Paint the Town Red: Cj Hendry and Tony’s Chocolonely Debut $1 USD Mystery Boxes

Summary

• Tony’s Chocolonely partnered with artist Cj Hendry to create an immersive red pop-up in New York for Valentine’s Day
• The $1 mystery box concept highlights inequality in the cocoa industry through playful design

In a bold intersection of activism and art, Tony’s Chocolonely has partnered with contemporary artist Cj Hendry for an immersive “Only Red World” pop-up in New York.

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, The “Valentony” pop-up took place over the weekend and transforms the brand’s signature red into a fully saturated environment designed to blend sensory overload with a heavy social message. While the space is unapologetically playful and rich, it serves as a creative vehicle to communicate the “bitterly unfair” reality of the cocoa industry, where farmers earn less than a dollar a day while the industry generates billions.

The pop-up’s central feature is a $1 USD Mystery Box concept, where fans receive a mystery bag containing at least one Tony’s bar alongside other potential surprises. This pricing is a radical departure from the brand’s typical retail price of $4.95 to $6.99 USD and is designed to emulate the unequally divided nature of the cocoa trade. By utilizing the “unequally divided” design – a hallmark of Tony’s chocolate bars – the installation delivers a “love letter” to the industry, envisioning a future where fairness and sweetness replace exploitation.