Today, I’m talking about the inherent Blackness of…The California Raisins! If you’re a younger millennial, you might not remember these guys. For those who don’t, The California Raisins are an R&B group created by the advertising agency Foote, Cone & Belding to increase raisin sales. The group released four albums (two of which went platinum!), scored a Billboard Hot 100 hit and earned an Emmy nomination. The lead vocals were sung by the Black drummer Buddy Miles. Hardee’s even licensed the characters to produce the popular collectible Raisins figurines (which I believe I had at one point). The California Raisins are named A.C., Beebop, Stretch and Red and are thought to be the reason anthropomorphized food/candy is now so common in commercials. Check out the original 1986 commercial featuring the Raisins here.