Chip and Dale

Eyes: Black
Hair: Brown fur
Race: Chipmunks


Occupation: Rescue Rangers
Known relatives: Grandpa Chipmunk

Zip and Zap (nephews)



Story: Chip and Dale is a couple of chipmunks living in the forest, where they collect nuts for the winter and enjoy life. For a while, they worked as private investigators, helping the less fortunate.


Continuity: Disney
Company: Disney

Dell Comics
Gold Key
Whitman Publishing
Gladstone
Gemstone

First app.: Cartoons: Private Pluto (April 2, 1943)

Comics: Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #25 (October 1942)
Games: Disney's Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (1990)

Creator(s): Walt Disney

Clyde Geronimi
John Lounsbery

Country of origin: USA


Chip and Dale started out as two identical and unnamed chipmunks in the story Private Pluto, where a couple of chipmunks were using a pillbox for storing nuts and, one of the cannons for cracking the nuts, both of which Pluto was guarding. The cartoon Private Pluto from 1943 is usually considered the first appearance of Chip and Dale, and they were created for the cartoon so to some extent it is true, but Disney published an illustrated short story version of the cartoon to come in Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #25 from October 1942, which must be considered the real first appearance. No credit for the creation of Chip and Dale is available, but Walt Disney is credited as the producer, Clyde Geromini as the director and John Lounsbery as the animator and the three must be assumed to be the major contributors in the creation.

It wasn't until the third appearance, Chip an' Dale from 1947, that the two chipmunks got their names. The names Chip and Dale were allegedly a pun on the name Chippendale, referring to the furniture designer Thomas Chippendale. It was also at this point they started showing differences in personality. Chip was the logical schemer and Dale the dumb schemer. The difference in looks with Chip looking as he used to and Dale getting the pink nose, gapped front teeth and an extra tuft of hair came in the cartoon Three for Breakfast from 1948.

From 1943 to 1956, Chip and Dale appeared in 23 cartoons, of which Chip an' Dale (1947) and Toy Tinkers (1949) were nominated for an Oscar®. After the last cartoon in 1956, the chipmunks weren't seen in cartoons again until Disney released a couple of specials in 1986, and the series Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers started in 1989. In Rescue Rangers, Chip and Dale formed a detective agency and helped the less fortunate. In the series, Chip was dressed like Indiana Jones and played the strong leader. Dale was dressed in a Hawaiian shirt like Thomas Magnum from Magnum P.I. and was the laid back irresponsible prankster. The series lasted 3 seasons and a total of 65 episodes. After the Rescue Rangers, Chip and Dale started appearing on the anthology series Mickey Mouse Works (1999-200), House of Mouse (2001-2003), and the current Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (2006-).