What about Michael Jackson and what he was contributing? SW: Unity has been a longstanding challenge for the raisin industry. Honey, honey yeah. But as that money flowed back into CALRAB's coffers, the disagreements became more serious. California Raisins Heard it Through the Grapevine (Better Quality) Herozilla Video Editing and Livestream Gaming 82.3K subscribers Subscribe 10K Share 983K views 3 years ago I don't own the. I said, 'Ok, that's one piece of the marketing puzzle. How is that better than Ray Charles?'. And since they were already touring the country, at least on TV screens, there was only one logical next step. Test your MusicIQ here! DH: And it turns out, the dancing raisins were especially popular with moms! Seth Werner and CALRABthe agency responsible for hyping up California raisinsthey had delivered a hit. I didn't eat raisins. Note: Comment submission is temporarily unavailable while we make improvements to the site. Leave a message at (646) 768-4777, or email us at btyb@insider.com. WERNER: I basically had to put white gloves on and stand in front of them all and dance to show the campaign KB: But then he's going through these storyboards and showing how it would look, well how is a bib overall grower going to understand what the hell this guy is saying? Even if you weren't alive to see the advertisements, TV. AD FIVE: Honey, are you playing with your food again? Werner and Fedor also thought that the commercial should use clay animation, a type of stop-motion animation using characters or settings made out of clay or other similarly pliable materials, rather than regular cartoon animation. He wasn't worried about making the most of this one shot and impressing his boss. KB: Grape and raisin grower. This was not a formula. Werner and his copywriting partner, Dexter Fedor, knew that they needed to make the dried fruit less of an afterthoughtthe raisins needed personality. SW: Remember, these were Fresno guys, not big city ad men. But back in 1986, going viral was not yet a thing. Not this time, however! Will Vinton. Kalem Barserian, along with around 40 raisin growers, packers, and industry members, was in that room. CH: A raisin by any other name would be a dried grape. I'm Charlie Herman. The show would have animated raisins acting as rockstars, and the song, "I heard it through the grapevine," was the California Raisins number-one single. [10] Different collections were produced in 1987, 1988, 1991, and finally in 2001 (the latter adding Carl's Jr. due to their late '90s acquisition of Hardee's) for their new stylization. African American History Curatorial Collective. MICHAEL BRUNSFELD: The first step in this was we need somebody to create some raisins that are going to dance around. In 2018, an episode of The Americans called "Rififi" feature a cereal box featuring the California Raisins on the back. SW: And that tax is paying for a campaign that's not even advertising your product! They were all over the country, on mugs and lunchboxes and tee shirts. Visit the IIIF page to learn more. Earlier this year, the CRMBwhich did not respond to my request for commenthired a brand new Vice President of Marketing. Phrases Similar to Heard it Through the Grapevine He's a reporter covering raisins and grapes for one of the trade magazines his family publishes. ', 'Today during Ryan's Hope I saw the cutest commercial. It had about five million dollars to spend, which, in ad money, is not a lot. Did it, uh, did it drive up the price of raisins? Characters Steve and Roger go into a mall representing 1980s culture where they meet the Raisins who proclaim that they are "cursed to live forever. The growers are the ones with the vines. The California Raisins Original Commercial click to see! SW: I, before I started working on this story, did not even eat raisins. And by the end of the night, all anyone could agree on was that one of the siblings was getting a bigger cut than everyone else. [6] If I tell everybody some fictitious story about you know, Chicken Little, right now to you, they might know it in Madera by 2 o'clock. Hey. And then I remember hearing like the Marvin Gaye version of that, and I was like 'why is he doing a California Raisins song?' I know a man ain't supposed to cry. I says, 'in Canada? [20], In 2016, the California Raisins made an appearance in the cartoon show American Dad. Is it that people remember it? In 2015, it was announced that a live-action/CGI reboot of the California Raisins would be produced, with president of The Actors Hall of Fame Foundation, Rusty Citron, as one of the people behind the project. In 2010, claymation versions of the California Raisins were featured in the special Christmas episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, "A Very Sunny Christmas". He just wanted to make an ad he thought was cool. Eligibility determined at checkout. And the band wasn't playing heavy metal or rock 'n' roll. The California Raisins were a fictional R&B group created in the mid-1980s for a commercial produced by the California Raisin Advisory. KALEM BARSERIAN: I've been born, raised here. Besides appearing in short commercials, The California Raisins shared their musical chops in television specials. And even in the 1990s, Sunmaid was like the "Kleenex" of the raisin industry. SW: He just turned 82, and for the last few decades, he's been privy to almost every dispute in raisin land, and lots of them have landed on his desk. And the answer is usually 'we don't know.. but probably not.' A new version of Last.fm is available, to keep everything running smoothly, please reload the site. High-top sneakers, sunglasses, and endless swagger. [16], In 2002, the Food Network program Unwrapped featured a segment on The California Raisins featuring interviews with Will Vinton, David Altschul, and Mark Gustafson of Vinton Studios. SW: Seth has a whole scrapbook of these letters. Feb 14, 2023 A group of singing, dancing, anthropomorphized raisins launched a sensational career after singing the 1968 Marvin Gaye song, "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," in a 1986 commercial for the California Raisin Advisory Board. Oh! SW: Yeah, I'm still looking for the pictures. SPEAKER FIVE: They just made raisins and dried fruit in general seem really, really hip. These wildly popular clay animation raisins grew into far more than their creators had ever dreamed of. Kalem Barserian will tell you the ad made the raisin industry money, and he will pull out a calculator to prove it. The California Raisins were a fictional rhythm and blues animated musical group as well as advertising and merchandising characters composed of anthropomorphized raisins. They weren't in the shelf. Done. Still one thing nearly everyone does agree on is the mass appeal of the dancing raisins. The Raisins released numerous studio albums in the 1980s, starred in a cartoon series, and were nominated for an Emmy for their 1988 "Meet the Raisins" mockumentary. SW: Seth remembers going to a friend's apartment the night he got the account. Raisins, dressed up in white gloves and sunglasses, dancing to Marvin Gaye's "I heard it through the grapevine." And because Sunmaid was so much biggerthe Kleenex of raisins!they suspected that brand was getting a bigger share of the sales that had trickled down from the ad. SPEAKER NINE: Definitely didn't make me any more of a fan of raisins. While todays commercials may depict M&Ms and cookies with unique personas, the California Raisins hold a special place as '80s pop culture icons. The California Raisin Advisory Board. SW: That's Alvin and the Chipmunks, for those of you aren't fans. Sales of raisins themselves increased 20 percent after the first commercial. With the musicians all in a room, live, everything. I mean, really, most of us don't give raisins a whole lot of attention..they are just kind of everywhere: in our cereals, bagels, and, of course, kid's lunch boxes. https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/34693/The+California+Raisins/I+Heard+It+Through+the+Grapevine. Then in 1989, a 13-episode Saturday Morning Cartoon show calledThe California Raisin Show aired. Sarah Wyman is our showrunner. And he says, even though the Dancing Raisins are long gone, he and the rest of the industry are still dealing with the fallout. America's favorite raisin. Constitution Avenue, NW Like the Archies before them, the imaginary band was a hit. Music is from Audio Network. It keeps you in shape. And this broke the mold. SETH WERNER: It wasn't back then, and it still isn't now. But that little piece of fruit is anything but dry and boring. (869) $17.99. MM: At every industry meeting I go to, it seems like someone's asking, some raisin grower's asking 'are you ever going to bring the raisin, dancing raisins back?' MM: We have to work together because we're competing against great forces worldwide for raisin production. The industry is in talks about a new campaign to promote California raisins. Washington, D.C. Email powered by MailChimp (Privacy Policy & Terms of Use), African American History Curatorial Collective. How could this ad that on its surface seems like an unmitigated success also have caused all these other problems? But in 1986, thats just what happened when the California Raisin Advisory Board launched a series of ads by the California Raisins, a group that existed only in Claymation. Check mate. The California Raisi - I Heard It Through The Grapevine - Used Vinyl - E8100A. SW: Back in Fresno, the raisin growers and packers watched with amazement as the Dancing Raisins turned into superstars. SW: Those people started calling CALRAB and the ad agency, asking when and where the ad would play again. Audiences quickly connected with the Raisins authentic R&B sound, and The California Raisins version of "Grapevine" even reached No. SPEAKER THREE: For all that I remember of the California Raisins as characters and the songs and the happy meal toys and all that stuff, it didn't work. And some of them played instruments, maybe?SPEAKER TWO: All dancing in the real world, but in their little clay situation.SPEAKER THREE: They were disproportionately raisinly huge. The Dancing California Raisins were a go. 2023. SUNMAID AD: My girl talkin' bout my girl. Oh, that's sweet. What's the message? KB: Because a raisin is a raisin is a raisin. An article published by AnimateClay.com in the late 2000s details the whereabouts of the original claymation sculptures used by Vinton Studios. Harry Overly became the new president of Sunmaid in 2017. These days, some growers are abandoning ship entirely, ripping out their vineyards and planting almonds instead. 16:20 How do you distinguish your raisin bagel from my field to your field? If you would like to know how we handle complaints, please click, . And, for better or worse, they're also in it together on that front. But he told me something else too, something he says a lot of reporters like mewho fly into Fresno from the big city to cover the dramaoften miss: MM: We're all families here and so, everybody's really close, everybody knows each other, I mean, a lot of them are related to each other, they marry in, and so they're very tight SW: And that big family, with lots of opinions, is where some of that drama comes from. I voted to kill it too. SW: Between 1986 and 1992, the Dancing Raisins raked in more than 7 million dollars in licensing fees. There is also some good news though! RV: And I set it up in the studio exactly how like an old Motown session would be. SW: Lots of details would have to be worked out first. (981) $9.95. Lead vocals in the group were sung by musician Buddy Miles. Go directly to shout page. He watched the original commercial spin off into more and more distant territory. I Heard It Through The Grapevine - California Raisins. SW: And then at the end the announcer says: WERNER: I remember when I went to college, people would say 'there are three or four ways you can do an advertisement. A short time after that, he sat in a studio and sang the words into a microphone while strumming his guitar along with a few friends. The commercials were produced by Vinton Studios using their claymation technique, with character designs by Michael Brunsfeld. Losin' you would end my life you see. Whod have ever thought that a beloved Motown classic would be brought back to life by a bunch of animated dried fruit? ', SW: Barry Kriebel was president of Sunmaid at the time. You're over. [13], Although popular with the public, the California Raisin campaign eventually failed because its production cost the raisin growers almost twice their earnings. Browse 55 i heard it through the grapevine stock photos and images available, or search for california raisins to find more great stock photos and pictures. KB: Whereas the packer is the middleman buying it from him, processing it, selling it, shipping it into trade and hoping to make a profit. The California Raisins, Michael Jackson, and more Creedence Clearwater Revival - I Heard It Through The Grapevine (Official Music Video) Creedence Clearwater Revival 36M views some 80s music. People loved the singing, dancing Claymation raisins so much that more commercials followed, andin a marketing scheme that was virtually unheard of at the timeThe California Raisins went on to release four albums, score a Billboard Hot 100 hit, and earn an Emmy nomination (and appear in an Emmy-winning show). You know how families can be about money. WERNER: A frame was one snapshot. RV: Oh no, to me it at one point it kind of went beyond that. Entdecke The California Raisi - I Heard It Through The Grapevine - gebrauchtes Vinyl - E8100A in groer Auswahl Vergleichen Angebote und Preise Online kaufen bei eBay Kostenlose Lieferung fr viele Artikel! WERNER: 'Our thanks again on behalf of Paul McCartney. And on top of that, there have been many, many more lawsuits. But, that's not where this story ends. Refresh your browser window to try again. But these tears I can't hold inside. I heard it through the grapevine Not much longer would you be mine baby I know a man ain't supposed to cry But these tears I can't hold inside Losin' you would end my life you see 'Cause you mean that much to me You could have told me yourself That you loved some one else Instead I heard it through the grapevine Not much longer would you be mine SW: Did it feel at any point while you were working on this album like you were making an ad for raisins? I don't care how small or whatever, but something that's not part of what you're doing.'. Because animators arranged each shot by hand, giving each raisin its own distinct personality (including individualized facial expressions and colorful sunglasses), the commercial took more than a month to shoot. Their cover of Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" peaked at #84 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1988. This is Brought to you by Brands you know, stories you don't. CH: This episode was reported and produced by Sarah Wyman, with Julia Press and me, Charlie Herman. How would the assessment be collected? California Raisin's Version. [19], In 2014, the California Raisins made a cameo appearance in the RadioShack Super Bowl XLVIII commercial "The '80s Called". During the peak of their popularity in the late '80s, the California Raisins also had a fan club, merchandise that spanned from plush toys to lunch boxes to air fresheners, and a series of comic books. Somewhere, some afternoon, Noel Gallagher sat down with a guitar and did a little strumming and made up a few words to go with it. Bill Moss is our sound engineer. In The Simpsons episode "'Tis the Fifteenth Season", The California Raisins were spoofed as The California Prunes, on a special entitled Christmas with the California Prunes. Washington, D.C. Email powered by MailChimp (Privacy Policy & Terms of Use), International Media Interoperability Framework. HARDEES AD: Announcing the big plush bendable California Raisins at Hardees SW: There were California Raisins Halloween costumesthey were bestsellers in 1988. If you require a personal response, please use ourContact page. The community that created them, and the questions they left in their wake. You don't, right? Listen to music by California Raisins on Apple Music. Sarah tells us what happened next SW: In 1994, a group of raisin packers voted to shut down CALRAB. Several photos were taken providing a close look at the Raisins' internal armatures and detailing their extremely poor condition, including the absence of the A.C. puppet's head.[18]. SW: Paul. And a lot people, including many of our listeners, still remember it really well. On November 4, 1988, CBS aired a primetime television special called Meet the Raisins! SPEAKER FOUR: My mother thought they were great, and she collected the figurines. SPEAKER TEN: We had the Christmas special on videotape, we probably watched it like three or four times a December, between when I was like 4 and 8. The article ranked The California Raisins' premiere advertisement, "Lunchbox", at #15 with comments by ad agency executive Claude Jacques and described the Raisins as "The coolest wrinkled musicians this side of the Stones. And in 1998wait for it, another acronymthe CRMBCalifornia Raisin Marketing Boardtook over as the new hype machine for California Raisins. It seems like everyone in Motown heard about this song "through the grapevine" before it was finally recorded. Yeah the good news is the industry is at a point where people are working together more than they have historically, at least in the past 20 years or so. SW: Kalem Barserian, raisin industry veteran, again. So, give them raisins! Sunmaid. And it became more entertainment than strategy. SW: The raisins dance around on the lid of his grand piano while he belts out the band's catchphrase: AD SIX: Oh I heard it through the grapevine! SPEAKER THREE: They sang we three kings with also these camels that were all claymation. Web. We'll do that.'. Label. The briefthe goal of the campaignwas to come up with a commercial that would make customers see raisins differently. Free shipping for many products! The ad was fun, but, to quote The Fruits of Their Labors again, it "made no effort to sell raisins. It's hurting from some bad weather trends. Some user-contributed text on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. WERNER: My job, I called it jack of all trade. We may receive commission if your application for credit is successful, the commission does not affect the amount you will pay under your agreement. Right? 30 of those and you have a second of the commercial. I believe it might have been a public service announcement', 'Dear Judy: Generally when you hear from me, a problem is involved. If you have any issues please contact me before leaving negative response I will always do my best make it right! It began to cost CALRAB too much to market the Raisins, and the public moved on. California Raisins poster vintage 1987 Heard it Through The Grapevine. And so Will said 'well finally I took Janet's nose and put that on the raisin and he bought it [snaps fingers] like that.'. If you have a question relating to the museum's collections, please first check our Collections FAQ. AD ONE: Lay some happiness on me, give me raisins and I'll be. Now, the story of a man many call an outlaw. AD SEVEN: I heard it through the grapevine! There were California Raisins lunchboxes, then Hardee's started handing out plastic Raisins figurines with Cinnamon 'n' Raisin biscuits. Hey, I heard it through the grapevine Not much longer would you be mine Said I heard it through the grapevine Hey, I'm just about to lose my mind Honey, honey, yeah (Heard it through the grapevine Not much longer would you Be my baby, yeah, yeah, yeah) Honey, honey, I know That you're letting me go Hey, I heard it through the grapevine BK: You gotta have consensus. So they'd pose them, they'd take a picture of that, then they'd re-pose them slightly in a slightly different pose, take a picture of that. ", In 2017, an episode of The Simpsons called "The Cad and the Hat" included a couch gag segment featuring the California Raisins being killed by Homer.[21]. Required fields are marked *. SW: That's another thing that makes the raisin industry different. Just to make the ad would cost $300,000. With lead vocals by former Jimi Hendrix and Electric Flag drummer Buddy Miles, the Raisins put out two platinum albums, and spun out a Michael Jackson soundalike ad as well as a spot voiced by the real Ray Charles. They even earned an Emmy nomination! Barrett Strong was the singer. First aired on September 14, 1986, Werner's idea for a 30-second television commercial introduced audiences to The California Raisins, a group of anthropomorphized raisins with expressive. Lived here my whole life. (laughs) That's just the way it is. Not so much. And that is something producer that producer Sarah Wyman has made very clear to me since she began digging into the orgins of the California dancing raisins ad. Between 12th and 14th Streets And then they called me and they said, 'you know what it's platinum in Canada too!' The California Raisins released four studio albums in 1987 and 1988, and their trademark, "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," was on the Billboard Hot 100. And the US, by the way, is the second largest raisin producer in the entire world. Vintage California Raisins Posable, Puppets, Bank, Wind up toy. Playlist, Written by: Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong, Lyrics Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Tratore. AD TWO: We know raisins are natural, but kids just know what they like. So when his friends were like WERNER: 'What are you gonna do with that? You know? I don't need to prove anything to anybody. [4] To their surprise, the commercial became wildly popular, paving the way for several future commercials and opportunities through other media. Back in 1987, the president of Priority Records got in touch with Ross, and he asked him to produce an album of Motown hits, sung by the California Raisins. This commercial has witimaginationand it was good enough that I went and bought a box of Californian grown raisins.'. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions. Many of the items created for the campaign have become part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution. Between 1987 and 1988, the fictional band released four albums, two of which went platinum. We were so embarrassed. The 1980's TV commercials for California raisins have been called some of the best ads ever made. Our editor is Micaela Blei. It's a tax. But back in 1994, almost ten years after the first dancing raisins ad aired, that good feeling was nowhere to be found. And then on top of that, this article also made mention of a raisin mafia, along with allegations of death threats!? SW: Michael Jackson sent Will Vinton a video with instructions for how he wanted the claymation to lookdown to the motions and facial expressions the backup raisins were making in the background of the ad. Oh I'm just about to lose my mind. It would go on to produce the Dancing Raisins ad. All Rights Reserved. The California Raisins are often accompanied by a soundtrack of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," originally popularized by singer Marvin Gaye. Brought to you by is a production of Insider Audio. The plot of the game involved Tiny Goodbite having to rescue his friends who have been kidnapped and held in a cereal factory. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. I mean. So you really had to be in the right place at the right time just to see it, and then when you saw it, you weren't quite sure what that was, but it was different than everything else you saw, and people started just saying 'what was that?'. They go on for pages and pages, carefully typed out on letterhead and hand-written in beautiful cursive. It wasn't true. His crime: growing raisins and then deciding to sell . This client had been with his agency for over a decade, and though they'd had some fairly successful campaigns in the past, the client's main product was slipping in sales. Sunmaid. SW: All of those different factors combined add up to the final, and most important challenge for the raisin industry. Werner's big idea was going to be a risk, especially without the celebrity spokesperson the client had requested. SW: The raisin industry quickly followed up with more ads. 1 Mar. I mean, we didn't do anything short of that. They all want to have them back [sigh] I don't know if it's just because they love the dancing raisins, or I think more than that, is they just want a powerful campaign, you know, backing up California raisins. And the California raisin industry is, after all, a big family. The figures were kept in a box for several years and headed for the trash before being obtained by Webster Colcord, a former employee of Vinton. He says if it had just been up to him, he would not have ended CALRAB and therefore the Dancing Raisins. And their arms were like small, and they had like little legs. They recorded an album that went gold within weeks of its release. But there was enough leadership to sway the ones that weren't smart enough to realize what a good program it was. A sequel to the original CBS special aired in 1990 under the title The Raisins: Sold Out! There it is. 80s classic toys. They all watched as Seth walked in and took the floor. But I also take the approach of, that was 30 years ago so I think it's time that we look forward because the industry is in a very dramatic, very drastically different place than it was back then. She would always show them to me and talk to me about them and how cute and clever they were, and I just thought, why in the world is a grown woman so excited about something so ridiculous? Paul McCartney requested his own copy on VHS. SPEAKER FOUR: I even had little figurinesSPEAKER FIVE: I remember seeing them in my toy chestSPEAKER ONE: They were part of some happy meal kind of thing CH: The dancing raisins were invited to light the National Christmas Tree at the White House. (laughs). It was the sequel to the Emmy-nominated special Meet the Raisins! Unless you just happened to have a VCR set up and recording at the exact moment the ad aired WERNER: You had to wait and hopefully see it on TV again on some show you were watching and not know when that was coming, and because we didn't have a very big media budget, it wasn't on that often. KB: How can anybody sit on a board who spends their whole day on a tractor that knows everything about what needs to be done for his vines, and he's gonna come in and know what an advertising executive knows? Unknown; no label specified. It's that simple. SW: Barry Kriebel became President of Sunmaid Raisins in February of 1986, one year before Ross Vannelli produced his album, and right as the California Raisins were in liftoff. But were they a success for the raisin industry? Of all the acronyms, there's just one you need to remember: CALRAB. Raisin farmers rely on good weather and conditions to grow their product. Needless to say, their band history borrowed heavily from the types of origin stories real bands tended to have. And now they are all I can think about!! SW: This is Matthew Malcolm again. The comedy podcast Felix Navipod features discussion of the California Raisins on all 166 episodes of its run. CHARLIE HERMAN: On September 14, 1986, California's hottest new band made its debut. But in 1994, the. WERNER: Well, you know, we were at this point, we were like what else is new. While the vines may feel special to their growerslike children!to you and me? About! not big city ad men 20 percent after the first commercial abandoning ship entirely, out... The permanent collection of the permanent collection of the campaignwas to come up with more ads of these.... Market the Raisins: Sold out a fan of Raisins. ' almonds instead more and more distant territory quickly. New band made its debut went beyond that Ray Charles? ' even in the cartoon show calledThe raisin... 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Raisin is a production of california raisins heard it through the grapevine Audio have to be found handing out plastic Raisins figurines Cinnamon! I saw the cutest commercial up toy talkin ' bout my girl talkin ' bout my girl talkin ' my! This ad that on its surface seems like an unmitigated success also have caused all these problems... Way, is not a lot people, including many of our listeners, still remember it really well Overly... This story ends it drive up the price of Raisins themselves increased 20 percent after the first in! My best make it right were great, and industry members, was in that room this was need. Playing with your food again one point it kind of went beyond that and therefore the dancing Raisins raked more! To be found went and bought a box of Californian grown Raisins. ' turned... Sung by musician Buddy Miles along with allegations of death threats! this is. Raisins figurines with Cinnamon ' n ' raisin biscuits paying for a campaign that 's and... All these other problems raisin producer in the entire world at btyb @ insider.com remember. My girl talkin ' bout my girl called `` Rififi '' feature a cereal box featuring the California raisin.! Require a personal response, please Use ourContact page but california raisins heard it through the grapevine in Fresno, the CRMBwhich did not respond my... Meet the Raisins and he will pull out a calculator to prove it that. Children! to you by is a raisin is a raisin mafia along... Need somebody to create some Raisins that are going to be worked out.... The advertisements, TV Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong, Lyrics Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC,.... Name would be a dried grape had about FIVE million dollars to spend,,... Beautiful cursive and hand-written in beautiful cursive heavy metal or rock ' n ' raisin biscuits: Honey are... Flowed back into CALRAB 's coffers, the California Raisins shared their chops... Calrab too much to market the Raisins: Sold out and you have a question relating to original... Next step touring the country, on mugs and lunchboxes and tee shirts History. Were like werner: 'What are you gon na do with that of Californian Raisins... Game involved Tiny Goodbite having to rescue his friends were like werner: it finally!