Bounty is a British coconut-filled, chocolate-enrobed candy bar manufactured by Mars Inc. since 1951.
History
The Bounty was designed in Slough by Forrest Mars Sr. as an imitation of the Mounds bar introduced by Peter Paul in 1936. Mars introduced his version in Britain and other markets where Paul did not operate.
Flavours
Bounty has a coconut filling, enrobed typically with milk chocolate (in a blue wrapper) but also with dark chocolate (in a red wrapper) and is usually sold as two small bars wrapped in one package, although smaller bars do exist - usually not sold separately.
thumb|Bounty chocolate bar, Cherry limited-edition (2009-2013)
Since 2006, a cherry-flavoured version has also been available in Australia. This was initially a limited edition flavour, but remained available as of 2013. In 2018 the cherry bounty was no longer available. In Europe, a limited edition mango flavour was available in 2004–05 and in Russia and Ukraine in 2010. A pineapple-flavoured edition was available in Russia during 2014.
Since November 2022 the dark chocolate Bounty has not been available in British stores. Mars UK said in September 2023 that "we have temporarily had to delist Bounty Dark for operational reasons and we’re working hard to bring the product back when we can".
Popularity
In 2022, Guardian journalist Emma Hughes viewed the 1951 introduction of the product as responding to a "new mood of postwar optimism and people's longing for sunny foreign travel". Bounty achieved a reputation of being the leftover snack from Celebrations tubs. On 3 November 2022, it was announced that Bounty bars would be removed from some Celebrations tubs sold in Britain as a trial run after the manufacturers found that 40% of people disliked them. A limited run of "No Bounty" tubs were made available in the weeks before Christmas. However, a final decision on removing them from the tubs completely had not been made, after 18% of people surveyed named the Bounty as their favourite chocolate bar in Celebrations tubs.
Advertising
Early advertisement described the bar as "the new chocolate thrill from the South Seas".
In the 1970s the bar was promoted in television adverts showing a tropical beach scene and the tag-line "The Bounty hunters — They came in search of paradise." In 1996 the format was radically changed, after a £2 million investment from the manufacturer, Mars Inc.
See also
- List of chocolate bar brands