California Raisin
date: label: date made
content: 1986 - 1991
name: label: user
content: California Raisins Advisory Board
label: producer
content: Will Vinton Productions
label: maker
content: Will Vinton Productions
notes: label: Description
content: The California Raisins are sculpted clay figures used as advertising and merchandising characters by the California Raisin Advisory Board. The figures were first developed by Will Vinton Productions in 1986 based on caricatures of African American rhythm-and-blues groups. The California Raisins are often accompanied by a soundtrack of “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” originally popularized by singer Marvin Gaye. 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. These figures were used in the Claymation advertisements from 1986 through 1991.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Oregon, Portland
topic: label: Subject
content: Motion Pictures
label: Subject
content: Animation
label: Subject
content: Consumerism
label: Subject
content: Food Culture
label: Subject
content: Music
label: Subject
content: Blacks
label: Subject
content: African American
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Entertainment
label: See more items in
content: Popular Entertainment
label: See more items in
content: Advertising
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content: American Enterprise
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Will Vinton Productions
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1991.3182.02
label: catalog number
content: 1991.3182.02
label: nonaccession number
content: 1991.3182
objectType: label: Object Name
content: figure, animation
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: clay, plasticene (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: lead (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 19.5 cm x 15 cm x 8 cm; 7 11/16 in x 5 29/32 in x 3 5/32 in