Grabby Happy Time December Art Box Review: A Much Stronger Second Look

Introduction

Roughly five or six months before this second look, the Grabby art box brand was hard to miss. Ads for its visually striking boxes were everywhere, and the packaging designs genuinely stood out. The first experience, however, did not match the presentation: a box priced around $50 that contained largely unbranded products, many of which turned out to be widely available elsewhere for very little. It was, at the time, the most disappointing art box encountered.

This December Happy Time box is a very different story. Grabby has clearly listened to criticism, and the result is a box filled almost entirely with Grabby’s own product line, better presentation, and a much stronger sense of value. If the first box was the low point, this one is a genuine comeback.

What Is Inside the December Box

The presentation starts strong before the lid even comes off. The box design is detailed and attractive, and even the inside is printed with branding, which is not cheap to produce. Contents are arranged with visible care rather than simply tossed in, and the set includes themed extras like decorative papers and a brochure.

The headline items are two Grabby watercolor sets: a metallic watercolor set and a holiday colors set. It is encouraging to see the company’s own branded supplies featured, something entirely absent from the previous box despite Grabby selling its own watercolors, pens, and fineliners. A swatch card is even included, which is a thoughtful touch.

Swatching the Watercolors

The metallic watercolors impress. Metallic shades are easy to get wrong, but these are well pigmented with a genuine shimmer, and every shade in the set performed well. Lightfastness is untested, but on pigmentation alone there is little to criticize.

The holiday colors set is arguably even better. These apply with a smoothness that rivals or beats many other watercolors tried previously, and the swatches come out rich and deeply pigmented. Blending is pleasant, and you can push the paints from translucent to more opaque simply by adjusting the water.

The box also includes two rolls of Grabby-branded washi tape. Washi tape can be hit or miss: some tear paper, some refuse to stick. This one held firm throughout a full painting session and peeled away without ripping, which is a solid result.

Watercolor Coloring Book

One of the most original inclusions is a watercolor coloring book with ten sheets of pre-printed designs. Most art boxes include blank paper pads, but very few go to the effort of printing original artwork on watercolor paper for you to paint over.

This is a genuinely clever addition for anyone who wants a creative, relaxing activity without needing to plan a composition from scratch. A full page took around half an hour to complete, so the book offers a good amount of painting time, and working over printed designs with watercolor turned out to be surprisingly therapeutic.

12-Month Watercolor Calendar

Another standout is the Grabby 2024 watercolor calendar, a small desk calendar on a paper stand where each monthly page has a blank panel at the top to paint yourself. You can theme each month however you like, which turns it into a year-long creative activity rather than a one-off project.

It is packaged nicely and fits the overall thematic feel of the box. Individually, the calendar set sells for $16.99 on Grabby’s website, which feels slightly expensive on its own but makes more sense as part of a box.

Synthetic Round Brushes

The final contents come in a grey paint roll: a set of Grabby synthetic round brushes in sizes 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10. An all-round set would not be the first choice for every medium, but for watercolor, round brushes are the most useful shape, so it makes sense here.

The brushes feel better than the price suggests. They have a pleasant weight, are neither plastic-feeling nor overly light, feature proper crimping, and showed no shedding during use. For watercolor work they performed well, holding a good point and delivering paint smoothly.

Value for Money

Working through the contents, the value quickly becomes clear. The watercolor pocket set of 12 sells for $14.99 on Grabby’s website, the watercolor coloring book sells for $17 for a 15-sheet version (making the 10-sheet version here worth a bit less), and the 12-month watercolor calendar set sells for $16.99. Add the washi tape, sticker, brochure, and brush set, and the combined value of the individual items comfortably exceeds the roughly $50 box price.

That makes this feel like a good deal as a customer, which is exactly what the previous box failed to deliver.

Things to Consider Before Buying

There are a few caveats worth knowing. Art box contents vary month to month, and there is no guarantee every Grabby box is packed entirely with its own branded products the way this one is. The paper sticker included is a simple paper sticker rather than vinyl, which some may see as a plus for eco-friendliness and others as less durable. The calendar set at $16.99 feels a touch expensive as a standalone purchase. And lightfastness of the watercolors remains untested, so longevity of finished work is unknown.

Buying Advice

If you are tempted by Grabby, this box is a strong reason to give the brand a second chance. As standalone art supplies, the Grabby line earns a solid 9 out of 10, with the watercolors being the clear highlight: well pigmented, smooth to apply, and reliable even in the usually tricky metallic shades. The coloring book and calendar are excellent for beginners or anyone who enjoys guided, low-pressure creativity, while the brushes are a pleasant bonus rather than a reason to buy alone.

Conclusion

The Grabby Happy Time December box is a dramatic improvement over the brand’s earlier offering. Branded products, thoughtful theming, quality watercolors, and contents whose combined value clearly exceeds the box price make this a genuinely enjoyable unbox-and-paint experience. It is not yet a guaranteed every-month winner, and a future box would need to be tried to confirm consistency, but on this showing, Grabby has well and truly found its feet.