The Chipmunk Method - How to Approach Character Archetypes in a Fun and Hilarious Way

So, I’ve been geeking out about character archetypes for the last year or so, but I haven’t been able to write an article about it. Until today! There are several books that I’m in the middle of reading that I’ve been dying to tell y’all about that speak on this topic. And yet, those will have to continue to wait as we dive into the basics of what character archetypes are and how you can use them to enhance your characters and your story.

What is a Character Archetype?

In the simplest terms, it is a repeatable set of characteristics that you can spot right away once you see them. Think brooding bad boy or preppy cheerleader. Now go deeper than the stereotype. How do they talk? What vibe do they give off? What kind of journey are they on externally and internally? These kinds of questions shape an archetype of a character. I promise one day I will do an entire article series on Writing Archetypal Characters by K.M. Weiland and a separate article series on All the Major Tarot Archetypes, but, today, we are going to dive further into understanding archetypes using my handy dandy unconventional methods. And it starts with Alvin.

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How The Chipmunk Method Was Born

For those who missed my mini-dissertation on Alvin and the Chipmunks, feel free to read it here. In short, I was obsessed with the 1980’s version of Alvin and the Chipmunks around the same time I began writing. Mind you a thirteen-year-old in 2009 shouldn’t have this kind of obsession, but ya girl loved all eras of animation at the time, so, here we are.

Bringing this back to the present day, I learned about character archetypes and began to analyze my oldest characters as an exercise to find out which kind of archetypes I used the most. Can you see where this is going yet? My earliest works have waves of varying character archetypes that embody the Chipmunks and the Chipettes because they were the first “character voices” that I ever wrote for. Watching their content incessantly caused me to be inspired to write my own storylines for them through fanfiction. So did Hey Arnold, but that’s a rant for another day. All I’m saying is, do not underestimate the power of fanfiction as a fantastic tool for beginning writers. It fuels your dialogue writing, your confidence, and your archetype skills.

So, What IS the Chipmunk Method?

In its simplest form, The Chipmunk Method for me is taking the archetypes of The Chipmunks and The Chipettes and using them as a base for my character creation. For those unfamiliar with Alvin and his family, let me break it down for you.

First, I write down the main characters and the essence of who they are:

• Alvin: loud, obnoxious, passionate, fiery, bold, a playboy, loves red

• Simon: witty, emotionally intelligent, loves knowledge, responsible, loves blue

• Theodore: kind-hearted, shy, a chef and a baker, sweet, loveable, loves green

• Brittany: bratty, obnoxious, sassy, fashionista, preppy, uptight, protective, loves pink

• Jeanette: timid, brilliant, loves knowledge, inquisitive, clumsy, loves purple

• Eleanore: direct, motherly, good sportsmanship, problem solver, loves green

Then, I look at the kind of characters that I’m trying to write and what I know about them. Let’s use some of the main characters from Warriors of Passion Part 1 since this is a real-life example of how they were created.

• Mateo: fiery, bold, daring, fiercely in love with Cecile, afraid of being the next Chif and having his freedom stripped from him.

• Andres: responsible, dependable, stern, always worried about Mateo, bound to his duty as Mateo’s advisor, probably secretly in love with Cecile.

• Cecile: timid, responsible, easily startled, loves Mateo wholeheartedly but is more afraid of her Mother and The Chif.

• The Chif: loves to laugh, kind, stern, not easily fooled, cautious, scarred, unafraid of death but protects others from it at all costs.

Finally, I begin to compare my original characters to the "inspiration characters", in this case, the Chipmunks.

Right away I see the similarities between Mateo and Alvin. This makes me think even deeper about the qualities that Alvin brings to the table and I pick the ones that will enhance Mateo. I start asking questions like:

• Does Mateo need to be obnoxious with his boldness like Alvin, or is he more covert in his actions since he’s the son of a powerful man?

• How do the people around Mateo affect his actions?

• Does Andres act like Mateo’s “Simon” character?

• Does Cecile always need to be a “Jeanette” character or can we add some “Brittany” to her?

This trend of compare and contrast continues until I have a grasp on the entire cast and their unique dialogue begins to flow. Just because Mateo has similar qualities to Alvin, that doesn't mean they should be an exact copy of each other. The more you dive into the unique traits of your characters, the more defined they become.

And good news, this method is not only reserved for the cast of Alvin and the Chipmunks. You can use any existing character cast that you already know. Animated or otherwise.

Let’s give some fun examples to keep some existing character archetypes alive and well. How many of these casts of characters do you recognize?

• The Sesame Street Cast (Elmo vs Rocco the Rock)

• The Muppets Cast (Beaker)

• One Piece Cast (The Straw Hat Crew. "IIIII sleeeept sooooo ggrereeaat!"

• The Simpsons Cast (Homer. "Mmm, doughnuts.")

• Disney Princesses/Princes (Snow White vs Raya vs Anastasia)

• The Ice Age Cast (Scrat and the Acorn vs Buck Wild "The names Buck. Short for Buckminster. Long for BA.")

• God Troubles Me (Ting)

• Family Guy (Stewie and Brian)

• American Dad (Rodger. "Alright, that's enough turning around now.")

• The Vampire Diaries Cast (Damon. Salvator. "Hello, brother...")

• Avatar the Last Airbender Cast (The Gaang and The White Lotus. "My cabbages!")

• Spongebob Cast (everyone down to the “my leg” fish)

• Dragon Ball Cast (Vegeta and Bulma)

• Scandal Cast (Mellie Grant vs Olivia Pope)

• Rick and Morty Cast (Mr. Poopy Butthole)

• My Hero Academia Cast (Class 1-A "Can I ever be a hero like you?")

• Futurama Cast (Bender vs Roberto "What's the matter? Ya scared?")

• Jujutsu Kaisain Cast (Gojo vs Toji)

• Overlord Cast (Albedo-sama)

• Konosuba Cast ("Kazuma here")

• Naruto / Boruto Cast (Sarada vs Minato)

• Twilight Cast (Team Switzerland. "You named my daughter after the Loch Ness Monster?!")

• Warriors of Passion Cast (Team Andres. "I thought you couldn't hold back anymore?" "I can't.")

Just looking at this short list, some characters immediately spring to mind. How they talk. How they dress. What they say and how they say it. Who they associate with. Their laugh, obnoxious or otherwise. And because they're a cast of characters, the relationships that they have established with each other can fuel your character development even further. Are they lovers or rivals or both? Do they have to be siblings or can they just be best friends? How do they react to stress or excitement? The possibilities are endless. Thinking about all of these characters makes me giddy inside, and more importantly, it makes me want to write!

Practical Application:

Exercise time! Take some time out of your busy life and spend five minutes writing down your favorite characters. Write down their full name like you're making a guest list of friends for a party. Write until you run out of casts of people (or paper space). Now, look at your list. These are the characters that live inside of you already and set your writer's soul ablaze. If your list has three or fewer characters on it, use them as a strong base and then go off and absorb more content. You can try and write from the void, but I recommend getting a few worlds under your belt first. It’s just more fun that way.

This is just one of many methods to add to your storytelling toolbox. Check out The Learning Center for more writing tips and don't forget to take the quiz to find out what level storyteller you are. Until next time!

About the Author

Crystal Cabrae is a storyteller who writes dystopian, romantic, and adventurous worlds for animation and fantastical fiction. Born as Angelica Cabrera, she is a proud graduate of Full Sail University, AMDA NYC, and New World School of the Arts. Her six years of acting training in New York and Miami gives her a unique perspective when approaching her characters. Crystal has a passion for sharing how to create stories with the world and inspiring the storyteller that lives within all of us. While she tries to keep up with her social media accounts, the best way to get to know her is over a cup of tea or a good plate of food.