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Taco Bell chihuahua

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Gidget
SpeciesDog
BreedChihuahua
SexFemale[1]
Born(1994-02-07)February 7, 1994
United States
DiedJuly 21, 2009(2009-07-21)(aged 15)
Santa Clarita, California,United States

Gidget(February 7, 1994 – July 21, 2009), nicknamed the "Taco Bell Chihuahua",was anadvertising figureandmascotforTaco Bellfrom September 1997 to July 2000. She was developed byTBWA.TheChihuahuais a breed commonly associated withMexico.

History

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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,[2]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[3][4]), 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)[5]and "VivaGorditas!"[6]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),[7]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.

Popularity

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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.

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SomeLatin Americansaccused the dog of being a culturalstereotype.[8][9]Commercials that depicted the dog as abandidowith asombrero[5]or as arevolutionarywearing aberet(similar to the one famously worn byArgentinerevolutionaryChe Guevara)[10][11]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.[10]

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In July 2000, Taco Bell ended the chihuahua advertisements,[6][12]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.[13]It was incorrectly rumored that Taco Bell ended the commercials because the dog died.[14]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.[15]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.[16]

Lawsuit

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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 compensation[17]plus nearly $12 million in additional interest three months later.[6]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.[18][19][20]

Further career

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In later years, Gidget appeared in a 2002 commercial for insurance companyGEICO,[21]again as the Taco Bell Chihuahua, and as "Bruiser's Mom" in the 2003 movieLegally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde.

Death

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Gidget died on July 21, 2009, at age 15 after having suffered astrokein the home of her trainer Sue Chipperton[22]inSanta 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."[23]

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Taco Bell's top dog dies at 15".CNN.com.
  2. ^Swanson, Sandra (May 4, 2007)."Officer Garcia Plus Carlos Alazraqui Gets More Laughs Than 'Reno 911!' Character".Daily Herald.Arlington Heights, IL. Archived fromthe originalon January 12, 2020.RetrievedJanuary 12,2020.
  3. ^Meisler, Andy (August 16, 1992)."TELEVISION; Ren and Stimpy's Triumphant Return".The New York Times.RetrievedOctober 27,2009.
  4. ^Neuwirth, Allan (2003).Makin' toons: inside the most popular animated TV shows and movies.Allworth Press.ISBN9781581152692.
  5. ^abKline, Daniel B.; Tomaszewski, Jason (2011).Worst Ideas Ever: A Celebration of Embarrassment.Skyhorse Publishing. pp. 14–3.ISBN978-1-61608-262-8.
  6. ^abcWilliams, Carol J. (2009-01-24)."Taco Bell loses $42 million Chihuahua ruling".The Seattle Times.Retrieved2009-03-15.
  7. ^"Advertising Mascots - Animals".TV Acres. Archived fromthe originalon February 5, 2013.RetrievedJuly 15,2011.
  8. ^Sullivan, Ben (May 11, 1998)."Popular Taco Bell Ad Campaign Raises Ire of Dog Lovers, Latinos".Los Angeles Daily News.Archived fromthe originalon January 12, 2020.RetrievedJanuary 12,2020.
  9. ^Stevenson, Mark.Mexico slams Burger King for 'whopper' of insult.Associated Press. 13 April 2009.
  10. ^abReyes, David (July 14, 1998)."Latino Leader Calls for Taco Bell Boycott".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedJanuary 12,2020.
  11. ^Puente, Teresa (April 12, 1998)."¡Ay Chihuahua!".Chicago Tribune.RetrievedJanuary 12,2020.
  12. ^"Taco Bell replaces top executive and Chihuahua, too".CNN.2004-10-19. Archived fromthe originalon June 21, 2006.Retrieved2006-10-04.
  13. ^Hernandez, Greg; Johnson, Greg (2000-07-19)."Taco Bell Replaces Chief, Chihuahua as Sales Fall".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedJuly 11,2011.[dead link]
  14. ^"For Whom the Taco Bell Tolls".Snopes.2009.Retrieved2009-07-22.
  15. ^Lawson, Tim and Alisa Persons.The Magic Behind the Voices: A Who's Who of Cartoon Voice Actors."192."
  16. ^"Taco Bell Dog Death".Snopes.com.4 July 2004.
  17. ^"Michigan Creators Awarded $30.1 Million in Lawsuit over Ownership of Taco Bell's Chihuahua".thefreelibrary.com. 2003-06-04.Retrieved2009-03-15.
  18. ^"Taco Bell Loses Chihuahua Case--Again".Amlaw Daily.January 26, 2009.
  19. ^"Interview With Settlement Winner Tom Rinks".American Morning.CNN.2003-06-05.Retrieved2006-10-04.
  20. ^"Douglas A. Dozeman - Grand Rapids".Lawyer of the Year 2003.Michigan Lawyers Weekly.Archived fromthe originalon July 1, 2004.Retrieved2006-10-04.
  21. ^Walker, Rob (Aug 26, 2002)."The Recycled Mascot. Why is the Taco Bell Chihuahua selling car insurance?".Slate.Retrieved4 May2014.
  22. ^"Taco Bell Chihuahua Dies".CBS News.July 22, 2009.RetrievedJuly 29,2012.
  23. ^Jablon, Robert."Taco Bell ad star Gidget the Chihuahua dies at 15".ABC News.Retrieved18 November2015.
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