For The Love Of Nerds – A 2013 Wonka Redesign!

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For a candy collector the redesign of a major brand tends to be a big deal and that’s especially true for a confectionery classic like Wonka Nerds.  While visiting my family for my niece’s High School graduation last week, I spotted a Nerds box that didn’t look familiar.   Though it is not a complete redesign, quite a number of things have changed on this new Nerds box – so let’s take a look!

Back in 2009 the entire Wonka line received what was in most cases a pretty dramatic packaging design revamp.  Nerds were the least affected by that 2009 wave of change and here too we see more of a packaging evolution than any kind of major visual overhaul.

Nestle - Wonka - Nerds - Strawberry & Grape - candy box - April 2013

Nestle – Wonka – Nerds – Strawberry & Grape – candy box – April 2013

Nestle - Wonka - Nerds - Seriously Strawberry & Gotta-Have Grape - candy box - May 2013

Nestle – Wonka – Nerds – Seriously Strawberry & Gotta-Have Grape – candy box – May 2013

The first thing I noticed on the new box was the addition of the “For the Love of” line as part of the Nerds logo, and this hints at what I believe to be the underlying theme of this new design – an appreciation of nerds (nerds-as-people, in addition to the candy).

Also of note is the fact that the flavor descriptions are now found in boxes and they’ve become flavors-with-adjectives!  Grape has become “Gotta-Have Grape” and that is joined by “Seriously Strawberry”.  Finally, the box prominently sports the logo of the Stomp Out Bullying organization.

Going to the back sides of the boxes, the 2009-2013 version features text that focuses on the world of Willy Wonka and the magic of his candy factory.  It even invites consumers to check out the source of the Wonka character, Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  In contrast, the newly-designed 2013 box reverse puts the focus and positive spin on the term “nerds”.  I really like the message here – as I’ve been and continue to be all kinds of nerdy.

And that’s everything I’ve got to share on the new Nerds box design.  I have yet to find the new design used on any of the other flavor Nerds boxes, but I’m assuming that it’s coming.

Keep an eye out because pretty soon that old Wonka Nerds box design will be a thing of history and maybe a treasured piece of a candy nerd’s collection.

See you next time!

About Jason Liebig

A New York City based writer, editor and sometimes actor. After spending much of the 1990′s in the comic book business helping tell the stories of Marvel Comics’ X-Men as series editor, he has since split his time between developing his own entertainment properties while still consulting and working on others. Having been described as “the Indiana Jones of lost and forgotten candy”, Jason is one of the country’s premier candy collectors and historians with his discoveries appearing in countless blogs, magazines, newspaper articles, and books. Always happy to share his knowledge and unique perspectives on this colorful part of our popular culture, Jason has consulted with New York’s Museum of Food and Drink and has also been a featured guest on Food Network’s Heavyweights, France’s M6 Capital, and New York’s TheActionRoom.com. My Google Profile+
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8 Responses to For The Love Of Nerds – A 2013 Wonka Redesign!

  1. luke says:

    Yikes…I have to say I find the new box pretty disjointed looking, particularly with the separated box sections that don’t seem to serve any purpose.
    I hope the ‘for the love of’ is a temporary addition for the stop bullying campaign…while it is a good marketing tactic for their organization it would be a somewhat cheesy addition to the classic candy that (in mind anyway) has always embraced celebrated the nerd!

  2. Jack Thompson says:

    I find the design too crowded.

  3. Dave S. says:

    I’ll be sure nab a box –hopefully i’ll get one before the design change. Thanks for the heads-up, Jase! I wonder how long the “for the love of” will last? We shall see…

  4. Kevin says:

    The new design is harsh on the eyes. So many varying shapes and different objects on such a small package. In an era where package design is becoming more clean and minimalistic, this is a step backwards.

  5. tOKKa says:

    –>> Least the characters look like what we grew up with still.

    ~ t

  6. Jesse Canady says:

    Do you think the Wonka company is changing slowly over time?
    I’ve seen the Wonka products they sell in Australia with completely different looks and it’s making me worry if they are starting there just to see what people say about it and then maybe they will start changing packaging designs here. What are your thoughts?

  7. Rexx Randall says:

    Also of note is the fact that the flavor descriptions are now found in boxes and they’ve become flavors-with-adjectives! Grape has become “Gotta-Have Grape” and that is joined by “Seriously Strawberry”.

    Shouldn’t it be adverbs instead of adjective’s there?

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