''The California Raisin Show'' is a 1989 American

animated Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby image, still images are manipulated to create Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on cel, transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and e ...

television series based on the

claymation Claymation, sometimes called clay animation or plasticine animation, is one of many forms of stop-motion animation. Each animated piece, either character or background, is "deformable"—made of a malleable substance, usually plasticine cl ...

advertising characters '' The California Raisins''. The show is based on the

special, '' Meet the Raisins!'', which originally aired on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

in 1988. After the show's 13-episode run, a sequel to the original special, '' Raisins: Sold Out!: The California Raisins II'', aired in 1990. While the characters are traditionally depicted in claymation, the TV show was cel animated by Murakami-Wolf-Swenson. It did, however, maintain

Will Vinton William Gale Vinton (November 17, 1947 – October 4, 2018) was an American animator and filmmaker. Vinton was best known for his Claymation work, alongside creating iconic characters such as The California Raisins. He won an Academy Awards, Os ...

as creative director and executive producer.

Plot

The series takes place in a world populated by anthropomorphic fruits and vegetables. It focuses on the main characters, a

music band In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musician A musician is someone who Composer, composes, Conducting, conducts, or Performing arts#Performers, performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a ...

called the California Raisins: A.C. (vocals), Beebop (drums), Stretch (bass), and Red (guitar/piano). Each episode has one or more musical numbers, all of which were originally performed by most

Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

artists.

Cast

Cam Clarke Cam Clarke is an American voice actor, known for his work in animation, video games, and commercials. Among his notable roles are Leonardo and Rocksteady in the 1987 ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' animated series, Shotaro Kaneda in the 1989 ...

as Beebop Arborman *

Brian Cummings Brian Douglas Cummings is an American voice actor. He is known for his work in commercials, television and motion picture promos, cartoons and as the announcer on '' The All-New Let's Make a Deal'' from 1984 to 1985. Life and career Having begu ...

as Lick Broccoli *

Jim Cummings James Jonah Cummings (born November 3, 1952) is an American voice actor. Beginning his career in the 1980s, he has appeared in over 400 titles. Cummings has frequently worked with the Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros., serving as the offic ...

as A.C. Arborman, Leonard Limabean * Brian Mitchell as Red Raisin *

Dorian Harewood Dorian Harewood (born August 6, 1950) is an American actor, best known for playing Jesse Owens in '' The Jesse Owens Story'' (1984), Det. Paul Strobber on '' Strike Force'' (1981–1982), and Rev. Morgan Hamilton in '' 7th Heaven'' (1996–2003 ...

as Stretch Thompson, Red ("No Business Like Shoe Business") * Gaille Heidemann as Shirelle * Michele Mariana as Lulu Arborman (Mom) * Rebecca Gilchrist as Dixie * Willard E. Pugh *

Cree Summer Cree Summer Francks (born July 7, 1969) is an American-Canadian actress and singer. She is best known for her extensive work in animation, voicing characters such as Elmyra Duff in ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' and related media, Susie Carmichael ...

as Crystal * Todd Tolces as Rudy Bagaman

Episodes

Home media

On November 15, 2011, Hen's Tooth Video released ''The California Raisins Collection'' on DVD in Region 1 for the first time. The 2-disc set features all 13 episodes of the series as well as the two original claymation specials, '' Meet the Raisins!'' and ''The Raisins: Sold Out!: The California Raisins II'', along with 4 original TV ads.

References

External links

* 1989 American animated television series debuts 1989 American television series endings 1980s American animated comedy television series 1980s American children's comedy television series 1990s American musical comedy television series American children's animated adventure television series American children's animated comedy television series American children's animated musical television series Fruit and vegetable characters American English-language television shows Animated musical groups Television series by CBS Studios Works based on advertisements Films shot in Portland, Oregon Animated television series set in California CBS animated television series The California Raisins {{animation-tv-prog-stub