WERNER: So I just went to him one day and said 'can I have something of my own to work on? But in 1986, thats just what happened when the California Raisin Advisory Board launched a series of ads by the California Raisins, a group that existed only in Claymation. SPEAKER SIX: They were an incredible Motown band.SPEAKER ONE: I thought they were a real band, and really did not connect them to like raisins, or like the idea of dried grapes until well into my adulthood. [Ebm E Ab Eb Cm] Chords for California Raisins Heard it Through the Grapevine (Better Quality) with Key, BPM, and easy-to-follow letter notes in sheet. Director. And ultimately, when everyone failed to agree, the raisins took the fall. Unless you just happened to have a VCR set up and recording at the exact moment the ad aired WERNER: You had to wait and hopefully see it on TV again on some show you were watching and not know when that was coming, and because we didn't have a very big media budget, it wasn't on that often. Qualifying purchases could enjoy 0% interest if paid in full in 4 months on purchases of 99+. And so he says, 'Ok fine. Phrases Similar to Heard it Through the Grapevine SPEAKER SEVEN: I also remember in the '80s there was a California Raisin Saturday morning cartoon?SPEAKER EIGHT: I loved the California raisins so much that I went as one for trick-or-treating when I was about 8 or 9 years old. He says if it had just been up to him, he would not have ended CALRAB and therefore the Dancing Raisins. More than 2 million people bought their albums and listened to the Raisins covering songs including "Lean on Me" and "You Cant Hurry Love." Michael Jackson asked to be featured in a sequel. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. Seth Werner and CALRABthe agency responsible for hyping up California raisinsthey had delivered a hit. A board member said, 'Seth, can you do it again?' Now, somebody just had to turn Seth Werner's concept into a real commercial. HARRY OVERLY: I know for a fact that there is animosity that still exists within the industry of what happened back then. And most of the people spending millions of dollars don't want to know there are two guys sitting in a back room trying to make each other laugh and come up with this stuff, but that is what we did. A Saturday morning cartoon series, The California Raisin Show, debuted the following year, but lasted only 13 episodes. During the peak of their popularity in the late '80s, the California Raisins also had a fan club, merchandise that spanned from plush toys to lunch boxes to air fresheners, and a series of comic books. And then on top of that, this article also made mention of a raisin mafia, along with allegations of death threats!? AD SIX: Oh, I heard it through the grapevine! SETH WERNER: It wasn't back then, and it still isn't now. Got 100,000 tons, more sales than you would have if you didn't do this. HO: Well there's there's definitely 12:02 some discussion about that I mean in its infancy right now. In 1985, both halves of the industry were funding CALRAB. CHARLIE HERMAN: On September 14, 1986, California's hottest new band made its debut. But actually to me, one of the most interesting parts of that story was this little section on the California Dancing Raisins ads from the '80s. We apologize for the interruption. SPEAKER TEN: We had the Christmas special on videotape, we probably watched it like three or four times a December, between when I was like 4 and 8. The California Raisins merchandising snowballed into 300 different products, including clothing, bed sheets, Halloween costumes, car accessories, lunch boxes, and even toilet paper. Note: This transcript may contain errors. Then in 1989, a 13-episode Saturday Morning Cartoon show calledThe California Raisin Show aired. It had about five million dollars to spend, which, in ad money, is not a lot. SW: The ad agency hired a guy named Will Vinton and his team to take the animated mockup of the ad and turn it into clay animationor, claymation. An article published by AnimateClay.com in the late 2000s details the whereabouts of the original claymation sculptures used by Vinton Studios. I believe it might have been a public service announcement', 'Dear Judy: Generally when you hear from me, a problem is involved. I will only talk to you, Will.'. We may update this record based on further research and review. [10] Different collections were produced in 1987, 1988, 1991, and finally in 2001 (the latter adding Carl's Jr. due to their late '90s acquisition of Hardee's) for their new stylization. CH: The dancing raisins were so popular, they took on a life of their own outside of the ad. But how did a bunch of dried grapes, burdened with the reputationof being a mediocre, boring snack, become synonymous with swagger? How is that better than Ray Charles?'. KB: Whereas the packer is the middleman buying it from him, processing it, selling it, shipping it into trade and hoping to make a profit. And as that rift widened, the raisins fell right through it. SW: Even now, decades later when the dust has settled, one thing is still a question. California Raisins T-shirt ~ I Heard It Through The Grapevine ~ Claymation 80s. Paul McCartney requested his own copy on VHS. And the industry was coming out of a big slump at the time. I Heard It Through the Grapevine Lyrics by California Raisins from the Meet the Raisins! Lots of brands tested the limits of this rule, including Sunmaid: BK: I got permission from the manager to create a claymation ad where I had the Dancing Raisins singing to the Sunmaid girl. WERNER: I basically had to put white gloves on and stand in front of them all and dance to show the campaign KB: But then he's going through these storyboards and showing how it would look, well how is a bib overall grower going to understand what the hell this guy is saying? And even in the 1990s, Sunmaid was like the "Kleenex" of the raisin industry. AD FIVE: Honey, are you playing with your food again? So, give them raisins! Right or wrong, It depends on wherever the votes are. Several California Raisins music albums were also released, featuring classic Motown and rock standards. Connect your Spotify account to your Last.fm account and scrobble everything you listen to, from any Spotify app on any device or platform. Many of the items created for the campaign have become part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution. It was merely entertaining." Sarah tells us what happened next SW: In 1994, a group of raisin packers voted to shut down CALRAB. They even earned an Emmy nomination! 84 on the Billboard Hot 100. The California Raisins are a fictional rhythm and blues musical group comprised of anthropomorphized raisins. [16], In 2002, the Food Network program Unwrapped featured a segment on The California Raisins featuring interviews with Will Vinton, David Altschul, and Mark Gustafson of Vinton Studios. The California Raisins were a fictional R&B group created in the mid-1980s for a commercial produced by the California Raisin Advisory. SW: But by 1994, the packers had reached a consensus. Sunmaid. Between 12th and 14th Streets onefunplace. I heard it through the grapevine Not much longer would you be mine baby I know a man ain't supposed to cry But these tears I can't hold inside Losin' you would end my life you see 'Cause you mean that much to me You could have told me yourself That you loved some one else Instead I heard it through the grapevine Not much longer would you be mine The California Dancing Raisins ad has been called one of the best of all time. [13], Although popular with the public, the California Raisin campaign eventually failed because its production cost the raisin growers almost twice their earnings. He has faith in the industry's ability to work this out. It's a pop song reimagined as a nervous breakdown. Barrett Strong was the singer. We love hearing from you. Werner and his copywriting partner, Dexter Fedor, knew that they needed to make the dried fruit less of an afterthoughtthe raisins needed personality. High-top sneakers, sunglasses, and endless swagger. Don't you know that I heard it through the grapevine. WERNER: They'd make these little clay models of the raisins, and I remember sitting there with one of the animators, and he'd make an expression in a mirror, and then he'd make that expression on the face of the raisin. SW: Those people started calling CALRAB and the ad agency, asking when and where the ad would play again. The California Raisins were a fictional rhythm and blues animated musical group as well as advertising and merchandising characters composed of anthropomorphized raisins. He was so into it that he personally got in touch with Will Vinton, the claymation animator, and asked to be included in his own commercial. Scrobbling is when Last.fm tracks the music you listen to and automatically adds it to your music profile. Raisin farmers rely on good weather and conditions to grow their product. WERNER: We created this huge conga line that came out of a box of raisins and danced on the coffee table while this husband and wife or boyfriend and girlfriend were watching a movie, and they were unaware that all this was happening in its own little world. First, they provide tools the industry can use to regulate the raisin market. Here's Sarah again: SW: One morning in 1986, Seth and the team at Foote, Cone, and Belding piled into a car and headed to Fresno. If you have a question relating to the museum's collections, please first check our Collections FAQ. Characters Steve and Roger go into a mall representing 1980s culture where they meet the Raisins who proclaim that they are "cursed to live forever. SW: Michael Jackson sent Will Vinton a video with instructions for how he wanted the claymation to lookdown to the motions and facial expressions the backup raisins were making in the background of the ad. Post's Raisin Bran cereal took advantage of the increasingly popular dried fruit and teamed up with the Raisins to help promote their boxed cereal, and fast food chain Hardees bought a license to produce the incredibly popular collectible Raisins figurines. Lead vocals in the group were sung by musician Bu, The California Raisins were a fictional R&B group created in the mid-1980s for a commercial produced by the California Raisin Advisory. This was not a formula. Raisins, dressed up in white gloves and sunglasses, dancing to Marvin Gaye's "I heard it through the grapevine." SW: And that tax is paying for a campaign that's not even advertising your product! Vintage California Raisins Posable, Puppets, Bank, Wind up toy. ', SW: Barry Kriebel was president of Sunmaid at the time. Will Vinton. The raisin packers didn't reach this decision because anyone had anything against the ad, or because licensing fees had stopped rolling in, or even because raisin sales were down. I mean. If I tell everybody some fictitious story about you know, Chicken Little, right now to you, they might know it in Madera by 2 o'clock. That could mean that while the ad was running, more customers were buying store-brand raisins instead of Sunmaid raisins and store brand raisins were supplied by those other California raisin packers. What about Michael Jackson and what he was contributing? Raisins are not like cell phone brands, with unique features and better WiFi connectivity and a sleeker feel than their competitors. 2016 ScienceAGoGo. I don't care how small or whatever, but something that's not part of what you're doing.'. Just one piece! Sarah Wyman is our showrunner. They were tired of paying into a shared piggybank for the greater good. The 1980's TV commercials for California raisins have been called some of the best ads ever made. Raised in the California sunshine WERNER: He volunteered and said 'I won't be paid, I just want to be a raisin, I have one thing I need to ask though, I will not talk to anybody from the advertising agency, and I will not talk to any clients. And now they are all I can think about!! Produced by Sarah Wyman, with Charlie Herman and Julia Press. WERNER: My job, I called it jack of all trade. RV: I think within 4-5 months it was platinum! SW: And then at the end the announcer says: WERNER: I remember when I went to college, people would say 'there are three or four ways you can do an advertisement. I mean, really, most of us don't give raisins a whole lot of attention..they are just kind of everywhere: in our cereals, bagels, and, of course, kid's lunch boxes. Or did the dancing California raisins cause more trouble than they were worth? And the California raisin industry is, after all, a big family. [19], In 2014, the California Raisins made a cameo appearance in the RadioShack Super Bowl XLVIII commercial "The '80s Called". Harry Overly became the new president of Sunmaid in 2017. California Raisins poster vintage 1987 Heard it Through The Grapevine. If you saw a commercial you liked, you couldn't look it up on YouTube and send a link to a friend. ROSS VANNELLI: Well how about doing an album? When Seth Werner, a 31-year-old copywriter at the ad agency Foote, Cone & Belding, walked into the pitch meeting, he knew he had to put on a show. HARDEES AD: Announcing the big plush bendable California Raisins at Hardees SW: There were California Raisins Halloween costumesthey were bestsellers in 1988. I treat my vines as if they were my children. [4] To their surprise, the commercial became wildly popular, paving the way for several future commercials and opportunities through other media. I don't like raisins. 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