The answer? KB: Heard it through the grapevine! The California Raisins II is a 1990 claymation television special directed by Will Vinton, featuring the advertising characters The California Raisins. KALEM BARSERIAN: I've been born, raised here. They all watched as Seth walked in and took the floor. The plot of the game involved Tiny Goodbite having to rescue his friends who have been kidnapped and held in a cereal factory. And then they called me and they said, 'you know what it's platinum in Canada too!' WERNER: Uh yeah, it was probably a little bit of a shock, I guess. And Seth Seth was dancing all by himself in front of the group, without socks on! 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. SW: Seth has a whole scrapbook of these letters. (laughs). 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. A board member said, 'Seth, can you do it again?' It's that simple. A sequel to the original CBS special aired in 1990 under the title The Raisins: Sold Out! So Fresno is like Eden for raisins. PDF SW: That is exactly what I wanted to find out. AD SEVEN: I heard it through the grapevine! Browse 55 i heard it through the grapevine stock photos and images available, or search for california raisins to find more great stock photos and pictures. I Heard It Through The Grapevine - California Raisins. Now, the story of a man many call an outlaw. It's hurting from some bad weather trends. DH: And it turns out, the dancing raisins were especially popular with moms! Werner's big idea was going to be a risk, especially without the celebrity spokesperson the client had requested. [6] Seth Werner, the young copywriter newly in charge of the California Raisins account, had a concept. Almost all the packers resented Sunmaid, but not all for the same reasons. Ended: 27 Feb, 2023 23:10:08 GMT. SW: Kalem Barserian has worked in the raisin industry for more than 50 years. Remember, he reports on the raisin industry. They even earned an Emmy nomination! 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. We'll do that.'. In 1985, both halves of the industry were funding CALRAB. KB: How can anybody sit on a board who spends their whole day on a tractor that knows everything about what needs to be done for his vines, and he's gonna come in and know what an advertising executive knows? Select PayPal Credit to have the option to pay over time. SW: Let me explain. Not this time, however! Listen on:Apple Podcasts |Stitcher | Spotify |and more. He's now on his second round of leading the Raisin Bargaining Association. 16:20 How do you distinguish your raisin bagel from my field to your field? SW: This is Seth Werner. You do the math on how many tons of raisins you're buying from them, and bam, you can see exactly how much of the total cost is going towards California raisin ads. Photo: A Claymation Christmas Celebration / CBS The Raisins Were Featured In Will Vinton's 'Claymation Christmas Celebration' On CBS In 1987 SW: Unity has been a longstanding challenge for the raisin industry. 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. Eligibility determined at checkout. BK: If you're one of the largest ingredient buyers for bread or cereal or something, then really you're paying for it, right? (laughs) These little guys took over everybody's hearts and minds, so it didn't surprise us at the time. We love hearing from you. First, they provide tools the industry can use to regulate the raisin market. 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? Dancing Raisins Heard It Through the Grapevine. Sarah tells us what happened next SW: In 1994, a group of raisin packers voted to shut down CALRAB. eBay (UK) Limited acts as a credit broker not a lender. WERNER: We still thought it was cool. 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. It turns out the raisin industry is actually a very contentious industry there's this long history of lawsuits going back and forth between different members. But in terms of its impact on the industry it depends on who you ask. He just wanted to make an ad he thought was cool. SW: Seth's boss handed him the California raisins account. Which meant packers couldn't slap a Dancing Raisin on their packaging or use the characters in ads unless they got their idea approved by the board. Sunmaid. Dancing Raisins "Heard It Through the Grapevine". SW: Did it feel at any point while you were working on this album like you were making an ad for raisins? 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. "We decided that we wanted the raisins to be cool and a bit intimidating," Werner said. This client had been with his agency for over a decade, and though they'd had some fairly successful campaigns in the past, the client's main product was slipping in sales. Play with guitar, piano, ukulele, or any instrument you choose. The industry is in talks about a new campaign to promote California raisins. And if you ever saw him. SW: But even as the dancing raisins scored these victories, back in Fresno, things were heating up. SW: Big ingredient customers could actually look up in state records how much money, per ton, raisin packers were paying CALRAB. The game was completed and several video game critics reviewed it, but it was never released on the open market. I said, 'Ok, that's one piece of the marketing puzzle. [19], In 2014, the California Raisins made a cameo appearance in the RadioShack Super Bowl XLVIII commercial "The '80s Called". ', 'Today during Ryan's Hope I saw the cutest commercial. They sold most of their raisins in bulk, to ingredient customers, like cereal brands or bakeries. Some people were saying they weren't getting a big enough slice of the Dancing Raisins pie. We apologize for the interruption. I grew up in California, and it felt like they were everywhere. And apparently, making a clay "King of Pop" was a whole 'nother can of worms. The 1980's TV commercials for California raisins have been called some of the best ads ever made. 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. Brought to you by is a production of Insider Audio. Earlier this year, the CRMBwhich did not respond to my request for commenthired a brand new Vice President of Marketing. They're just a staple. SW: Buddy Miles, who'd been the drummer for Band of Gypsies with Jimi Hendrix, flew to California to record the vocals in Ross's studio. California Raisins. If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. in 1988. Besides appearing in short commercials, The California Raisins shared their musical chops in television specials. They were all over the country, on mugs and lunchboxes and tee shirts. The California Raisins were the product of an exacerbated ad team, a few broken rules, and the execution of a fascinating visual art form. Like, growing up, we had this little figurine in our doll house, and my parents dressed up as them one year for Halloween. 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?'. California RaisinsSing The Hit Songs 1987 Priority Records, LLCReleased on: 1987-01-01Associated Performer, Background Vocalist: Howard SmithAssociated Performer, Background Vocalist: Leslie SmithAssociated Performer, Background Vocalist: Howard MccraryAssociated Performer, Keyboards, Synthesizer, Co- Arranger: Ed GrengaAssociated Performer, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar: Pat KellyAssociated Performer, Bass Guitar: Dave MarottaAssociated Performer, Drums, Percussion: David StefanelliAssociated Performer, Saxophones: David WoodfordProducer, Associated Performer, Co- Arranger: Ross VannelliAssociated Performer, Vocalist: Buddy MilesComposer Lyricist: Barrett StrongComposer Lyricist: Norman WhitfieldAuto-generated by YouTube. Qualifying purchases could enjoy 0% interest if paid in full in 4 months on purchases of 99+. Required fields are marked *. Their cover of Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" peaked at #84 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1988. These wildly popular clay animation raisins grew into far more than their creators had ever dreamed of. And even in the 1990s, Sunmaid was like the "Kleenex" of the raisin industry. Werner and Fedor also thought that the commercial should use clay animation, a type of stop-motion animation using characters or settings made out of clay or other similarly pliable materials, rather than regular cartoon animation. 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. The comedy podcast Felix Navipod features discussion of the California Raisins on all 166 episodes of its run. This commercial has witimaginationand it was good enough that I went and bought a box of Californian grown raisins.'. Of all the acronyms, there's just one you need to remember: CALRAB. SW: Even now, decades later when the dust has settled, one thing is still a question. It had about five million dollars to spend, which, in ad money, is not a lot. The California Raisin Advisory Board. So, give them raisins! From a pop culture standpoint, absolutelypeople all over the world have heard of the Dancing Raisins. The growers are the ones with the vines. Jackson, who agreed to do his commercial for free (and on the condition that he only work with Vinton, who he knew from their Captain EO project with Disney), helped create his own Claymation raisin with his signature single white glove, fedora, and pelvic-thrusting dance moves. 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. It was merely entertaining." Phrases Similar to Heard it Through the Grapevine But there's one letter that really stands out: WERNER: Okay, this is from the Fitzgerald-Hartley Company. SW: Before long, a claymation Ray Charles joined the bunch. Seth Werner and CALRABthe agency responsible for hyping up California raisinsthey had delivered a hit. CH: We're back. 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. Packers had made up their minds about who they thought was getting the better end of the deal. 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). The California Raisins were a fictional R&B group created in the mid-1980s for a commercial produced by the California Raisin Advisory. Photos not available for this variation. And he made it very clear to me right off the bat that no one, him included, would be interested in talking about the New York Times story I'd read. SW: So are the California Raisins coming back, do you thinkthe Dancing California Raisins? We apologize for the interruption. Kalem Barserian, along with around 40 raisin growers, packers, and industry members, was in that room. The ad was fun, but, to quote The Fruits of Their Labors again, it "made no effort to sell raisins. It wasn't true. Commissioned by the California Raisin Advisory Board (CALRAB), a trade group of raisin producers in Californias Central Valley, the commercial was part of a multi-million dollar campaign to combat slowing raisin sales. Raised in the California sunshine WERNER: He volunteered and said 'I won't be paid, I just want to be a raisin, I have one thing I need to ask though, I will not talk to anybody from the advertising agency, and I will not talk to any clients. 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. [14][additional citation(s) needed], On March 28, 1997 Entertainment Weekly published "The 50 Best Commercials of All Time" as its cover story. WERNER: Well, you know, we were at this point, we were like what else is new. 1 Mar. They go on for pages and pages, carefully typed out on letterhead and hand-written in beautiful cursive. SW: Kalem says the vote on whether or not to approve the ad was extremely close. SW: In the end, the ad went to air. We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly. Will Vinton told Seth the hardest part was getting his nose right. And now they are all I can think about!! Lead vocals 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. SETH WERNER: It wasn't back then, and it still isn't now. But that little piece of fruit is anything but dry and boring. But Barry Kriebel says, at that point, the actual facts had stopped mattering. The success of the dancing raisins exposed fractures in the industry which had been forming just under the surface for decades. CH: We're back. Hey. SW: The winning concept was a raisin with big eyes, a defined nose, and a wide mouthperfect for lip syncing. He watched the original commercial spin off into more and more distant territory. And in 1998wait for it, another acronymthe CRMBCalifornia Raisin Marketing Boardtook over as the new hype machine for California Raisins. If you require a personal response, please use ourContact page. On November 4, 1988, CBS aired a primetime television special called Meet the Raisins! BK: There's always been a 'If it's good for Sunmaid, it's gotta be bad for them.' Washington, D.C. Email powered by MailChimp (Privacy Policy & Terms of Use), African American History Curatorial Collective. MM: We have to work together because we're competing against great forces worldwide for raisin production. It lost message. SW: They pulled up to a business park, hopped out of the car, and marched into a conference room. Strong came up with the idea and asked Motown writers Holland-Dozier-Holland to work on it with him. SW: Those people started calling CALRAB and the ad agency, asking when and where the ad would play again. A short time after that, he sat in a studio and sang the words into a microphone while strumming his guitar along with a few friends. A Saturday morning cartoon series, The California Raisin Show, debuted the following year, but lasted only 13 episodes. We may receive commission if your application for credit is successful, the commission does not affect the amount you will pay under your agreement. Socit en Commandite par Actions Registered Office: 22-24 Boulevard Royal L-2449, Luxembourg). Test your MusicIQ here! 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. America's favorite raisin. But first, he had to get approval from the raisin growers and packers who were paying for it. SW: Remember, these were Fresno guys, not big city ad men. SW: This process, as you can imagine, took a while. But Michael Jackson, well he was not about that. I don't like raisins. Which wasn't true. Was the Dancing Raisins ad a success? Scrobble, find and rediscover music with a Last.fm account, Do you know any background info about this track? If you require a personal response, please use ourContact page. Constitution Avenue, NW https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/34693/California+Raisins/I+Heard+It+Through+the+Grapevine. California Raisins poster vintage 1987 Heard it Through The Grapevine. MM: Obviously raisin growers and packers, they compete with each other. If you would like to know how we handle complaints, please click, . In order to be successful, this big "family" has to work together. (laughs) That's just the way it is. SW: All of those different factors combined add up to the final, and most important challenge for the raisin industry. What about Michael Jackson and what he was contributing? 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. Some had small brands that competed with Sunmaid. For the last 10 years, he's violated the law and gone against the Raisin Administrative Committee. They starred in two claymation TV shorts, and a Christmas special that won an Emmy! It seems like everyone in Motown heard about this song "through the grapevine" before it was finally recorded. From Performing Songwriter Issue 111, July/Aug 2008. Everyone is hungering for unity again, they just have to find something to unify around. This latest incarnation can still be seen on the California Raisin Marketing Board website.[11]. And then we threw the baby out with the bathwater. 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. Michael Jackson asked to be featured in a sequel. Would everyone contribute to the cost of an ad campaign? HO: Oh, there's definitely hope. et Cie, S.C.A. Like the whole body was just a head, with arms and legs waving about. WERNER: So I just went to him one day and said 'can I have something of my own to work on? See terms. SW: I, before I started working on this story, did not even eat raisins. But were they a success for the raisin industry? SW: Within a month of its release, the album went gold. SPEAKER NINE: Definitely didn't make me any more of a fan of raisins. Think you know music? The classic about a man who finds out his woman is cheating on him was written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong. RV: And I set it up in the studio exactly how like an old Motown session would be. SW: But by 1994, the packers had reached a consensus. 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. 2016 ScienceAGoGo. 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. 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. Logistics aside, there is a hint of the dancing raisins magic in the air again. MATTHEW MALCOLM: I mean you can't just leave any field barren here, because something's gonna grow. 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.[18]. (869) $17.99. Oh, that's sweet. 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's very successful in that sense. McCartney. So many of you remembered that Christmas special. Matthew has observed his fair share of contentious industry meetings. 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.
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