Editing Chip 'n' Dale (section)

== Concept ==
The characters were first drawn by [[Bill Justice]]<ref name=":0" /> and introduced in the 1943 [[Pluto (Disney)|Pluto]] short ''[[Private Pluto]]'', directed by [[Clyde Geronimi]]. In the short, they fight with Pluto about whether they can store their nuts in a military base cannon. Three years later, director [[Jack Hannah]] decided to use them as co-stars in [[Donald Duck filmography|Donald Duck shorts]]. Hannah said:

{{blockquote|I believe Gerry Geronimi did a picture with two impish little chipmunks that just squeaked and chattered with a speeded-up soundtrack but no words. He used them with Pluto…  I wanted to use them with the Duck but with a little more personality in them. So we decided to put words into their mouths but speed 'em up so you could just barely understand them…  We gave them both the same personality—but something was missing.  [[Bill Peet]] came up with the suggestion of making one of them a little goofball to give them two different personalities.  Immediately I saw the advantage of that and took the suggestion.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Grant |first1=John |title=Encyclopedia of Walt Disney's Animated Characters |date=1998 |publisher=Hyperion |isbn= 978-0-78686336-5 |edition= 2nd |page= 96}}</ref>}}

Of the two, Chip is portrayed as being safe, focused, and having a mind for logical scheming. Dale, by contrast, is more laid-back, dim-witted, and impulsive, and has a very strong sense of humor. Originally the two had a similar appearance, but as a way to tell them apart, some differences were introduced: Chip has a small black nose and two centered protruding teeth, whereas Dale has a large dark red nose and a prominent [[diastema|gap]] between his [[incisor|buckteeth]]. Chip is also depicted as having smooth hair on top of his head while Dale's tends to be ruffled.

In most cartoons, they are paired with [[Mickey Mouse]], or most often, [[Pluto (Disney)|Pluto]] and [[Donald Duck]], whom they usually battle when they see an activity they do out of curiosity or when they try to get food without getting caught by them. They were given their own series in the 1950s, but only three cartoons resulted under their name: [[Chicken in the Rough (film)|''Chicken in the Rough'']] (1951), ''Two Chips and a Miss'' (1952) and ''[[The Lone Chipmunks]]'' (1954). The duo was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film]] three times in four years: in 1946 for ''[[Squatter's Rights]]'' (against Mickey and Pluto), in 1947 for ''[[Chip an' Dale]]'' and in 1949 for ''[[Toy Tinkers]]'' (both against [[Donald Duck]]). In the 1980s, they became the lead characters of a half-hour television series, ''[[Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers (TV series)|Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers]]'', in which they have adventures as leaders of a detective agency.

Their names may be a [[pun]] on the name of the 18th-century cabinet maker and furniture designer [[Thomas Chippendale]], as suggested by [[Bill "Tex" Henson]], a story artist at the studio.{{cn|date=May 2025}}