90s | 80s

California Raisins Creator Has Passed Away At 70

Getty Images/Facebook

When the California Raisin Advisory Board (yes, it's a real organization) couldn't figure out a way to convince people to eat more raisins during the 80s, they decided that a band of claymation raisins dancing and singing "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," was the solution to the problem.  

They appeared in a bunch of commercials, an Emmy Award-winning holiday special, a mockumentary-style movie, partnered with Michael Jackson, and eventually landed their very own cartoon show.

The purple R&B singers also had a video game, board game, and figurines, and appeared on mugs, hats, books, backpacks, lunch boxes, and more.

The California Raisins became pop culture sensations in no time and it is all thanks to the vision of Will Vinton, Academy Award-winning animator and the man who coined the term "Claymation."

Also known as "the Godfather of Portland animation," Vinton's studio brought the concept of The California Raisins to life in 1986 after the board struggled to figure out how to make the original pitched by Foote, Cone & Belding work on television.

Vinton's success continued throughout the late 80s and early 90s with a number of feature films, Emmy-winning TV series, short films as well as his famous "Noid" character for Domino's Pizza.

Vinton created "The Noid," a claymation mascot for Domino's Pizza. PRI/ Ernie Perich

However, as animated cartoons started to take a different direction, his fame started to fizzle out. In 2003, Vinton was removed from his own company after years of financial struggles. Today, the studio still remains, but it is run by Travis Knight, rapper-turned-animator and son of Nike co-founder Phil Knight.

Sadly, as his professional life started to take a downturn, his health did too. Vinton battled with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the blood plasma cells, for 12 years.

Unfortunately, he lost the battle at the age of 70, according to a Facebook post by his family.

"This morning our father, Will Vinton, passed away surrounded by love from his family. Will had endured a 12 year battle with Multiple Myeloma, although you never would have known of this fight," read the statement. "For the vast majority of that time he continued forward in his life with strength, positivity, and humor, enjoying tropical get-aways, shepherding new creative ventures, and caring for his two sons, daughter and wife. Will was the strongest man we have ever known, both in his work ethic and his mental resolve."

They added, "We grieve heavily as our dad leaves a hole in our lives that will be impossible to fill...We ask that his passing be a celebration of his life and work. He wouldn’t want us to be sad or discouraged, but rather to celebrate the wonder and beauty of life in his name. We ask for support and understanding for our family during this time."

In lieu of flowers the family asked for donations to be sent to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Vinton certainly leaves behind a strong legacy that won't soon be forgotten. In fact, he is the subject of the upcoming Kickstarter-funded documentary Welcome to My Daydream.

Rest in peace, Will Vinton.

More Throwbacks

90s

Remembering NFL in the 90's

NFL in the 90s. The Golden Years of FootballIf you can cast your mind back to what the NFL was like in the 90’s, you can perhaps remember some of the great teams and players of the time, not to mention some of the important milestones as well. Maybe you remember the Dallas Cowboys winning three Super Bowls in four years or when the Denver Broncos won a perfect season in 1998. Of course, there are plenty of memorable player moments too. Like when Dan Marino won the title of the best all-time passing leader. Or when Jerry Rice

90s

Brace Yourself: The Backstreet Boys Released A New Song And Are Going On A World Tour

The Backstreet Boys have been one of the biggest bands in the country, well, the world for several decades now. After getting their start in the early 90s, they've managed to be one of the very few bands that has stuck together and continued performing. They didn't need a big reunion, because they didn't break up. Well, let's just pretend like that whole Kevin fiasco didn't happen. But anyways, they've been putting out music and performing together for 25 years now, and they have no intention of stopping. To be fair, they did warn of this two decades ago. They

90s

Lip Smacker's New Christmas Collection Brings Back Your 90s Favorites. All Of Them.

If there was one product that you had to pick that would best represent what it was like to be a preteen in the 90s, I think a lot of us girls would agree that Lip Smackers would be the best choice. These little tubes of oftentimes glittered, scented, colorful lip-balm made us all feel like the fanciest of ladies, totally ready to grab our purses and do whatever it is that our moms did when they weren't paying attention to us. You had so many different choices too. You'd have a classic berry scented red Lip Smacker, you'd have

80s

Gaming in the 80's

For those that experienced the 80’s, its hard to forget the fond memories of being able to wear bright neon clothes, making mix tapes and working out with Jane Fonda. And for those born after this golden decade, it’s clear to see that the 80’s is still having an impact on future generations, with today’s teens still listening to Bon Jovi whilst fashion stores such as Asos and Topshop are bringing back 80’s fashion style. However, one aspect of the 80’s that was most iconic was the culture of gaming. With the likes of

80s

Die Hard's Reginald VelJohnson Reveals How Al Powell Got Him Cast On Family Matters

Watching Die Hard is like watching a little piece of history. It truly has remained one of the greatest movies of all time no matter how much time passes. Maybe we didn't know how special it was when we first saw it, but as the decades go on, it has become clear that it's a true classic that is basically required viewing for every single person. Everyone obviously thinks of Bruce Willis when they think about Die Hard, which makes sense because he embodies John McClane in a way that makes him feel real, but he's not the only iconic

80s

10 Movies That Completely Terrified You As A Kid, And Probably Still Do

I know there were a lot of classic horror movies that came out when we were young, but you know what else there were? A whole bunch of movies disguised as these feel-good children's movies or cartoons that were safe for kids that ended up scarring us for life. A lot of movies out there that had these sequences in them that haunted our nightmares, crossing our minds when we were trying to go to bed. Then there were others that gave us a grim realistic view of the mortality of us all, and let me tell you, we weren't