Alvin and the Chipmunks, originally
David Seville and the Chipmunks or simply
The Chipmunks, is an American
animated music group created by
Ross Bagdasarian, Sr., for a
novelty record in 1958. The group consists of three singing animated
anthropomorphic chipmunks: Alvin, the mischievous troublemaker, who quickly became the star of the group; Simon, the tall,
bespectacled intellectual; and Theodore, the chubby, impressionable one. The trio is managed by their human adoptive father, David (Dave) Seville. In reality, "David Seville" was Bagdasarian's stage name, and the Chipmunks themselves are named after the executives of their original record label. The characters became a success, and the singing Chipmunks and their manager were given life in several
animated cartoon productions, using redrawn, anthropomorphic chipmunks, and eventually films.