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Devil Girl Choco-Bar display box by R. Crumb (5th printing). --- Empty Box.

Robert Crumb's Devil Girl bars were a success when they hit the market in the mid-nineties. The bars themselves are long gone and any surviving bars are probably not edible. Kitchen Sink Press marketed the chocolate bars in a sturdy display box modeled after the heavy-duty cigar boxes of earlier days.

This display box is constructed of thick card stock nearly 1/8 inch thick on all 6 sides. Seven sides (including the inside lid) are covered by 4-color Crumb art. The inside lid was to be propped up by retailers to expose the 15 bars that were originally inside. It also revealed the slogan, "It's BAD for you!" -- which probably sold a lot more bars!

The honesty wasn't limited to the inner lid. The bottom of the box, almost never seen by actual customers, featured  Crumb hand-lettered "A Word to Wholesalers and Retailers of the Devil Girl Choco-Bar," which is featured here. It's a hilarious tongue-in-cheek anti-marketing statement. It certainly did nothing to deter sales of the product, which approached a half-million candy bars (not bad for a comic book company's sideline). Also on the bottom of the box, near the bottom edge, is the black type noting "5th printing."

It was typical of Kitchen Sink Press, and of considerable value to collectors, that print runs on its comics, books and other products were carefully distinguished. The 5th printing was Kitchen Sink's last. Measures 6.75" x 5.5" x 2.5" when closed.

We do not have any of these boxes anymore, but I've kept it up on the site because of it's unusual history and artwork by Crumb.

I've also featured here some ad artwork for this choco-bar series.