The California Raisins were a fictional rhythm and blues musical group composed of anthropomorphized raisins. Lead vocals were sung by musician Buddy Miles.
Origin
The concept was originally created for a 1986 commercial on behalf of the California Raisin Advisory Board when one of the writers (Seth Werner of the advertising firm Foote, Cone & Belding) came up with an idea for the new raisin commercial, saying "We have tried everything but dancing raisins singing 'I Heard It Through the Grapevine'" (the 1968 Marvin Gaye song). To their surprise, the commercial became wildly popular, spawning future commercials, two TV specials ( Meet the Raisins in 1988 and Raisins: Sold Out! in 1990), four studio albums, and a Saturday morning cartoon series, aptly titled The California Raisin Show . The Raisins also appeared in A Claymation Christmas Celebration in 1987, singing the classic Christmas carol, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." The Raisins ultimately gained individual names: A.C., Beebop (drums), Stretch (bass), and Red (piano).
The California Raisins are typically depicted in claymation designed by the Emmy-Award winning studio of Will Vinton, but their cartoon series was cel animated. The artist responsible for the original design was Michael Brunsfeld.
Merchandise
Merchandise sales included a wide variety, from toys to Raisins images on every conceivable medium: lunch boxes, notebooks, clothing, posters, etc. A California Raisins music album was also released, featuring classic Motown and rock 'n' roll standards. But perhaps one of the most memorable pieces of merchandise came in the form of small, non-poseable California Raisins figures. The Hardee's restaurant chain offered these as part of a promotion for their cinnamon raisin biscuits. Different collections were produced in 1987, 1988, 1991, and finally in 2001 for their new stylization. This latest incarnation can still be seen on the California Raisin Marketing Board website.
In the early 1990s, Capcom produced a video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System titled California Raisins: The Grape Escape , where the player controlled a California Raisin through five side-scrolling levels battling various evil fruit and vegetable characters that had stolen the Raisins' music. The game was finished, and several video game critics reviewed it, but The Grape Escape was never released on the open market.
Aftermath
The original claymation sculptures are currently in the possession of Webster Colcord, a former employee of Will Vinton Studios. The figures were kept in a box for several years and headed for the trash before being obtained by Colcord. Several photos have been taken, detailing the Raisins' poor condition and taking a close look at their internal armatures.
Discography
- 1987: The California Raisins Sing the Hit Songs - Priority Records
- 1988: "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" (single, peaked at #84 on the Billboard Hot 100)
- 1988: Sweet, Delicious, & Marvelous - Priority Records
- 1988: Meet the Raisins! - Priority Records
- 1988: Christmas with The California Raisins - Priority Records
Footnotes
- ^ "Buddy Miles, Hendrix Drummer, Dies", by Jon Pareles, The New York Times , February 28, 2008
- ^ CalRaisins.org
- ^ Nintendo Power Staff (November/December 1989). "Pak Watch". Nintendo Power (Nintendo) (9): 95.
- ^ http://www.animateclay.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=23&page=1
References
- Official Will Vinton (LAIKA) Studios Site
- New Laika Studio Site (Will Vinton)
- All Music Entry
- California Raisins Marketing Board official website
- The Clay and Stop-Motion Animation How-To Page: "California Raisin Raisin Puppets: Late 80s - Early 90s"
External links
- "California Raisins" TV series at the Internet Movie Database
- "Raisins Sold Out: The California Raisins II"
TV ACRES: Advertising Mascots > Objects > California Raisins (Wil ...
TV ACRES: California Raisins - Advisory Board - Television Commercials ... California Raisins - In 1987, the advertising world was taken by surprise with the popularity of a group ...
California Raisins | Facebook
Welcome to the official Facebook Page of California Raisins. Get exclusive content and interact with California Raisins right from Facebook. Join Facebook to create your own Page ...
Get In touch
You can call us: +44 (0)20 8741 8513. Write to us: California Raisins Administrative Committee 78-80 Glentham Road Barnes London SW13 9JJ . or fax us: +44 (0)20 8748 3203
California Raisin Marketing Board::Love Your Raisins
A grower-funded organization to support and promote the use of California-grown raisins. Includes recipes, nutritional information, and a page for kids.
The California Raisins Biography from Who2.com
The California Raisins were a pop-culture hit of the 1980s, when they starred in a series of commercials for the California Raisin Board. The groovy, sunglasses-wearing Raisins ...
California Raisins
Hello! So you want to know more about California Raisins? Then you've come to the right place. We believe we grow the best raisins in the World (all that hard work growing them ...
The California Raisins - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The California Raisins were a fictional rhythm and blues musical group composed of anthropomorphized raisins. Lead vocals were sung by musician Buddy Miles.
CALIFORNIA RAISINS
Dental health and nutrition have always been linked. Good food choices help to build strong teeth, and poor food choices are one of the culprits in gum disease (gingivitis) and ...
YouTube - California Raisins Commercial (1986)
i cant not eat it now, but i remember watching this on tv when i was younger only thing made me it them then. lol:)
YouTube - California Raisins
I went with a group dressed as the Cali Raisins a couple Halloweens ago. Trick or treated, then danced through stores and restaurants (we carried a stereo playing "I Heard It ...