The MLB Cubs Charlie Brown PEZ Dispenser Is the Wrigley Field Promo Every Baseball Collector Still Hunts For
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If you love PEZ and baseball in equal measure, this one hits it out of the park.
Today we are talking about the MLB Cubs Charlie Brown PEZ Dispenser, a sports promotional release from the year 2000 that sits right at the crossroads of Peanuts fandom and Chicago Cubs pride. This is the kind of dispenser that rarely gets the spotlight it deserves - and that is exactly why collectors who know, really know.
What Is This Dispenser?
The Cubs Charlie Brown PEZ Dispenser (Issue A) was released as a stadium promotional giveaway on June 14, 2000, at Wrigley Field during the Chicago Cubs versus New York Mets game. Fans who attended received this dispenser as a free giveaway - no retail shelf, no online store, just show up at the ballpark and walk away with a piece of candy dispenser history.
Because these were handed out to thousands of general-admission baseball fans - most of whom were not collectors - the vast majority were tossed out, used as toys, or simply lost over time. That scarcity is a huge part of what makes this dispenser so compelling to both PEZ and sports collectors today.
Design Details
The character sculpt is immediately recognizable as Charlie Brown, the beloved Peanuts character created by Charles M. Schulz. The head features his classic round, understated expression, and he is wearing a light blue baseball cap adorned with the iconic Chicago Cubs "C" logo on the front. The stem is a bold neon red with the standard PEZ logo embossed on the side.
The combination of the light blue Cubs cap against the neon red stem is one of the most visually striking design choices on this dispenser. It is not the typical Cubs navy blue palette you might expect, which makes the 2000 version instantly distinguishable from later issues of the same character - and gives it a bright, playful look that really pops on a display shelf.
The light blue cap on the 2000 version is what separates it from the 2002 Issue B, and once you see both side by side, you understand immediately why collectors track down both variants. The stem color difference alone tells a whole story about timing and production.
A Note About the Set
The Cubs Charlie Brown dispenser came in two distinct variants across different years. The 2000 Issue A - the one we are focusing on here - features that light blue cap and neon red stem from the June 14, 2000 game. The 2002 Issue B was released on August 14, 2002, at the Cubs versus Houston Astros game at Wrigley Field, and comes with a dark blue cap and dark blue stem - a noticeably different look. The 2002 version also included a commemorative card, making it a slightly more complete package for display purposes.
For collectors building out the full Cubs PEZ run, there is also the 2001 Cubs Homer Simpson and the Cubs Joe Cool - featuring Snoopy in his famous shades - from the same Wrigley Field promotional series. Each was released as a game-day giveaway, tied to a specific date and opponent, and each is a genuinely hard find today. Together, these Wrigley Field promos form one of the most fun and niche mini-collections in the sports PEZ world.
Collector Notes
- Exclusivity: Stadium promotional giveaway from June 14, 2000, at Wrigley Field. Never sold at retail.
- Rarity: High - distributed to the general public at a ballgame, so most were discarded after the game.
- Display value: Excellent, especially grouped with other Cubs promos or Peanuts sports crossover dispensers.
- Ideal for: Chicago Cubs fans, Peanuts PEZ collectors, and sports promotional PEZ enthusiasts.
- Condition note: Look for examples with the original bag and candy intact for the strongest display and collection value.
I tracked down my copy through a collector lot a few years back, and it was one of those finds I still think about. I have it logged in the Collectiblz app - it is genuinely one of the best tools for keeping your PEZ inventory straight, especially when you are chasing sets and variants across different years. If you are building out your sports promotional PEZ library, give the app a look and start tracking your own haul.
Display Ideas
This dispenser looks sharp grouped alongside other Cubs-themed PEZ releases, or displayed as part of a dedicated Peanuts sports crossover section. Pairing the 2000 Issue A and the 2002 Issue B together makes for a clean two-dispenser comparison display that tells a really complete story about how the Cubs leaned into PEZ promotions across back-to-back seasons. Add the Homer Simpson and Joe Cool issues beside them, and you have a full Wrigley Field promo shelf that any baseball fan would stop to admire.
Sports promotional dispensers are a deeply satisfying niche to chase. Every one of them is tied to a real game, a real date, and a real place. This Cubs Charlie Brown captures all of that in a light blue cap and a neon red stem - and that is what makes it worth the hunt.
🍬 Callie
