Alvin and the Chipmunkshave been peach in their high - vend voices since the 1950s , and the tiny animated crooner ' epithet give a nod to their creation . The original liven up boy band , Alvin and the Chipmunks , was the brain child of Ross Bagdasarian , who , in 1958 , was struggling to come up with a hit birdcall ( viaBusinessInsider ) . He spend the last of his money making " Witch Doctor " , for which you may tell apart from the lyrics , " Ooh ee ooh ah ah ting tang walla walla bing bang " , made famous for later coevals byThe Rugrats Movie​​​​​​.

Bagdasarian sped up the vocal music for the chorus , and there you have it : Alvin and the Chipmunks . The animated trinity of singing chipmunks has since gone on to lead a wildly popular medium dealership . A Chipmunk Christmascame later , followed by several more albums , which were often covers of democratic songs , sung in their high - pitched signature . The characters eventually exit to Bagdasarian ’s son , who has curated the franchise since , with goggle box shows , movies , and more . They ’ve remained mod , buttheir figure hearken back to their rootage .

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 web executive at Liberty Records , which Bagdasarian saved from failure with " Witch Doctor " ( viaAnimationResources ) . Alvin was named after Al Bennett , the president of Liberty from 1960 - 1970 and head of the combined Liberty / UA disc operation ( viaBillboard ) . Simon was named for Simon Waronker , the beginner of Liberty Records , and someone who was highly supportive of Bagdasarian ’s sound , according to his son ( viaLATimes ) ,

" [ Simon ] understood the impingement of something that novel … My father was always one to look at thing that were different than the norm . That was what he always aver to me – go remaining . "

Theodore was cite for Ted Keep , who was another co - founder of Liberty Records and was also subservient in develop the production techniques that helped Bagdasarian create the high - slant sound of the chipmunks ( viaKimSloans ) . Other notable artists on Liberty Records '

Steamboat Willie SM

label at the time included Eddie Cochran , Bobby Vee , and Willie Nelson . In 1971 , United Artists suck up Liberty Records , and though the name would after be revived , it never remained active for long ( viaBillboard ) .

Alvin And The Chipmunks Name Inspiration

Chipmunk

Bella Ramsey as Ellie in the Last of us Season 2 Pointing a Gun in the basement of a hospital

Inspiration

Alvin

Al Bennett

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Simon

Simon Waronker

Theodore

Alvin and the Chipmunks posing on a poster in the Squeakquel.

Ted Keep

The Chipettes Are Named Brittany, Jeanette & Eleanor

The Origin Of Their Names Is Unknown

The Chipettes were first introduced in the first time of year ofAlvin and the Chipmunksthe TV show , in 1983 . This female version of the Chipmunks include Brittany , Jeanette , and Eleanor , who sing in a slightly different but still high - pitch register . The trio start out as rivals to Alvin and his brothers but end up becoming close friend . In dividing line to Dave Seville , who is the Chipmunks ' beleaguered but compassionate adopted father and manager , the Chipettes are sometimes managed by Ian Hawk , who they finally drop after he break his prehensile character .

Disney ’s stable of darling cartoon lineament are a lot older than you ’d think , and you may see their premiere in these classic cartoons

Created by Ross Bagdasarian Jr. and his wife Janice Karman and sound by Karman , the little girl Chipmunks were created after Karman decided they needed to do " young woman " song ( viaMediaVillage ) ,

Brittany, Jeanette, and Eleanor of the Chipettes talking together in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel.

" Ross and I had been doing the record album at that point … We could n’t do the missy song . I wanted to do female chipmunk that have counter personality to the Chipmunks so we could do some lady friend tunes . "

There is no explanation for why the Chipettes are cite as they are , and neither Bagdasarian Jr. nor Karman has publically explicate . Interestingly , Simon Waronker ’s first married woman was name 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 .

Summary

Alvin and the Chipmunks is a long - running multimedia enfranchisement featuring three anthropomorphous chipmunks : Alvin , Simon , and Theodore . Created by Ross Bagdasarian Sr . in 1958 , the Chipmunks first gained fame through novelty disk , include their smash song " The Chipmunk Song ( Christmas Do n’t Be recently ) . " The franchise has since expanded into television shows , films , video game , and more . The serial publication is known for its musical element , comedic antics , and the Chipmunks ' high - pitch voices , which have entertained audiences for ten .

Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007) Movie Poster