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The other famous squeaky-voiced cartoon chipmunks Chip 'n Dale are characters from the Classic Disney Shorts comprised of two mischievous chipmunks, the sensible (albeit more neurotic) Chip and his clumsy idiot best friend Dale.

Their initial turn in the spotlight came in the late '40s as the antagonists in a handful of Donald Duck cartoons, acting as little more than a reason to demonstrate his famous Berserk Button (you probably remember that one cartoon where Donald was an apple farmer) before tormenting other classic Disney characters like Pluto and Mickey Mouse. However, it would be in the late '80s, during Disney's "renaissance" period, that the two would reach the height of their popularity with Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers, a series which recast them as amateur crimefighters. Since then, they've appeared in their original forms with other Disney regulars in revivals such as House of Mouse, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Mickey and the Roadster Racers.

Their name is probably a pun on the famous 18th-century furniture style, and not a reference to the Chippendales Dancers, whom they predate by many, many years.

Their current (since 1988) official voice actors are Tress MacNeille and Corey Burton respectively, although MacNeille has occasionally voiced both. MacNeille also happens to be the official voice of Daisy Duck.

A second animated series starring the titular duo called Chip 'n' Dale: Park Life was released to Disney+ on July 28, 2021 and produced by Xilam Animation (of Oggy and the Cockroaches fame) where the titular characters speak gibberish as a throwback to the older shorts. The series also brings back Clarice from the "Two Chips And A Miss" animated short after being absent in animation for 69 years.

Both characters starred in a live-action/CGI hybrid loosely based on Rescue Rangers, which released on Disney+ on May 20, 2022. As the premise is that the duo are Animated Actors, they are voiced here by John Mulaney and Andy Samberg, although MacNeille and Burton briefly reprise their roles as their chipmunk voices.

Not to be confused with Warner Bros.' comically ultrapolite Goofy Gophers, Mac and Tosh.

Shorts with their own page:


Tropes:

  • Almost Kiss: Kind of. When Chip and Dale both try to kiss Clarice in Two Chips and a Miss, the latter ducks away, and Chip and Dale end up kissing each other.
  • Ambiguously Related: Are Chip and Dale siblings? Friends? Something else? Official media can't seem to make up their minds.
  • Art Evolution: In their debut in Private Pluto. The two both looked the same and looked more realistic. Even in their self-title short, Chip an' Dale, they both had black noses, but Dale still had a gap between his teeth. It's not until Three for Breakfast that Dale gets his red nose.
  • Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: A couple of shorts ended on civil terms between them and Donald or Pluto.
  • Badass Adorable: Cute little critters, but get them angry or otherwise antagonize them and they will do everything they can to exact the most painful revenge possible.
  • Breakout Character: Despite appearing in very few classic shorts, they ended up with their own TV series in the late 80's.
  • Cartoony Tail: Chip and Dale have short tails that end in a point, sort of like deer tails. In Real Life, it's the female chipmunks that have short tails.
  • Christmas Episode:
    • "Toy Tinkers", in which Chip and Dale's tree is chopped down by Donald for a Christmas Tree.
    • Also Pluto's Christmas Tree, with a similar plotline, only with Mickey chopping down the tree. In the late '80s and early '90s, it was not uncommon to see this short air before a showing of Mickey's Christmas Carol on television.
  • Cowboy Episode: The Lone Chipmunks has the two mischievous chipmunks going up against outlaw Pistol-Packin' Pete.
  • Crazy-Prepared: Dale in Chips Ahoy!, during the very short time he was on land, he offscreen sabotaged every boat and watercraft Donald could have used against them.
  • Divergent Character Evolution: In the earliest shorts, Chip and Dale were identical in looks and mannerisms. Eventually, Dale gained his red nose, buck teeth, goofier personality, and eventually a completely different voice to set him apart from Chip.
  • A Dog Named "Dog": Chip is a chipmunk.
  • Early-Installment Weirdness: In addition to their designs eventually becoming more distinct from one another, their first titular short sped their voices up so much that their dialogue came out as incomprehensible gibberish.
  • Escalating War: Usually against Donald, who had no problem utilizing cruel pranks of his own against them. Their bouts against Pluto were more one sided, though he could still bite back at times.
  • "Everybody Laughs" Ending: There are a number of shorts that end with both Chip n' Dale giggling.
  • Fight for the Last Bite: "Mickey's Mixed Nuts" have the chipmunks fighting against Mickey for the last bag of nuts available in the local store. After a long battle, Mickey emerges triumphant inside the store but the chipmunks are able to switch the bag of nuts with one of golf balls when he's not looking as soon as he gets home. Cue Mickey and his friends in for an unpleasant surprise (save for Goofy) when their dinner is inedible while the chipmunks are eating away.
  • Formula-Breaking Episode: Two Chips and a Miss more resembles Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers than to the other classic Chip 'n Dale cartoons with which it doesn't have much more in common than the protagonists:
    • No Donald, no Pluto, not a single one of the other established Disney characters for the chipmunks to harass.
    • Instead, a rodent society is hinted at, up to and including a nightclub called the Acorn Club where there are even musical instruments.
    • For the first time (and the only time in classic Chip 'n Dale cartoons), another rodent is introduced as a character, the female chipmunk Clarice who sings at the Acorn Club.
  • Furry Confusion: In Disney cartoons in general, there are anthropomorphic animals (Mickey, Goofy) and regular animals (most prominently Pluto). So... which are Chip and Dale? In the earliest shorts they don't wear clothes or speak intelligibly and generally scamper around on all fours. They get gradually more anthropomorphic over time until by the series they walk upright, speak at least as clearly as, say, Donald ever did, and wear clothes (well, a shirt for Dale and a jacket and hat for Chip; they don't wear pants, but neither do any of the Duckburg ducks).
  • Genius Ditz: Dale is often the brainless troublemaker of the two, though in some cases actually concocts very elaborate stunts to give the two the upper hand.
  • Goofy Buckteeth: They are little chipmunks who enjoy screwing with people (especially Pluto). Both have buckteeth, although Dale's are more noticeable. This is fitting, given how Dale is the more dimwitted one between the two.
  • Heterosexual Life-Partners: However, some comic stories indicate that they're brothers, sharing the same relatives.
  • Idiot Houdini: In other shorts, while not intentionally meaning harm, they still managed to irritate others by nosing around their property or performing other collateral damage in their curious bumbling. When their adversary finally bites however, it is free game for them to retaliate for bothering THEM.
  • Invincible Heroes: Though they took blows in most of their shorts, they were the victors in all of their appearances (or at least came to a stalemate or truce in exceptions).
  • Iron Butt Monkey: While Chip and Dale often made the winning blow, they were often portrayed as almost as bumbling as their adversaries and usually took as many blows as they dished out.
  • Karma Houdini: In some cartoons, the chipmunks are clearly the ones instigating the trouble, for no other reason than because they think it's funny to pick on their chosen adversary (usually Donald or Pluto). They still invariably come out on top.
    • In one instance they go up against Mickey Mouse of all characters as they fight over a bag of nuts. They still come up on top as they sneakily switch the bag with one full of golf balls at checkout.
  • Karmic Trickster: In the shorts where Donald is the one who starts trouble, they're the ones who bring comical bouts of trouble for the duck, including sabotaging his attempts to cut down a tree (Up a Tree), stealing his popcorn (Corn Chips), or covering him with tar and leaves after he fails to get even with them (Out on a Limb).
  • Laser-Guided Karma: In "Food for Feudin", Chip and Dale got their hands tied together while they were mocking Pluto who got his hands tied as well thanks to them.
  • Literal Ass-Kicking: Chip's version of a Gibbs Slap toward Dale is to pick him up by his tail and kick him there.
  • Loveable Rogue: More often just after food and shelter, they do have a mischievous side however.
  • Straight Man and Wise Guy: Chip is the former while Dale is the latter. As if that needs explaining.
  • Suddenly Voiced: As previously mentioned, most of their earlier appearances had the two chipmunks repeat their dialogue from Private Pluto, with only occasional new lines being recorded for specific shorts. This changed in Corn Chips, which started with reused dialogue, until Donald tricks them into shoveling his walkway and they realize they've been tricked, and the rest of the short has them saying lines created specifically for the short. The shorts onward had them speak original dialogue.
  • Trademark Favorite Food: Acorns, or nuts in general. Though their discovery of peanuts certainly turned them off of acorns in the short Working For Peanuts.
  • The Unintelligible: In their earliest appearances, their dialogue was recycled quotes sped up to an incoherent speed (most of these were made for their first short, to the point slowing them down to intelligible speed in later ones shows the quotes have no bearing to the plot). In later shorts they were voiced with new slightly more coherent dialogue for each short.
  • Too Dumb to Live: Dale, at times. He's only still around thanks to Chip's interference.
  • Vitriolic Best Buds: They're often arguing with each other. Donald would often pit them against each other for fun.
  • Vocal Dissonance: In most of the shorts, both Chip 'n Dale were voiced by uncredited women (presumably, women from the ink and paint department, since that is where the original voices for Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck came from). However, "Two Chips and a Miss" has them both voiced by men, which makes their voices still high pitched but slightly lower (compared with Clarice).
  • What the Hell, Hero?: Chip is always chewing out Dale for getting them in trouble.


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