Orange and white striped background with an outer black edge and white and black text

Clark Super Gas, later Clark Oil, was founded in 1932 by Emory T. Clark, who opened the first Clark gas station in Milwaukee, WI. The brand expanded from Milwaukee across the American Midwest until it faced financial difficulties in the 1980s. These troubles led to many shifts in ownership, most recently in 2003 when Clark Oil became Clark Brands, LLC. Clark Brands operates gas stations in thirty-two states and the District of Columbia.

Illustration of a a raisin with arms and legs wearing orange sunglasses and orange and white tennis shoes with blue and black text on a white background

The California Raisins were a fictional claymation blues group commissioned by the California Raisin Advisory Board for a 1986 Sun Maid commercial.  The Raisins sang, “I Heard it Through the Grapevine,” a song originally recorded by Marvin Gaye in 1968. The commercial was very successful and more commercials were made, including one with singer Ray Charles and one with a characterization of Michael Jackson.  The Raisins made four albums, with the song, “ I Heard it Through the Grapevine,” making the Billboard Top 100.

The popularity of the California Raisins resulted in a television special called Meet the Raisins, which aired on Nov 4, 1988. This special gave us the names and personalities of these raisins. There was Stretch on bass, Red on guitar and piano, and A.C. Beebop on drums. The special was nominated for an Emmy.

Illustration of a raisin with arms and legs blue and white tennis shoes and riding an orange skateboard with blue and black text on a white 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. TV specials followed along with booming merchandise sales of toys and memorabilia with images of the California Raisins characters. Many original promotional items are now popular collectibles or held by permanent museum collections, such as the Smithsonian.

Illustration of a raisin with arms and legs wearing a blue bowtie and black and white tennis shoes and holding a microphone with blue and black text on a white 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 as the character "A.C.", and sang tunes such as “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” a revival of Marvin Gaye’s 1968 hit.

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

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. One of the members of this fictional music group played the saxophone.

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.

Illustration of a raisin with arms and legs wearing blue and white tennis shoes with blue and black text on a white 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. A CBS TV special in 1988, "Meet the Raisins," earned an Emmy nomination.

Illustration of a raisin with arms and legs wearing blue and white tennis shoes and an orange and white football helment and holding a football with blue and black text on a white 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. When the California Raisins characters were not performing in their band, they were busy in other activities, including playing football. The newly-christened California Raisin Bowl was held in 1990 after the California Raisin Advisory Board acquired naming rights for the California Bowl.

Illustration of a row raisins with arms and legs one wearing orange sunglasses and orange and white tennis shoes the others wearing blue and white tennis shoes with blue and black text on a white 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.

Illustration of Mickey Mouse with black text around the outer edge on a white background

In the 1930s, several buttons featuring the popular Disney character Mickey Mouse were created by bakeries to promote various kinds of bread, including Cote's Master Loaf and Freihofer Special Loaf. Walt Disney Enterprises was the division of The Walt Disney Company responsible for merchandising and licensing the Mickey Mouse image between 1930 and 1939.