.comment-link {margin-left:.6em;}

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Gidget, the Taco Bell Dog Dies, Age 15



This is sad news. The
“Yo Quiero Taco Bell” dog has died at the age of 15. Reuters:

    Gidget the Chihuahua, who achieved pop-culture immortality in the “Yo Quiero Taco Bell” ad campaigns run by the fast-food outlet in the 1990s, died of an apparent stroke in Santa Clarita, Calif., on Tuesday while watching television. She was 15.

    [...]

    Gidget starred in Taco Bell ads for two years, beginning in late 1997. “She” became a “he” in the spots, which depicted the canine on a quest for Taco Bell fare. The tagline “Yo Quiero Taco Bell” (I want Taco Bell) passed into the lexicon, and Gidget became an instant celebrity. She showed up at movie premieres, on magazine covers, and even at the opening session of the New York Stock Exchange. A toy version sold briskly at Taco Bell’s 6,000 outlets. But the $200 million ad campaign did not do much for Taco Bell sales, and the company dropped Gidget after complaints from franchisees.

Some may ask, "Dave, why did you publish this when so many other newsworthy events (war, H1N1 flu virus, etc) - are competing for headlines?"

The “Yo Quiero Taco Bell” dog and the ad campaign are part of pop culture. Pop culture is often newsworthy. I'm not going to spend any more time on this subject other than this post. But it definitely merited mention.

Labels: , ,


Comments:
Ahhh, more idol worship...
 
Don, think of how much more controversial and newsworthy had the Taco Bell Died under mysterious circumstances in Aruba? I shudder to think of the coverage and Media reaction.
 
Post a Comment



<< Home

eXTReMe Tracker



Web Site Traffic Counters
Alabama Internet

Listed on BlogShares

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?

This site uses photographs and material from other sources in strict
accordance and compliance with Fair Use Section 107 U.S. Copyright Code.
All other images and content © 2005-2009 David Drake.
Not responsible for content contained at linked sites.

Policy on commenting:
- Anonymous comments have little chance of being published.
- Comments made on posts 60 days old or older have little chance of being published.
- Published comments do not necessarily reflect the views of this blog author.
- Discretion of publishing or rejecting submitted comments rests solely with the owner and creator of this blog.
- Comments that egregiously "plug" (i.e. advertise or promote) another site or blog will be rejected. This doesn't mean you cannot include a link to your story, blog or to another site, but don't go overboard.
- Profanity is not a disqualifying factor, but profane rants solely for purposes of profanity are unlikely to be published.
- The owner and creator of this blog is not liable or responsible for the opinions of those who comment.