In 1986, America met "The California Raisins," the singing-and-dancing Claymation creation of Will Vinton Studios under the direction of an advertising firm who was trying to market the likability of the fruit on behalf of the California Raisin Advisory Board. The concept proved so popular that it went beyond the realm of a multi-spot ad campaign and into the world of TV specials, leading up to a 13-episode animated series on CBS Saturday mornings in 1989, simply called "
California Raisins" (a.k.a. "
The California Raisin Show").
Yesterday our friends at
The Digital Bits website reported that on
November 15th a studio known as Hen's Tooth Video will release
The California Raisins Collection, a 2-DVD set that includes all 13 episodes of the television series. Also on board will be the 1988 primetime special "
Meet the Raisins!," and the 1990 primetime special "
Raisins: Sold Out." You will also get 4 classic commercial spots featuring the Raisins.
Amazon.com has begun
taking pre-orders for this title, offering it at a discount from the $24.95 SRP. They show the running time as 353 minutes, but that's the only other detail offered there. Box art isn't available yet, either. Stay tuned, however, and we'll update you just as soon as we can!
