The Alvin Show aired for one season, from October 4, 1961, to September 12, 1962[1] and was originally sponsored by General Foods through its Jell-O gelatin and Post Cereal brands.

[2][3] The series rode the momentum of creator Ross Bagdasarian Sr.'s original hit musical gimmick and developed the singing Chipmunk trio as rambunctious kids–particularly the show's namesake star–whose mischief contrasted to his tall, brainy brother Simon and his chubby, gluttonous brother Theodore, as well as their long-suffering, perpetually put-upon manager-father figure, David Seville.

In addition to the non-album Alvin for President, "Maria from Madrid", which was previously released as a non-Chipmunks B-Side to "Judy" in 1959 under Bagdasarian's stage name of David Seville,[citation needed] and two unreleased Chipmunk covers, "Clementine" and "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair", rounded out the remaining song segments.

[7] In the mid to late 1960s, the individual show segments were culled together and sold as a syndication package under the title Alvin and the Chipmunks.

The original episodes began airing under the Alvin and the Chipmunks title on NBC Saturday mornings in 1979 for a short period.

[7][8] Ross Bagdasarian Sr. died of a heart attack on January 16, 1972, seemingly bringing to an end any further Chipmunk productions.

Years later, his son, Ross Jr., picked up on a disc jockey's joke and produced the album Chipmunk Punk in 1980.

The only song that kept its original broadcast soundtrack was "Alvin's Orchestra" in the 1993 Sing-Along video Ragtime Cowboy Joe.

General Foods was the show's main sponsor; as such, Dave Seville and The Chipmunks appeared in several humorous half-minute commercials for Jell-O and Post Cereals.