Chip and Dale are two chipmunks who start a detective agency, Rescue Rangers, along with their friends Gadget, Monterey Jack, and Zipper. The pint-sized detectives deal with crimes that are often "too small" for the police to handle, usually with other animals as their clients. The gang frequently find themselves going up against two particular arch-villains: Mafia-style tabby cat Fat Cat and mad scientist Norton Nimnul.

When Tad Stones first came up with the idea for the Rescue Rangers series, Chip 'n Dale were not part of the show. In the original idea, the main character was an Indiana Jones type mouse named Kit Colby who sported a fedora and a fluffy collared leather jacket and the rest of the team included a chameleon, an earlier draft of Gadget, and Monterey Jack (with a different name). When he proposed the show in a meeting with Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg, the idea was well received except for the character of Kit Colby. At Eisner's suggestion, they replaced him with the chipmunk duo to give the show some established Disney characters to work with. The chameleon was also removed for unknown reasons.

While Chip and Dale were established characters, in order to bring them into the series only their general appearance and basic personality traits were kept. Unlike their appearances in Disney shorts, in the Rescue Rangers the chipmunk duo are very verbal, with Chip voiced by Tress MacNeille and Dale voiced by Corey Burton. Audio processing was used to speed-up the voice recordings and give the voices a higher pitch, particularly Chip's. The pair were given clothes—Chip the clothing of the original concept Kit, while the goofier Dale, was modeled after Magnum, P.I., with his Hawaiian shirt.

The series premiered in 1989 on the Disney Channel before moving into a regular slot in the Disney Afternoon line up the next year.

On October 2, 1995, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers began reruns on the Disney Channel as part of a two-hour programming block called "Block Party" which aired on weekdays in the late-afternoon/early-evening and which also included Darkwing Duck, TaleSpin, and DuckTales.

The show's opening theme was performed by the pop group The Jets. It was written by Mark Mueller, an ASCAP award-winning pop music songwriter who also wrote the theme song to Duck Tales.

Protagonists

Chip is the leader of the Rescue Rangers. Loosely modeled after Indiana Jones, Chip wears a fedora and a bomber jacket and frequently uses rope to lasso or swing to other spots. Chip is serious and has a strong sense of responsibility, to the point that he is sometimes accused of not knowing how to have fun. He can be domineering and often ends up in squabbles with Dale over his more laid back manner. At times, though, he also lets himself go and joins Dale in some frivolity. He and Dale have a crush on Gadget. Voiced by Tress MacNeille in English and Roko Takizawa in Japanese.

Dale is the co-founder of the rescue rangers. He wears a red and yellow Hawaiian shirt reminiscent of Thomas Magnum in Magnum, P.I. Though dedicated to the job, he is a fun-loving, mischievous prankster who is sometimes irresponsible and forgets to think before he acts. He spends his free time reading comic books and playing video games. A known candy addict, Dale has "chocolate attacks" similar to Monterey Jack's cheese attacks (ironically, Monty finds it disgusting that Dale can't control himself over candy). He frequently finds himself being knocked on the head by Chip when he says or does something foolish. Voiced by Corey Burton in English and Minoru Inaba in Japanese.

Monterey Jack, or "Monty" to his friends, is an adventure-loving Australian mouse who spent years traveling the world before a chance meeting with Chip and Dale during their first case. After Fat Cat destroyed his home, Monty and his sidekick Zipper decided to join the group in their detective work. Stronger and larger than the others, Monty can be quick to anger if he, or his friends, has been offended. This trait sometimes leaves him ready to do battle with a much larger opponent, and the others having to calm him down. Monty has an overpowering addiction to cheese, and the sight or smell of cheese causes him to be almost hypnotically drawn to it. Monty loves to tell stories of his travels, even if the others often stop his reminiscing, and he often uses colorful "pseudo-australianisms" while talking, such as "Strike me starkers."

Monterey Jack is the only Rescue Ranger known to have two living parents, Cheddarhead Charlie and Camembert Kate, who are also travelers. Also, names of his entire family, including his own, have references to various types of cheese. Monty is most frequently found in the company of either Zipper or Dale, whose fun-loving nature matches his own. He also seems to consider Gadget to be something of a surrogate daughter, most likely due to his long friendship with her late father. Due to his traveling experience, Monty often handles the traveling arrangements for the group. According to the Disney Encyclopedia, the character was voiced by Jim Cummings, however the character is also listed in the voice credits of Peter Cullen. Cullen actually originated the role in the early episodes of the show, with Cummings (who had already been voicing Fat Cat, Professor Nimnul, and other characters on the show) taking over the role in later episodes. In Japanese he is voiced by the late Eken Mine.

Gadget Hackwrench is a young female mouse and the team's pilot, mechanic and inventor. The daughter of deceased inventor and aviator Geegaw Hackwrench, who was a good friend of Monterey Jack. She first met Chip and Dale when Monty brought them to Geegaw's in search of an airplane. At loose-ends since her father's death and eager to help, she joins the team. Known to say "Golly", whenever she's surprised by something. Gadget moves, thinks, and talks quickly, sometimes leaving the others looking dazed and confused.

In addition to building and maintaining the Ranger Plane, Gadget is the one responsible for the various technological items used by the team and is regularly inventing new vehicles and tools for the team's use. She has the uncanny ability to take discarded and unrelated items, and invent nearly anything with them, which she attributes to the fact that she has a "mind-bashingly high IQ" and is easily bored. Unfortunately, her creations don't always work the way she intends and have sometimes failed at just the wrong moment to cause the team trouble. Both Chip and Dale are attracted to Gadget, and often compete for her attention, but she doesn't seem to notice in many cases. However there are hints that she does like Chip. In one of the episodes Chip reveals that she has given him a photograph of herself. She is voiced by Tress MacNeille in English and Naoko Matsui in Japanese.

Zipper is a tiny bluish-green housefly and a long time friend and sidekick of Monterey Jack. With his tiny size and flying abilities, Zipper often handles little jobs that the rest of the Rescue Rangers cannot. He speaks in unintelligible buzzes that only Monty and other insects are able to understand, although in later episodes, he talks more clearly. Despite his tiny size, Zipper occasionally has impressive displays of strength which are matched only by his unwavering loyalty to his friends. Voiced by Corey Burton.

Antagonists

Fat Cat is a felonious grey tabby cat and one of the Rescue Rangers' most frequent antagonists. Formerly owned by criminal Aldrin Klordane, Fat Cat became an independent agent and animal world crime boss after Klordane's incarceration. Inordinately proud of his appearance, he keeps his whiskers clean, wears a purple business suit, and has a taste for expensive things.

Fat Cat is a ruthless criminal mastermind, and his plans, though sometimes bizarre, are nevertheless dangerous and sadistic. He hates dogs and several of his schemes have been attacks against them. The only thing he hates more than dogs are the Rescue Rangers, which he always tries to get rid of using an elaborate and slow methods, rather than killing them immediately. The complexity of his plans usually ends up being his downfall. Has a cousin who lives in Paris, France. Voiced by Jim Cummings, who described Fat Cat as a combination of Zero Mostel and Dom DeLuise and in Japanese by Masayuki Katō.

Fat Cat is usually accompanied by four henchmen. In spite of their combined stupidity, Fat Cat almost always sends them out to do his dirty work for him, as he is too smart, or lazy to get his paws dirty.

Wart, a lizard, who dresses in a gangster-style suit and hat similar to his boss. Voiced by Jim Cummings.

Mole, slow witted but cheerful, this overweight mole wears an undersized red t-shirt and a yellow hat. When plans go wrong, Mole usually is the one who Fat Cat chooses to use as a punching bag. Voiced by Corey Burton.

Mepps, a thin, yellow alley cat dressed in a ratty blue vest and toboggan who speaks with a whiny voice. Voiced by Peter Cullen.

Snout, a rat that wears a short sleeved red turtle neck with a black vest and a dark blue hat that covers his eyes. He is usually only seen briefly. Voiced by Corey Burton.

Professor Norton Nimnul, the Rangers' other major enemy, is a mad scientist who once worked for Aldrin Klordane. Though Nimnul is an intelligent and creative scientist, his plans often lack any trace of logic and tend to be extremely convoluted. For example, he kidnapped all the cats in the city to make an immense amount of static electricity, and in his appearance in the pilot he constructed a laser cannon designed to create a giant gelatin mold which would be used to cause an earthquake under the United States Gold Reserve. Nimnul has receding red hair, wears very thick glasses, and a high-pitched laugh. Unlike other humans in the series, Nimnul is aware of the Rescue Rangers and their interference in his plans. Voiced by Jim Cummings and physically modeled on Disney animator Bruce Talkington. Also voiced by Toshiya Ueda in the Japanese version.

Episodes

Except for the five-part set of episodes made from the pilot movie, each 22 minute episode of the series was self-contained. Plot points introduced in each episode stayed in the episode and any character development did not appear to continue through to future episodes. Most of the episodes followed a similar format, where in the next case was presented at the start of the episode, then the bulk of the episode had the sleuths gathering clues and investigating the situation. In the last few minutes of the episode, the case was resolved, usually in dramatic fashion and the final moments would have a humorous wrap up scene between the Rangers.

Cameos

• Darkwing Duck (1991-1992): In the episode "Twitching Channels," the voices of Monterey Jack and Chip are briefly heard through an audio-reception helmet-device that can tune into sounds from other universes.
• Aladdin (1994-1995): ?

Merchandise

In fall of 1989, McDonald's produced a series of Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers themed Happy Meal that included toy versions of the main characters riding small vehicles. Scenes from series were incorporated into the TV commercials advertising the Happy Meals.

Comic

A monthly comic book based on the show was published by Disney Comics in 1990, that ran for 19 issues. Subsequent comic stories were printed in Disney Adventures from 1990 to 1995, as well as in the Disney Afternoon comic book published by Marvel Comics. They also had a series from Boom Studios that was published for 8 issues from December 2010 to June 2011.

Cameo appearences

In the first Darkwing Duck comic story from Kaboom!, Gadget makes a cameo gag.

BOOM! Revival

From September 2010, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers was revived by comics publisher Boom! Studios, as an ongoing monthly series slated to begin in December of the same year. This choice was based on the extreme and unexpected popularity of Darkwing Duck, another Disney Afternoon property which BOOM! revived earlier in 2010. The series featured comics writer Ian Brill, and artist Leonel Castellani. So far only 8 issues were published, making 2 separate 4-part stories and 2 trade paperback books. The comic series was cancelled May 2011, to be replaced by the launch of DuckTales.

Canceled film adaptation

A 1990 issue of Comics Scene magazine reported that a theatrical feature film based on the series was planned for a 1991 release, however the film never saw the light of day, possibly due to the lackluster performance of DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp.

Video games

In 1990, Capcom released a video game version of Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is a platform game featuring single and 2-player cooperative modes, allowing players to choose which levels to access via a map, giving them access to various locations in the city. Each individual stage is set up as a side-scrolling action game where Chip and Dale can walk, jump, duck, and pick up objects such as acorns, crates, and barrels to throw at enemies and bosses. In the game, the Rangers must stop another of Fat Cat's schemes, only to have his kidnapping of Gadget send Chip and Dale to the rescue.

A second NES game, titled Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers 2, was released by Capcom in 1993. The sequel features additional incentives for cooperative play, such as mini-games that can only be played by two players, and the ability to throw one's partner as a weapon.

An unofficial Mega Drive sequel to these games, titled Squirrel King, was produced by the Taiwanese developer Gamtec. This game was later the basis of the unofficial Mega Drive Super Mario World game.

Also released in 1990, Hi Tech Expressions's PC game Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers: The Adventure in Nimnul's Castle saw the Rangers having to rescue Monterey Jack, who is caught in a mousetrap in Professor Norton Nimnul's castle. To rescue him, the chipmunks must infiltrate the castle to collect various parts so Gadget can build a flying machine to reach Monterey Jack.

Mobile game

In May 2010, Dynamic Pixels Ltd. released a mobile game Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers - Fat Cat kidnapped Zipper and imprisoned him on a distant island. The team have to repair their legendary plane to get it but unfortunately, they have no spare parts so the Rescue Rangers have to use their investigating skills together with enterprising skills as only their plane will help them to get to Fat Cats den. The story is divided into 27 non-linear missions that can be reached via a city map. Every mission is one of 3 different mini-games. The game can be downloaded free of charge and players use micro transactions to purchase in game money to spend it on different in game content like upgrades, additional equipment, power ups, bonuses etc. if needed.

VHS

From 1989 to 1991, Buena Vista Home Entertainment released select episodes from the series on five VHS tapes, containing a pair of episodes each. They include the following:

• Double Trouble (Dale Beside Himself and Flash the Wonder Dog)
• Crime Busters (Catteries Not Included and Piratsy Under the Seas)
• Undercover Critters (Adventures In Squirrelsitting and Three Men and a Booby)
• Danger Rangers (Kiwi's Big Adventure and Bearing Up Baby)
• Super Sleuths (The Pound of the Baskervilles and Out to Launch)

Several other episodes were available on international releases.

DVD releases

US (Region 1)

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has released some of the series on DVD; two volumes have been released in Region 1 thus far featuring the first 51 episodes of the series. The first was released on November 8, 2005 (containing episodes 1-27) and the second on November 14, 2006 (containing episodes 28-51). The episodes on the first volume are arranged by production date, while the episodes on the second volume are arranged by original air date. The sets were package in a box containing 3 slipcases, one for each disc. There has yet to be any word from Disney regarding the release of a third volume set for episodes 52-65.

DVD Name	Ep #	Release date
Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers: Volume 1	27	November 8, 2005
Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers: Volume 2	23	November 14, 2006
Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers: Volume 3	14	TBA

International (Region 2)

In the United Kingdom, Disney released one Region 2 volume in 2007, titled Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers First Collection. Despite the set being similar to the US version, the DVD contained only 20 episodes, while having 6 language tracks: English, French, Dutch, German, Spanish and Italian. Several other similar releases were then made to international countries, but only going up to episode #20. On December 5th 2012, a second DVD set of the series was released in the UK, but as a Region 2 version of Volume 2, titled Chip n Dale Rescue Rangers Season 2. Unlike the first DVD, this 3-disc set includes a Fastplay mode and only two language tracks: English and German, but subtitles have not been added. There are currently no plans to release the rest of the series, or the seven episodes missing between the first two sets.

DVD Name	Ep #	Release date	Language
Walt Disney's Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, First Collection	20	February 12, 2007	English, French, Dutch, German, Spanish and Italian
Walt Disney's Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers - Season 2	24	December 5, 2012	English and German

In January 2009, IGN named Chip n' Dale Rescue Rangers as the 60th best in the Top 100 Animated TV Shows.

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