The Rise and Fall of The California Raisins

Do you remember the California Raisins? Back in the ‘80s they were a media phenomenon. Appearing in commercials, movies, cartoons, t-shirts, bed sheets, Halloween costumes, lunch boxes, toilet paper, and even had their own studio albums. They were a viral phenomenon before the term ‘viral’ even existed. If you weren't alive in the 80s, three decades later you've still most certainly heard about them. How did a bunch of humble, dried grapes remarkably ascend from advertising mascots to pop culture icons? And why did they disappear as quickly as they came? This is the story of the California Raisins.