Taco Bell chihuahua

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The Taco Bell chihuahua (born c. 1995) was a popular advertising figure and mascot used by Taco Bell, which is a division of Kentucky, United States-based Yum! Brands. 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 commercials, the dog (sometimes depicted as a Mexican Revolution 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!", Spanish for "I want Taco Bell!". It was subtitled on commercials as "I want some 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, and Reno 911!.

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 another catch phrase, "Drop the chalupa!", which briefly became an oft-quoted phrase on SportsCenter.

Despite being wildly popular, some Latin Americans accused the dog of being a thinly veiled ethnic stereotype. Taco Bell denied this but nonetheless stopped showing the dog in advertisements in 2000 in order to pursue other campaigns.<ref>"Taco Bell replaces top executive and Chihuahua, too", CNN, 2000-07-19. Retrieved on 2006-10-04.</ref> The dog was most recently 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.^{[citation needed]}

The character may also have repopularized the toy bobbing head dogs often seen in the rear windows of automobiles.

The creator Tom Rinks, won a lawsuit against Taco Bell in 2003. He later went on to create the Nooma series starring famed speaker Rob Bell.<ref>"Interview With Settlement Winner Tom Rinks", American Morning, CNN, 2003-06-05. Retrieved on 2006-10-04.</ref><ref>"Another settlement in the talking Chihuahua mascot lawsuit", Woodtv8, 2003-09-11. Retrieved on 2006-10-04.</ref><ref>Douglas A. Dozeman - Grand Rapids. Lawyer of the Year 2003. Michigan Lawyers Weekly. Retrieved on 2006-10-04.</ref>

Despite the dog becoming a popular pop icon, the restaurant's declining sales caused the company to retire the role and replace with new advertisements. It did cause a few rumors that the dog was retired after an accident.<ref>For Whom the Taco Bell Tolls. Snopes (2004-07-04). Retrieved on 2006-10-04.</ref> It was also rumored that the model "Gidget" had passed away, but Taco Bell denies this, saying the dog is currently living with owners in La Grange, Texas.