Bagdasarian Productions

Background

Bagdasarian Productions is a production company which holds the rights to Alvin and the Chipmunks and related intellectual property assets. It is owned and operated by Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. and Janice Karman. It is the successor to Bagdasarian Film Corporation, which was owned and founded by the late Alvin and the Chipmunks franchise creator and renaissance man Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. (also known as David Seville).

Bagdasarian Film Corporation

(October 4, 1961-September 12, 1962, 1990s)

Nicknames: "Bagdasarian Had a Farm!", "B-A-G, D-A-S, A-R-I-A-N!", "Rainbow Bagdasarian"

Logo: We see a black rectangle against a red background. The words "A PRESENTATION OF" (in white) are seen above it. Then the letters "Bagdasarian" appear one-by-one in rainbow colors with a purple dot above the "i" in sync with the music. The words "FILM CORPORATION" appear below it (also in white).

Variant: A earlier variant of this logo is in B&W.

FX/SFX: The letters appearing. Animated by Format Films.

Music/Sounds: A fanfare sounding similar to "Old MacDonald" that plays to the beat of the letters appearing. Composed by Johnny Mann.

Music/Sounds Variant: On Alvin and the Chipmunks Sing Alongs tapes, it has a re-recorded (and much cooler) synthesized version of the music mixed in with the original music.

Availability: Extremely rare. Seen only on the short-lived cartoon The Alvin Show. This would be followed by the 1952 CBS Television Network logo when it first broadcast from 1961-1962. It appears on the current DVD release of The Alvin Show after each of the three episodes contained on the disc. It was also seen on the 1990s Alvin and the Chipmunks Sing-Alongs VHS releases from Buena Vista Home Video.

Editor's Note: None.

Bagdasarian Productions

1st Logo (December 14, 1981-February 12, 1984)

Logo: Only the superimposed text that said "BAGDASARIAN PRODUCTIONS" or "Produced in association with BAGDASARIAN PRODUCTIONS" to blend in with the closing credits.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: The closing theme of the show.

Availability: Rare. It was seen on the first season of Alvin and the Chipmunks, the 1981 Christmas television special A Chipmunk Christmas and the 1984 Valentine's Day television special The Chipmunks Valentine Special; the DVD of the show and the mentioned specials preserves this credit. Syndicated airings of Alvin and the Chipmunks update this with the 2nd logo.

Editor's Note: None.

2nd Logo (September 8, 1984-January 28, 1989)

Nickname: "The Chipmunks"

Logo: Against a pink/yellow gradient background, we see Alvin, Simon and Theodore hold up the word "BAGDASARIAN" in silver "bubble" letters (Alvin, standing in the center, is only using one hand and has a smug expression, and Theodore and Simon are trying their hardest to hold it up) as they stand on "PRODUCTIONS", which is written in the same font. Over them is "PRODUCED BY" (or "PRODUCED IN ASSOCIATION WITH" from 1984-1987) in black. Later on, a copyright stamp appears in black or white.

Variants:

The early version had the logo looking far different than later on. Alvin, Simon, and Theodore appear to be in their earlier designs, and are all struggling as they hold "BAGDASARIAN", which, along with "PRODUCTIONS", is now in multiple colors and perfectly aligned in a more bubbly font. "PRODUCTIONS" is also much smaller and the background is light cream.
After the closing credits of The Chipmunk Adventure, a still version of this logo slowly fades in. It's on a royal blue background, like the credits before it. However, there is a continuation to the copyright credits: the logo remains on screen for 8 seconds, then the entire logo, background and all, fades to black.
Sometimes, the logo is shifted up slightly.

FX/SFX: None, in most cases.

Music/Sounds: Same as the previous logo.

Availability: Was seen on Alvin and the Chipmunks on Teletoon Retro in Canada until it ceased operations on September 1, 2015 and was replaced with the Canadian versions of Disney Channel and Cartoon Network. The early variant can be still seen on The Alvinnn!!! Edition DVD box set from Paramount Home Entertainment. It also plastered over the 1st logo on syndicated airings of the first season of Alvin and the Chipmunks when it was rerun on Cartoon Network from 1998-2002.

Editor's Note: None.

3rd Logo (September 9, 1989-April 14, 1995)

Nickname: ''The Chipmunks II''

Logo: Against a pink/blue gradient background with many sparkles, "BAGDASARIAN" is seen in multiple pastel colors, and is sitting right on top of the word "PRODUCTIONS" (in purple). Both words are written in two different fonts, with the former being more jumbled. A blue copyright stamp is written in the bottom left corner. The Chipmunks then come out from the space in between the words and hold up "BAGDASARIAN" with all their strength. The third "A" in the name then loosens and starts to fall, so Alvin swings up his left foot to hold it back up in place. The Chipmunks then grin sheepishly at us as the logo shines.

Variants:

Sometimes, the copyright stamp is not shown.
A more common shorter version starts when the "A" loosens and falls.
On the 1989 Chipmunk Library VHS's of "A Chipmunk Christmas" (1981) and "The Chipmunk Family Tree", the extended logo plays.
On "A Chipmunk Celebration", the logo freezes for the last few seconds so the song "Gotta Believe in Pumpkins" finishes.

FX/SFX: All the animation in the logo.

Music/Sounds: Same as the previous logos, but accompanied with sound effects.

Music/Sounds Variant: On "Trick or Treason", the last bars of the 1988-1990 "The Chipmunks" outro plays during the logo.

Availability: Seen on later episodes of Alvin and the Chipmunks and subsequent Alvin and the Chipmunks specials, including "Rocking With The Chipmunks" and "The Easter Chipmunk". Still seen on the current Paramount DVD releases of The Chipmunks Go to the Movies and Bagdasarian DVD releases of said Alvin and the Chipmunks specials.

Editor's Note: The extended logo was only used for "The Chipmunk Library" tapes until home media rights to Alvin and the Chipmunks were given to Buena Vista in the early 1990s.

4th Logo (November 15, 2011)

Nicknames: "Alvin the Superstar", "Classic Alvin", "Alvin's Harmonica"

Logo: On a black background, we see an image of the 1961 version of Alvin holding a harmonica in his hand with black silhouettes of paparazzis behind him. Underneath him is the black text "bagdasarian productions". This is their print logo.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Was used on the game Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked for the Wii, Xbox 360, and Nintendo DS. While this print logo had been used for several years by this point on Alvin and the Chipmunks DVDs and other products related to the series, this is the only known on-screen appearance of this logo.

Editor's Note: None.

5th Logo (August 3, 2015-)

Logo: In the closing credits, we see the word "BAGDASARIAN". Alvin's hat is placed on top of the first "A". Under that is "PRODUCTIONS" in a smaller font.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: The closing theme.

Availability: Appears on newer episodes of ALVINNN!!! and the Chipmunks.

Editor's Note: None.