Taco Bell chihuahua

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The Taco Bell chihuahua (born c. 1995)(died c.2007) was a popular advertising figure and mascot used by Taco Bell, which is a division of Kentucky, United States-based Yum!. The Chihuahua is a breed commonly associated with Mexico, as are the tacos the restaurant serves. The name of the dog used as a model is "Gidget."

In 1997 Taco Bell used the dog in one advertisement in the Northeastern United States. The positive response to the dog led to the company using the dog in advertisements across the United States.[1]

The dog (sometimes depicted as a Mexican revolutionary wearing a beret or as a bandit wearing a sombrero) was made to speak through special effects. His advertising catch-phrase was "¡Yo quiero Taco Bell!". The voiceover work for these commercials was provided by Carlos Alazraqui, who has starred in the television shows The Fairly Oddparents, Rocko's Modern Life, SpongeBob SquarePants, Reno 911!, and Camp Lazlo.

The figure grew popular, so much so that toy figures of the dog were produced, and "Yo quiero (X)" became a recognized piece of pop culture. The dog also started two other catch phrases, "Drop the chalupa!" which briefly became an oft-quoted phrase on SportsCenter, and "Viva Gorditas!," meaning "Long live Gorditas!"

Some Latin Americans accused the dog of being a thinly veiled ethnic stereotype. The company stopped showing the dog in advertisements in 2000 in order to pursue other campaigns. [2] Snopes debunks the myth that Taco Bell ended the commercials because the dog died.[1] Tom Kenny, a voice actor and friend of Alazraqui, said that Hispanic advocacy groups lobbying for the end of the campaign led to the cancellation of the Taco Bell dog. Mr. Kenny criticized the cancellation.[3]

The dog was featured in a commercial for GEICO in 2002 along with the GEICO gecko. In 2003, the dog played the role of Bruiser's mom in Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde.

The Taco Bell Chihuahua is often cited as one of the causes of a recent upsurge in popularity of the breed.[4]

The creator Tom Rinks, won a lawsuit against Taco Bell in 2003. He later created the Nooma series starring famed speaker Rob Bell.[citation needed]

After being released from mascot duties by Taco Bell, the celebrity dog was featured on an episode of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, where the dog was allowed its choice of either a Taco Bell Chalupa or some KFC chicken; the dog chose the KFC. Both Taco Bell and KFC are owned by Yum! Brands. [5][6][7]

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[edit] References

  1. ^ a b "For Whom the Taco Bell Tolls." Snopes
  2. ^ "Taco Bell replaces top executive and Chihuahua, too", CNN, 2000-07-19. Retrieved on 2006-10-04. 
  3. ^ Lawson, Tim and Alisa Persons. The Magic Behind the Voices: A Who's Who of Cartoon Voice Actors. "192."
  4. ^ The Chihuahua. dog-gonnit.com (2008). Retrieved on 2008-02-03.
  5. ^ "Interview With Settlement Winner Tom Rinks", American Morning, CNN, 2003-06-05. Retrieved on 2006-10-04. 
  6. ^ "Another settlement in the talking Chihuahua mascot lawsuit", Woodtv8, 2003-09-11. Retrieved on 2006-10-04. 
  7. ^ Douglas A. Dozeman - Grand Rapids. Lawyer of the Year 2003. Michigan Lawyers Weekly. Retrieved on 2006-10-04.