The Foote Files: The Holidays With Alvin & The Chipmunks

Alvin & The Chipmunks have been some of the most beloved cartoon characters since 1958. They were an animated musical band created by Ross Bagdasarian, originally starting with a novelty song called "Witch Doctor". As far as the on-air content and the public was concerned, Bagdasarian's name was David Seville, who "managed" the three chipmunks: Alvin, Simon, and Theodore. The three chipmunks all had their own unique personalities: Alvin the wise-cracker/troublemaker, Simon (intellectual), and Theodore (chubby and shy). They won two Grammy Awards for "Witch Doctor" in 1959. They have been on network television, local syndication, and cable since 1961.

They did release a holiday song called "The Chipmunk Song" in 1958, written by Bagdasarian. It was a #1 hit on Billboard in December 1958. It was re-released in 1962 as well but never got passed being ranked #40. The chipmunks also released a version of Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer in 1960 that got all the way to #21. The group appeared on CBS's Ed Sullivan Show on December 13, 1959 where they performed this song. Fans of the show can still see them on the Nickelodeon cable channel (a unit of ViacomCBS, the parent company of this TV station).

Bagdasarian passed away on January 16, 1972 at age 52. His son, Ross, Jr., started the group back up in 1980.

Enjoy!