Retro Crush: Bonkers

Some people don’t believe the super fruitiness of Bonkers candy.

Some people don’t believe that this candy even existed and think I’m making up a whole scheme of large plastic fruit crashing through the ceiling.

I pity these people, as they obviously didn’t get to indulge in one of these babies.



Also, if you thought I was referring to the Disney character, shame on you.

My childhood diet was a little bit off. I wasn’t allowed to have any cereals that had marshmallows or were brightly colored and/or flavored like my friends, but I was allowed to partake in a pack of Bonkers about twice a month. I could really stretch it out if I only ate one piece every other day. (Come to think of it, if money were like Bonkers, I’d be in a much more financially comfortable position.)

Bonkers candy. Tiny squares that had a light pink cover with a hot pink center (if you had the strawberry flavor). The closest I’ve come to recapturing that flavor is the strawberry flavor in Starburst. *sigh*

I’m not sure how Nabisco decided on the fruit falling from the sky concept for their commercials, but man, did that grab my attention. Would a bunch of grapes kill the old lady who just popped a Bonker (singular form?) into her mouth? Would the old man live for biting into an orange one? Was the weight of the fruit or the uncontrollable laughter the cause of their death?



Wonder if the Tootsie Pop owl would be able to weigh in on this inquiry.

“Mr. Owl, what was the cause of death once the fruit hit?”

(Observing the corpse on the table) “Let’s find out. One *snip,* two *snip,* three *snip*…three broken ribs that punctured the lung.”

Personally, I was thrilled by the chaos caused by the candy. And secretly envisioned a world filled with oversized fruit because everyone decided to partake in the delicious yet artificial treat.