 00:55:53,083 In my brain, 950 00:55:53,118 --> 00:55:55,184 I decided that what was going on-- 951 00:55:55,219 --> 00:55:56,988 well, I just made something up. 952 00:56:01,467 --> 00:56:03,401 I have a very good... 953 00:56:04,063 --> 00:56:05,634 imagination, and... 954 00:56:06,069 --> 00:56:08,967 my heart is in creation. 955 00:56:09,002 --> 00:56:10,067 Hah! 956 00:56:11,136 --> 00:56:12,410 It's actually straight. 957 00:56:53,079 --> 00:56:55,112 By that time, I had my master's in business. 958 00:56:55,147 --> 00:56:57,213 And I'd always envisioned, you know, 959 00:56:57,248 --> 00:56:59,754 coming and working for my dad, uh, anyways. 960 00:56:59,789 --> 00:57:01,624 He had the momentum, 961 00:57:01,659 --> 00:57:04,627 he had the pockets, he had the mechanism in place. 962 00:57:07,731 --> 00:57:09,159 We had six employees, 963 00:57:09,194 --> 00:57:10,732 Josh was on the team. 964 00:57:12,131 --> 00:57:15,132 And I continued my adventures as Pez Outlaw. 965 00:57:15,934 --> 00:57:19,675 I enjoyed messing with Scott McWhinnie. 966 00:57:19,710 --> 00:57:21,644 He'd go into boardrooms in Europe, 967 00:57:21,679 --> 00:57:24,746 screaming and yelling and calling everybody names. 968 00:57:24,781 --> 00:57:27,276 Here he is, some president 969 00:57:27,311 --> 00:57:30,048 of an international corporation. 970 00:57:30,083 --> 00:57:31,819 -I am Pez USA! I am-- -And yet, 971 00:57:31,854 --> 00:57:33,755 I'm the number one thing on his mind? 972 00:57:33,790 --> 00:57:35,691 Oh, my God, I think I love you. 973 00:57:36,193 --> 00:57:39,629 We could've, um, sued him. Brought him to court. 974 00:57:39,664 --> 00:57:41,730 The time, the money, the frustration, 975 00:57:41,765 --> 00:57:43,666 to sue this guy. 976 00:57:43,701 --> 00:57:46,130 I have other ways I could do it for a lot less money. 977 00:57:51,236 --> 00:57:55,205 I doubt literally that people were following me. 978 00:58:03,919 --> 00:58:05,655 Yeah, the Shadow. 979 00:58:05,690 --> 00:58:07,250 The Shadow was following him. 980 00:58:15,260 --> 00:58:16,567 That's fun. 981 00:58:16,602 --> 00:58:17,667 That's fun. 982 00:58:18,967 --> 00:58:21,264 It ain't paranoid if it turns out to be true. 983 00:58:32,376 --> 00:58:35,113 Scott would call his counterparts over in Europe 984 00:58:35,148 --> 00:58:37,588 and discuss these illegal dispensers 985 00:58:37,623 --> 00:58:39,887 that Steve was importing and selling, 986 00:58:39,922 --> 00:58:43,319 and about having a stop put to it, and the Europeans agreed 987 00:58:43,354 --> 00:58:46,663 to hire a private investigator to put an end to it. 988 00:58:46,698 --> 00:58:48,797 I don't know who that was, 'cause they're private. 989 00:58:50,768 --> 00:58:52,196 Did they find out anything? 990 00:58:53,065 --> 00:58:55,001 It-- it seemed like there was pieces 991 00:58:55,036 --> 00:58:58,004 of the puzzle that were hard to put together. 992 00:58:58,039 --> 00:59:00,270 I mean, I have my own personal theories... 993 00:59:01,240 --> 00:59:02,877 that... 994 00:59:02,912 --> 00:59:04,681 you know, I think that maybe there was 995 00:59:04,716 --> 00:59:06,650 some people with-- inside the company at the time 996 00:59:06,685 --> 00:59:08,146 that were doing things they shouldn't have been doing. 997 00:59:08,648 --> 00:59:10,313 Steve has told us that... 998 00:59:10,848 --> 00:59:12,920 Gunther Leitner was actually 999 00:59:12,955 --> 00:59:14,790 selling things under the table to him. 1000 00:59:14,825 --> 00:59:15,989 No. 1001 00:59:16,391 --> 00:59:18,255 I mean, my experience with Gunther, 1002 00:59:18,290 --> 00:59:19,861 he was always an upstanding man. 1003 00:59:19,896 --> 00:59:21,390 Upstanding businessman. 1004 00:59:21,425 --> 00:59:23,865 Gunther was well-known in the Pez organization 1005 00:59:23,900 --> 00:59:25,262 because he was in charge of the factories. 1006 00:59:25,697 --> 00:59:28,771 You know, he was the-- the top guy, so... 1007 00:59:28,806 --> 00:59:31,334 that-- that would be beneath him, to do that. 1008 00:59:39,311 --> 00:59:41,916 ♪ 1009 00:59:41,951 --> 00:59:44,182 -Dog, come here. 1010 01:00:30,197 --> 01:00:32,263 David Welch? Do you know that name? 1011 01:02:30,383 --> 01:02:32,790 Steve Glew became so notorious... 1012 01:02:33,419 --> 01:02:35,254 that even over there, 1013 01:02:35,289 --> 01:02:38,928 they had pictures of Steve Glew in the factory. 1014 01:02:39,630 --> 01:02:43,097 And Pez even decided, let's put video cameras 1015 01:02:43,132 --> 01:02:46,166 here-- there-- there, 24/7 on the lines, 1016 01:02:46,201 --> 01:02:49,532 so if somebody came in at night or whatever, we can see them. 1017 01:02:58,510 --> 01:03:01,181 It was definitely a cat and mouse game 1018 01:03:01,216 --> 01:03:02,380 between McWhinnie and I. 1019 01:03:02,415 --> 01:03:04,118 -I was a threat. 1020 01:03:06,254 --> 01:03:08,485 So, yes, there were meetings a-- amongst 1021 01:03:08,520 --> 01:03:11,928 myself and Scott and other people within the company. 1022 01:03:11,963 --> 01:03:13,160 But he was passionate about it. 1023 01:03:13,862 --> 01:03:16,427 And-- and passionate that, you know, 1024 01:03:16,462 --> 01:03:17,901 that he wanted 'em stopped. 1025 01:03:23,172 --> 01:03:25,106 I had to be very careful. 1026 01:03:25,141 --> 01:03:26,470 Very careful. 1027 01:03:26,505 --> 01:03:28,208 Where I went, how much exposure 1028 01:03:28,243 --> 01:03:30,111 I gave myself. 1029 01:03:30,146 --> 01:03:33,114 They just knew who I was. Everybody knew who I was. 1030 01:03:34,579 --> 01:03:35,611 ♪ 1031 01:03:39,386 --> 01:03:41,859 On one of the last trips to Europe... 1032 01:03:43,060 --> 01:03:46,160 it's like visiting this very special, 1033 01:03:46,195 --> 01:03:47,656 wonderful place. 1034 01:03:47,691 --> 01:03:50,934 And the door to the factory offices 1035 01:03:50,969 --> 01:03:52,100 was wide open. 1036 01:03:52,938 --> 01:03:54,498 And Gunther... 1037 01:03:54,533 --> 01:03:56,104 ...Gunther happened to be there. 1038 01:03:56,673 --> 01:04:00,075 And he came running out of the offices 1039 01:04:00,110 --> 01:04:01,670 into the parking lot, 1040 01:04:01,705 --> 01:04:04,442 and he just goes, "You cannot be here! 1041 01:04:04,477 --> 01:04:07,511 You cannot be here! I cannot be seen with you! 1042 01:04:07,546 --> 01:04:09,579 I don't know you! I don't know you!" 1043 01:04:15,587 --> 01:04:18,357 After that, I knew I was persona non grata. 1044 01:04:20,097 --> 01:04:22,064 And if I went near the place-- 1045 01:04:22,099 --> 01:04:25,562 I mean, poor Marcos saw me and, you know, it's just, 1046 01:04:25,597 --> 01:04:29,269 big hearted wonderful Marcos, who you love dearly. 1047 01:04:29,304 --> 01:04:31,568 Won't look at you, won't say a word. 1048 01:04:32,504 --> 01:04:35,209 They were afraid of me because I could get 'em fired. 1049 01:04:35,644 --> 01:04:38,179 Um, they were afraid to lose their jobs. 1050 01:04:38,214 --> 01:04:39,378 Every one of 'em. 1051 01:04:39,913 --> 01:04:42,216 Even knowing me or saying they liked me 1052 01:04:42,251 --> 01:04:44,482 could cost them their job and their livelihood. 1053 01:04:44,917 --> 01:04:48,321 And eventually it did shut their factories down. 1054 01:04:50,391 --> 01:04:52,622 Uh, Kolinska turned into a... 1055 01:04:53,057 --> 01:04:55,064 a ketchup factory, and soup. 1056 01:04:56,529 --> 01:04:59,101 Ormoz turned into a dustpan factory. 1057 01:04:59,136 --> 01:05:02,203 And, uh, I don't say it with a brag. 1058 01:05:02,772 --> 01:05:05,206 But I accept responsibility 1059 01:05:05,241 --> 01:05:08,176 for both being shut down because of me. 1060 01:05:09,410 --> 01:05:11,113 It had nothing to do with Steve Glew. 1061 01:05:12,710 --> 01:05:14,985 There wasn't one decision made 1062 01:05:15,020 --> 01:05:19,583 regarding a factory that had anything to do with Steve Glew. 1063 01:05:19,618 --> 01:05:21,255 Zero. 1064 01:05:23,787 --> 01:05:26,095 I could see the writing on the wall. 1065 01:05:26,130 --> 01:05:28,295 I was headin' down the tubes. 1066 01:05:28,330 --> 01:05:30,396 Scott McWhinnie was winning at that point, 1067 01:05:30,431 --> 01:05:35,368 because when you make it impossible for somebody 1068 01:05:35,403 --> 01:05:38,305 to buy the thing that competes, you win. 1069 01:05:38,340 --> 01:05:41,011 Yeah, it was deeply frustrating. 1070 01:05:41,046 --> 01:05:42,738 I got the hell out of there and... 1071 01:05:44,181 --> 01:05:45,246 it was just sad. 1072 01:05:55,225 --> 01:05:56,389 Once I got home... 1073 01:06:00,230 --> 01:06:02,461 there really wasn't room for old me anymore. 1074 01:06:11,439 --> 01:06:14,044 Kathy's hands started twitching. 1075 01:06:14,780 --> 01:06:17,641 And, uh, the Parkinson's started coming on. 1076 01:06:27,125 --> 01:06:28,223 I can't do that. 1077 01:06:28,258 --> 01:06:29,455 Not gonna do that. 1078 01:06:32,658 --> 01:06:33,723 Not doing that. 1079 01:06:36,794 --> 01:06:39,102 The whole story's about her. 1080 01:06:40,435 --> 01:06:41,500 I was busy. 1081 01:06:42,169 --> 01:06:44,074 Being what I call Pez Outlaw, 1082 01:06:44,109 --> 01:06:46,670 and doing what I needed to do 1083 01:06:46,705 --> 01:06:49,277 to earn what I thought was being a man then. 1084 01:06:53,250 --> 01:06:56,614 But I knew that I needed to be better. 1085 01:07:03,161 --> 01:07:04,820 It's okay, you'll be all grown-up and spotted, 1086 01:07:04,855 --> 01:07:06,558 and we'll show you these pictures. 1087 01:07:07,460 --> 01:07:10,661 As things became more difficult for my mom... 1088 01:07:12,302 --> 01:07:15,765 he stepped up to a new level of being 1089 01:07:15,800 --> 01:07:18,372 that I don't even think the closest people, 1090 01:07:18,407 --> 01:07:19,736 you know, in our lives, 1091 01:07:19,771 --> 01:07:22,442 would've ever expected to happen. 1092 01:07:22,477 --> 01:07:23,542 Um... 1093 01:07:24,578 --> 01:07:25,742 but that... 1094 01:07:27,317 --> 01:07:28,547 that's how much he loves her. 1095 01:07:28,582 --> 01:07:29,680 My mom. 1096 01:07:36,590 --> 01:07:38,689 I used to think I had to ride a horse... 1097 01:07:39,725 --> 01:07:41,494 to be the man she could love. 1098 01:07:42,230 --> 01:07:44,596 She liked horses, so, "Ooh, I gotta be a cowboy." 1099 01:07:44,631 --> 01:07:47,203 So, I tried to be a cow-- You ain't gotta be a cowboy. 1100 01:07:47,238 --> 01:07:49,733 Be useful. Be decent. 1101 01:07:49,768 --> 01:07:51,405 Be kind. 1102 01:07:51,440 --> 01:07:52,604 Tell her you love her. 1103 01:08:08,226 --> 01:08:11,227 I went out and did this crazy thing 1104 01:08:11,262 --> 01:08:14,164 because this crazy thing took care of my family. 1105 01:08:16,465 --> 01:08:18,729 But if I was gonna continue with Pez, 1106 01:08:18,764 --> 01:08:22,172 I realized that I had to take action. 1107 01:08:22,207 --> 01:08:23,899 We gotta find other ways to do things. 1108 01:08:24,334 --> 01:08:26,572 And that is what led to... 1109 01:08:27,674 --> 01:08:29,278 the big decision. 1110 01:08:35,715 --> 01:08:38,914 Trying to find... There we go. 1111 01:08:41,688 --> 01:08:45,822 After buying all this product for so long, 1112 01:08:46,925 --> 01:08:50,794 i-- it finally occurred to me, why don't I create my own? 1113 01:08:50,829 --> 01:08:54,765 Um, I had a lot of good ideas, just like Marcos. 1114 01:08:54,800 --> 01:08:56,866 He's gonna hate me for this. 1115 01:08:58,639 --> 01:09:00,408 Steve was very creative. 1116 01:09:00,443 --> 01:09:01,871 He kept coming up with all these different 1117 01:09:01,906 --> 01:09:03,576 interesting color variations like, um, 1118 01:09:03,611 --> 01:09:06,678 crystal Pez with see-through heads. 1119 01:09:06,713 --> 01:09:09,747 If the order was, you know, large quantities, 1120 01:09:09,782 --> 01:09:13,751 anyone can get anything directly from a factory. 1121 01:09:13,786 --> 01:09:17,491 I decided to create my own designs. 1122 01:09:17,526 --> 01:09:21,363 I'd named 'em the "Holiday Colors." 1123 01:09:22,132 --> 01:09:24,927 The half million-dollar order was my attempt to come out 1124 01:09:24,962 --> 01:09:27,831 of the shadows, and do business openly. 1125 01:09:30,605 --> 01:09:32,242 I was trying to go legit. 1126 01:09:32,277 --> 01:09:34,442 Yes, definitely I was trying to go legit. 1127 01:09:34,477 --> 01:09:36,609 And not have to talk in code. 1128 01:09:37,244 --> 01:09:41,251 And, uh, be able to say, "Yes, this is my product." 1129 01:09:47,655 --> 01:09:49,655 I mortgaged my house. 1130 01:09:50,724 --> 01:09:52,427 I took out a line of credit. 1131 01:09:52,462 --> 01:09:54,990 -That got me 250 of it. 1132 01:09:55,025 --> 01:09:57,960 And then, believe it or not, I had 250 cash. 1133 01:09:58,662 --> 01:10:01,403 You know, we went from bringing it back 1134 01:10:01,438 --> 01:10:03,339 in, uh, duffle bags, 1135 01:10:03,374 --> 01:10:06,408 to importing it through a broker in Grand Rapids. 1136 01:10:06,443 --> 01:10:09,510 And we were spending huge amounts of money. 1137 01:10:14,649 --> 01:10:16,847 They created all my product... 1138 01:10:17,416 --> 01:10:20,785 in the name that it was going to, like, Taiwan. 1139 01:10:20,820 --> 01:10:23,491 And Taiwan packaging. 1140 01:10:24,593 --> 01:10:26,989 Rerouted it to me. 1141 01:10:27,860 --> 01:10:30,630 Legally. On paper, legally. 1142 01:10:41,940 --> 01:10:44,578 I laid out the whole business plan, and... 1143 01:10:45,213 --> 01:10:48,010 I could afford to pay just under five bucks 1144 01:10:48,045 --> 01:10:50,716 per to have them made. 1145 01:10:51,618 --> 01:10:55,523 And then sell 'em for 25 and be on a good profit margin. 1146 01:10:57,923 --> 01:11:00,528 And I'd been assured that 1147 01:11:00,563 --> 01:11:03,058 this was going to be exclusive to me. 1148 01:11:04,831 --> 01:11:08,030 And I have faxes of those assurances. 1149 01:11:13,873 --> 01:11:15,609 We were set. 1150 01:11:15,644 --> 01:11:18,876 Half a million dollars was gonna turn into... 1151 01:11:18,911 --> 01:11:22,517 a minimum of 2.5 million dollars. 1152 01:11:22,552 --> 01:11:25,047 And then Christmas time rolls around, 1153 01:11:25,082 --> 01:11:26,950 and I was just so excited. 1154 01:11:30,461 --> 01:11:31,757 ♪ What is Christmas? ♪ 1155 01:11:31,792 --> 01:11:33,528 ♪ Christmas is for living ♪ 1156 01:11:33,563 --> 01:11:35,090 ♪ What is Christmas? ♪ 1157 01:11:35,125 --> 01:11:37,532 ♪ Christmas is for love ♪ 1158 01:11:37,567 --> 01:11:40,667 ♪ Christmas is for taking dreams ♪ 1159 01:11:40,702 --> 01:11:43,637 ♪ And making dreams come true... ♪ 1160 01:11:43,672 --> 01:11:46,376 Oh, my God. Are you kiddin' me? 1161 01:11:46,411 --> 01:11:49,643 ♪ ...everyone, especially for you ♪ 1162 01:11:49,678 --> 01:11:52,910 Everything I wanted was in front of me. 1163 01:12:08,466 --> 01:12:10,763 This is the stuff people dream of. 1164 01:12:10,798 --> 01:12:17,440 ♪ Christmas is for everyone, especially for you ♪ 1165 01:12:18,641 --> 01:12:20,102 The best thing in the world. 1166 01:12:20,137 --> 01:12:22,610 And Scott McWhinnie, I'm not done yet. 1167 01:12:40,124 --> 01:12:42,157 We started selling it at conventions, 1168 01:12:42,192 --> 01:12:45,061 I started selling it at toy shows. 1169 01:12:45,096 --> 01:12:47,470 Everybody wanted his colors. 1170 01:12:47,505 --> 01:12:49,604 You know, he had five different stems 1171 01:12:49,639 --> 01:12:51,936 of a yellow snowman and of the red snowman. 1172 01:12:52,405 --> 01:12:54,675 You could only buy them from Steve. 1173 01:12:54,710 --> 01:12:57,612 It was so different than what Pez was putting out. 1174 01:12:57,647 --> 01:12:59,713 So, this is Pez's version of the skull. 1175 01:12:59,748 --> 01:13:01,913 Right? So, this is his variation. 1176 01:13:01,948 --> 01:13:04,080 You know, he did the black face with the yellow eyes. 1177 01:13:04,115 --> 01:13:05,587 It just popped. It looked cool. 1178 01:13:06,323 --> 01:13:09,118 Steve Glew had so many color variations of things, 1179 01:13:09,153 --> 01:13:12,561 that I was in shock when I saw those all out at one table. 1180 01:13:12,596 --> 01:13:14,530 They were selling like a madman. 1181 01:13:14,565 --> 01:13:17,225 And it was more than I could dream of. 1182 01:13:17,260 --> 01:13:20,668 To have my own product line that I was proud of. 1183 01:13:20,703 --> 01:13:23,132 And I was, I was extremely proud of it. 1184 01:13:23,167 --> 01:13:26,905 That was the year that I did a million bucks. 1185 01:13:27,274 --> 01:13:28,643 It was magic. 1186 01:13:31,274 --> 01:13:32,944 Going legit had worked, 1187 01:13:32,979 --> 01:13:36,519 but it was the briefest moment ever because, 1188 01:13:36,554 --> 01:13:38,785 oh, man, did the shit hit the fan. 1189 01:13:44,595 --> 01:13:46,023 Steve and David Welch 1190 01:13:46,058 --> 01:13:50,225 and I were walking from our rooms upstairs 1191 01:13:50,260 --> 01:13:52,095 down to the convention floor. 1192 01:13:53,164 --> 01:13:55,802 And we walked through the door, 1193 01:13:55,837 --> 01:13:59,740 and the first thing we see is this huge display. 1194 01:14:03,944 --> 01:14:06,978 I had a job to do, and I executed the job. 1195 01:14:07,013 --> 01:14:11,114 And the job was to help stop this. 1196 01:14:24,701 --> 01:14:27,768 This is what Pez did with the Misfit. 1197 01:14:27,803 --> 01:14:29,638 This is how they packaged it. 1198 01:14:29,673 --> 01:14:32,234 To them, it was misfit, it was ugly. 1199 01:14:32,269 --> 01:14:35,303 The ones that Steve had done were on Pez cards. 1200 01:14:35,338 --> 01:14:37,041 They were made at the factory. 1201 01:14:37,076 --> 01:14:39,714 They were on the-- a stripe candy card. 1202 01:14:39,749 --> 01:14:42,178 But then when we walked into the ballroom that day, 1203 01:14:42,213 --> 01:14:44,114 they were on a completely different card, 1204 01:14:44,149 --> 01:14:47,689 and they were actually labeled on that card as Misfits. 1205 01:14:49,022 --> 01:14:50,956 Scott came up with the name Misfits 1206 01:14:50,991 --> 01:14:53,222 'cause they didn't fit into the rest of the assortment. 1207 01:14:53,891 --> 01:14:55,994 The Misfits were manufactured 1208 01:14:56,029 --> 01:14:58,964 as a way to put him out of business. 1209 01:14:59,333 --> 01:15:02,671 Where he was selling them for, say, 20, 25 dollars, 1210 01:15:02,706 --> 01:15:04,805 we're selling them now for $1.99. 1211 01:15:05,307 --> 01:15:09,205 He sold for less than I paid to have it made. 1212 01:15:11,176 --> 01:15:12,978 So, basically... 1213 01:15:13,547 --> 01:15:15,013 pulled the gas right out of him. 1214 01:15:15,515 --> 01:15:17,114 Scott used the marketplace. 1215 01:15:17,149 --> 01:15:20,051 He used the market to-- to kill him. 1216 01:15:23,353 --> 01:15:26,156 The Pez company decided to put him out of business. 1217 01:15:26,191 --> 01:15:27,993 Steve and David turned around 1218 01:15:28,028 --> 01:15:29,324 and they went back to their room, 1219 01:15:29,359 --> 01:15:30,897 and they never came back that day. 1220 01:15:41,778 --> 01:15:43,173 It was horrible. 1221 01:15:43,208 --> 01:15:45,373 It was just horrible. They hurt him. 1222 01:15:45,408 --> 01:15:48,783 They hurt him financially, really bad. 1223 01:15:53,251 --> 01:15:55,053 Yeah. Yeah. 1224 01:15:55,088 --> 01:15:57,154 A little-- a little satisfaction. 1225 01:15:59,059 --> 01:16:01,763 The man was broken that day. 1226 01:16:04,933 --> 01:16:06,801 I dropped my prices, 1227 01:16:06,836 --> 01:16:09,804 pushed it out into the market as cheap as I had to. 1228 01:16:09,839 --> 01:16:11,201 It didn't work. 1229 01:16:14,041 --> 01:16:15,139 Worthless. 1230 01:17:12,396 --> 01:17:14,165 I didn't realize how devastating it was 1231 01:17:14,200 --> 01:17:15,397 to him, though, initially. 1232 01:17:15,832 --> 01:17:17,839 This was right around the time my wife 1233 01:17:17,874 --> 01:17:20,039 and I got married, and Steve was supposed to drive up 1234 01:17:20,074 --> 01:17:22,470 from Michigan for our-- for our wedding. 1235 01:17:22,505 --> 01:17:25,946 And, uh, he just was a no-show, and I didn't know why. 1236 01:17:30,051 --> 01:17:33,250 We lost contact after that, and Steve stopped calling. 1237 01:17:33,285 --> 01:17:36,088 I think he-- I think he stopped taking phone calls, 1238 01:17:36,123 --> 01:17:38,288 too, because of what-- of what happened to him. 1239 01:17:42,525 --> 01:17:45,768 That's when he went into his-- his period of seclusion. 1240 01:17:47,332 --> 01:17:48,903 Where he just, like, dropped off of the, 1241 01:17:48,938 --> 01:17:50,399 uh, off of the map. 1242 01:18:05,284 --> 01:18:07,482 You know, he just sort of went off the radar. 1243 01:18:07,517 --> 01:18:10,287 Which is exactly what the plan was. 1244 01:18:34,214 --> 01:18:35,378 I lost all my money 1245 01:18:35,413 --> 01:18:37,787 and went $250,000 in debt. 1246 01:18:39,252 --> 01:18:41,417 You know, you fight for-- to pay your bills. 1247 01:18:42,153 --> 01:18:45,894 You damn near lose your house so many times it's tiresome. 1248 01:18:54,070 --> 01:18:57,939 Josh had to slowly let go of all four of the employees, 1249 01:18:57,974 --> 01:18:59,402 including my son-in-law. 1250 01:18:59,437 --> 01:19:01,107 And his last job... 1251 01:19:02,143 --> 01:19:03,472 was he fired himself. 1252 01:19:26,035 --> 01:19:28,497 Yeah, I went through some pretty bad years. 1253 01:19:28,532 --> 01:19:30,334 Financially and mentally. 1254 01:19:32,239 --> 01:19:33,909 But I think that... 1255 01:19:34,611 --> 01:19:37,506 the crash was important to find me. 1256 01:19:43,349 --> 01:19:46,251 I had a decade of what I call a primal scream. 1257 01:19:47,155 --> 01:19:48,583 Scott McWhinnie decided... 1258 01:19:49,285 --> 01:19:51,993 that he finally had the way to kill me. 1259 01:19:52,428 --> 01:19:54,996 And he was right. He did. 1260 01:19:57,264 --> 01:19:59,264 Okay. 1261 01:20:02,267 --> 01:20:05,501 After the crash, the story was all I had left. 1262 01:20:06,003 --> 01:20:07,943 And that's when I wrote my blog, 1263 01:20:07,978 --> 01:20:09,373 Pez Outlaw Diary. 1264 01:20:10,574 --> 01:20:12,376 You don't just create a product. 1265 01:20:12,411 --> 01:20:13,476 You create a story. 1266 01:20:15,645 --> 01:20:18,019 When Steve started writing his blogs... 1267 01:20:18,588 --> 01:20:21,484 nobody knew any of that about him. 1268 01:20:23,191 --> 01:20:26,489 Steve feels that this is his legacy now. 1269 01:20:26,524 --> 01:20:28,227 He wants people to know what happened. 1270 01:20:28,262 --> 01:20:30,064 He wants the story to be out. 1271 01:20:30,099 --> 01:20:32,495 It validates it. It says, "Yes, this happened." 1272 01:20:34,400 --> 01:20:36,906 I think everyone wants to be remembered in life. 1273 01:20:36,941 --> 01:20:38,468 They wanna make their mark. 1274 01:20:38,503 --> 01:20:40,470 And they wanna get it right. 1275 01:20:40,505 --> 01:20:42,043 At least once. 1276 01:20:42,712 --> 01:20:46,113 Honest to God, if it wasn't for Pez Outlaw, 1277 01:20:46,148 --> 01:20:48,115 nobody would remember Scott McWhinnie. 1278 01:20:48,684 --> 01:20:50,986 He's a plot point in my story. 1279 01:20:52,385 --> 01:20:55,386 If I can get this character of Pez Outlaw... 1280 01:20:56,554 --> 01:20:58,257 deeply ingrained enough 1281 01:20:58,292 --> 01:21:00,127 into the history of Pez, then... 1282 01:21:01,361 --> 01:21:02,690 that will be enough. 1283 01:21:02,725 --> 01:21:04,197 It's a good story. 1284 01:21:05,365 --> 01:21:07,035 It's a good story. 1285 01:21:12,977 --> 01:21:15,637 It was 20 years before I saw Steve again. 1286 01:21:15,672 --> 01:21:18,343 And he swore he'd never go to another convention. 1287 01:21:23,988 --> 01:21:25,416 I said, "Steve, 1288 01:21:25,451 --> 01:21:27,682 everybody wants to know about you, Steve. 1289 01:21:27,717 --> 01:21:30,322 Everybody wants to hear your story." 1290 01:21:33,690 --> 01:21:35,525 Nowadays, I think that, you know, 1291 01:21:35,560 --> 01:21:37,725 with all the new collectors coming into the hobby, 1292 01:21:37,760 --> 01:21:40,068 they-- they don't know of the backstory. 1293 01:21:40,103 --> 01:21:42,730 They don't know-- they weren't there when it happened, and... 1294 01:21:42,765 --> 01:21:45,007 For a guy like me who wants to collect 1295 01:21:45,042 --> 01:21:48,142 everything Pez, his history was-- 1296 01:21:48,177 --> 01:21:51,046 was part of the influence of-- of even why I collected. 1297 01:21:52,577 --> 01:21:54,181 Steve Glew was a featured person 1298 01:21:54,216 --> 01:21:55,677 at the convention, 1299 01:21:55,712 --> 01:21:57,448 and he hadn't been heard from for years. 1300 01:21:57,483 --> 01:21:59,549 And I mean, there was many, many, 1301 01:21:59,584 --> 01:22:01,320 many people that wanted his signature. 1302 01:22:02,289 --> 01:22:05,753 He definitely has a great cult following. 1303 01:22:05,788 --> 01:22:07,722 He-- he was just this... 1304 01:22:07,757 --> 01:22:09,427 I don't know, Pez God. 1305 01:22:09,462 --> 01:22:10,967 I mean, how-- how else do you say it? 1306 01:22:15,105 --> 01:22:18,568 I think everyone wants someone just to say, 1307 01:22:18,603 --> 01:22:20,306 "I see what happened to you 1308 01:22:20,341 --> 01:22:22,275 and it-- and it matters." 1309 01:22:23,311 --> 01:22:25,014 It's-- it's a huge thing 1310 01:22:25,049 --> 01:22:26,741 to find out that you're not alone. 1311 01:22:27,577 --> 01:22:30,349 Everybody wants their story told. 1312 01:22:30,384 --> 01:22:32,054 Everybody wants to be remembered. 1313 01:22:33,651 --> 01:22:35,222 The story of Pez Outlaw 1314 01:22:35,257 --> 01:22:38,588 is an act out of my mental issues. 1315 01:22:39,023 --> 01:22:42,361 Learning to cope with anxiety, depression... 1316 01:22:43,331 --> 01:22:44,396 and... 1317 01:22:45,232 --> 01:22:48,301 the voices in your head, so to speak. 1318 01:22:48,336 --> 01:22:50,666 And in some cases, some of the things 1319 01:22:50,701 --> 01:22:53,438 that you have are actually tools. 1320 01:22:53,473 --> 01:22:55,275 They are not burdens. 1321 01:22:56,044 --> 01:22:59,312 Honestly, I think his story is good, 1322 01:22:59,347 --> 01:23:01,776 and it's fun, but I think the human side 1323 01:23:01,811 --> 01:23:05,516 of Pez Outlaw is way more valuable. 1324 01:23:08,158 --> 01:23:11,126 I can be who I am and be miserable... 1325 01:23:11,722 --> 01:23:13,524 or I can be who I am... 1326 01:23:15,165 --> 01:23:17,033 and try and find the good in it. 1327 01:23:19,202 --> 01:23:21,466 And if you're lucky, like me, 1328 01:23:21,501 --> 01:23:23,237 you married your therapist. 1329 01:23:43,688 --> 01:23:45,193 She's been everything to me. 1330 01:23:45,789 --> 01:23:47,096 Everything. 1331 01:24:05,281 --> 01:24:07,248 I hope you have success. 1332 01:24:07,283 --> 01:24:09,646 I wish-- I wish you-- because you're very sympathetic man. 1333 01:24:09,681 --> 01:24:12,319 But I think you picked the wrong topic. 1334 01:24:12,354 --> 01:24:13,452 That's my impression. 1335 01:24:13,487 --> 01:24:14,816 Let's see... 1336 01:24:14,851 --> 01:24:16,389 if you-- if you also have to take out 1337 01:24:16,424 --> 01:24:17,852 a mortgage for your house. 1338 01:24:17,887 --> 01:24:20,426 Then I-- I-- I-- I keep right. 1339 01:24:20,928 --> 01:24:22,494 You picked the wrong person. Anyway. 1340 01:24:23,497 --> 01:24:28,533 ♪ 1341 01:25:22,655 --> 01:25:27,691 ♪ 1342 01:26:22,715 --> 01:26:27,751 ♪