from text to picture

After all, when were the text labels modified for images on the Atari 2600 cartridges?

Throughout the research, I find versions of boxes carrying at the same time cartridges with text labels and labels with images, so some doubts inhabit my thoughts: After all, when did the labels change? Can a box version carry both types of labels? Could this mix happen through sales? And to answer, I follow in the footsteps ...

Going back in time and space.
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More precisely at the launch of the third version of the Atari 2600 game box (November 1978 - June 1981), version G-C014060 (guarantee with bottom of the same color of the box and © outside).

For a long time Atari has used this version for sales, with a total of thirty-six games registered so far, initially thirty-five with the text label series and an image label!

Many games were released in the period of this release, including: 3-D Tic-Tac-Toe, Adventure, Backgammon, Basic Programming, Championship Soccer, Circus Atari, Dodge 'Em, Golf, Maze Craze, Night Driver, Othello, Space Invaders , Superman, Video Checkers, Video Chess, Video Pinball.

Large businesses are never simple, with the need for change an even more doubt arises. After all what to do with the leftover material from the graphic change? A pause for reflection. And I catch a glimpse of a moment I call transition, light at the end of the tunnel!

A new label series is born and a new box version is added.
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Along with the arrival of the new series of labels, it is launched in a new box version, version G-C017039 v. 1 (guarantee with white background and © outside). The boxes were manufactured from March 1981 to May 1981 and receive rev. 1 in the registry.

Three classics are released along with this version, they are: Asteroids, Missile Command and Warlords. Eight games released in the previous version, receive the picture label: Adventure, Circus Atari, Dodge´Em Golf, Night Driver, Space Invaders and Superman. And with a new label, Championship Soccer is now called Pele´s Soccer! And Atari also distributes in this version many text labels such as: Slot Racers, Space Invaders and Street Racer, among others.

My conclusions
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At the time of the arrival of the new series of labels, Atari needed to create a transition way to dispose of the stocked manufacturing items such as the labels, manuals and boxes of the old version. Therefore, the transition occurred between the versions of boxes G-C014060 and G-C017039 v. 1, from 1981.
I hope I contributed, good weekend to everyone!