Will Vinton and the word “Claymation” are almost synonymous. That’s not surprising since Vinton was the person who actually coined the term.

While seemingly out of date by today’s standards, particularly due to the advent of Computer Generated Imagery (CGI), Claymation is still a boldly innovative and visually appealing form of animation. And beyond that, there’s no denying its incredible fan appeal.

Vinton’s creations rose in popularity, particularly during the 1980s, when his California Raisins were created to promote raisins for the California Raisin Advisory Board. He is also known for his depiction of Domino’s Pizza’s advertising character, the manic, pizza-hating Noid, and for one show that never happened, a proposed Claymation episode of Seinfield.

Claymation was also implemented for several educational and holiday television specials. More recently, Vinton has created the anthropomorphic Red and Yellow characters used in various M&Ms candy commercials, and he has received an Academy Award and multiple Emmys for his work.

Additionally, he produced the acclaimed television series The PJs and Gary and Mike, and his Will Vinton Studios was founded to further explore different types of 3D animation including Claymation, Stopmotion, and CGI.