Full Answer
When did California Raisins come out in California?
Different collections were produced in 1987, 1988, 1991, and finally in 2001 (the latter adding Carls Jr. due to their late '90s acquisition of Hardee's) for their new stylization. This latest incarnation can still be seen on the California Raisin Marketing Board website.
Did the California Raisins ever appear on the Simpsons?
In 2014, the California Raisins made a cameo appearance in the RadioShack Super Bowl XLVIII commercial " The '80s Called ". In 2017, an episode of The Simpsons called " The Cad and the Hat " included a couch gag segment featuring the California Raisins being killed by Homer.
What are some examples of California Raisins merchandise?
Perhaps the most memorable piece of California Raisins merchandise, however, came in the form of small, non-poseable California Raisins figures. The Hardee's restaurant chain offered these as part of a promotion for its Cinnamon 'N' Raisin biscuits.
How tall are California Raisin figures from 1988?
Vintage 1988 California Raisin figures were a Hardee's give-away. Set of 5 figures includes: raisins with a trumpet, boom box, guitar, surf board and roller skates. California Raisin figures are 2" to 2-1/4" tall.
What were the original California Raisins?
The California Raisins were a fictional rhythm and blues animated musical group as well as advertising and merchandising characters composed of anthropomorphized raisins. Lead vocals were sung by musician Buddy Miles.
What are the original California Raisins worth?
The value is due more to it being a California Raisin collectible than a Michael Jackson collectible. PVC figures of the original raisin characters typically sell for under $3.
What were the names of the California Raisins?
Buddy MilesLeslie SmithHoward SmithThe California Raisins/Members
How many California Raisins are in a set?
Set of 6 California Raisins, California Raisins FigurinesBrandArtist UnknownColorYellowMaterialPlasticCollection NameCalifornia RaisinsManufacturerUnknown
What were the California Raisins selling?
Who Were the California Raisins? The California Raisins started off as a Sun-Maid commercial in a marketing scheme to improve the sales of raisins. This 30-second tv commercial featured a group of anthropomorphized, claymation raisins dressed to the nines in their suits and bowties.
Who invented the California Raisins?
Will VintonWill Vinton, filmmaker and animator who created the California Raisins, dies at 70.
What happened to The California Raisins?
The last Claymation TV movie about the Raisins came in 1990 (via Mental Floss), and according to Farm Progress, they were officially retired in 1994 — the same year the California Raisin Advisory Board came to an end.
What year did The California Raisins commercial come out?
The first commercial was released in September 1986 and raisin sales spiked by a sudden 20%. New versions of the commercial and hit song were subsequently released - and with the help of various celebrity cameos including Ray Charles, Michael Jackson, and Whoopi Goldberg (though the last one never made it to air).
What color are The California Raisins?
A saturated plum purple paint color is perfect for an accent wall color.
Who played the California Raisins?
Buddy MilesBuddy Miles, the rock and R&B; drummer, singer and songwriter whose eclectic career included stints playing with Jimi Hendrix and as the lead voice of the California Raisins, the animated clay figures that became an advertising phenomenon in the late 1980s, has died. He was 60.
When did California raisins become popular?
This was also the first time in history that a commercial spawned such a volume of merchandise, and in 1987, the California Raisins’ popularity exploded after Hardee’s created molded Raisins figurines to promote its cinnamon-raisin biscuits.
What is the California Raisins' first commercial?
The California Raisins’ debut advertisement, “Lunchbox”, was ranked number 15 on the list. Ad agency executive Claude Jacques described the Raisins as “The coolest wrinkled musicians this side of the [Rolling] Stones.”.
When was the first raisin commercial made?
He and the artists in his studio designed more than 25 clay raisins — no two looked exactly alike — and spent months animating the first commercial, which aired in 1986. The raisins marched out of a box, singing and dancing in unison along a tabletop like a miniaturized soul group from the ’60s.
Who lent their images to the California Raisins commercial?
pinterest-pin-it. Several music stars, including Ray Charles and Michael Jackson, lent their images to California Raisins commercials, some of which were shown only in movie theaters. “Michael called up and I’m sitting there, having small talk with Michael on the phone,” Vinton told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in 2009.
Who invented the raisins?
The raisins were the brainchild of Will Vinton, an Academy Award-winning filmmaker who coined the term Claymation to describe the three-dimensional animated clay figures he used in his work, including the wildly popular California Raisins advertising campaign of the 1980s. ADVERTISEMENT. ico_unmute.
Is California raisin still available on eBay?
There is still plenty of California Raisin items found on eBay, for example, but for the most part the raisin craze remains valuable largely as a memory rather than as a collectible. “A good character is something great to behold,” Vinton told The Washington Post in 1999.
How many albums did the California Raisins have?
There were, of course, more commercials, and then the Raisins transcended their marketing gimmick in a major way. The California Raisins would eventually release four albums, have a Billboard Hot 100 hit song, and earn an Emmy nomination. Let that sink in.
How many tons of raisins were produced in 1999?
In 1990, raisin shipments were up around 200,000 tons. By 1999, that was down to 160,000 tons — nowhere near the 432,000 tons of raisins produced.
What is the new association of raisin growers?
The new association of raisin growers had much the same goal as the old: market raisins, and make them something people actually wanted to eat. The California Department of Food and Agriculture gave the new raisin board permission to use the Raisins, but there was a problem — money.
When did the Raisins retire?
The last Claymation TV movie about the Raisins came in 1990 (via Mental Floss ), and according to Farm Progress, they were officially retired in 1994 — the same year the California Raisin Advisory Board came to an end.
When did the first raisin commercial come out?
And they did: Mental Floss says that the very first California Raisins commercial aired on September 14, 1986.
Was Michael Jackson a raisin?
So, Michael Jackson became a California Raisin.
Did California raisins come back?
The California Raisins almost made a comeback . Facebook. That almost wasn't the end of the Raisins: Farm Progress says that when the CALRAB folded, it was replaced four years later by the California Raisins Marketing Board.
What are the California raisins?
The California Raisins are sculpted clay figures used as advertising and merchandising characters by the California Raisin Advisory Board. The figures were first developed by Will Vinton Productions in 1986 based on caricatures of African American rhythm-and-blues groups. The California Raisins are often accompanied by a soundtrack of “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” originally popularized by singer Marvin Gaye. The Raisins released numerous studio albums in the 1980s, starred in a cartoon series, and were nominated for an Emmy for their 1988 “Meet the Raisins” mockumentary. These figures were used in the Claymation advertisements from 1986 through 1991.
When did the Raisins come out?
The Raisins released numerous studio albums in the 1980s, starred in a cartoon series, and were nominated for an Emmy for their 1988 “Meet the Raisins” mockumentary. These figures were used in the Claymation advertisements from 1986 through 1991.
What was the raisin business in the 1940s?
In the 1940s, the raisin business was haunted by oversupply and shrinking profits. To promote the use and sale of raisins, the individual growers formed the California Raisin Advisory Board (CALRAB). For years, the Board concocted raisin recipes, planned raisin fairs, and sponsored an annual Raisin Queen beauty contest ...
When was Home to Thanksgiving published?
Conningham's with an update by Colin Simkin "Currier & Ives Prints: An Illustrated Check List" (Crown Publishers, 1970; 300 pp, out of print), Currier and Ives released "Home To Thanksgiving" in 1867.
How big is the print of Home to Thanksgiving?
According to Conningham, the exact measurements "Home To Thanksgiving" are approximately 25 1/8" x 14 1/8.". Your print is off by 1/4" in width and 3/8" in height. However, this alone is not enough to qualify it as a reproduction.
What was the California Raisins commercial called?
Their commercial was such a success that they were also given a Saturday morning show in the late 80s. It was called, “The California Raisins Show ”.
What do you remember about raisins?
What I remember most about these fun little raisins is that they would sing the famous song, ‘I Heard It Through The Grape Vine’ and they simply captured our hearts. They first did this for a commercial to promote California Raisins and later for Post Raisin Bran cereal and even had some animated specials. Since their humble beginnings, they have managed to become a sensation that everyone remembers. They were talented, cute and this made us love raisins even more. What started off as an advertising joke turned into an absolute sensation! If you can remember loving these sweet raisins, then you may be interested to know some fun facts know about them that you never knew before.
Who are the raisins in Michael Jackson?
Ben Indasun, Justin X. Grape and Tiny Goodbite were the names of three of these raisins. Image Source. 6. Michael Jackson’s California Raisin. One of these raisins sang and danced a lot like the famous Michael Jackson. ADVERTISEMENT.
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Product Description
Vintage 1988 California Raisin figures were a Hardee's give-away. Set of 5 figures includes: raisins with a trumpet, boom box, guitar, surf board and roller skates. California Raisin figures are 2" to 2-1/4" tall.
Important information
I did not receive the items shown. I received 6 other figures, 4 of which I already own and so now have duplicates. I'm very UNHAPPY with the purchase
Overview
Origin and success
The concept was originally created for a 1986 Sun-Maid commercial on behalf of the California Raisin Advisory Board when one of the writers, Seth Werner (at the time with the advertising firm Foote, Cone & Belding SF, and now with big) 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 song popularized by Marvin Gaye). To their surprise, the commercial became wildly po…
Merchandise
Many of the items created for the campaign have become part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution. Merchandise sales included toys and Raisins images on nearly every conceivable medium: lunch boxes, notebooks, clothing, posters, bedsheets, and even a Halloween costume, just to name a few. A California Raisins Fan Club began in 1987, which included a Grapevine Gazette newsletter and various memorabilia. Blackthorne Publishing also released a si…
Decline
Although popular with the public, the California Raisin campaign eventually failed because its production cost the raisin growers almost twice their earnings. CALRAB, the organization who made the campaign, was also closed on July 31, 1994, due to disagreements with raisin producers over the fairness of required payments to the organization.
Post-popularity and legacy
On March 28, 1997 Entertainment Weekly published "The 50 Best Commercials of All Time" as its cover story. The article ranked The California Raisins' premiere advertisement, "Lunchbox", at #15 with comments by ad agency executive Claude Jacques and described the Raisins as "The coolest wrinkled musicians this side of the Stones."
The vast amount of California Raisins merchandise has made for a substantial collectors' marke…
Discography
• The California Raisins Sing the Hit Songs - 1987, Priority Records
• "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)" b/w "I Got You (I Feel Good)" - 1988, Purple Vinyl 7"
• "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" - 1988 (single, peaked at #84 on the Billboard Hot 100)
Awards and nominations
• A Claymation Christmas Celebration - Primetime Emmy
• Meet the Raisins! - Primetime Emmy nominee
External links
• All Music Entry
• "California Raisins" TV series at IMDb
• "Raisins Sold Out: The California Raisins II" at IMDb
• California Raisins NES Game