THE CALIFORNIA RAISINS
Name: California Raisins
The California Raisins are a fictional rhythm and blues musical group comprised
of anthropomorphized raisins. Vocals were sung by musician Buddy Miles.
The concept was originally created for a 1987 commercial on behalf of the
California Raisin Advisory Board when one of the writers, while trying to come
up with an idea for a new raisin commercial, said, "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 normally 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.
The California Raisins reportedly grossed more in the year that was their heyday,
1988, than Californian farmers made selling raisins. This included a wide
variety of merchandising, 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 it was never released
on the open market.
Name: California Raisins
The California Raisins are a fictional rhythm and blues musical group comprised
of anthropomorphized raisins. Vocals were sung by musician Buddy Miles.
The concept was originally created for a 1987 commercial on behalf of the
California Raisin Advisory Board when one of the writers, while trying to come
up with an idea for a new raisin commercial, said, "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 normally 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.
The California Raisins reportedly grossed more in the year that was their heyday,
1988, than Californian farmers made selling raisins. This included a wide
variety of merchandising, 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 it was never released
on the open market.