Recently, my sister posted that she was very excited to find Millard Fillmore Pez dispensers. As everyone knows, Millard Fillmore was our 13th president, and like our more illustrious 16th president, Fillmore was born in a log cabin and went on to establish himself in business, academia, and politics.
That being said, Fillmore consistently places in the bottom ten of historical rankings of US presidents. How then did Fillmore rise to the level of being honored with his own Pez dispenser? My brother and I must take full credit.
When Walt Disney World (yes, with my family, there is always a Disney connection) first opened in 1972, one of our favorite attractions was The Hall of Presidents. We noticed that during the roll call, people would clap for Washington, Lincoln, Kennedy, and even a smattering of applause for Nixon. In later years, to my disgust, this included Reagan and Bush! Correspondingly, the invariable gift shop that the theater exited into was full of merchandise bearing these famous and beloved presidents' likenesses.
But early on, when Fillmore's name was called, my brother and I would clap and cheer loudly much to the bafflement of the rest of the audience. We did this for several years, and lo and behold, when we walked through the souvenir shop, right next to the Father of our Country and the Illinois rail-splitter was the distinguished face of Millard Fillmore. Once we were able to stop laughing, I purchased a Millard Fillmore ashtray, which I still have to this day.
This exposure launched Fillmore's meteoric rise to fame, firmly placing him in the celestial lexicon of our most cherished and renowned statesmen.
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