Lead vocals in the group were sung by musician Buddy Miles. The California Raisins were a fictional rhythm and blues animated musical group as well as advertising and merchandising characters composed of anthropomorphized raisins. So, give them raisins! In order to be successful, this big "family" has to work together. It was merely entertaining." Most of the time when we buy raisins, we have no idea where they came from. While the vines may feel special to their growerslike children!to you and me? Some people were saying they weren't getting a big enough slice of the Dancing Raisins pie. The California Raisins are a fictional rhythm and blues musical group comprised of anthropomorphized raisins. The dancing raisins got caught in the crossfire of a heated debate within the industry. Deathly silence filled the Board room for what was probably only another thirty seconds, but seemed much longer. They filed a petition, and that's it! If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. How could this ad that on its surface seems like an unmitigated success also have caused all these other problems? California Raisin's Version. So when his friends were like WERNER: 'What are you gonna do with that? Not much longer would you be mine. All Rights Reserved. We may receive commission if your application for credit is successful, the commission does not affect the amount you will pay under your agreement. Michael Jackson asked to be featured in a sequel. We're not prunes or dates SW: And the raisins weren't close to being done yet. SW: Did it feel at any point while you were working on this album like you were making an ad for raisins? I'm Charlie Herman. I believe it might have been a public service announcement', 'Dear Judy: Generally when you hear from me, a problem is involved. Almost like you can hear the band warming up "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" in the distance. Lead vocals were sung by musician Buddy Miles. 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. I says, 'in Canada? The California Raisins merchandising snowballed into 300 different products, including clothing, bed sheets, Halloween costumes, car accessories, lunch boxes, and even toilet paper. 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. SW: Barry Kriebel became President of Sunmaid Raisins in February of 1986, one year before Ross Vannelli produced his album, and right as the California Raisins were in liftoff. Fresno is a dusty, medium-sized city in the middle of California's central valley. But back in 1986, going viral was not yet a thing. 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. They recorded an album that went gold within weeks of its release. SW: Yeah, I'm still looking for the pictures. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online. SW: Those people started calling CALRAB and the ad agency, asking when and where the ad would play again. Paul McCartney requested his own copy on VHS. SPEAKER FIVE: Every time that commercial would come on, my mom would sing and dance to that song. These albums were included in the Smithsonian collection and were illustrated and art-directed by Helane Freeman, who later became famous for her work on Hannah Montana and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, among other Disney programs. And I told him, all of this sounds absolutely exhausting: KB: I'm still here! Between 12th and 14th Streets But how did a bunch of dried grapes, burdened with the reputationof being a mediocre, boring snack, become synonymous with swagger? Note: This transcript may contain errors. But Michael Jackson, well he was not about that. MM: We have to work together because we're competing against great forces worldwide for raisin production. High-top sneakers, sunglasses, and endless swagger. [5] The following year, the Raisins appeared in the Emmy Award-winning A Claymation Christmas Celebration, singing the Christmas carol "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". And if you don't have a consensus, it doesn't matter. Required fields are marked *. And the industry was coming out of a big slump at the time. I heard it through the grapevine. Or 'if it's bad for Sunmaid, it's gotta be good for them. SW: Then, you've got nature to think about. [13], Although popular with the public, the California Raisin campaign eventually failed because its production cost the raisin growers almost twice their earnings. Unlike the smaller brands in the industry, it could afford to pay for that space. CH: From Business Insider. Just one piece! SW: Big ingredient customers could actually look up in state records how much money, per ton, raisin packers were paying CALRAB. Entdecke The California Raisi - I Heard It Through The Grapevine - gebrauchtes Vinyl - E8100A in groer Auswahl Vergleichen Angebote und Preise Online kaufen bei eBay Kostenlose Lieferung fr viele Artikel! Musicians such as Ray Charles and Michael Jackson even got in on the raisin action, singing their own versions of "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" for later commercials. 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. Sign up for notifications from Insider! It would go on to produce the Dancing Raisins ad. I Heard It Through The Grapevine - California Raisins. The classic about a man who finds out his woman is cheating on him was written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong. They starred in two claymation TV shorts, and a Christmas special that won an Emmy! November 12, 1986 SW: You guys, it's from Paul McCartney's manager. They have two big jobs. It had sold more than 500,000 copies. The growers are the ones with the vines. For the last 10 years, he's violated the law and gone against the Raisin Administrative Committee. This commercial has witimaginationand it was good enough that I went and bought a box of Californian grown raisins.'. Please take time to look at pictures I try and show condition clear as possible. [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. There were California Raisins lunchboxes, then Hardee's started handing out plastic Raisins figurines with Cinnamon 'n' Raisin biscuits. Hey, I heard it through the grapevine Not much longer would you be mine Said I heard it through the grapevine Hey, I'm just about to lose my mind Honey, honey, yeah (Heard it through the grapevine Not much longer would you Be my baby, yeah, yeah, yeah) Honey, honey, I know That you're letting me go Hey, I heard it through the grapevine BK: You gotta have consensus. No, not really. WERNER: We want sunglasses on them, I want to put them in Converse sneakers, but untie the laces, and they gotta look hip, basically. Almost all the packers resented Sunmaid, but not all for the same reasons. They sold most of their raisins in bulk, to ingredient customers, like cereal brands or bakeries. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it. In fact, the industry was on an upswing. The tape was rewound and the presentation repeated.". And call them nature's candy. California Raisins T-shirt ~ I Heard It Through The Grapevine ~ Claymation 80s. Because, in Fresno, California Raisins has always meant something bigger than a couple of claymation figurines singing "I Heard It Through the Grapevine.". So many of you remembered that Christmas special. They help out with keeping prices stable and have an eye on supply and demand. Unknown; no label specified. African American History Curatorial Collective. SPEAKER ONE: It was like a Mr. Hey Sarah. The ad was fun, but, to quote The Fruits of Their Labors again, it "made no effort to sell raisins. Check mate. 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? Was the Dancing Raisins ad a success? What's the message? And if the California raisin family wanted to avert economic disaster, it needed to band together and find a way to sell more raisins. Price: 16.01. SW: His boss had him working mostly on trade adsstuff for industry publications not the kind of campaigns you or I would ever see in a commercial or on a billboard. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider SW: The raisins dance around on the lid of his grand piano while he belts out the band's catchphrase: AD SIX: Oh I heard it through the grapevine! Still one thing nearly everyone does agree on is the mass appeal of the dancing raisins. Instead, it was a group of tiny, claymation raisins playing a Motown hit in a national ad campaign. The California Dancing Raisins ad has been called one of the best of all time. And since they were already touring the country, at least on TV screens, there was only one logical next step. The 1980's TV commercials for California raisins have been called some of the best ads ever made. Oh I heard it through the grapevine. It began to cost CALRAB too much to market the Raisins, and the public moved on. SW: Within a month of its release, the album went gold. WERNER: 'Dear NBC, After weeks of trying to find out who to congratulate on a recent national ad, I came up with nothing. (laughs). ', SW: Barry Kriebel was president of Sunmaid at the time. Think you know music? [22], Last edited on 21 February 2023, at 23:33, "TV Review; 'Claymation Christmas,' On CBS", "On View: A Feat of Clay: The Creator of California Raisins Molds an Animated Easter Special", "Stardom Is Feat Of Clay For California Raisins", "Bad 25: Spike Lee Brings Michael Jackson Back to Thrilling Life", "The California Raisins for Commodore 64 (1988)", "California Raisin Raisin Puppets: Late 80s - Early 90s", "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: A Very Sunny Christmas", "Celebrating Every '80s Reference in That RadioShack Super Bowl Commercial", "California Raisins Set for Comeback in Live-Action Feature", Official Will Vinton (LAIKA) Studios Site, The Clay and Stop-Motion Animation How-To Page: "California Raisin Raisin Puppets: Late 80s - Early 90s", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_California_Raisins&oldid=1140822520, "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, extended peaked at #84 on the, This page was last edited on 21 February 2023, at 23:33. 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. BK: No, what we got was him for free, but he wasn't gonna do anything. "[15], The vast amount of California Raisins merchandise has made for a substantial collectors' market. It was the sequel to the Emmy-nominated special Meet the Raisins! SW: Before long, a claymation Ray Charles joined the bunch. And on top of everything else, he says there's one subject of conversation that just won't drop. Whod have ever thought that a beloved Motown classic would be brought back to life by a bunch of animated dried fruit? The game was completed and several video game critics reviewed it, but it was never released on the open market. Watch the video for I Heard It Through the Grapevine from California Raisins's Sing The Hit Songs for free, and see the artwork, lyrics and similar artists. SPEAKER TWELVE: And it was all claymation, and they'd sing Christmas carols and stuff there were I think other characters and things in it as well. 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. And then it clicked on me that it was like, 'oh, this is a real song, like not a California Raisins song.'. "I Heard It Through the Grapevine Lyrics." Yeah. SW: Seth has a whole scrapbook of these letters. And the US, by the way, is the second largest raisin producer in the entire world. SW: Again, Seth Werner, sockless ad copywriter. On November 4, 1988, CBS aired a primetime television special called Meet the Raisins! In 1985, both halves of the industry were funding CALRAB. Lead vocals in the group were sung by musician Buddy Miles. Connect your Spotify account to your Last.fm account and scrobble everything you listen to, from any Spotify app on any device or platform. RV: I said, 'I think that's a great idea.' Vocals were sung by musician Buddy Miles. And because Sunmaid was so much biggerthe Kleenex of raisins!they suspected that brand was getting a bigger share of the sales that had trickled down from the ad. Honey, honey yeah. (981) $9.95. THE THROWBACK MACHINE: Going for the gold, but coming up blonde. WERNER: Uh yeah, it was probably a little bit of a shock, I guess. [6] Box Office Software produced a different, unrelated California Raisins computer game in 1988 for the Apple II, Commodore 64, and PC compatibles. SETH WERNER: It wasn't back then, and it still isn't now. AD SIX: Oh, I heard it through the grapevine! 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. 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Ton, raisin packers were paying CALRAB and me so when his friends like! A fictional rhythm and blues animated musical group comprised of anthropomorphized Raisins. ' release... Come on, my mom would sing and dance to that song,... Prunes or dates sw: you guys, it `` made no effort to sell Raisins. ' for. Playing a Motown hit in a sequel success also have caused all these other problems think about a sequel were... By the way, is the mass appeal of the Dancing Raisins. ' Through the Grapevine....
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