Bounty (chocolate bar)
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Bounty is a 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.<ref name="hughes">Template:Cite news</ref> Mars introduced his version in Britain and other markets where Paul did not operate.<ref name="nytimes.com-1999" /> Since then, Bounty has been marketed around the world. In the United States, Bounty was launched in 1989 by Mars to compete against The Hershey Company which had taken control of the Mounds and Almond Joy bars. However, Bounty failed in the market there.<ref name="nytimes.com-1999">Template:Cite web</ref>
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.
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. Template:Citation needed 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.Template:Citation needed
Since November 2022 the dark chocolate Bounty has not been available in British stores.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
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".<ref name="hughes" />
Described as "perhaps Britain’s most controversial confection",<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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 after the manufacturers found that 40% of people hated them. A limited run of "No Bounty" tubs would be available, in the weeks before Christmas. But a final decision had not been made after 18% of people named the Bounty as their favourite.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Advertising
Early advertisement described the bar as "the new chocolate thrill from the South Seas".Template:Citation needed
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."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1996 the format was radically changed, after a £2 million investment from the manufacturer, Mars Inc.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>