Eeyore PEZ MP3 Player

Head Transplant on PEZ MP3 Player

Eeyore with his customized PEZ MP3 player.

December 2005

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Explanation

PEZ MP3 compared to standard PEZ dispenser

OK, so since the late 1980's I've collected PEZ dispensers. I have over 200 dispensers and other PEZ memorabilia, which qualifies me to say I have a collection, though it's not a large collection by any stretch. That should explain the PEZ-related attraction for this project.

Since 2002 or so, I've also used MP3 files as my primary music source. Mostly, I rip CDs that I own, but I have a few legally downloaded filse here and there. I keep that whole collection on my Archos Jukebox Recorder 20, which I've upgraded with RockBox firmware and a bigger hard drive. This addiction to MP3 music is fairly common these days. I'ts just so handy to have your entire music collection in a little box.

The intersection of these two obsessions was the PEZ MP3 product from a guy named Pat Misterovich. He had this crazy idea to make an MP3 player that looks like a PEZ dispenser, and there are enough crazy people in this world to make his idea a reality. You can see it (left) compared to the actual PEZ dispenser (right) it imitates.

Anyway, as soon as it finally arrived, I knew the default head had to go. Not that it was bad, just that it was so generic. When the Pooh and Friends dispensers came out, I went and bought about two dozen Eeyore dispensers, so that I'd have enough to last me the rst of my life. I've given some away, but mostly they're just part of my Eeyore trademark existence. I decided to transplant the head from an Eeyore dispenser onto the PEZMP3, so everyone would know it was mine.


Materials

Customized dispenser with donor parts

Here, on either side of the ee0rPEZMP3, you can see the leftover parts. The head to the left is from the PEZMP3. It's different from a standard head in several ways. One is that it has a detent inside for holding the head in the "closed" position, since the PEZMP3 has no "head spring". Another is that it has no "candy pusher". Also, it has more clearance inside and in back so that the head doesn't interfere with power switch operation.


The Process

Internal modifications on Eeyore head.

I was pretty lucky, because the standard Eeyore head is molded in several pieces and glued together. I was able to pry these pieces apart, and make modifications to the internals of the head. I cut off the candy pusher and trimmed away most of the internal supports. I also trimmed a bit from the inside of Eeyore's chin, so that the head can descend fully.

There's no detent to keep the head locked down, so it flops a little bit, but I'm not sure what to do about that.

Prying off the "Boy" head was easy for me, but I've done some elementary surgery on dispensers before. If you're trying this on your own, I'd recommend practicing on some cheap dispeners before you try on the PEZMP3. There are two small, plastic pins that fit into holes in the head and act as hinges. If you break those off while removing or replacing the head, you are pretty much out of luck.

With the split Eeyore head, I only had to worry about getting the old head off carefully, and then I could glue the head halves together after putting them in place.



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