California Raisin Advisory Board facts for kids

The California Raisin Advisory Board, often called CALRAB, was a special group in California. It was set up in the middle of the 1900s in Fresno, California. Its main job was to help organize and promote the state's raisin crop. Think of it like a team working to make sure California raisins were well-known and sold.

What Was the California Raisin Advisory Board?

CALRAB was a state commission. This means it was a group created by the state government. Its goal was to help raisin farmers. They wanted to make sure raisins were grown and sold in an organized way. They also worked to make more people want to buy California raisins.

The Famous California Raisins Campaign

CALRAB became very famous between 1986 and 1994. This was because they launched a huge advertising campaign. This campaign featured the beloved The California Raisins characters. These characters were made using claymation, which is a fun way of making animated movies with clay models.

The California Raisins were a group of singing and dancing raisins. They became incredibly popular around the world. Their catchy songs and cool moves made everyone smile. The campaign was so successful that the characters even had their own TV specials and merchandise.

The money for this big advertising push came from the United States Department of Agriculture. They gave CALRAB an initial grant of US$3 million to get started. This helped bring the claymation raisins to life on TV screens everywhere.

Why the Campaign Ended

Even though the California Raisins were a big hit, the campaign eventually stopped. The main reason was money. The cost of making the ads and promoting the raisins was very high. In fact, it cost the raisin growers almost twice what they earned from selling raisins. It just wasn't a good deal for them anymore.

CALRAB itself also closed down. This happened on July 31, 1994. The raisin farmers and CALRAB had disagreements. The farmers felt that the payments they had to make to the organization were not fair. Because of these disagreements, CALRAB was officially closed.

What Happened Next?

After CALRAB closed, the raisin growers still needed a way to promote their raisins. So, in 1998, a new group was formed. It was called the California Raisin Marketing Board. This new board was funded directly by the raisin growers. It took over the job of promoting California raisins to the world.