Which 1980s campaign made California raisins popular through animated singing clay figures?

The California Raisins campaign made the fruit popular through animated singing clay figures.

The campaign began in 1986 for the California Raisin Advisory Board. Its stop-motion characters performed “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” a Motown hit written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong. The combination of music, dancing, and clay animation gave raisins a lively personality unusual for a commodity food.

The characters became a successful entertainment property rather than remaining ordinary product spokescharacters. They released recordings, appeared in television specials, and were marketed through merchandise. Their popularity also increased demand for California raisins.

The campaign is often confused with Sun-Maid advertising, because Sun-Maid is another major California dried-fruit brand. The singing clay figures specifically represented the California Raisins promotional campaign.