DO YOU REMEMBER?

When Ross Bagdasarian changed his name to David Seville, sped up his recorded voice, and released the single, “The Chipmunk Song,” he didn’t realize he was starting a pop culture industry. The success of that song lead to The Alvin Show in 1961, which followed the animated adventures of chipmunks, Alvin, Simon, and Theodore, and their friend and mentor, David Seville.

 

In 1972, Bagdasarian passed away, but in 1979, NBC aired The Alvin Show again during Saturday mornings. A year later, Ross Bagdasarian Jr. released Chipmunk Punk, a successful comeback album. The Chipmunks were once again in the spotlight, and NBC created a new animated show, Alvin and the Chipmunks, in 1983.

 

The new show continued the adventures of the three chipmunks – Alvin, the schemer, Simon, the sensible one, and Theodore, the silly one. They were now a rock band in their floor-length sweaters, and David Seville was their manager. They covered Top 40 hits in their high-pitched voices – just like on Chipmunk Punk. They were often joined by guest stars such as Dolly Parton and Mr. T (who shortly after launched his own self-titled animated series.)

 

The Chipmunks were also joined by another band, the Chippettes – Brittany, Jeanette and Eleanor, lovely ladies to be matched up to Alvin, Simon and Theodore, respectively. They often found themselves competing against each other in talent contests.

 

These new zany adventures proved to be a success – the show ran for an impressive eight seasons on NBC’s Saturday morning schedule. The show changed title twice, becoming The Chipmunks in 1988, and Chipmunks Go To the Movies in 1990. This latter show focused on parodying pop culture, with spoofs such as "Batmunk."

 

For something that started as a silly little novelty song, The Chipmunks have been entertaining audiences for over thirty years.