Nostalgia Nook—Chip and Dale’s Rescue Rangers

Who remembers Disney Afternoons? I used to watch those shows every day. And one of my favorite shows starred Disney’s favorite chipmunks Chip and Dale.

There’s no case too big, no cast too small, but there are SPOILERS!

The whole premise is that Chip and Dale run an agency that solves crimes. For references, Chip is the one with the black nose. His outfit resembles Indiana Jones—brown bomber jacket and fedora. Dale has the red nose and buck teeth. He, though, takes wardrobe cues from Magnum, PI. Yep, he sports a red and yellow Hawaiian shirt. The two run their own detective agency. They handle cases that are “too small” for the police. Namely, the ones brought by other anthropomorphic animals.

Chip and Dale have some partners in this enterprise. The first is a rather portly mouse named Monterey Jack. He’s an Australian pilot who has been on many adventures and now helps the duo. He has a red handlebar mustache and goggles. Monterey is memorable for his Achilles heel. Cheese. Any type of cheese. He gets a whiff of it and he goes crazy. His moustache curls and his eyes look like he’s been hypnotized (cartoon style). He will float to the cheese. Otherwise, he’s the muscle.

Monterey comes with his own sidekick. Buzzer, a fly in a red shirt, helps the Rescue Rangers. He usually does the things that require someone really small or someone who can fly.

The obligatory woman on the team is Gadget. If you need it, she can build it. She’s also the go-getter of the team. She’s feisty and take-charge. And of course, all the guys want her. Writing this out, I’m starting to smell a Mary Sue. But she was pretty awesome back then.

The agency had two main antagonists. The first was Fat Cat, a cat in a purple pimp business suit. Don’t let the description fool you, though. He is a criminal mastermind who hates dogs. His downfall is the usual one—a combination of being too smart for his own good and having idiotic minions. The second antagonist is a mad science named Dr. Nimnul. He was actually human, the only one who knew about the Rescue Rangers. His appearance was distinct—red hair and thick glasses, plus the obligatory mad scientist lab coat. His plans lack one thing—logic.

The episodes followed the same basic structure. A crime would be committed and the Rescue Rangers would be needed. They would investigate, Monterey Jack would get distracted by cheese and someone would end up in peril. However, good would always triumph and the crime would get solved.

I loved this show as a kid. I also loved Chip and Dale—so much that my parents say I used to avoid Pluto in Disney because he chased them in the cartoons. I also remember thinking that Gadget was awesome because she was able to come up with the cool, well, gadgets needed each episode. Perhaps this is the reason why I love procedurals like “CSI” and “NCIS” because of this show.

Next month: “All That”