Television

• Alvin and the Chipmunks first appeared as puppets on the Ed Sullivan show around the end of 1958 and were invited back six times. The first cartoon depicting the characters was released in October 1961, with a follow-up hit series that ran for eight seasons from 1983 to 1990 in more than 80 countries. They have appeared on the cover of many magazines over the years, including Teen magazine in the 1960s when Alvin was dubbed a "teen heart throb." The trio even graced the front page of The Wall Street Journal.
  
  

Music

• Alvin and the Chipmunks actually became one of the most successful music groups ever. Their first single was released in 1958 and sold more than 4.5 million records in just seven weeks. The record company struggled to keep up with the demand, selling 550,000 copies a day on some days and breaking previously held record sales. Since then, the Chipmunks have released more than 35 albums and earned five Grammy awards, two Kid's Choice awards, a Golden Reel award, an American Music award and Emmy nominations.
  
  

Toys And Paraphernalia

• The first toys and paraphernalia depicting the Chipmunks included singing greeting cards, charm bracelets, key chains, board games, comics, lunch boxes and plush dolls carrying harmonicas. Today many of these original toys are collector's items worth much more than their original value. The Alvin and the Chipmunks toy line continues with dolls, figurines, Christmas ornaments, video games, jigsaw puzzles and collector's plates. Several major fast food chains have also offered Alvin and the Chipmunk toys as part of their kid's meals and as extras, starting with Hardees collectable mug offering during the 1980s.
  
  

Clothing

• Perhaps the most popular items in the Chipmunk clothing line are the red shirt or sweater with the simple large yellow letter "A," similar to the one Alvin wore in the television series. Other clothing items include children's shoes, shirts, dresses, hats and pajamas.
  
  

Social Media

• Keeping up with the times, Alvin and the Chipmunks now stay in touch with their fans via social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter. They also have their own website (chipmunks.com), from which they continually announce new movies and other releases.
  
  

Movies

• Alvin and his friends have appeared in several movies since the early 1980s. Their most recent movie, at the time of this article, is scheduled for release near the end of 2011. Although the voice actors have changed over the years, the characters themselves still hold true to the original characters' personalities, with some updating done to their look.