The Taco Bell dog, Gidget was born under a mass campaign and became the world’s most famous Chihuahua, now second only to Paris Hilton’s Tinkerbell. There were several dogs used in the commercials but the model for the ad campaign belonged to Gidget.
The dog in the commercial appeared as a Mexican revolutionary dog wearing a beret and sometimes he appeared as a bandit and he would be wearing a hat. The dog only spoke the catch phrase, Yo quiero Taco Bell. The voice of the Taco Bell dog is Carlos Alazraui who has done voices for the cartoons, Fairly Odd parents, Rocko’s Modern Life and Reno 911.
But the Taco Bell dog was not without it’s controversy. After the first commercials came out, many Latin Americans accused the Taco Bell Corporation of using the Chihuahua as Latin stereotype. Taco Bell denied this and they used the dog because the dog was small and cute and just right for the ad. But the Taco Bell Corporation pulled the ads in 2000 anyway.
Gidget still got work after her stint as the Taco Bell Dog, she appeared as Bruiser’s Mom in the movie Legally Blonde 2 and she was also featured in the commercial with the Geico Gecko.
