Taco Bell Dog Has Died

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Handlers say Gidget the Chihuahua, whose Taco
Bell commercials made her a star, has died. She was 15.
The owner of Studio Animal Services in Castaic says Gidget
suffered a massive stroke late Tuesday at her trainer's home in
Santa Clarita and had to be euthanized.
Gidget was the sassy mascot in Taco Bell commercials from 1997
to 2000. While other dogs had bit parts, it was her bug-eyed,
big-eared face that is seen pronouncing, in a dubbed male voice,
"Yo quiero Taco Bell."
The ads made the Taco Bell mascot wildly popular, although they
provoked some criticism from activists who felt they used Mexican
stereotypes.
Gidget also had a role in the movie "Legally Blonde 2."

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)