Bosco Chocolate Syrup is a brand of chocolate syrup first produced in 1928. The company, Bosco Products, Inc., is based in Towaco, New Jersey, and products are sold throughout the United States and Europe.
History
Bosco Chocolate syrup was purportedly invented in 1928 in Camden, New Jersey, by an unknown physician. The William S. Scull Company, founded in 1831 in Camden, acquired the manufacturing license. The Scull Company's most famous product was Boscul Coffee, which gave the product its brand name, "Bosco". In the 1950s, Corn Products Company acquired Bosco, and Bosco Products, Inc. acquired the brand in 1985. The name recalls the Greek word βόσκω, "I nourish." The trade name "Bosco" was first used in 1928, but not registered until 1968. The website "bosco.com" is unaffiliated with the cocoa product and its producer; the domain name was subject to arbitration. The company has branched out and makes other products, including candy bars bearing the brand name. Nutritional and food value are reported.
Production process
Bulk materials are added via automatic measuring devices into stainless steel cooking vats. Minor ingredients and flavorings are blended into the batch separately, through a custom blender device, following product handling and quality assurance codes. While in the vats, Bosco is pasteurized for product uniformity and then cooled for bottling. Computers measure and monitor the product temperatures. Malt extract is added, which combined with Bosco cocoa powder yields the distinctive Bosco taste. Bosco was once packaged in glass jars, but is now sold in plastic squeeze bottles. As of 2015, Bosco is produced in several flavors in addition to the original chocolate: strawberry, sea salt caramel, fudge brownie, sugar free, and mocha.
Cultural references
Advertising
Bosco Chocolate Syrup, at that time called Bosco Milk Amplifier, was heavily advertised on children's shows during the late 1950s and early 1960s, such as The Popeye Club, a local Atlanta, Georgia, program featuring Popeye cartoons, as well as live action sequences. An important feature of many of the television advertisements was the jingle, I love Bosco.
Bosco commercials were featured frequently as some of the "retromercials" used in lieu of commercial breaks on TV Land during its earliest years.
Bosco ads often featured the "Bosco Chiller-Diller" concoction.
Vik Muniz, a modern artist, is famous for recreating well-known works of art, such as The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, entirely in Bosco Chocolate Syrup. A Bosco portrait by Muniz sold for $110,000 in 2007.
Film
Bosco Chocolate Syrup was used as fake blood in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, during the shower scene.
Bosco Chocolate Syrup was also used as fake blood in George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead.
Avante Garde saxophonist Marion Brown's Quartet performed a song titled "Bosco" on their La Placita album, recorded Live in Willisau, Switzerland on March 26, 1977.
Television
In Season Two of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Murray is called to bring Ted Baxter a glass of milk, saying, "had I known it was for you, Ted, I'd have put some Bosco in it."
In the Season 4Laverne and Shirley episode, "Supermarket Sweep", Laverne wins a three-minute shopping spree at a local grocery store. All their friends request certain food items, but Lenny and Squiggy only want Bosco.
In the MASH episode, "Dear Mildred", Radar states his aunt would not let him dip his zwieback in his Bosco.
In Night Court the season 3, episode 22: "Hurricane", Harry asks Mac to fix him a "stiff Bosco".
In the Seinfeld episode "The Secret Code", George Costanza reveals he chose "Bosco" as his ATMPIN because of his great enthusiasm for Bosco Chocolate Syrup.
In The Sopranos, season 4, episode 7: "Watching Too Much Television", in reacting to a new espresso machine given to Adriana at her bridal shower, Joanne Moltisanti says of Adriana's fiance, Christopher Moltisanti: "Cappuccino now. He used to drink Bosco."
In Married... with Children, season 4, episode "At the Zoo", Steve Rhoades refers to "Bosco" a sea turtle at the aquarium. Al Bundy thinks he means the chocolate syrup brand and says, "You got Bosco!? I'll spit in a glass and we can mix some up!"
