The California Dancing Raisins ad has been called one of the best of all time. Audiences quickly connected with the Raisins authentic R&B sound, and The California Raisins version of "Grapevine" even reached No. SPEAKER EIGHT: And I guess subliminally, it probably worked because I do remember eating raisins as a snack. SW: The winning concept was a raisin with big eyes, a defined nose, and a wide mouthperfect for lip syncing. I'm Charlie Herman. Or, as they saw it, for Sunmaid's good. I know a man ain't supposed to cry. RAISINS: Oooh I heard it through the grapevine, raised in the California sunshine. 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. And then, job number two: they work on public relations and marketing for the entire raisin industry. 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. I mean, you can imagine that! Dancing Raisins "Heard It Through the Grapevine". I mean, we didn't do anything short of that. And ultimately, when everyone failed to agree, the raisins took the fall. The game was completed and several video game critics reviewed it, but it was never released on the open market. 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. Lead vocals in the group were sung by musician Buddy Miles. 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. [19], In 2014, the California Raisins made a cameo appearance in the RadioShack Super Bowl XLVIII commercial "The '80s Called". If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions. SPEAKER FOUR: My mother thought they were great, and she collected the figurines. They used themselves to make them human. The raisin packers didn't reach this decision because anyone had anything against the ad, or because licensing fees had stopped rolling in, or even because raisin sales were down. While the vines may feel special to their growerslike children!to you and me? The California Raisins were a fictional R&B group created in the mid-1980s for a commercial produced by the California Raisin Advisory. Those California Raisins weren't just in California anymore. WERNER: A frame was one snapshot. And on top of everything else, he says there's one subject of conversation that just won't drop. There was 19 of us at Sunnyside country club sitting in a circle in the main dining room, and we all voted. SW: But in some ways, it may be in the same place as it was in the '80s. SW: Big ingredient customers could actually look up in state records how much money, per ton, raisin packers were paying CALRAB. 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. SW: And that tax is paying for a campaign that's not even advertising your product! Now, the story of a man many call an outlaw. RV: And I set it up in the studio exactly how like an old Motown session would be. And I told him, all of this sounds absolutely exhausting: KB: I'm still here! They have two big jobs. Constitution Avenue, NW Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for CALIFORNIA RAISINS: i heard it through the grapevine PRIORITY 7" Single 45 RPM at the best online prices at eBay! While the songs popularized the phrase, they inspired the hit kids cartoon series "The California Raisins" in the 1990s. MM: Obviously raisin growers and packers, they compete with each other. It keeps you in shape. BK: There's always been a 'If it's good for Sunmaid, it's gotta be bad for them.' From Performing Songwriter Issue 111, July/Aug 2008. Finance is provided by PayPal Credit (a trading name of PayPal (Europe) S. r.l. CH: We're back. SW: The raisin industry quickly followed up with more ads. He just wanted to make an ad he thought was cool. Still one thing nearly everyone does agree on is the mass appeal of the dancing raisins. There it is. CH: I remember those really well. Scrobbling is when Last.fm tracks the music you listen to and automatically adds it to your music profile. 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. And though the process is time-consuming and expensive, Werner's performance managed to win them over. Logistics aside, there is a hint of the dancing raisins magic in the air again. California Raisins. California Raisins T-shirt ~ I Heard It Through The Grapevine ~ Claymation 80s. But that wasn't the story around town. SW: Clyde E. Nef, who was CALRAB's manager at the time, wrote about Seth's performance and the board's reaction in his book, The Fruits of Their Labors. Lead vocals in the group 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. Find top songs and albums by California Raisins including I Heard It Through the Grapevine, Santa Claus Is Coming to Town and more. It seems like everyone in Motown heard about this song "through the grapevine" before it was finally recorded. If you have a question relating to the museum's collections, please first check our Collections FAQ. And that takes unity. The industry is in talks about a new campaign to promote California raisins. KALEM BARSERIAN: I've been born, raised here. Get instant explanation for any lyrics that hits you anywhere on the web! 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. Not much longer would you be mine baby. Needless to say, their band history borrowed heavily from the types of origin stories real bands tended to have. Play with guitar, piano, ukulele, or any instrument you choose. Constitution Avenue, NW But of course, that was not really the end of it. [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. And some of them played instruments, maybe?SPEAKER TWO: All dancing in the real world, but in their little clay situation.SPEAKER THREE: They were disproportionately raisinly huge. (laughs) These little guys took over everybody's hearts and minds, so it didn't surprise us at the time. They're just a staple. Eligibility determined at checkout. Did it, uh, did it drive up the price of raisins? So when his friends were like WERNER: 'What are you gonna do with that? Not so much. 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. If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it. But I think we're heading in a positive direction now. This special saw the Raisins hiring a new manager with the goal of making a comeback. Casey Holford and John DeLore composed our theme. But that little piece of fruit is anything but dry and boring. 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. SW: Did it feel at any point while you were working on this album like you were making an ad for raisins? The band broke up. Your email address will not be published. Their cover of Marvin Gaye's &, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Between 1987 and 1988, the fictional band released four albums, two of which went platinum. Seth and his colleagues were getting fan mail forwarded to themfrom viewers, TV stations, and other advertising execs. Paul McCartney requested his own copy on VHS. BK: It actually got to the point where the Dancing Raisins had their own television show. SPEAKER ELEVEN: We watched it in art class when I was in elementary school. Deathly silence filled the Board room for what was probably only another thirty seconds, but seemed much longer. Unlike the smaller brands in the industry, it could afford to pay for that space. Just one piece! But in terms of its impact on the industry it depends on who you ask. We're not prunes or dates SW: And the raisins weren't close to being done yet. Which wasn't true. Note: Comment submission is temporarily unavailable while we make improvements to the site. So, give them raisins! ', SW: Barry Kriebel was president of Sunmaid at the time. Raisins, dressed up in white gloves and sunglasses, dancing to Marvin Gaye's "I heard it through the grapevine." 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. SW: Seth's boss handed him the California raisins account. Seth Werner, the young copywriter newly in charge of the California Raisins account, had a concept. SPEAKER ONE: It was like a Mr. If you saw a commercial you liked, you couldn't look it up on YouTube and send a link to a friend. More than 2 million people bought their albums and listened to the Raisins covering songs including "Lean on Me" and "You Cant Hurry Love." It lost message. SW: Seth has a whole scrapbook of these letters. [14][additional citation(s) needed], On March 28, 1997 Entertainment Weekly published "The 50 Best Commercials of All Time" as its cover story. 80s classic toys. SW: Within a month of its release, the album went gold. And now they are all I can think about!! Earlier this year, the CRMBwhich did not respond to my request for commenthired a brand new Vice President of Marketing. The community that created them, and the questions they left in their wake. MICHAEL BRUNSFELD: The first step in this was we need somebody to create some raisins that are going to dance around. He's a reporter covering raisins and grapes for one of the trade magazines his family publishes. But I also take the approach of, that was 30 years ago so I think it's time that we look forward because the industry is in a very dramatic, very drastically different place than it was back then. 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. Will Vinton told Seth the hardest part was getting his nose right. Visit the IIIF page to learn more. All Rights Reserved. Oh I heard it through the grapevine. AD THREE: Raisins from California. California Raisins poster vintage 1987 Heard it Through The Grapevine. BK: If you're one of the largest ingredient buyers for bread or cereal or something, then really you're paying for it, right? 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. Unknown; no label specified. And the band wasn't playing heavy metal or rock 'n' roll. CH: This episode was reported and produced by Sarah Wyman, with Julia Press and me, Charlie Herman. My girl!BK: Yeeeeah the marketing guys at Del Monte filed a complaint with the Department of Food and Agriculture over it. 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. Okay? BARRY KRIEBEL: Well that's the problem with the advertising!
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california raisins heard it through the grapevine