The California Raisins Hot Tub

Illustration of a raisins with arms and legs wearing blue and white tennis shoes and a hot tub with blue and black text on a blue background

The California Raisins are a fictional rhythm and blues musical group created in 1987 by the California Raisin Advisory Board as a promotional gimmick for Sun-Maid Raisins.The commercials utilized claymation to deliver performances by anthropomorphized raisins. These ads gained enough popularity to produce merchandise and promotion through tie-ins such as 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,” a revival of Marvin Gaye’s 1968 hit. The four main members of the group were lead vocalist “A.C.”, drummer “Beebop," bass player “Stretch,” and piano/guitar player “Red.” The popularity of the California Raisins led to TV specials, music albums, merchandise, and memorabilia.