Alvin and the Chipmunkshave been singing in their high-pitched voices since the 1950s, and the tiny animated crooners' names give a nod to their creation.The original animated boy band, Alvin and the Chipmunks, was the brain child of Ross Bagdasarian, who, in 1958, was struggling to come up with a hit song (viaBusinessInsider). He spent the last of his money making “Witch Doctor”, for which you may recognize from the lyrics, “Ooh ee ooh ah ah ting tang walla walla bing bang”, made famous for later generations byThe Rugrats Movie.
Bagdasarian sped up the vocals for the chorus, and there you have it: Alvin and the Chipmunks. The animated trio of singing chipmunks has since gone on to lead a wildly popular media franchise.A Chipmunk Christmascame later, followed by several more albums, which were often covers of popular songs, sung in their high-pitched signature. The characters eventually passed to Bagdasarian’s son, who has curated the franchise since, with TV shows, movies, and more. They’ve remained modern, buttheir names hearken back to their origin.
Chipmunks Alvin, Simon & Theodore Are Named After Liberty Records Executives
Liberty Records Was Almost Bankrupt Before “Witch Doctor”
Alvin, the leader; Simon, the smart one; and Theodore, the cute one, were all named after network executives at Liberty Records, which Bagdasarian saved from bankruptcy with “Witch Doctor” (viaAnimationResources). Alvin was named after Al Bennett, the president of Liberty from 1960-1970 and head of the combined Liberty/UA record operation (viaBillboard). Simon was named for Simon Waronker, the founder of Liberty Records, and someone who was highly supportive of Bagdasarian’s sound, according to his son (viaLATimes),
“[Simon] understood the impact of something that novel… My father was always one to look at things that were different than the norm. That was what he always said to me – go left.”
Theodore was named for Ted Keep, who was another co-founder of Liberty Records and was also instrumental in developing the production techniques that helped Bagdasarian create the high-pitched sound of the chipmunks (viaKimSloans). Other notable artists on Liberty Records'
label at the time included Eddie Cochran, Bobby Vee, and Willie Nelson.In 1971, United Artists absorbed Liberty Records, and though the name would later be revived, it never remained active for long (viaBillboard).
Alvin And The Chipmunks Name Inspiration
The Chipettes Are Named Brittany, Jeanette & Eleanor
The Origin Of Their Names Is Unknown
The Chipettes were first introduced in the first season ofAlvin and the Chipmunksthe TV show, in 1983. This female version of the Chipmunks included Brittany, Jeanette, and Eleanor, who sing in a slightly different but still high-pitched register. The trio start out as rivals to Alvin and his brothers but end up becoming close friends. In contrast to Dave Seville, who is the Chipmunks' beleaguered but compassionate adoptive father and manager, the Chipettes are sometimes managed by Ian Hawk, who they eventually drop after he reveals his greedy character.
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Created by Ross Bagdasarian Jr. and his wife Janice Karman and voiced by Karman, the girl Chipmunks were created after Karman decided they needed to do “girl” songs (viaMediaVillage),
“Ross and I had been doing the albums at that point… We couldn’t do the girl songs. I wanted to do female chipmunks that have counter personalities to the Chipmunks so we could do some girl tunes.”
There is no explanation for why the Chipettes are named as they are, and neither Bagdasarian Jr. nor Karman has publicly explained. Interestingly, Simon Waronker’s first wife was named Jeanetta, and Eleanor Roosevelt was the niece of President Theodore Roosevelt. It might be a stretch, but ifAlvin and the Chipmunks' names can be record label executives', then the Chipettes could have names from anywhere.
