All Taco Bell dogs go to heaven

All stereotypes, thankfully, come to an end. Sadly this one concludes with the passing of Gidget — a 15-year-old Chihuahua widely known as the Taco Bell spokesdog. 

Gidget was the star of a four-year advertising campaign that kicked off in 1997 with the video above. In some respects, the Taco Bell dog represented a breakthrough in advertising, leading to catch phrases like, “I think I’m in Love” and “Yo Quiero Taco Bell.” The ads also showed society’s burgeoning ability to embrace and then quickly reject a new idea. 

After the Taco Bell ads, Gidget scored a part in Legally Blonde 2 as the mother of the main dog protagonist, Bruiser. However, the last few years, Gidget enjoyed lying in the sun. 

Despite the disturbing fact that People has chosen to display the details of Gidget’s life in its “Tributes” section, the accompanying interview did offer up this quote:

“I like to joke that it’s like looking after a plant,” said trainer Sue Chipperton of Gidget’s life as a retired dog actress.

So, who’s our most famous pitch animal now? It might be the inflatable panda outside the Panda Express on State Line Road last week. It could be the Chick-fil-A cows. Or, as this post might warrant, is it keyboard cat?