It's important for the values it portrays. Very few other characters have the kind of unwavering moral integrity displayed by Gadget, for example.

It's important in that many episodes provide examples of meaningful character interaction with some depth and substance behind it (i.e., it's good T.V., unlike most of what's out there now).

Perhaps most of all, it's important in the ways that it's impacted the lives of it's fans, and for this reason, I've asked some of those fans to put into words just why this series is important to them. What is it that makes people such devoted fans of a fifteen year old cartoon? Why do Rangerphiles exist at all?

"The Rangers came along at a time in my life when I was still searching for what I would be. The show immediately appealed to me because of Chip (I'm still a strong Indiana Jones fan), but the strength of the stories and particularly the characters made me come back time and again. I had a crush on Gadget, and for a time she was the reason I tuned in. As time went on, I found that I enjoyed all the characters and their quirky little world.

Fast-forward nine years to 1998. With the advent of the Dark Age, wherein all Disney Afternoon shows disappeared for a time, I had largely set my love for the Rangers aside. Then I discovered the wonders of the Internet and on a whim I searched for the Rangers. Lo and behold, I found the Internet Gadget Archive, and I was hooked again.

Soon, I discovered the online hangout for all Rangerphiles, the Acorn Cafe. It took me a few months to work up my courage, but I was immediately welcomed and accepted. Again, I felt the sense of camraderie and teamwork that I'd enjoyed when watching the show. So it was the Rangerphiles themselves who also helped me to become a true Rangerphile.

Then I began writing fanfics. I was a happy-go-lucky writer until the idea came to write seriously about the Rangers. The ideas flowed so fast I could hardly keep up. Soon, I was writing in tandem with several authors and ultimately joined up with the talented Chris Silva to write ever more-challenging stories. Now with well over a million words written about the Rangers, I've found that in my heart I'm a writer first and foremost. Without my love for the Rangers, I wouldn't know it as well as I do.

After a couple of years in the community, I took over the leadership role at the Cafe. I've tried to keep the same spirit alive that I found at the Acorn Cafe when I joined up six years ago. I believe to a large extent I've succeeded in that. But more, I've come to respect an ever-growing group of people from diverse backgrounds and cultures that have come together to form a fascinating team. We're Rangerphiles, and that gives us a mark of distinction no one else has.

So what does it mean to be a Rangerphile? Yes, there's a love of the show and the characters, but there's also a sense of unity. We in a large sense are the Rangers now, because we keep the show and its spirit alive in us. We produce new episodes in the form of stories, we create new worlds for the Rangers with our stories and artwork, and we expand and enrich their lives with our constant discussion and speculation about them. We've taken on a great responsibility, and it's one that we'll see through as long as we can."

"I was nine years old when I first saw Chip 'n Dale's Rescue Rangers. I'll never forget-- the first episode was "Piratsy Under the Sea," and I was hooked. The clever dialogue, the villians that were both threatening and humorous, the tight-knit friendship . . . all of these were appealing to me. I was an only child, and relatively "unpopular," so these rodents and fly became my friends. I wrote my first "fanfiction" a few months later in my diary . . . of course, that was before I knew what "fanfiction" was! I continued to write over the years, focusing all of my creative abilities into the characters. Of course, that didn't qualify them as "good," but I didn't care. I found Chip to be extremely charasmatic (in my opinion!), and "officially" made him Gadget's love interest. Even through high school, my friends (yes, I finally made some "real" ones!) were amused at my obsession with the Rangers. My nickname, "Cheezer," was taken from Monterey Jack, and they even presented me with a pet mouse for my 13th birthday (which of course, was named Gadget). I wasn't able to video tape the episodes (our VCR was defective), so I faithfully attempted to create an audio cassette library!

I entered college in the fall of 1997. I had only recently been exposed to the Internet, so I eagerly embraced the services at my college. I continued writing, but most of my time was being devoted to adjusting to college life. Around exam time, my roommate and I frequented the 24-hour computer lab to relieve stress. Late one night, on a whim, I typed "Chip 'n Dale's Rescue Rangers" into a search engine. The original motherload, "Everything Rescue Ranger." My obsession was reborn! It took quite some time for me to read and view all of the original material on the site, and finally, in February of 1998, I found the original Acorn Cafe. It was only a few weeks old, and I lurked for a day or two. Finally, I found the courage to post. One fateful February 14, I posted an introduction, and then left a message wondering about the Valentine's Day plans of my ideal pairing-- Chip and Gadget. I had no idea what a Pandora's box I had opened! As the flames died, I realized that I was not alone in my love for each of these cartoon heroes. I even found a few supporters, and made several new friends. Although the series had been taken off the air, I was able to relive the memories through the messageboard, and I was able to openly share my "fanfiction." The characters lent themselves so readily to drama, I felt, and I utilized this aspect in order to relieve my own stress. I find that I can lose myself in their adventures, whether it's one of the 65 canon episodes, or through someone else's thousand-something word take on the lives of these Disney creations. I find that I cannot separate myself from this childhood connection. They always seemed to "be there" when I needed them as a lonely 9-year-old, and now at 24, I have so many faithful friends that have come from a mutual attraction to this show. I can always find something to relate to in these well-written, well-established characters, and I feel that is why they can transcend the stigma of cancellation. Their courageous, humorous, and dramatic souls seem to touch others, and fuel imaginations. They have brought me far, they have enriched my life, and will continue to do so as long as I have a place of innocent childhood in my heart."

"The original reason I took an interest in the show was because of Gadget, however, the show as a whole has come to have a far deeper meaning. Though it likely wasn't intended, the program promoted one of the most universal values, that of helping others for the sake of helping others. More importantly is who is helping and why. Who? Vermin... diminutive, dismissed, unacclaimed and unnoticed. Why? To help others without any intent of reward or recognition. We live in a world where so many around us live by the unadmitted value of "What's in it for me?" and "How will this further my interests/race/religion/culture/point of view?" And to top it off, these characters lack superpowers, powerful connections, or, for the most part, any aspect that would differentiate them from the general population about them. They are the common folk who take a stand and make a difference even if they are never credited for doing so. After which they never turn around and declare "You owe us!" They give of themselves freely. If you were to ask "Would you sacrifice your life for that of a stranger knowing beforehand that your doing so will go unnoticed even by that stranger?" the Rescue Rangers would be among the startlingly small number that would answer yes. All this means that the heroes of the show are just that, heroes. To me, the Rescue Rangers, despite being a children's show meant to be nothing but pointless entertainment and completely disposable by the company that bore it, embody a level of personal nobility and responsibility that is sorely lacking in the world but that we would like to find within ourselves."

"The appeal of the Rescue Rangers, for me, and why it stands heads and shoulders above other comparable cartoon series, has been all about the characters. The humor, the action, the good animation, that was all great stuff, but there were other shows that did that stuff just as well, if not better. Back when I first started watching the show in second or third grade I was drawn in by the wacky plots and stuff(things like, "I wish I had a radioactive meteorite that would cause me to be rubbery"), but as I matured that became less important. When I rediscovered the show back in 1999 the first piece of fanfiction I read was "Rhyme and Reason" by Mike Demcio, which still, to me, is the consummate Ranger story, encapsulating not only the best qualities of the show as a whole(action, mystery, even a bit of humor), but the characters as well. I realized that you could draw deep characterizations of these rodents due to their relationships on the show. Nowadays I don't watch the show for the weird science-y stuff, but to watch how the characters react to such plots and such in their daily life. I can't relate to an evil twin kidnapping me and making me swim a lobster tank, but I can relate to sometimes not being able to make decisions and people's reactions to that. I've never had a friend nearly become shark food so a fat cat can steal a pearl, but I know how it feels when a little good-natured ribbing backfires and can sympathize with Chip in that case. I've never been turned into a frog by a cleaning lady before, but I have had girls flirt with me and been very nervous about how to take it. In short, the characters are very real, even if the plot and setting are completely out there in left field sometimes.

It's interesting to note that in RR the characters are so well-defined that you can take basically any of them at any given time and know how they relate to each other. For example, Chip loves Dale like a brother and would do anything for him, but is constantly annoyed by his antics; he is appreciative of Monty's strength and experience but nevr trusts his judgement; loves Gadget's smarts (and Gadget, if you're pro), but is, practically so, wary of her inventions given her track record; and, although demeaning to him at first, now utilizes Zipper to his full potential and counts on his loyalty. I could do this with every Ranger, but I don't need to. Contrast this with, say, Ducktales. How does Scrooge feel about Duckworth as compared to Mrs. Beakly? Dunno. How does Launchpad(or anyone, really) feel about Louie as compared to Huey or Dewey? Dunno. While Ducktales, I believe, had better main plotlines generally than Rescue Rangers, and had some pretty unforgettable characters, it feels that each of those characters would be the same in a vacuum. Launchpad would be Launchpad no matter who he worked for(proof being Darkwing Duck). Webbigail would be the same with anyone else as she is with those at the McDuck house. However, not a single one of the characters in Rescue Rangers would be nearly the same without the team. Chip and Dale would be almost unimaginable without each other. Gadgetr would still be a precocious child doing nothing productive in an airplane. Monty would be travelling the world, yes, but for selfish reasons, as opposed to helping others in need. If you watch "To the Rescue" you can see these changes come, and it's fascinating to watch. Nowadays it's not as interesting to me to watch Jell-O crack open the gold reserves as it is to see Chip press on Monty about his lack of control and Monty (temporarily) leave the team as a result. The characters affect each other, and I love that. It's a shame that it's hard to build on that in such an episodic format as the show had to be, and if it weren't for the "reset button" mentality that had to be inserted into every episode, I'm sure the show would be one of the most fascinating cartoon shows, given the potential the team has to affect each others' lives. (Thanks, Jeff Wikstrom, for giving us a glimpse of what that might be like.)

I believe that's why the show has such great fanfiction. Once you get a handle on how the characters interact with each other, you can put them in almost any situation and see how they react. Some authors have taken it to the next level and explored that potential for change(witness Matt Plotecher's "Chip Noir Dale Rescue Rangers" series or Indy & Chris Silva's "Untold Ranger Tales" series, or even "Rhyme and Reason" itself.) This is what makes the show enduring and appealing to me, and this is what I will be watching the show for for years to come, even if nothing new comes out."

"I first heard of CDRR in the spring of 1988 (I was a senior in high school). There was a comic store near the school, and in there I saw "Comic Scene" magazine. It had an article about an upcoming Disney show, apparently in the same league as "Ducktales", but it would feature Chip & Dale. At first I thought it would also include Donald Duck, making him the "crossover" character or "link" character between CDRR and Ducktales, and CDRR would be a bit like the show "High Mountain Rangers", in which Chip, Dale, and maybe Donald, would perform rescues in the forest and mountains that they lived in.

Boy was I wrong.

Moving to the Mexican interior, I was cut off from American Programming until April 1990, when a friend lent me his satellite dish for the weekend and I was able to catch the series premiere of CDRR. I had rented a few episodes, including "Seer No Evil", and until then I considered CDRR as "surprisingly interesting". It wasn't until 1996 when a Mexican network finally aired the series. The time slot they gave it just barely let me see it by the time I got home from work, and I'll never forget coming home, turning on the television, and hearing Foxglove say (in Spanish), "I was wondering if a certain chipmunk might find it in his heart to invite a girl for breakfast."

And I was hooked.

I suppose I've always been fond of comedy-romances in animation, *precisely* because there aren't that many cases of it (or at least not in the shows I've seen), so one of the main reasons why I stuck with CDRR was because I thought Foxglove was a regular character and I wanted to see if she and Dale got anywhere. There was also the Chip/Gadget issue, naturally. As an amateur writer, I was hoping to see those issues resolved, or at least developed, as the series went along. Yes, I was disappointed when I learned that Foxglove was a one-shot character and that the Gadget issue was deliberately left unresolved. However, as I continued to see the show, I noticed that several episodes had a slightly different title video (including a slightly different interpretation of the theme), thusly, I assumed that a second season had been produced. But where would I find reliable information to confirm that?

Enter this innovative idea at the phone company called "internet". There they had two sample computer consoles that you could use for free (no printing or saving, though), and I began my search. Then, I found a particular site (I think it was "Everything Rescue Ranger"), and it included a particular section called FANFICTION

I stood aghast. Until then, I had written fanfiction without knowing the term (mostly of "Peanuts", "Mafalda" (Argentinean comic strip), and "The Biskitts" (Hanna-Barbera 1983)), and I wondered if the term meant what I THOUGHT it meant, and it was there, standing at the phone company, where I first read "Home Is Where You Hang Upside-Down". Later, after I annoyed friends by printing fanfics on their computers, I was assigned a computer at work with an internet connection, where I resumed my search for CDRR, and the author of HIWYHUD directed me to The Acorn Caf�, where I arrived in March 1998. There I found a group of people with similar interests such as mine, amateur and hobby authors and artists, all of whom shared a special closeness to a cartoon show.

I suppose we all find a little bit of ourselves in the characters of the show, whether it is leadership, slight social ineptitude, being overlooked, having a comedic spirit, etc. The writers and producers of CDRR were able to capture real personalities and problems and place them in fictional characters to the point that one is able to identify with such personalities, problems, and solutions to the problems: they did what *true* storytellers are meant to do: leave you wanting more, because they were able to touch our hearts and minds and pull forth emotion. Not very many shows, animated or otherwise, can do that.

To this day, we continue to identify with the characters, and yes, we have fallen in love with the characters. No, I don't think that's strange: the same thing happened to Friz Freleng and all the characters he created. Though we all come from different walks of like, we fans have shared experiences with each other and we have become friends, even to the point that a couple met at the Caf� and the two got married about 2 years later.

We've had highs, and we've had tragedies, but we have stuck together. We have come a long way since we first started, to the point that I can boldly say that we're no longer just fans, but we've become friends.

And hopefully, we'll stay friends for a long time to come, and all thanks to an obscure cartoon that touched our hearts and minds like few others."