''A Chipmunk Christmas'' is a 1981

animated Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby image, still images are manipulated to create Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on cel, transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and e ...

Christmas television special based on characters from ''

Alvin and the Chipmunks Alvin and the Chipmunks, originally David Seville and the Chipmunks and billed for their first two decades as the Chipmunks, are an American animated virtual band and media franchise first created by Ross Bagdasarian for Novelty records in ...

''. Produced by Bagdasarian Productions in association with Chuck Jones Enterprises, it first aired on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

December 14, 1981, nine years after the death of ''Alvin and the Chipmunks'' creator Ross Bagdasarian Sr. (also known as David Seville). This was the first time that Alvin, Simon and David Seville were voiced by Ross Bagdasarian Jr. and the first time that Theodore was voiced by

Janice Karman Janice Karman Bagdasarian is an American filmmaker, designer, actress, and singer. She is the co-owner of Bagdasarian Productions with her husband Ross Bagdasarian Jr. Early life Karman was born in Los Angeles, California. Her father was ps ...

Plot

A doctor visits the Waterford family, whose son Tommy is ill. The doctor admits that the chance of Tommy recovering before Christmas is bleak. Meanwhile, the Chipmunks have a recording session. Alvin is not very happy about having to work on Christmas, but after Dave tells him that he can play his prized Golden Echo

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica incl ...

, he suggests that Dave can get everything set up in the studio while he and his brothers go window shopping. Dave agrees to this, and tells them not to be late. At the music store, Alvin sees another Golden Echo harmonica, and tells his own harmonica that it's the best harmonica in the world. At that moment, Tommy's mother and sister arrive at the store, and he overhears Tommy's sister tell her mother that if Tommy had the Golden Echo harmonica, it would make him feel better. Alvin feels bad about Tommy's illness, so much that during the recording session, he can't sing in tune with the others. Dave gives the Chipmunks a break, so Alvin visits the Waterfords' house and presents Tommy with his (Alvin's) own harmonica, returning in time to finish the session. Later, while the Chipmunks are decorating the tree, Simon and Theodore congratulate Alvin for what he did. However, Alvin tells Simon and Theodore that they can't tell Dave, as the harmonica was a gift from him to Alvin, and Alvin fears Dave's feelings would be hurt if he learned what happened. Alvin plans to save his money and buy a new harmonica after Christmas, but when Dave gets a phone call from

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

that they want Alvin to play his harmonica on Christmas Eve, Alvin is forced to make a plan to get enough money for a new harmonica. The Chipmunks gather up all the dogs in the neighborhood, and set up a photo booth, where children can have their photo taken with

Santa Claus Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Chris ...

(Alvin). Unfortunately, the presence of a cat draws Dave's attention. As Simon and Theodore are unable to tell him the truth, Dave mistakes Alvin's actions for greed, and sends him to his room. This leads to a dream sequence involving Clyde Crashcup, who says that he has invented Christmas (which is now February 12) and Santa (

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

in a sleigh consisting of a hollowed-out pumpkin pulled by four

elephant Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant ('' Loxodonta africana''), the African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''), and the Asian elephant ('' Elephas maximus ...

s). Alvin tells him he needs money, and when Dave comes to check up on him, he is saying "money" in his sleep, causing Dave to give up. On Christmas Eve, two hours before the concert, Simon and Theodore give Alvin the money they have saved up, and wish him luck on buying the harmonica. Upon being asked where Alvin is, they respond that he's not here right now. Luckily, just as Dave is complaining, he gets a phone call from Tommy's mother, who tells him about Alvin's harmonica and the wonders it worked for Tommy. At the music store, Alvin is depressed, as he still doesn't have enough money for a new harmonica. Just then, a mysterious old woman appears, and buys the harmonica for Alvin, only asking for a song in return. Alvin plays a song, but when he finishes, he finds that the woman has disappeared.. Dave, Simon, and Theodore arrive, and Dave apologizes to Alvin for mistaking his (Alvin's) actions for greed and tells him they have a surprise for him. At the concert, Alvin learns that Tommy has fully recovered, and he joins the Chipmunks on stage. Santa Claus flies over the city as the Chipmunks sing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" in the background. Upon returning to the North Pole, he is greeted by his wife, who is revealed to be the same woman who bought Alvin the harmonica.

25th Anniversary Special Collector's Edition

A 25th Anniversary Special Edition was released on September 26, 2006, from Bagdasarian Productions and Paramount Home Entertainment. This release was a two-disc DVD/CD set containing ''A Chipmunk Christmas'' and its soundtrack album. In addition to the original special, the DVD includes two Christmas-themed episodes of the 1983–1990 television series ''

'', "Dave's Wonderful Life" and "Merry Christmas, Mr. Carroll".

Voice actors and their characters

* Ross Bagdasarian Jr. – Alvin, Simon, David Seville *

– Theodore, Angela Waterford, Cindy Lou *

June Foray June Foray (born June Lucille Forer; September 18, 1917 – July 26, 2017) was an American Voice acting, voice actress and radio personality, best known as the voice of such animation, animated characters as Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Natasha F ...

– Mrs. Claus, Mrs. Waterford *

Frank Welker Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American actor who specializes in voice acting. He began his career in the 1960s, and held around 850 film, television, and video game credits as of 2020, making him one of the most prolific v ...

– Santa Claus, Doctor * Charles Berendt – Clyde Crashcup * R. J. Williams – Tommy Waterford

Soundtrack album release

A soundtrack album based on the television special was released in 1981. The album serves as the group's third

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

album and their twelfth album overall. The album peaked at number 72 on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

''s Pop Albums Chart and was certified

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

, becoming the group's third and final gold album. Between 1992 and 2001, the album, which was originally released as an LP, was re-released in cassette and

Compact Disc The compact disc (CD) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. It employs the Compact Disc Digital Audio (CD-DA) standard and was capable of hol ...

formats.

Featured songs

# "

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" is a Christmas song written in 1951 by Meredith Willson. The song was originally titled "It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas". Perry Como was the first to record and release the song in 1951. The so ...

" # "Chipmunk

Jingle Bells "Jingle Bells" is one of the most commonly sung Christmas songs in the world. It was written by James Lord Pierpont. It is an unsettled question where and when Pierpont originally composed the song that would become known as "Jingle Bells". It ...

" # " The Chipmunk Song Take 1" # "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" # "The Spirit of Christmas" # "

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is a song written in 1943 by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane and introduced by Judy Garland in the 1944 MGM musical '' Meet Me in St. Louis''. Frank Sinatra later recorded a version with modified lyrics. ...

" # "Crash Cup Invents Christmas" # "

Here Comes Santa Claus "Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)" is a popular Christmas song originally performed by Gene Autry, with music composed by Autry, Oakley Haldeman and Harriet Melka. Autry's original recording (in which he pronounces Santa Clau ...

(Right Down Santa Claus Lane)" # "

Silent Night "Silent Night" () is a popular Christmas carol, composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. It was declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO The United Nations Educati ...

" # " Sleigh Ride" # "

Deck the Halls "Deck the Halls" is a traditional Christmas carol. The melody is Welsh, dating back to the sixteenth century, and belongs to a winter carol, " Nos Galan", while the English lyrics, written by the Scottish musician Thomas Oliphant, date to 1862. ...

" # " We Wish You a Merry Christmas"

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chipmunk Christmas, A 1981 Christmas albums Christmas albums by American artists Alvin and the Chipmunks albums 1980s American television specials 1980s animated television specials 1981 television specials 1981 in American television NBC television specials Santa Claus in television RCA Records Christmas albums Epic Records soundtracks RCA Records soundtracks American Christmas television specials Films with screenplays by Ross Bagdasarian Jr. Films produced by Ross Bagdasarian Jr. Films with screenplays by Janice Karman Films produced by Janice Karman Films directed by Phil Monroe