Alvin and the Chipmunksis one of the most recognizable pop culture brands in the world. Every holiday season people will hear their breakout songThe Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late), and the characters have remained popular with kids for generations due to their appearances in television and film. Created by Ross Bagdasarian Sr., the anthropomorphic chipmunks include the leader and often troublemaker Alvin, older brother and intellect-based Simon, and the youthful youngest brother Theodore. The three Chipmunks are raised by their father figure, David Seville (a character and surrogate name Ross Bagdasarian created).
These lovable chipmunks have been delighting audiences for over 65 years. They have a long and interesting history and have found themselves intersecting with various trends throughout the decades. This is the history ofAlvin and the Chipmunksand what the future may hold for the franchise.
The Chipmunk Song and The Alvin Show
While The Chipmunks' first official appearance is in their 1958 Christmas songThe Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late),the initial seeds of the franchise were eight months earlier in the songWitch Doctor(the “Ooh ee ooh ah ah ting tang walla walla bing bang” song) which featured the classic sped-up voice that would become the voices for the Chipmunks.
Witch Doctorwas a hit, andThe Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)was released in December 1958 and spent four weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and went on to win three Grammy Awards. The Chipmunks were officially a hot commodity.
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In 1961,The Alvin Showpremiered and was the first television series for the characters. This series established the iconic looks of the Chipmunks from their outfits and signature colors. The series lasted one season but would air for years in syndication. While The Chipmunks would release other songs, by 1972 when creator Ross Bagdasarian passed away the franchise was in a state of limbo. However, it would soon get a new lease on life in the following decade and help define the franchise for years to come.
The 1980s Boom
In 1983, the second series based on the Chipmunks would premiere titledAlvin and the Chipmunksand the series was an instant hit. It aired for eight seasons until 1990 and is arguably where many of the defining characteristics of the franchise originate from.
WhileThe Alvin Showhad established parts of the Chipmunk’s personality, it was Alvin and the Chipmunks that really set up the group with Simon as the brains and Theodore as the youngest and most innocent and tapping into Alvin’s mischievous nature. It also introduced The Chippites, the female versions of The Chipmunks that have now become a vital part of the series.
The Universal Era
In 1996, Universal Pictures purchased the rights toAlvin and the Chipmunks. In a homage to the Abbott and Costello movies, Universal looked to pair The Chipmunks with theirclassic Universal Monstersas a way to introduce the brand to young kids. The first was 1999’sAlvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein, which also featured five new songs. The following year they releasedAlvin and the Chipmunks Meet The Wolfman. However, Universal Pictures lost the rights to The Chipmunks in 2002 due to a breach of contract with Bagdasarian Productions, although it was never specified what the breach was.
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Yet the success of these direct-to-video shorts introduced a new generation of kids to Alvin, Simon, and Theodore and with a rise in ’80s nostalgia the stage was set for The Chipmunks to make a big return with their own live-action feature film. 20th Century Fox acquired the film rights and production officially began in March 2007, just nine months before its June 07, 2025 release date.
Jason Lee was cast as Dave Seville andDavid Cross would play the main villain. In an attempt to boost the box office, the studio cast celebrities as The Chipmunks despite the fact their voices would be sped up. Justin Long would voice Alvin, Matthew Grey Gubler was cast as Simon, and Jessie McCarthy was cast as Theodore.
Live-Action Movies Grant the Chipmunks a New Lease On Life
In December 2007, nobody could have predicted just how bigAlvin and the Chipmunkswould be. While adapting popular cartoons into live-action movies had yielded some big box office returns forScooby-Dooand that same summer’sTransformers, there were plenty of disappointments likeDudley Doo Rightor evenUnderdogwhich was also released in the summer of 2007 and also starred Jason Lee. WhileAlvin and the Chipmunksdidn’t open at number one at the box office, it still grossed $44 million at the time and would hold over the holiday season, finishing with $217 domestic and was the ninth-highest-grossing film of the year.
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquelopened two years later and even in a crowded holiday season where it went up againstAvatarandSherlock Holmes, theSqueakqueloutgrossed its predecessor with $219 million domestic and like the original was number nine at the domestic top 10, even beating outSherlock Holmeswhich opened bigger on its opening day.
Two more sequels would follow, 2011’sAlvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwreckedand 2015’sAlive and the Chipmunks: Road Chipbut both those saw diminishing returns withChipwreckedgrossing $133 million domestic andRoad Chipa minor $85 million (and opened thesame day asStar Wars: The Force Awakens).
Since then the franchise has remained quiet but in 2021 it was reported that the owners of the franchise were looking to sell it to a potential buyer with Paramount being one of the top picks. While no deals have been announced, the fact that Paramount owns Nickelodeon makes them a good fit for the Chipmunks. The film studio also owns the rights toTransformersandTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, making them an ideal home for this other beloved ’80s child property.
