Headscratchers / The Chipmunk Adventure

• So, wait. Isn't Miss Miller the Chipette's guardian? Shouldn't they be at the house while she's house sitting in the beginning? And why didn't we see the Chipette's trying to come up with a cover for her? Or is this take place in the time before they had a guardian?
  • This troper recently explained this: The Chipmunk Adventure first arose in the planning stages as early as 1984, shortly after the first season of the cartoon series had finished. Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. even goes into detail on the official Chipmunks website that Miss Miller was introduced in the movie, mainly as an excuse to have a character sing a couple of his father's old songs ("Come On A My House" and "Witch Doctor"), but also, to give The Chipmunks a babysitter. The cartoon series was still in production on a regular basis at the same time, and eventually, Miss Miller was added to the series cast as well as The Chipettes' foster mother at the beginning of Season Four (1986), one year before the movie was released in theaters. So, since the movie was in the works before Miss Miller was introduced on the show, in the movie's universe, yes, it took place before she became their guardian.
• Dave goes on a "business trip" to Europe and bringing the Chipmunks along "wouldn't be practical." The issue is that Dave is the Chipmunks' manager. They are his business! How could any business that requires him to travel to anywhere in Europe not involve them?
  • That's what I'd like to know about it.
  • It might be about them, but Dave does not necessarily need to bring them along if all he's doing is trying to set up a concert or more likely a full tour to be done at some later date. In cases in the show where the boys have to come along because they're doing a show, Alvin somehow manages to drag his brothers into some form of trouble with few, if any, exceptions. Leaving the trio somewhere Dave thinks they can't get into too much trouble (good luck with that) seems smart to me.
• Something that has been bugging this troper for years: just where did all those dolls come from in the first place? I can accept that in-universe, The Chipmunks and The Chipettes are actually well-known celebrities, and probably have merchandising, and perhaps Klaus and Claudia, being wealthy, could have bought a bunch of commercially-available/fully-licensed dolls to stuff diamonds in... but that doesn't explain how other people in their smuggling ring across the world also have the same dolls to stuff diamonds in... especially assuming that the timeline of the movie has The Chipmunks and Chipettes setting out for their race the day after Klaus and Claudia make their offer.
  • You answered your own question. The Chipmunks and Chippettes in universe aren't well-known celebrities. They are uber-stars. This is something akin to the Back Street Boys and the Spice Girls agreeing to a race around the world in ninety days. The dolls are easily available at any toy store, Claus and Claudia picked up the phone, called her their smuggling ring and told them what dolls to buy and where to put them. It wasn't any more complicated than you picking up a bunch of Beanie Babies from Wal-Mart.

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