This vintage TV commercial for Bonomo Turkish Taffy stars a precocious little boy who eats the taffy as he rides Coney Island’s carousel, Parachute Jump and Thunderbolt roller coaster! The commercial, which was filmed in the late 1940s, has made a comeback along with the beloved candy bar.
Invented in the 1940s by the Bonomo family and manufactured on 8th Street in Coney Island, the candy was a favorite of baby boomers. But the brand, which came to be owned by the Tootsie Roll Company, was discontinued in 1989. Last year a Pennsylvania candy factory licensed by Bonomo’s new owner Kenny Wiesen began making the Turkish Taffy once again.
On the candy’s Facebook page, fans recall the ritual of slamming the bar against a table to crack it into pieces and then savoring each bite-sized piece. Gary Nomer, the former Bonomo plant manager in Coney Island, told Fortune Magazine the flavor is near the original. “Vanilla is pretty close, strawberry and banana are in the ballpark.”
Bonomo’s Turkish Taffy is available online and in vintage candy stores. If you still have a candy store in your neighborhood!
Related posts on ATZ…
March 12, 2011: Signage: Fresh Crispy Popcorn, Candy Caramel Apples
January 15, 2011: ATZ Saturday Matinee: Shorty at Coney Island
December 16, 2010: Blast from the Past: LFO’s Summer Girls Music Video
April 17, 2010: Our Fave Coney Island Song: Joe McGinty’s Million Dollar Mermaid
Amusing the Zillion 
The building still stands. Part of it is the Trump Furniture Store. The other are city agencies.
There is still the original artwork on the facade of the building dating back to when it was the Bonomo Candy Factory.
The first image is of raw ingrediants used to make candy like different types of fruits.
The second image is of the manufacturing process, like boiling.
The third and final image is of the finished product, the candy.
Bruce
Where are the images? I’m not sure it’s possible to insert images in a comment. But you can post a link. Would love to see…
Oh, brings back wonderful memories of strange pleasure. We would buy it during the summer when it would become stretchy in the heat. It was messy.
You’re lucky! Wish that I had memories of this candy bar. It sounds like fun slamming it to pieces
here is the website showing the images and explaining what it is.
http://www.magicalthemeparks.com/coneyisland/bonomo/
While there are no plans to cover over the images, its not protected either. It will be a shame to lose it, people walking by the building never look up and understand what they are seeing
Bruce
Really neat! I bet most people who walk by have no idea of the images history. Thanks for posting the link
Memory lane!
Great stuff ~ thanks for sharing!
Oh my, I haven’t thought of Bonomo’s Turkish Taffy in god knows how many years. My teeth hurt just thinking about that stuff. O-o-o it’s Bonomo…
Oh, I love this so much!!! Also love the photos of the old factory.. amazing
I love that video! I didn’t know Bonomo Turkish Taffy was invented in Coney Island. I used to love slamming it down and breaking it up. Great post!
Thanks everyone! I’m glad it brought back sweet childhood memories. It seems as though I’m the only one who didnt have this taffy as a kid! Mostly I remember Hershey bars, Nestle’s Crunch and paper ribbons with candy dots…
On YouTube there are more Bonomo vids but this is the only one set in Coney. One commerical is from the Magic Clown Show. Another has a scientist putting the taffy through a Rube Goldberg like contraption to break it into pieces until a couple of kids show ’em how it’s done!
I walked into a gourmet ice cream store a few months ago, and they had Bonomo’s for sale on the counter near the cash register. It made me smile, and I asked the cashier if she knew anything about it—haha, she was too young! So I sang her the song, right there in the store! :)
Harry and I were in RUBYS and he walked over to the food concession and on the extreme right was a bunch of assorted candy. Right in front was a box of Bonomo’s Turkish Taffy!! A couple of guys that were at the bar came over to see a piece of our younger days. No buyers….Beer and Taffy and 65+ years old teeth don’t mix.
MY MOTHER WORKED THERE.SHE USED TO BRING HOME CANDY.OOPS.