The California Raisins

Add links
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the game, see The California Raisins: The Grape Escape.

The California Raisins
First appearanceJune 19, 1986
Last appearanceJuly 31, 2002
Created byCalifornia Raisin Advisory Board
Foote, Cone & Belding
In-universe information
AliasThe Singin' Dancin' California Raisins
NicknameThe Vine-Yls (Meet the Raisins!)
NationalityAmerican

The California Raisins were a

Emmy Award and one nomination.[2][3]

History

The concept was originally created by advertising firm Foote, Cone & Belding (FCB) for a 1986

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
".

The California Raisins released four

Raisin Bran
cereal.

On November 4, 1988,

Primetime Emmy Award. It also gave the band members individual names and roles: A.C. (vocals), Beebop (drums), Stretch (bass), and Red (guitar/piano).[7]

A

Murakami-Wolf-Swenson
, it maintained Will Vinton's creative direction. A sequel to the original CBS special aired in 1990 under the title The Raisins: Sold Out! - The California Raisins II. This special saw the Raisins hiring a new manager with the goal of making a comeback before The California Raisins 2000.

The Raisins were discontinued July 31, 2002, with the collapse of the California Raisin Advisory Board; members of the grape farming industry were growing alarmed at the increased fees, driven by an ever-escalating amount of money being spent on the California Raisins campaign.[9][10] The structure of the campaign had resulted in all of the profits from the campaign being funneled back to Foote, Cone & Belding for more commercials and merchandise, creating a vicious cycle.[4]

Merchandise

Many of the items created for the campaign have become part of the permanent collection of the

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.[11] Blackthorne Publishing also released a six-issue comic book series entitled The California Raisins 3-D which included 3D glasses; these would later be re-released in the Ultimate Collection trade paperback
.

Several California Raisins music albums were also released, featuring classic

Disney
programs.

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.[12] 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. This latest incarnation can still be seen on the California Raisin Marketing Board website.[13]

In the early 1990s,

side-scrolling
levels battling various evil fruit and vegetable characters that have stolen the Raisins' music. The game was completed and several video game critics reviewed it, but it was never released on the open market.

Box Office Software produced a different, unrelated California Raisins computer game in 1988 for the Apple II, Commodore 64, and PC compatibles. The plot of the game involved Tiny Goodbite having to rescue his friends who have been kidnapped and held in a cereal factory.[15]

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."[16]

The vast amount of California Raisins merchandise has made for a substantial collectors' market. It even led to an unauthorized collectibles guide published in 1998, cataloging the many items based on the clay characters.[17]

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. Concept illustrations of the Raisins were also featured as interviewees discussed the characters' creation.[18]

An article published by AnimateClay.com in the late 2000s details the whereabouts of the original claymation sculptures used by Vinton Studios. The figures were kept in a box for several years and headed for the trash before being obtained by Webster Colcord, a former employee of Vinton. Several photos were taken providing a close look at the Raisins' internal armatures and detailing their extremely poor condition, including the absence of the A.C. puppet's head.[19]

As of the 2010s, packages of Sun-Maid Natural California Raisins still feature an updated California Raisin character. This figure is also included on CalRaisins.org.

In 2014, new commercials were made and used in Japan featuring an updated California Raisin character. As of 2024 these commercials are still being produced and aired.[20][21]

In 2015, it was announced that a live-action/CGI reboot of the California Raisins would be produced, with president of The Actors Hall of Fame Foundation, Rusty Citron, as one of the people behind the project.[22]

Discography

Albums

Singles

Awards and nominations

  • A Claymation Christmas Celebration –
    Primetime Emmy
  • Meet the Raisins! – Primetime Emmy nominee

References

  1. ^ Pareles, Jon (February 28, 2008). "Buddy Miles, Hendrix Drummer, Dies". The New York Times.
  2. ^ "TV Review; 'Claymation Christmas,' On CBS". The New York Times. December 21, 1987. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
  3. ^ "On View: A Feat of Clay: The Creator of California Raisins Molds an Animated Easter Special". Los Angeles Times. April 12, 1992. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
  4. ^ a b "Stardom Is Feat Of Clay For California Raisins". Orlando Sentinel. January 25, 1988. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
  5. ^ Corliss, Richard (September 22, 2016). "Bad 25: Spike Lee Brings Michael Jackson Back to Thrilling Life". Time.
  6. ^ "The California Raisins – Billboard Hot 100 History". Billboard.com. Archived from the original on May 25, 2019. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  7. ISBN 978-1476665993
    .
  8. ISBN 978-1538103739
    .
  9. ^ Perry, Charles (July 28, 1994). "Something We Ate: Used to Hear It Through the Grapevine". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 27, 2013. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  10. ^ "The Raisin Situation". The New York Times. April 27, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  11. ^ "California Raisins Collectibles". Wharble.com. Archived from the original on February 16, 2011. Retrieved May 15, 2011.
  12. ^ "The Hardee's Story". Hardee's. Archived from the original on July 6, 2010. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
  13. ^ "CalRaisins.org".
  14. ^ Nintendo Power Staff (November–December 1989). "Pak Watch". Nintendo Power. No. #9. Nintendo. p. 95.
  15. ^ "The California Raisins for Commodore 64 (1988)". MobyGames.
  16. ^ "The 50 Best Commercials of All Time". Entertainment Weekly. March 28, 1997. Retrieved May 15, 2011.
  17. ISBN 076430433X
    .
  18. ^ "The California Raisins". Unwrapped. Retrieved June 22, 2010 – via YouTube.
  19. ^ Spess, Marc (April 18, 2010). "California Raisin Raisin Puppets: Late 80s – Early 90s". AnimateClay.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved May 15, 2011.
  20. ^ "【ズンちゃん】ズンちゃん、それはボクのことズン". YouTube.
  21. ^ "カリフォルニア･レーズン協会 - YouTube". YouTube.
  22. ^ "California Raisins Set for Comeback in Live-Action Feature". Cartoon Brew.com. March 19, 2015. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  23. ^ "Top Pop Albums". Billboard. January 23, 1988. p. 80.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_California_Raisins&oldid=1218816590"