Alvin and the Chipmunks - The 1983 animated series

Alvin and the Chipmunks - The 1983 animated series

Alvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated TV series starring the Chipmunks, produced by Bagdasarian Productions in association with Ruby-Spears Enterprises from 1983 to 1987, Murakami-Wolf-Swenson in 1988 and DIC Enterprises from 1988 to 1990.

Alvin and the Chipmunks - The 1983 animated series

The show aired from 1983 to 1990 on NBC and is the sequel to the original 1961-1962 series, The Alvin Show . The show introduced the Chipettes, three female Chipmunks with their human keeper, Miss Beatrice Miller (who joined the cast in 1986). In 1988, the show passed the production companies to DIC Enterprises; the first 11 episodes of the sixth season were produced by Murakami-Wolf-Swenson and the series was renamed The Chipmunks.

In 1987, during the show's fifth season, the Chipmunks' first animated feature film, The Chipmunk Adventure, was released in theaters by the Samuel Goldwyn Company. The film was directed by Janice Karman and featured the Chipmunks and Chipettes in a competition around the world.

In the eighth and final season of the show, the show's name was changed to The Chipmunks Go to the Movies. Each episode was a parody of a Hollywood movie like Back to the Future or King Kong. Several television specials featuring the characters were also shown. In 1990, the special Rockin 'Through the Decades was produced. That year, the Chipmunks also teamed up with other well-known cartoon characters (such as Bugs Bunny and Garfield) for the Drug Abuse Prevention Special the Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue.

From 1998 to 2002, Cartoon Network aired the 65-episode syndication package of the series following its run on Nickelodeon from 1995 to 1997. It aired in Canada on Teletoon Retro from 2008 until the channel closed in 2015. It is also aired on Boomerang from April 2011 to July 2011. Subsequent episodes were not included in the syndication package nor produced under the title The Chipmunks Go to the Movies and have not aired in the US since the series' cancellation in 1990.

Characters of Alvin and the Chipmunks

Alvin SevilleMore: The big brother and leader of the squirrels, Alvin is the talented troublemaker and leader of the group. It tends to wreak havoc, but it's actually sweet and golden-hearted deep inside.


Simon Seville: The middle and tallest brother, Simon is the smartest and most responsible realist of the bunch. Season 1 was the only time he wore his original black glasses with white lenses as he did on the 60s TV show and 1981 Christmas special. Starting with Season 2, Simon's glasses became blue with clear lenses, and so they continued to be throughout the series. However, the original Simon in black glasses can still be seen in the intro and title titles for season 2-5.

Theodore Seville: The younger brother of the group, Theodore is the sensitive and lovable of the group.

The Chipettes : The Chipmunks' female counterparts and casual girlfriends


Brittany Miller: The older sister, Brittany, is Alvin's counterpart. She is just as vain and self-centered as Alvin, but like him, she really cares about others.

Jeanette Miller: middle and tallest sister, Jeanette is Simon's counterpart. However, unlike Simon, who is able to resist Alvin, she doesn't resist Brittany as easily. He is also very intelligent, which is what he has in common with Simon. However, she is very shy and clumsy.

Eleanor Miller: The younger sister, Eleanor is Theodore's counterpart. She shares her love of food and cooking, but is more athletic, smarter, and more likely to stand up to Brittany than Theodore is to Alvin.

David (Dave) Seville: adoptive father of the Chipmunks, tutor, composer and manager of the Chipettes. In addition to his patience tested to the point where he does his "ALVIN!" I scream, sometimes he gets frustrated even with Simon and Theodore as Alvin often gets them into trouble, but regardless, he loves all his boys equally.

Miss Beatrice Miller: The kind and absent-minded foster mother of the Chipettes.
Cookie Chomper III: The Chipmunks' first pet, Cookie Chomper III was a stray kitten who found his way into the Seville residence one night while Dave worked late. For a while, the Chipmunks kept it a secret from Dave until the kitten made his presence known. Dave allowed them to keep Cookie Chomper III, and he became their pet. But one evening, Cookie Chomper came out of an open window in the Chipmunks' bedroom, then was hit by a car and killed. The Chipmunks all grieved, but Alvin was hurt most of all and even blamed himself. Dave reassured the boys that it wasn't their fault and helped them remember the happy moments they had with Cookie Chomper III.

Lilly: the puppy of the Chipmunks they adopted from the shelter after the death of their original pet, Cookie Chomper III.
Vinny: The natural mother of the Chipmunks (originally voiced by June Foray, later Janice Karman). The Chipmunks find their long-lost mother after days of searching. Alvin gets angry because he doesn't understand why she abandoned them. Their mother explains that the year she abandoned them there was a terrible winter and all the animals in the forest were forced to leave their homes. She realized they wouldn't survive the trip if she took them with her, so she decided to leave them with a kind man who was always kind to the forest animals (Dave). He told them that when spring came and he could finally come back for them, he saw how happy they were with Dave and thought they'd be better off with him. Eventually, Alvin forgives his mother. They go back to Dave, but the brothers agree to keep in touch with their mother. In a later episode she and Dave clash over how to raise boys.

Technical data

Gender: Comedy, Musical, Adventure
Created by Ross Bagdasarian Jr. and Janice Karman
Basato su Alvin and the Chipmunks by Ross Bagdasarian Sr.
Written by Ross Bagdasarian Jr. and Janice Karman
Directed by Charles A. Nichols (seasons 1-5)
Rudy Larriva (season 1)
John Kimball (season 1)
Voices of Ross Bagdasarian Jr., Janice Karman, Dody Goodman, Thomas H. Watkins, Frank Welker
Music composer themed by Ross Bagdasarian, Janice Karman
Composers; Dean Elliott (seasons 1-5), Thomas Chase (seasons 6-8), Stephen Rucker (seasons 6-8)
Country of origin: United States
Number of seasons 8
Number of episodes; 102 (168 segments) (list of episodes)
Episode duration 22 minutes (11 minutes per segment)
Production company
Productions Bagdasarian
Ruby Spears Enterprises
(1983-1987)
(seasons 1-5)
Murakami-Wolf-Swenson
(1988)
(season 6)
DEC Enterprises
(1988-1990)
(seasons 6-8)
Distributor Lorimar-Telequadri (1988–1989), Warner Bros. National television (1989-1990), HIT Entertainment (1996-1999)
Original version 17 September 1983 - 1 December 1990

Gianluigi Piludu

Author of articles, illustrator and graphic designer of the website www.cartonionline.com