The product is perhaps most memorable for a series of television commercials in which one or more apparently uptight characters would take one bite of a Bonkers candy, and a giant fruit such as a bunch of grapes would fall from above and knock them into hysterical laughter.
Several of the commercials featured an older Southern woman who said in a deadpan voice that "Some folks think Bonkers is gum" after which the aforementioned giant fruit would fall on someone, inducing raucous laughter.
The original commercial had an ending that featured another giant piece of fruit falling, causing the actor to frown & a dour voice-over saying 'Artificially Flavored'.
This was redone to have the actor continue to laugh when the last piece of fruit landed & the voice sounded more pleasant when it noted the artificial flavoring.
High competition in the candy and snack market combined with the increased focus on healthy alternatives may have also furthered the wane of Bonkers' popularity.