Taco Bell chihuahua

Gidget(February 7, 1994 – July 21, 2009), nicknamed theTaco Bell Chihuahua, was anadvertising figureandmascotforTaco Bellfrom September 1997 to July 2000. The character she played was developed byTBWA. TheChihuahuais a breed commonly associated withMexico.
In September 1997,Taco Bellused the dog in one advertisement in theNortheastern United States. The advertising campaign began during a peak in theBurger wars, in which several fast food chains were engaged in a large advertisement competition against each other. The dog was made to speak throughspecial effects. Heradvertisingcatchphrasewas"¡Yo quiero Taco Bell!"("I want Taco Bell!"). Hervoicewas provided byCarlos Alazraqui,who says that the voice is a cross between Hungarian-born actorPeter Lorre(The Maltese Falcon) andRen Höek, the cartoon chihuahua fromThe Ren & Stimpy Show(who in turn was also based on Lorre), with a touch ofAnthony QuinnfromRequiem for a Heavyweight. The dog also started two additional catchphrases: "Yeah, drop theChalupa!" (which briefly became an oft-quoted phrase onSportsCenter)and "VivaGorditas!"In a noted crossover with the 1998Godzillafilm, the dog tried to trapthe monsterin a box, goading the beast with the phrase, "Here, lizard, lizard, lizard!", only to see Godzilla's size and respond, "Uh-oh, I think I need a bigger box." (a reference toJaws),and another Godzilla crossover involving him making an order through a drive-thru speaker on Godzilla's tail, making an order too large for the workers.
The figure grew popular, so much so that talkingtoyfigures of the dog were produced and sold atTaco Belllocations during 1998 to 1999, as well as other versions at other stores, and"Yo quiero (X)"became a recognized piece ofpopular culture.
SomeLatin Americansaccused the dog of being a culturalstereotype.Commercials that depicted the dog as abandidowith asombreroor as arevolutionarywearing aberet(similar to the one famously worn byArgentinerevolutionaryChe Guevara)were seen as particularly insensitive.Mario G. Obledo, a civil rights leader, called for aboycottof Taco Bell if the company did not end the ad campaign.
In July 2000, Taco Bell ended the chihuahua advertisements,ended its relationship with their creatorTBWA, and replaced the company's president, aftersame-store salesfell by 6% in the second quarter of 2000, the largest such decline in Taco Bell history.It was incorrectly rumored that Taco Bell ended the commercials because the dog died.Voice actorTom Kenny, who is a friend of Alazraqui, said thatHispanicadvocacy groups lobbying for the end of the campaign led to the cancelation of the Taco Bell dog.Other reports say the use of the dog was discontinued because it failed to increase Taco Bell's revenue stream in spite of the dog's popularity.
In 2003, Taco Bell lost a lawsuit by twoMichiganmen, who had pitched the concept of the Chihuahua to Taco Bell in 1996 at a Licensing Show in NYC. Taco Bell worked with Thomas Rinks and Joseph Shields for over a year developing the Chihuahua campaign and commercials under the name "Psycho Chihuahua", but Taco Bell failed to pay the men according to court documents. The men sued and, in 2003, a jury awarded them $30.1 million in compensationplus nearly $12 million in additional interest three months later.Taco Bell in turn sued TBWA saying it should have been aware of the conflicts. In 2009, a three-judge federal appeals panel ruled against Taco Bell.
In later years, Gidget appeared in a 2002 commercial for insurance companyGEICO,again as the Taco Bell Chihuahua, and as "Bruiser's Mom" in the 2003 movieLegally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde.
Gidget died on July 21, 2009, at age 15 after having suffered astrokein the home of her trainer Sue ChippertoninSanta Clarita, California. She wascremated, and her ashes were retained by her trainer. Taco Bell Corp. said in a statement that Gidget would be missed by many fans and said: "Our deepest sympathies go out to her owners and fans."