Bonked out

I still remember the day when the Bonkers funhouse came to my local shopping center. Actually, it was less of a funhouse and more of a trailer converted into a funhouse. The inside was pretty awesome though as pressing a button would lower large fruit down from the ceiling. There were also the standard surprise pop outs that were, instead of horror related things, fruit related things.

The best part? On the way out my sister and I received free Bonkers candy, which was new at the time. I believe I got strawberry and grape while my sister got orange and watermelon. Up until that point, I had never heard of Bonkers candy, actually, I don't think anyone had. It was brand new and in turn all over the place in a flash of television commercials and advertising spots.

Take for example this one taken from a comic book:


This ad is for the ill advised, considering the fruit nature of Bonkers, chocolate Bonkers. Actually I remember those being delicious.

However, nobody cares about the comic book ad. The actual advertisements that everyone remembers are these ones:



You know the pattern some stereotype of a stuffy person who would find it to be a sin to dance or are too well bred for wackiness are railing against Bonkers and then they eat one, giant fruit falls from the ceiling crushing them and in turn making them into laughing maniacs with an unquenchable thirst for Bonkers. That's how I remember it anyway.



This one has what appears to be a guest appearance by a live action version of the Monopoly guy. For some reason these high society types appear to be having a party at a courthouse while an angry member of the moral police runs around getting everyone crushed under giant fruit before eventually succumbing to that fate herself.

There are tons of these commercials. These are just an example. Bonkers used to be a high power candy monster. It was everywhere. I used to buy packs of them at the local 7-11 myself. Even at Halloween, mini packs of bonkers were a high point.

Then, the commercials of stodgy folks being knocked into insanity tapered off and so to did the popularity of Bonkers. Eventually, the product disappeared entirely, never to be seen or heard from again. And so passes Bonkers, son of Nabisco, steward of chewy candy.