There's some old pictures from Christmas 1992 I was looking through that included some of my presents. Well, one of them was Weird Al's In 3-D CD, which I noticed was still packaged in a longbox (i.e. a cardboard box about twice the size)! My guess would be that, whenever CDs started taking up around half of the stock in record stores, it got too costly to keep making them and they started getting simple shrinkwrap and anti-theft devices.

I'd say 1994. By then, I was actively looking around at stuff in music stores and places like that, and I don't recall seeing any by then. That was also just about when CDs equalled cassettes, or started surpassing them.

There's some old pictures from Christmas 1992 I was looking through that included some of my presents. Well, one of them was Weird Al's In 3-D CD, which I noticed was still packaged in a longbox (i.e. a cardboard box about twice the size)! My guess would be that, whenever CDs started taking up around half of the stock in record stores, it got too costly to keep making them and they started getting simple shrinkwrap and anti-theft devices.

I'd say 1994. By then, I was actively looking around at stuff in music stores and places like that, and I don't recall seeing any by then. That was also just about when CDs equalled cassettes, or started surpassing them.


Ok, I'm slightly confused.

I haven't seen longboxes.. forever.. but with regard to shrinkwrap and anti-theft devices, loads of record stores have those long plastic cases on the cd's.. which take up a lot of space.

^There aren't many Mall retailers left, but yeah, in the recent past, they were the shops using those for CDs as well as tapes. Probably so people couldn't stuff them in their jacket or a pocket. I mostly go to used/secondhand stores, and that's also how they package CDs.

There's some old pictures from Christmas 1992 I was looking through that included some of my presents. Well, one of them was Weird Al's In 3-D CD, which I noticed was still packaged in a longbox (i.e. a cardboard box about twice the size)! My guess would be that, whenever CDs started taking up around half of the stock in record stores, it got too costly to keep making them and they started getting simple shrinkwrap and anti-theft devices.

I'd say 1994. By then, I was actively looking around at stuff in music stores and places like that, and I don't recall seeing any by then. That was also just about when CDs equalled cassettes, or started surpassing them.


Hmmm, I never knew CDs to be packaged in those 'long-boxes' - but I did notice they stopped packing PC games in those big-arse boxes (anyone over the age of about 13-14 should remember) around 2002-03, and went to the DVD-sized boxes.

Those long boxes were originally made so they could sit on the shelves with the records at the same height.  Once most stores stopped selling vinyl records, the long boxes faded out

Nowadays, many CD stores have their own plastic ones, which basically only serve an anti-theft putpose

Some long boxes even came in plastic packaging .. the CD in the case on the top, and the sleeve on the bottom, and there was a hole in the top of the package so it could hang on a hook on a store wall.  Always thought those ones were kind of pointless.

Those long boxes were originally made so they could sit on the shelves with the records at the same height.  Once most stores stopped selling vinyl records, the long boxes faded out

Nowadays, many CD stores have their own plastic ones, which basically only serve an anti-theft putpose

Some long boxes even came in plastic packaging .. the CD in the case on the top, and the sleeve on the bottom, and there was a hole in the top of the package so it could hang on a hook on a store wall.  Always thought those ones were kind of pointless.


Marty says he stopped seeing them about 94, so I guess I was too young to remember. I was too young to really remember record stores selling records - save the odd few for special interest.

^I actually don't remember records either. Although I did go into stores c. 1987, I mostly just recalled looking at the tapes and very beginning of CDs. I'm sure there were some around at that point (up to 1991ish, they were residually around, I believe), but probably more in the back of the store and confined to a smaller area. Kinda like cassettes became in the early '00s.

I think another issue regarding the longboxes was that they werent that good for the environment.  When you add up a few million longboxes that were sold in the early days of CDs just imagine how many trees they killed and how much space they took up in landfills.

^ That's a good point which occured to me, too. I wouldn't be surprised if during the 1986-1992 time, people weren't sure if they would catch on permanently, so they just did that to "easily" package them for the time being?

The thing about the plastic anti-theft holders is that they're reusable (I work in a secondhand CD shop so I'm around 'em all day, lol).

The CD longbox was also the same width as the sort of container that held an 8-track tape.

/lawn. off. git.

I think another issue regarding the longboxes was that they werent that good for the environment.  When you add up a few million longboxes that were sold in the early days of CDs just imagine how many trees they killed and how much space they took up in landfills.
I agree.Now if more people switched to cloth diapers for their(at he most)2 babies,we would be even more be ;Dtter off!

I agree.Now if more people switched to cloth diapers for their(at he most)2 babies,we would be even more be ;Dtter off!


I am willing to do my part for the environment...but cloth diapers? NO WAY that's just too gross a concept for me... good thing I don't have kids huh?

I am willing to do my part for the environment...but cloth diapers? NO WAY that's just too gross a concept for me... good thing I don't have kids huh?


ew, I agree. There's NO way I would do the cloth diaper thing....disposable diapers were a GREAT invention! ;)

1995,  Longboxes were killed by portable CD players.

I worked in a recored/tape/CD store from 88-92 in the D.C. area (Kemp Mill Records anyone?).
I remember ripping open the longboxes right at the jewelcase line without even looking (like it was some kind of talent) for customers that were not willing to do all the work to get their CD free from the excess packaging.

Mostly I remember, eco boxes came out first (U2, Madonna and the like had longboxes that folded into ecoboxes) then just regular CD jewel cases of today after 91.

Mostly they went the way of the dinosaur due to the waste in paper and size, nobody really needed a longbox (I remember a few people who liked them because of the way it displayed the artwork larger than the jewelcase, but the distortion for the longbox seemed redundant to me), and it took a larger box to ship them and package, and more space to display on the floor too, so who needed them?

Glad they are gone. :)

I remember those longboxes-I hated them because I would have to tear it apart just to get to the CD inside (and taking off the plastic wrapping off the CD case itself is an adventure!). I'm glad they're not used in packaging anymore, although I have seen some select CD's in longboxes at Costco today.

I always wondered this myself, although I do still seem them from time to time, but hardly at all compared to when they were at their peak. I remember getting most of my first CDs in these longboxes. I even saved a few of them because they were attractive and did show the artwork off better than the jewelcase. Prior to 1994, I'd say, is when I saw them most, after that, it seemed they fell off the face of the earth. I can understand why, though. They really were a waste of paper and a CD didn't really need that kind of showcasing just you could open it and throw it away.

^That's cool, I wish I'd saved some of ours (if only I knew they'd become rare and collectable). ;)

Yeah, that sounds right. Even for 1994 they would've looked pretty ancient and I know for sure stores packaged them just like they do now with the plastic and labeled adhesive over the top, lol.