Illustration of a raisin with arms and legs wearing black and white shoes and playing a yellow saxophone with blue and black text on a white background
LIC. APPLAUSE LIC. BUTTON-UP CO. 2011 AUSTIN, TROY, MI 48083
The California Raisins are a fictional rhythm and blues musical group created in 1987 as a promotional gimmick for Sun-Maid Raisins by the California Raisin Advisory Board.The commercials utilized claymation to deliver performances by anthropomorphized raisins, which gained enough popularity to produce merchandise and promotion through Hardee’s Cinnamon ‘N’ Raisin biscuits and Post Raisin Bran cereal. Buddy Miles was responsible for lead vocals, singing tunes such as “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” reviving Marvin Gaye’s 1968 hit. One of the members of the fictional music group played the saxophone.