Over the weekend I watched Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel with my sister, and thought it would be interesting to learn more about the history behind these loveable chipmunks. I have enjoyed watching and listening to them my entire life. Also, I was curious because I previously learned that the Carebears had an interesting story and wondered if the Chipmunks had an exciting story as well. Turns out, they did! Alvin and the Chipmunks were not originally created for the purpose of animation.
Alvin and the Chipmunks were created as an animated music group by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958. Bagdasarian and his family were down on their luck financially when he decided to take a chance. According to chipmunks.com, the family only had $200 left and Bagdasarian took $190 of it and purchased a tape recorder. The tape recorder allowed him to change the speeds of the voices he recorded. He wrote the song “Witch Doctor” and experimented with the sound using the recorder. He pitched the song to Liberty Records, which was about to go under, and they decided to give it a shot because the company was quickly fading anyway. The song turned out to be a huge hit and sold more than a million records. Of course, after the success of the first song more songs were requested.
“The Witch Doctor” (song begins around the 2 minute mark)
Bagdasarian then created “The Chipmunk Song.” Prior to this record the chipmunks had remained nameless. It was after the creation of “The Chipmunk Song” that the chipmunks were named Alvin, Simon, and Theodore. They were named after three of the record executives at Liberty Records. The song was released during the holiday season and was another instant hit.
“The Chipmunk Song”
Alvin and the Chipmunks were somewhat created by a fluke. They were created because Bagdasarian was messing around with a tape recorder and took a chance. He went out on a limb hoping that somebody besides his family would see the appeal of his songs. Of course, the songs were received well and a show and eventually movies like Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel were created. The success of the Chipmunks has spiraled and though they’ve changed in appearance over the years their squeaky voices are still perceived the same way.
Cover Song Clip From Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
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April 5, 2010 at 4:10 pm
mgriffi5
The history behind the chipmunks is more interesting than the show itself. I never liked them because of their high squeaky voices, but the risk taken to make it all happen makes up for it. This was a very informative post and the story behind it kind of goes back to the old days of animation where a bunch of things were thrown against the wall and whatever stuck stuck.
April 5, 2010 at 4:32 pm
Megan Pettry
I’m sorry for those who like the chipmunks, but I have never liked them. Even though I do not care for them, I think that the background story is really funny. This is how some of the great things are invented, by taking a chance. I think that I would have never looked up the background story because I dont really care for the chipmunks. The truth is I almost did not read this post because it was on them. But I found it very interesting and worth while. While on the subject I think that they are really streatching the chipmunks out, and is losing popularity because of that.
April 5, 2010 at 4:35 pm
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April 6, 2010 at 9:20 am
cwebber25
I think this is really interesting. It’s so funny that so many things we have are created by flukes or accidents. I actually like Alvin and the Chipmunks and I am glad you took the time to look up their history and write about it. It’s great when we learn more about the animations that we grew up watching and loving. Great post!
April 6, 2010 at 9:21 am
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