Taco Bell chihuahua

Gidget (February 7, 1994 – July 21, 2009), nicknamed the Taco Bell Chihuahua, was an advertising figure and mascot for Taco Bell from August 1997 to July 2000. The character she played was developed by TBWA. The Chihuahua is a breed commonly associated with Mexico.

History

In August 1997, Taco Bell used the dog in one advertisement in the Northeastern United States. The advertising campaign began during a peak in the Burger wars, in which several fast food chains were engaged in a large advertisement competition against each other. The dog was made to speak through special effects. Her advertising catchphrase was "¡Yo quiero Taco Bell!" ("I want Taco Bell!"). Her voice was provided by Carlos Alazraqui, who says that the voice is a cross between Hungarian-born actor Peter Lorre (The Maltese Falcon) and Ren Höek, the cartoon chihuahua from The Ren & Stimpy Show (who in turn was also based on Lorre), with a touch of Anthony Quinn from Requiem for a Heavyweight. The dog also started two additional catchphrases: "Yeah, drop the Chalupa!" (which briefly became an oft-quoted phrase on SportsCenter) and "Viva Gorditas!" In a noted crossover with the 1998 Godzilla film, the dog tried to trap the monster in 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 to Jaws), 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

The figure grew popular, so much so that talking toy figures of the dog were produced and sold at Taco Bell locations during 1998 to 1999, as well as other versions at other stores, and "Yo quiero (X)" became a recognized piece of popular culture.