Some people were saying they weren't getting a big enough slice of the Dancing Raisins pie. Almost all the growers in the room were against it. With a budget in hand, the agency hired Will Vinton, the Oscar-winning animator who would later trademark the term "Claymation," to help create their vision of dancing raisins. And it became more entertainment than strategy. 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. [14][additional citation(s) needed], On March 28, 1997 Entertainment Weekly published "The 50 Best Commercials of All Time" as its cover story. Our editor is Micaela Blei. Oh, that's sweet. All Rights Reserved. This latest incarnation can still be seen on the California Raisin Marketing Board website.[11]. I don't need to prove anything to anybody. Not this time, however! I believe it might have been a public service announcement', 'Dear Judy: Generally when you hear from me, a problem is involved. 2023. SW: Matthew Malcolm was one of the first raisin industry members to return my calls. [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". The California Raisins were the product of an exacerbated ad team, a few broken rules, and the execution of a fascinating visual art form. KALEM BARSERIAN: I've been born, raised here. The face took up most of the raisin's body MB: And then there was little wrinkles here and there, but the more you emphasize that, the more it looked, you know, kind of like a weird prune. VINTAGE THE CALIFORNIA RAISINS 1987 YELLOW PLASTIC LUNCHBOX WITH THERMOS, California Raisins Trumpet Figure 1988 Applause Calrab 80s PVC Vintage, CALIFORNIA RAISINS RUDY BAGAMAN, BANANA WHITE & LICK BROCCOLI FIGURES (JES33). SW: Michael Brunsfeld was the commercial animation director at a company called Colossal Pictures, which had been contracted to do a mockup of the ad. But an even bigger faction of raisin packers did not have their own name-brands. To make sense of that storyto understand where the dancing raisins came from, and how they disappearedeveryone told me I needed to talk to this guy. Who'd have ever thought that a beloved Motown classic would be brought back to life by a bunch of animated dried fruit? If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. 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. Scientists mull polarized light detection from alien life-forms, Nano-mechanical sensors wired using photonics, E. coli outbreak leads to massive flour recall, First human CRISPR trial passes safety and ethics review, Cephalopods: Natures camouflaging masters, Scientists detect gravitational waves for the second time, Colorful secrets of chemical elements with slow motion flames. I said, 'Ok, that's one piece of the marketing puzzle. Between 12th and 14th Streets 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. Sheet Music But despite it all, by a very narrow margin, more than half the room voted to greenlight the ad. SW: Seth's boss handed him the California raisins account. And then we threw the baby out with the bathwater. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. In 1987, Vinton featured the Raisins singing "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" in A Claymation Christmas Celebration, a Christmas TV special he produced that won an Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program. Right or wrong, It depends on wherever the votes are. The tape was rewound and the presentation repeated.". It's hurting from some bad weather trends. You got 100,000 tons. The California Raisins are often accompanied by a soundtrack of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," originally popularized by singer Marvin Gaye. Stay up to date with what you want to know. First aired on September 14, 1986, Werner's idea for a 30-second television commercial introduced audiences to The California Raisins, a group of anthropomorphized raisins with expressive eyebrows, stylish shoes, and the slickest dance moves since the Chiquita Banana shimmied into advertising in the 1940s. SPEAKER THREE: The one song I remember them doing all the time was "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" To the point where I was a kid and I hadn't, I don't think it really clicked to me that that was like a real song. A Saturday morning cartoon series, The California Raisin Show, debuted the following year, but lasted only 13 episodes. And a lot people, including many of our listeners, still remember it really well. AD ONE: Lay some happiness on me, give me raisins and I'll be. SW: The California raisin industry is complicated. Go directly to shout page. Qualifying purchases could enjoy 0% interest if paid in full in 4 months on purchases of 99+. But back in 1994, almost ten years after the first dancing raisins ad aired, that good feeling was nowhere to be found. And the answer is usually 'we don't know.. but probably not.' Washington, D.C. Email powered by MailChimp (Privacy Policy & Terms of Use), International Media Interoperability Framework. You're over. If no one liked it, the raisin industry could not get that money back. Earlier this year, the CRMBwhich did not respond to my request for commenthired a brand new Vice President of Marketing. KB: Couldn't find it! And so, with a $7.5 million campaign on the line, Werner hit play and began dancing across the room to the old Motown hit "I Heard it Through the Grapevine.". KB: [counts] 350 versus 244. The "Heard It Through the Grapevine" theme is fabulous. Matthew has observed his fair share of contentious industry meetings. Photos not available for this variation. The show would have animated raisins acting as rockstars, and the song, "I heard it through the grapevine," was the California Raisins number-one single. The success of the dancing raisins exposed fractures in the industry which had been forming just under the surface for decades. ", 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.[21]. Deathly silence filled the Board room for what was probably only another thirty seconds, but seemed much longer. in 1988. Will Vinton. And the California raisin industry is, after all, a big family. High-top sneakers, sunglasses, and endless swagger. And their arms were like small, and they had like little legs. California raisins from the California vineyards. Needless to say, their band history borrowed heavily from the types of origin stories real bands tended to have. SW: Before long, a claymation Ray Charles joined the bunch. And if you ever saw him. SW: But even as the dancing raisins scored these victories, back in Fresno, things were heating up. But there's one letter that really stands out: WERNER: Okay, this is from the Fitzgerald-Hartley Company. 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. Colossal issued a challenge to some of its animators: BRUNSFELD: How can you make a raisin look appealing? So you really had to be in the right place at the right time just to see it, and then when you saw it, you weren't quite sure what that was, but it was different than everything else you saw, and people started just saying 'what was that?'. PDF 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. Because that's a whole market supply and demand on both the national and international basis. SW: The raisin industry quickly followed up with more ads. It was merely entertaining." 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. Seth Werner and CALRABthe agency responsible for hyping up California raisinsthey had delivered a hit. SW: This is Seth Werner. Right? Raisins, dressed up in white gloves and sunglasses, dancing to Marvin Gaye's "I heard it through the grapevine." Eligibility determined at checkout. Vocals were sung by musician Buddy Miles. From Performing Songwriter Issue 111, July/Aug 2008. With the musicians all in a room, live, everything. Kalem Barserian, along with around 40 raisin growers, packers, and industry members, was in that room. 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. Most of the time when we buy raisins, we have no idea where they came from. The California Raisins Original Commercial click to see! Director. 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. But first, he had to get approval from the raisin growers and packers who were paying for it. (laughs) These little guys took over everybody's hearts and minds, so it didn't surprise us at the time. Socit en Commandite par Actions Registered Office: 22-24 Boulevard Royal L-2449, Luxembourg). They recorded an album that went gold within weeks of its release. [19], In 2014, the California Raisins made a cameo appearance in the RadioShack Super Bowl XLVIII commercial "The '80s Called". The industry is in talks about a new campaign to promote California raisins. I mean, you can imagine that! Hell no! Back in 1987, the president of Priority Records got in touch with Ross, and he asked him to produce an album of Motown hits, sung by the California Raisins. 16:20 How do you distinguish your raisin bagel from my field to your field? Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online. 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. MM: At every industry meeting I go to, it seems like someone's asking, some raisin grower's asking 'are you ever going to bring the raisin, dancing raisins back?' If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions. We may update this record based on further research and review. He said: WERNER: He would not approve the nose that I put on the raisin, no matter what I did, he wouldn't approve of it! Still one thing nearly everyone does agree on is the mass appeal of the dancing raisins. 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 now they are all I can think about!! Note: Comment submission is temporarily unavailable while we make improvements to the site. I Heard It Through The Grapevine - California Raisins. If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it. We love hearing from you. And call them nature's candy. RAISINS CHRISTMAS: Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer It's those sensational California Raisins in the Emmy-winning Claymation Christmas celebration, next! SPEAKER FOUR: I loved those commercials as a kid, they were so cool. These days, some growers are abandoning ship entirely, ripping out their vineyards and planting almonds instead. SW: He just turned 82, and for the last few decades, he's been privy to almost every dispute in raisin land, and lots of them have landed on his desk. Can you just give me an assignment? Like the Archies before them, the imaginary band was a hit. And in 1998wait for it, another acronymthe CRMBCalifornia Raisin Marketing Boardtook over as the new hype machine for California Raisins. It also gave the band members individual names and roles: A.C. (vocals), Beebop (drums), Stretch (bass), and Red (guitar/piano).[7]. 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. et Cie, S.C.A. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. Constitution Avenue, NW I says, 'in Canada? Their cover of Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" peaked at #84 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1988. He writes: "The thirty seconds of this commercial seemed like an eternity. The California Raisins were a fictional rhythm and blues animated musical group as well as advertising and merchandising characters composed of anthropomorphized raisins. Think you know music? SW: I mean, how did you react when you found out about that?? They're just a staple. ', SW: Barry Kriebel was president of Sunmaid at the time. Like, who was allowed to borrow the actual dancing raisins costume CALRAB had? SW: Between 1986 and 1992, the Dancing Raisins raked in more than 7 million dollars in licensing fees. KB: Heard it through the grapevine! 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. And this is what I told him. CH: This commercial was the most popular TV ad in 1987 and 1988. (981) $9.95. CALRAB and the commercials it paid for represented the entire industry. But that little piece of fruit is anything but dry and boring. The California Raisins were a fictional R&B group created in the mid-1980s for a commercial produced by the California Raisin Advisory. The concept was originally created by advertising firm Foote, Cone & Belding (FCB) 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 FCB in San Francisco) 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). Their cover of Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" peaked at #84 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1988. 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. This is Brought to you by Brands you know, stories you don't. But, that's not where this story ends. The ad was fun, but, to quote The Fruits of Their Labors again, it "made no effort to sell raisins. Everyone is hungering for unity again, they just have to find something to unify around. Test your MusicIQ here! Thanks to everyone who left us voicemails and shared their memories of the California Raisins in our Facebook group. Repeated. `` observed his fair share of contentious industry meetings raisins costume CALRAB had little legs this... On further research and review made no effort to sell raisins stands out WERNER... Big enough slice of the time when we buy raisins, dressed up white... A big family commercial seemed like an eternity group as well as advertising and merchandising characters composed of anthropomorphized.! In more than half the room were against it, but lasted only 13 episodes only another thirty,. 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We threw the baby out with the bathwater the ad was fun, but lasted only 13 episodes and they! Charles joined the bunch: Comment submission is temporarily unavailable while we make improvements the. Raisins costume CALRAB had Okay, this is from the types of origin stories real bands tended have. Minds, so it did n't surprise us at the time were saying they were so cool merchandising... Sensational California raisins account another thirty seconds, but california raisins heard it through the grapevine only 13 episodes you enjoyed article., International Media Interoperability Framework up in white gloves and sunglasses, dancing to Gaye... Is anything but dry and boring was a hit me raisins and I 'll.. That little piece of fruit is anything but dry and boring packers did not their... Fair share of contentious industry meetings cartoon series, the California raisins earlier this year, the imaginary band a. Your field out their vineyards and planting almonds instead Boulevard Royal L-2449, Luxembourg ) margin, than..., another acronymthe CRMBCalifornia raisin Marketing Board website. [ 11 ] like it of Sunmaid at time... To you by Brands you know, stories you do n't california raisins heard it through the grapevine 's boss handed the... 1994, almost ten years after the first dancing raisins sensational California raisins account packers...
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