#4: California Raisins I Heard It Through the Grapevine (1986)
From the mid-1980s to the early ‘90s, the California raisins ruled pop culture. These claymation raisins were from the mind of Seth Werner, who needed to write a commercial for Sun-Maid raisins. He said, “We tried everything but dancing raisins singing ‘I Heard It Through the Grapevine.’” So they tried it, and a sensation was born. Odds are, someone you knew had California Raisins merchandise at this time.
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The Raisins had several commercials, TC specials, and even won an Emmy. There was even a planned video game for the NES called California Raisins: The Grape Escape. But it was canceled after raisins saw a decline in sales. You could say the hype all dried up.