What were those chipmunks' names?!

[indy]

Warner Brothers had a few cartoons with those little British chipmunks who were always apologizing and offering the other to go first ("Oh, please, after YOU!" "Oh, I couldn't! ... after you!" "No, I insist... you first!" "THUNK-you!"). I think one was named Stanley. Can anyone confirm their names for me? Thanks!

-Indy

[don Jaime]

The Goofy Gophers were Mac and Tosh, though the names were never used in any cartoon.

[indy]

I think we may be talking about different critters. The chipmunks I am thinking of were definitely not gophers, as they lived in a tree, ate nuts, and were not gophers. There was one cartoon where their tree was being cut down to head to a sawmill -- almost think Yosemite Sam played the logger -- and various others. In one, their tree was turned into wooden furniture in a factory and they ended up living in a bureau in someone's house. In any event, their trademark was their stiff politeness, British accents, and always insisting the other one go first. When one would give in graciously, he would say "thank you" but accent it as "THUNK-yo." I can hear one of them referring to the other as "Stanley."

[Brian Cruz]

Nope, those are really "The Goofy Gophers". Despite the fact that they were polite instead of goofy, and collected nuts like chipmunks, that was the name the Warner Bros. animators gave them. I believe they were first called Mac and Tosh in an episode of the Bugs Bunny show in the early 60s.

[Jack]

They acted like gophers in some cartoons, like in "Two Gophers from Texas," ":The Goofy Gophers," and "Bone for a Bone," but they act like chipmunks in the two cartoons you are thinking about. The first being "Lumber Jerks," where their tree is cut down and turned into furniture, and the second being "Pests For Guests" in which the two take up residence in Elmer Fudd's dresser.

Here's the only known webpage totally devoted to them: Tribute to The Goofy Gophers: Mac and Tosh (http://members.tripod.com/~Nymh/goph.html)

Jack:D

[Joe Tully]

Some think that they were just maaaaaybe supposed to be Warner's gag version of Chip 'N' Dale, which would explain why they were sometimes found doing chipmunk-y things.

I think you're pulling the Stanley name from the classic British comedy duo Laurel and Hardy. Hardy often referred to Laurel by his first name, Stanley.

[indy]

Thanks for clearing it up, everyone.

As for the "Stanley" reference, I could be remembering it wrong... and come to think of it, I think it was a mouse toon character calling someone "Stanley," in reference to the Laurel and Hardy thing, I believe. Warner was famous for lampooning movies and TV in their characters. Have to agree on the Goofy Gophers -- prob. a Chip 'n' Dale lampoon.

Thanks again, everyone!

-Indy

[Sogturtle]

Brian Cruz is right... The Goofy Gophers were first publicly referred to as Mac N' Tosh in a episode of the classic Bugs Bunny Show. In the episode in question Bugs introduced them as the guest-hosts that night. What is even more intriguing is that he introduced them NOT as "The Goofy Gophers" but as "The Gopher Twins, Mac N' Tosh".

[don Jaime]

So they're brothers! And the gay rumor really is one. Shoot.

[DR. BELCH]

From The Warner Brothers Cartoon Companion by E.O. Costello:

"While the characters were originally conceived by Bob Clampett, the first cartoon featuring the pair, The Goofy Gophers (1947), wound up being directed by Arthur Davis. Clampett had finished recording the soundtrack, but animation had not been completed when he left the studio in 1945.
The characters were based partly on the super-polite Edward Everett Horton and Franklin Pangborn, including their rather “prissy” mannerisms, and also on Alphonse and Gaston, two early comic strip characters created by F.P. Opper who were also super-polite. Mel Blanc and Stan Freberg provided the characters’ voices.
The gophers have come to be known as “Mac ’n’ Tosh” -- apparently in a spoof of the Disney characters “Chip ’n’ Dale” -- but these names was never used in the classic era cartoons."

Filmography:
The Goofy Gophers (Davis, 1947)
Two Gophers From Texas (Davis, 1948)
A Ham in a Role (McKImson, 1949)
A Bone for a Bone (Freleng, 1951)
I Gopher You (Freleng, 1954)
Pests for Guests (Freleng, 1955)
Lumber Jerks (Freleng, 1955)
Gopher Broke (McKimson, 1958)

I wouldn't mind seeing them in an LT comic book, actually...maybe pitted against Babbott and Catstello. "Hee-eeee-eee-ee-ey, Babbott! Dese gophers is cra-aaaa-aaa-aa-azy! And I t'ink dey're a little--" [wiggles hand back and forth and whistles]

[Thad Komorowski]

They WERE in the modern LTs. They had some kind of guide to politeness in #47, where they give "advice" to Taz, Pepe Le Pew, Yosemite Sam, Tweety, and Marvin. Another story was in #53, where they are called Mac n' Tosh in the title. The story had them trying to take food from Elmer Fudd's grocery store. They also had a cameo in #75.

-Thad:D

[hippety hopper]

I never thought that Mac and Tosh were British,I thought they were just polite americans.(Not that I'm saying americans arn't polite).
Plus the other reason I thought they were american because we don't actually have gophers here in the UK.

[Sveven Dvorking]

Tease for Two (McKimson, 1965)

[HaZeL]

im not trying to start an argument but are u positive they were named mac and tosh for some reason i remember them being called something else tho i cant remember, i will try and look it up, but maybe thier names were changed later on? is it possible?

[happyheathen]

Originally posted by HaZeL
im not trying to start an argument but are u positive they were named mac and tosh for some reason i remember them being called something else tho i cant remember, i will try and look it up, but maybe thier names were changed later on? is it possible?

We're sure...

[HaZeL]

ok im the newbie here ^_^ i will trust in you knowledge your excellency *bows down*