In 1958, Ross Bagdasarian Sr. created his overnight sensation “The Chipmunk Song,” which sold a phenomenal 4.5 million records in seven weeks and has gone on to become one of the most popular Christmas songs of all time. The Chipmunks fi rst appeared on television in 1961 with The Alvin Show, which was one of the fi rst prime time animated television series to air on national television.

After Ross Sr.’s sudden death in 1972, his son Ross Bagdasarian, Jr., and his wife, Janice Karman, sought to carry on The Chipmunk Simon Theodore Alvin tradition.

In 1981, Alvin and The Chipmunks appeared in their fi rst prime time television special, A Chipmunk Christmas.

The popularity of that special led to their #1 Saturday morning series from 1983–1991. Not only did this series feature Alvin, Simon and Theodore, but it introduced for the fi rst time their female counterparts, The Chipettes — Brittany, Eleanor and Jeanette. Created by Janice Karman as a way to bring a feminine point of view to the characters, The Chipettes have provided additional success for the television episodes, albums, merchandise and feature fi lms.

More million selling albums and direct-to-video releases followed.

During holiday 2007, Janice Karman reinvented The Chipmunks as CGI (computer-generated imagery) characters in a new live action feature fi lm, Alvin and The Chipmunks. This smash hit became the fi rst in a series of blockbuster feature fi lms, with Alvin and The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel hitting theaters in 2009, followed by Alvin and The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked in 2011. These three fi lms have generated nearly $2 billion.

Today, Ross Bagdasarian and Janice Karman preside over a worldwide Chipmunk empire with the same hands-on approach they began more than thirty years ago. As Janice says, “To us, The Chipmunks and Chipettes aren’t cartoon characters, they are real kids with real emotions.” Perhaps that is why, after more than 53 years, The Chipmunks are more popular than ever.

Alvin and The Chipmunks, The Chipettes and Characters™ & © 2012 Bagdasarian Productions, LLC. All rights reserved.