Oh! Like the whole body was just a head, with arms and legs waving about. Because the smaller packers still thought Sunmaid had an unfair advantage. Audiences quickly connected with the Raisins authentic R&B sound, and The California Raisins version of "Grapevine" even reached No. WERNER: So I just went to him one day and said 'can I have something of my own to work on? 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. Barrett Strong was the singer. I said, 'the only thing I would do, because at that time, you know, you had things like the Chipmunks and all these different things for kids,'. The show was broadcast August 29, 1990, on the U.S. television network CBS during primetime. And I told him, all of this sounds absolutely exhausting: KB: I'm still here! And, I didn't know this, but nearly 100 percent of the raisins the U.S. produces come from within a 60 mile radius of the city. Right? And they were hearing from those ingredient customers that they had an issue with the ads: BK: Some large customers felt they were paying for it. 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. Lived here my whole life. Sales of raisins themselves increased 20 percent after the first commercial. CALRAB and the commercials it paid for represented the entire industry. And so Will said 'well finally I took Janet's nose and put that on the raisin and he bought it [snaps fingers] like that.'. They go on for pages and pages, carefully typed out on letterhead and hand-written in beautiful cursive. The community that created them, and the questions they left in their wake. The answer? Washington, D.C. Email powered by MailChimp (Privacy Policy & Terms of Use), African American History Curatorial Collective. Deathly silence filled the Board room for what was probably only another thirty seconds, but seemed much longer. The California Raisins were a fictional R&B group created in the mid-1980s for a commercial produced by the California Raisin Advisory. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online. It was merely entertaining." And then on top of that, this article also made mention of a raisin mafia, along with allegations of death threats!? SW: That's another thing that makes the raisin industry different. Costume, Occasion & Specialized Clothing, Shoes & Accessories, Mobile Phones, Smart Watches, Accessories & Communication, Bathroom Fixtures, Accessories & Supplies, Industrial Printing & Graphic Arts Equipment, Shaving & Hair Removal Products & Equipment, The California Raisi - I Heard It Through The Grapevine - Used Vinyl - E8100A, eBay (UK) Limited is an appointed representative of, Learn more about Product Partnerships Limited - opens in a new window or tab. The industry is in talks about a new campaign to promote California raisins. AD SIX: Oh, I heard it through the grapevine! SPEAKER FIVE: They just made raisins and dried fruit in general seem really, really hip. Packers sort the raisins by size, rinse out sand and dirt, control for quality, and pack them all up in boxes. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Those California Raisins weren't just in California anymore. Start the wiki. 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 Note: Comment submission is temporarily unavailable while we make improvements to the site. This commercial has witimaginationand it was good enough that I went and bought a box of Californian grown raisins.'. Dancing Raisins Heard It Through the Grapevine. But Barry Kriebel says, at that point, the actual facts had stopped mattering. Some user-contributed text on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. I says, 'in Canada? I mean, we didn't do anything short of that. Qualifying purchases could enjoy 0% interest if paid in full in 4 months on purchases of 99+. The musical mockumentary was again created by Vinton Studios, and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. The ads storyboards were pretty simple: A bunch of raisins dance in a line across the screen, grooving to the Motown sound that had been rejuvenated by the success of The Big Chills 6 million-selling soundtrack. CEO of the wine bargaining association for five years. Although Vinton made one last Claymation TV movie about the Raisins in 1990, the end of the '80s brought a decline in the Raisinss popularity. And on top of that, there have been many, many more lawsuits. As of the 2010s, packages of Sun-Maid Natural California Raisins still feature an updated California Raisin character. Almost all the growers in the room were against it. BK: If you're one of the largest ingredient buyers for bread or cereal or something, then really you're paying for it, right? 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. 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. Go directly to shout page. And since there wasn't a "Dancing Raisin" brand in the store, small packers worried Sunmaid was getting all the business. RAISINS CHRISTMAS: Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer It's those sensational California Raisins in the Emmy-winning Claymation Christmas celebration, next! Whod have ever thought that a beloved Motown classic would be brought back to life by a bunch of animated dried fruit? He just wanted to make an ad he thought was cool. And because they were big companies, not headquartered in the Fresno circle, they were not at the table, and participating in all of this back-and-forth. It's a pop song reimagined as a nervous breakdown. The California Raisins are often accompanied by a soundtrack of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," originally popularized by singer Marvin Gaye. 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. And as that rift widened, the raisins fell right through it. Seth Werner and CALRABthe agency responsible for hyping up California raisinsthey had delivered a hit. Kalem Barserian, along with around 40 raisin growers, packers, and industry members, was in that room. These wildly popular clay animation raisins grew into far more than their creators had ever dreamed of. He says if it had just been up to him, he would not have ended CALRAB and therefore the Dancing Raisins. Many of the items created for the campaign have become part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution. They starred in two claymation TV shorts, and a Christmas special that won an Emmy! Not much longer would you be mine baby. I grew up in California, and it felt like they were everywhere. . SW: Remember, these were Fresno guys, not big city ad men. He wrote to Foot Cone and Belding specifically requesting a VHS copy of the ad so he could watch it whenever he wanted to. He's a reporter covering raisins and grapes for one of the trade magazines his family publishes. 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). Play with guitar, piano, ukulele, or any instrument you choose. SW: But, on the other side of the debate, if you ask Barry Kriebel, he'll tell you it is much more complicated than that. And then it clicked on me that it was like, 'oh, this is a real song, like not a California Raisins song.'. Visit the IIIF page to learn more. But as that money flowed back into CALRAB's coffers, the disagreements became more serious. California Raisins Heard it Through the Grapevine (Better Quality) Herozilla Video Editing and Livestream Gaming 82.3K subscribers Subscribe 10K Share 983K views 3 years ago I don't own the. Today, the story of the California Dancing Raisins. Music is from Audio Network. 30 of those and you have a second of the commercial. First, they provide tools the industry can use to regulate the raisin market. Washington, D.C. Email powered by MailChimp (Privacy Policy & Terms of Use), International Media Interoperability Framework. 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. I was in the room when it got killed! [6] However, the Raisins would continue to make their strongest impression through animated endeavors, and the characters proved popular enough that they were used to endorse Post Raisin Bran cereal. California Raisins T-shirt ~ I Heard It Through The Grapevine ~ Claymation 80s. Who'd have ever thought that a beloved Motown classic would be brought back to life by a bunch of animated dried fruit? 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. It's a tax. I believe it might have been a public service announcement', 'Dear Judy: Generally when you hear from me, a problem is involved. But of course, that was not really the end of it. Oh I heard it through the grapevine. They sold most of their raisins in bulk, to ingredient customers, like cereal brands or bakeries. I voted to kill it too. But these tears I can't hold inside. He's written songs for bands like Earth, Wind and Fire, the Gap Band, and more recently, he's done covers with Kanye West. "The Raisins opened up a floodgate everything had to be personified," Vinton told Food & Winelast year. Their cover of Marvin Gaye's &, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. 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. Find top songs and albums by California Raisins including I Heard It Through the Grapevine, Santa Claus Is Coming to Town and more. California raisins from the California vineyards. 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. SW: This is Matthew Malcolm again. The California Raisins merchandising snowballed into 300 different products, including clothing, bed sheets, Halloween costumes, car accessories, lunch boxes, and even toilet paper. But, that's not where this story ends. Like the Archies before them, the imaginary band was a hit. [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. 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. And now they are all I can think about!! I Heard It Through the Grapevine features a clip the movie The Big Chill where a group of teenagers in a library who are listening to the song through headphones which leads them to dance . Please take time to look at pictures I try and show condition clear as possible. They all watched as Seth walked in and took the floor. He wasn't worried about making the most of this one shot and impressing his boss. CH: After the break, five million dollars DOES go a long way, the Dancing California Raisins conga line their way to record deals and awards, and they split the raisin industry right down the middle. (laughs). 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 And that is something producer that producer Sarah Wyman has made very clear to me since she began digging into the orgins of the California dancing raisins ad. But in terms of its impact on the industry it depends on who you ask. And then we threw the baby out with the bathwater. 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. Can you just give me an assignment? as well as other partner offers and accept our, NOW WATCH: An investment chief at HSBC sees huge trading opportunities outside the US. 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?' The claymation raisins singing and dancing to Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" became a kids TV show, recorded an album that went platinum, launched a range of toys and costumes, and starred in an Emmy-winning Christmas special. Between 1987 and 1988, the fictional band released four albums, two of which went platinum. Sunmaid. CH: But while the ad made the dancing California raisins cool did it do anything for actual California raisins? AD THREE: Raisins from California. It wasn't true. SW: Paul. Think you know music? But an even bigger faction of raisin packers did not have their own name-brands. If you have more stories to share, call us anytime. View wiki Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The ad was fun, but, to quote The Fruits of Their Labors again, it "made no effort to sell raisins. The California Raisin Advisory Board. How could this ad that on its surface seems like an unmitigated success also have caused all these other problems? The Hardee's restaurant chain offered these as part of a promotion for its Cinnamon 'N' Raisin biscuits. onefunplace. KB: [counts] 350 versus 244. But that wasn't the story around town. Possibly, but in their own sweet, silly way, these spots conveyed a sense of mindless fun and gave the humble raisin its moment in the sun. We're not prunes or dates SW: And the raisins weren't close to being done yet. 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. And if the California raisin family wanted to avert economic disaster, it needed to band together and find a way to sell more raisins. And the US, by the way, is the second largest raisin producer in the entire world. And the answer is usually 'we don't know.. but probably not.' SPEAKER FOUR: I loved those commercials as a kid, they were so cool. But I think we're heading in a positive direction now. The "Heard It Through the Grapevine" theme is fabulous. He's now on his second round of leading the Raisin Bargaining Association. But back in 1986, going viral was not yet a thing. A California Raisins Fan Club began in 1987, which included a Grapevine Gazette newsletter and various memorabilia. The lead singer is wailing, wearing shadesnaturally, since they were raised in the California sunshine. Was Marvin Gaye spinning in his grave? Almost across the board, everyone I spoke to had good things to say about the ad itself. WERNER: We still thought it was cool. But he told me something else too, something he says a lot of reporters like mewho fly into Fresno from the big city to cover the dramaoften miss: MM: We're all families here and so, everybody's really close, everybody knows each other, I mean, a lot of them are related to each other, they marry in, and so they're very tight SW: And that big family, with lots of opinions, is where some of that drama comes from. KB: We're not getting our fair share of it. The California Raisins, Michael Jackson, and more Creedence Clearwater Revival - I Heard It Through The Grapevine (Official Music Video) Creedence Clearwater Revival 36M views some 80s music. It just knows that it needs water, it needs to be pruned, needs to be fertilized, it needs to be babied. They help out with keeping prices stable and have an eye on supply and demand. Like, when Ray Charles had starred in his ad, he agreed to do a cross-country public relations tour, promoting the health and goodness of California raisins. Listen to music by California Raisins on Apple Music. And if you don't have a consensus, it doesn't matter. The problem, FCB's account supervisor said at the time, was that though customers understood the health benefits of raisins, they had emotional connections with various vice products, like cigarettes because of the long-running "Marlboro Man" ads, or beer based on the popular "Miller Time" ads. RV: And I set it up in the studio exactly how like an old Motown session would be. Between 12th and 14th Streets 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. 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. SW: One of the people who saw that ad was Michael Jackson. Director. While the vines may feel special to their growerslike children!to you and me? As for the music, the commercial featured Buddy Miles, a Carlos Santana collaborator and drummer for Jimi Hendrix, singing "I Heard It Through The Grapevine"picked because of the obvious connection between grapes and raisins, but also because the song had seen a resurgence after the Marvin Gaye version had been used for the opening scene of the 1983 hit movie The Big Chill. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Casey Holford and John DeLore composed our theme. The 1980's TV commercials for California raisins have been called some of the best ads ever made. But how did a bunch of dried grapes, burdened with the reputationof being a mediocre, boring snack, become synonymous with swagger? Everyone is hungering for unity again, they just have to find something to unify around. But there was enough leadership to sway the ones that weren't smart enough to realize what a good program it was. 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). 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. It would go on to produce the Dancing Raisins ad. 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. KALEM BARSERIAN: I've been born, raised here. 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. Earlier this year, the CRMBwhich did not respond to my request for commenthired a brand new Vice President of Marketing. 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. Blastfrompasttoys. Note: This transcript may contain errors. WERNER: We went there because we had to meet the growers, and so we would drive, what was it, an hour, 90 minutes to Fresno from San Francisco, and the account people were all nervous on the way there like 'what are we going to do?'. November 12, 1986 SW: You guys, it's from Paul McCartney's manager. You know how families can be about money. 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