Star on the Hollywood walk of fame for Alvin and the Chipmunks

REUTERS - Alvin and the Chipmunks, the Grammy-winning animated singing group, were honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday (March 14). The star ceremony for the group on Los Angeles' much fabled Hollywood Boulevard is part of the celebrations for Alvin and the Chipmunks' 60th anniversary. Alvin and the Chipmunks Producer Ross Bagdasarian and his wife, Janice Karman, accepted the star on behalf of the group, alongside their children Michael and Vanessa. Michael Bagdasarian said at the podium "I think we can both agree that we couldn't be more proud that after 40 years of keeping his father's characters alive and singing, our father will be able to witness such a beautiful and noteworthy testament to his father's creation." His father Ross Bagdasarian supplies the voices of Alvin and fellow Chipmunk, Simon. He also supplies the voice of the group's manager and human adoptive father, Dave. Karman does the voices for the third Chipmunk, Theodore, and The Chipettes, Brittany, Jeanette and Eleanor. Almost 60 years after the mischievous Chipmunks were born as a novelty song, the animated trio have squeaked up a $1 billion empire of more than 45 million records, TV shows, and live action movies - all with the very loud catch-phrase "Aaallvviinn!" The enduring appeal is mostly because they are not simply talking animals, but creatures with a heart, say the show's producers. The Chipmunks - Alvin, Simon and Theodore - were created in 1958 by Bagdasarian's father, Ross Bagdasarian Sr., and had their first hit with a novelty record called "The Chipmunk Song". The trio went on to star in a TV cartoon series and later a Christmas special, dozens of music albums, a live stage show and their first feature film in 1987. In order to achieve a good squeak, Chipmunk voice actors are required to speak much slower than normal, and the squeak is then achieved by speeding up the tapes afterward, it also takes about 20 times longer than normal movie voice-overs., according to producers.