The Untold Truth Of Chip 'N Dale

When fans think of Disney cartoon shows, the main characters that come to mind are the big names, like Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy. But the Mouse Empire has a vast repertoire of secondary and tertiary characters without whom the cartoons would feel empty.

One such comic duo that has been entertaining Disney audiences for decades are the mischievous chipmunks Chip and Dale (usually spelled Chip 'n Dale). Starting out as tiny antagonistic characters for Pluto and Donald, Chip and his best bro Dale were an instant hit with fans in the vein of other adorable animated rodents like Alvin and the Chipmunks and Jerry Mouse.

Although they began as secondary characters, Chip and Dale took center stage in the late 1980s by headlining their own half-hour show on Disney TV, "Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers." The show reinvented the main duo as a couple of sleuths who solve crimes relating to the animal kingdom amidst a host of new supporting characters. Thanks to the popularity of the show, and their previous appearances in classic Disney shorts, Chip and Dale have enjoyed enduring popularity in their own right. Here are some essential facts about the fan-favorite chipmunks that you need to know.

It is generally understood that Chip and Dale are males, and therefore have the freedom to roam around wearing shirts and jackets with no pants. But a surprising number of male characters in cartoons are voiced by females, especially when the characters are meant to be depicted as either pre-pubescent or extra cutesy. 

Since Chip and Dale tick both boxes, it is unsurprising to discover that they had some feminine energy behind their voices in their earliest appearances. Dale's modern voice actor, Corey Burton, mentioned in an interview that the earliest voices for the chipmunks were "originally special effects 'chatter', provided by female staff from Disney Studios' Ink & Paint Department and secretarial pool, and part-time actresses." In the next few shorts they appeared in, Chip was voiced by James MacDonald while Dale is credited as being voiced by Dessie Flynn. 

Of course, back then there was no discernible dialog accorded to either Chip or Dale. The two essentially spoke in quick gibberish, which were regular human sounds sped up to become indistinguishable. It was only later when Chip and Dale were starting to become popular that they were given words to speak, although their lines were still sped up to mimic the high-energy quality of real squirrels.   

At this point, it is common knowledge that Chip and Dale are brothers, with the only point of contention being whether they are twins or whether one is older than the other. But like a lot of pop culture myths, this one is inaccurate. At no point in any of the shorts, series, or any related media are Chip and Dale stated to be brothers. 

Since the comic duo seem inseparable and are seen living together, working together, and generally acting closer than family, it seemed a safe assumption that Chip and Dale are brothers, or cousins at the very least. But the fact remains that there is no piece of official media that can confirm or deny their relationship. Seemingly the only piece of confirmation that exists can be found in author Dave Smith's book "Disney Trivia from the Vault: Secrets Revealed and Questions Answered." 

In the book, Smith makes the claim that Bill Justice, the animator who drew the first Chip and Dale cartoons, described them as "simply little brothers." While that is the opinion of one animator, and not the official line taken by Disney, Chip and Dale being brothers has become such a pervasive part of their lore amongst fans that it might as well be true. 

While Chip and Dale were fairly popular before, "Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers" was the show that put them on the map and made them stars, along with the rest of the main cast of Gadget Hackwrench the genius mouse inventor, Monterey Jack the short-tempered but kind-hearted Australian mouse, and Zipper the loyal fly. 

The playful dynamic between the characters was what made ""Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers" so memorable. But it could have almost been very different. We've already talked about the initial leading character of Kit Colby who was replaced by Chip and Dale. In an interview for Pirates & Princesses, the show's creator Tad Stones also revealed that while Gadget was always part of the ensemble, there were a bunch of additional characters that were eventually cut. 

"We originally had a version of Monterey Jack," Stones recalled in the interview. "We had Gadget and Zipper the fly but we also had a chameleon who wore plaid and she was like the secretary of the group. There was an Asian cricket. They also flew around on a near sighted bald eagle." When the creative team decided to cut down on the number of main characters, the bald eagle's absence was compensated for by Gadget's fan-favorite "Ranger Plane" that the team used for travel.

When Chip and Dale were chosen to front their new show "Rescue Rangers," their personalities and appearances were heavily retooled to fit the role of adventurers and problem solvers. A big part of the reboot was giving the two characters clothes to wear, which included a hat and jacket for Chip and a red Hawaiian shirt for Dale.

Older fans immediately recognized Chip's ensemble as a homage to Indiana Jones, the famous archeologist/adventurer who has become an enduring icon of pop culture. As far as Dale's shirt was concerned, fans assumed it was a reference to Magnum P.I., a popular private investigator played by Tom Selleck in a drama series. 

As it turns out, only one of those homages was intentional. When the creator of the show Tad Stones was asked about Chip and Dale's clothing, he explained to Pirates & Princesses that Chip's hat was indeed inspired by Jones' hat, while Chip's jacket was a holdover from the previous lead character of the show, Kit Colby. But as far as the Hawaiian shirt is concerned, Stones stated, "When I saw the color model of the red shirt I must have said to a PR person but I said 'Yeah it's Indiana Jones and Magnum P.I.' But it wasn't meant to be a direct connection."  

While "Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers" centered on crime and its solving thereof, the creators of the show were careful to keep the storylines free of any controversial settings that might spell trouble for Disney. But sometimes, instead of looking for trouble, trouble comes to you, which is what happened with the show's 44th episode in its second season, "A Lean on the Property."

In the episode, a sub-plot involves the villainous Fat Cat making an effort to rid the city of its dog population. Fat Cat uses an army of underground moles to tunnel under the foundations of the city. This results in buildings tipping over and general chaos among the citizens. 

Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York, the episode was temporarily banned in America, since some of the imagery used in some of the scenes were reminiscent of the fall of the World Trade Center. But fans outside of the US could still watch the episode, and it has since become available everywhere on iTunes and Disney+. Interestingly, "Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers" wasn't the only show to be censored due to 9/11, since a similar fate befell an episode of "Friends" following the attacks. 

Younger fans who mostly remember Chip and Dale from their "Rescue Ranger" days no doubt remember the love triangle that formed between Chip, Dale, and Gadget. The two chipmunks were head over heels in love with Gadget from the start, and never stopped trying to impress her despite the fact that Gadget herself mostly saw them as her friends. 

But before losing their heart to a creature from another species, Chip and Dale were smitten with a fellow chipmunk. Her name was Clarice, and she sang at a nightclub. Chip and Dale battled fiercely for her affections, a dynamic that they would later repeat with Gadget. Despite being a popular favorite amongst fans, Clarice only showed up prominently in a single short called "Two Chips and a Miss," and later in archived footage from "Walt Disney anthology series" and "House of Mouse." 

The next time she had an important role was many decades later in the 2021 Disney+ series "Chip n Dale Park Life." This time around, Clarice was shown to be much more of a tomboy. The director of the new series, Jean Cayrol, explained the major changes made to the character to make her more than eye candy, telling CBR, "Our Clarice is a badass independent chipmunk living above Chip 'n' Dale. And basically, she is the ultimate chipmunk ... she's basically everything Chip and Dale will never be able to achieve."