diff --git a/base/boot.jl b/base/boot.jl
index 0e8cc513b89d00..ada91f6bdcd84f 100644
--- a/base/boot.jl
+++ b/base/boot.jl
@@ -74,6 +74,10 @@
 #abstract Ref{T}
 #bitstype {32|64} Ptr{T} <: Ref{T}
 
+#immutable Banana{T}
+#    value::T
+#end
+
 # types for the front end
 
 #type Expr
@@ -124,6 +128,7 @@ export
     Any, DataType, Vararg, ANY, NTuple,
     Tuple, Type, TypeConstructor, TypeName, TypeVar, Union, Void,
     SimpleVector, AbstractArray, DenseArray,
+    Banana,
     # special objects
     Box, Function, Builtin, IntrinsicFunction, LambdaInfo, Method, MethodTable,
     Module, Symbol, Task, Array, WeakRef,
diff --git a/src/builtins.c b/src/builtins.c
index d75442e9ee099a..22a75a804d1df2 100644
--- a/src/builtins.c
+++ b/src/builtins.c
@@ -1146,6 +1146,7 @@ void jl_init_primitives(void)
     add_builtin("TypeConstructor", (jl_value_t*)jl_typector_type);
     add_builtin("Tuple", (jl_value_t*)jl_anytuple_type);
     add_builtin("NTuple", (jl_value_t*)jl_ntuple_type);
+    add_builtin("Banana", (jl_value_t*)jl_banana_type);
     add_builtin("Vararg", (jl_value_t*)jl_vararg_type);
     add_builtin("Type", (jl_value_t*)jl_type_type);
     add_builtin("DataType", (jl_value_t*)jl_datatype_type);
diff --git a/src/cgutils.cpp b/src/cgutils.cpp
index 43c011e359d345..07bac700dd94ba 100644
--- a/src/cgutils.cpp
+++ b/src/cgutils.cpp
@@ -898,6 +898,16 @@ static Value *julia_binding_gv(jl_binding_t *b)
     return julia_binding_gv(bv);
 }
 
+static int is_banana_type(jl_value_t* t)
+{
+    assert(jl_is_datatype(t));
+    printf("t = %s\n", jl_symbol_name_(((jl_datatype_t*)(t))->name->name));
+    printf("jl_banana_type = %s\n", jl_symbol_name_(((jl_datatype_t*)(jl_banana_type))->name->name));
+    bool result = ((jl_datatype_t*)(t))->name == ((jl_datatype_t*)(jl_banana_type))->name;
+    printf("result = %d\n", result);
+    return result;
+}
+
 // --- mapping between julia and llvm types ---
 
 static Type *julia_struct_to_llvm(jl_value_t *jt, bool *isboxed);
@@ -949,13 +959,6 @@ JL_DLLEXPORT Type *julia_type_to_llvm(jl_value_t *jt, bool *isboxed)
 }
 }
 
-static bool is_banana_type(jl_value_t*ty) {
-    jl_datatype_t *jst = (jl_datatype_t*)ty;
-    const char *name = jl_symbol_name_(jst->name->name);
-    size_t ntypes = jl_datatype_nfields(jst);
-    return ntypes==1 && !jst->mutabl && strcmp(name,"Banana")==0;
-}
-
 static Type *julia_struct_to_llvm(jl_value_t *jt, bool *isboxed)
 {
     // this function converts a Julia Type into the equivalent LLVM struct
diff --git a/src/jltypes.c b/src/jltypes.c
index d591bb899e29bf..c3b25b0f54cda8 100644
--- a/src/jltypes.c
+++ b/src/jltypes.c
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ jl_typename_t *jl_tuple_typename;
 jl_tupletype_t *jl_anytuple_type;
 jl_datatype_t *jl_ntuple_type;
 jl_typename_t *jl_ntuple_typename;
+jl_datatype_t *jl_banana_type;
 jl_datatype_t *jl_vararg_type;
 jl_datatype_t *jl_tvar_type;
 jl_datatype_t *jl_uniontype_type;
@@ -3528,6 +3529,14 @@ void jl_init_types(void)
                         (jl_datatype_t*)jl_apply_type((jl_value_t*)jl_ref_type, tv), tv,
                         sizeof(void*)*8);
 
+    // Banana{T}
+    tv = jl_svec1(tvar("T"));
+    jl_banana_type =
+        jl_new_datatype(jl_symbol("Banana"), jl_any_type, tv,
+                        jl_svec(1, jl_symbol("value")),
+                        tv,
+                        0, 0, 1);
+
     // Type{T}
     jl_typetype_tvar = jl_new_typevar(jl_symbol("T"),
                                       (jl_value_t*)jl_bottom_type,(jl_value_t*)jl_any_type);
diff --git a/src/julia.h b/src/julia.h
index 2d94fb2aeba57d..f8069525f67b2e 100644
--- a/src/julia.h
+++ b/src/julia.h
@@ -529,6 +529,7 @@ extern JL_DLLEXPORT jl_datatype_t *jl_symbol_type;
 extern JL_DLLEXPORT jl_datatype_t *jl_gensym_type;
 extern JL_DLLEXPORT jl_datatype_t *jl_simplevector_type;
 extern JL_DLLEXPORT jl_typename_t *jl_tuple_typename;
+extern JL_DLLEXPORT jl_datatype_t *jl_banana_type;
 extern JL_DLLEXPORT jl_datatype_t *jl_anytuple_type;
 #define jl_tuple_type jl_anytuple_type
 extern JL_DLLEXPORT jl_datatype_t *jl_ntuple_type;