Somehow, in the same episode, they also include a reference to the african queenwith Duggee wearing an outfit identical to Humphrey Bogart’s, complete with stubble.
Cagney and Lacey (The Detective Badge)
In The Detective Badge, the Chipmunks must help Duggee find out who stole his apple pie. The montage of them interviewing witnesses, using police tape to secure the scene, and searching for clues plays to a tune that fans of a certain 1980s crime-fighting duo may find familiar…
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (The Shape Badge)
In The Shape Badge, the squirrels are playing a game of shapes, but then they have to put their new knowledge of shapes to good use and find places to shelter the animals of different shapes from the rain. Roly has to choose where to put a ladybug and, in a tense scene with a very Indiana Jones-esque soundtrack, you make your choice. Like the knight at the end of the last crusadethe ladybug tells Roly: ‘You have chosen wisely’.
Scooby Doo (The Creepy Badge)
The Series 2 episode The Spooky Badge is essentially a giant homage to Scooby Doo – the Chipmunks don the character costumes, right down to Velma’s glasses and Fred’s neckerchief, and hunt down a comically ‘creepy’ ghost:
They eventually realize it’s not a ghost after all and remove the white sheet to reveal a sheep underneath, with clever Velma explaining in flashbacks how the sheep pulled off its ghostly trick. Really a pleasure to watch.
The Lord of the Rings (The Disguise Badge)
In The Dressing Up Badge, it’s Enid the cat’s birthday, so the Chipmunks decide to dress up to celebrate. In one of the more understated cinematic references, Tino the art mouse is dressed as a wizard, complete with Gandalf’s staff, which he stamps firmly on the ground as he tells the squirrels, “You shall not pass…until you!” You have solved my riddle!”