The large career of a very small dog

I just finished a nine-year run at Latin celeb/entertainment/
lifestyle/whatever magazine Estylo and have been looking back at some of the more, eh, memorable clips of that era in my life. Here's one from Estylo's ill-fated Dog Issue of 2005, which taught us that our readers were more interested in human celebrities than dogs.

Gidget - Diva Doggie Deluxe: The large career of a very small dog
by Linda F. Cauthen

Despite her diminutive size (8 pounds, 11 inches tall), Gidget the Chihuahua has managed to claw out quite a career for herself. Entertainment Weekly named Gidget to their “It List” in June 1998, proclaiming she puts the “wow” in Chihuahua. From the moment she barked “Yo quiero Taco Bell” in the summer of 1997, the petite pooch was a star. Her wide-winging ears, expressive eyes, and the ferocious intensity of a method actress landed her the gig, and aided by the voice-overs of comic Carlos Alazraqui and a bit of digital animation, the canine ingenue became the distinctive voice of a major fast food chain.

For the next three years, Gidget went on to immortalize such phrases as “Viva gorditas!” “Here lizard lizard” and “Hasta la Vista Whopper.” Quickly becoming accustomed to the showbiz high life, she developed as taste for riding in style. Her trainer, Sue Chipperton quipped, “If she sees a limo door open that’s not ours, I have to say, ‘No, Gidget, we’re taking a taxi.’” The Taco Bell campaign not only moved several tons of their fast food, it also sold millions of plush toy versions of the cheeky Chi.

Alas, nothing lasts forever and in July of 2000, Gidge was unceremoniously dismissed when Taco Bell’s bottom line began to sag. Rather than doing the obvious and improving their food, the corporate honchos made the dainty dog their scapegoat and sent her to the canine unemployment line.

Undaunted, the ambitious Gidget refused to be typecast as a spokespuppy and turned her sights on serious acting in major motion pictures. After making her film debut in the comedy Crazy in Alabama directed by Antonio Banderas and starring his wife Melanie Griffith, Gidget assayed the challenging role of the abused mom of Elle Woods’ pup Bruiser in the 2003 hit sequel Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde, where she stole the show from the pregnant and MIA star Reese Witherspoon on the red carpet.

The now ten-year-old Gidget still takes occasional parts including a recent commercial for Trivial Pursuit 90’s Edition in which she co-starred with Dennis Rodman. But mostly she lives a quiet life in Lake Elizabeth, CA with trainer Sue Chipperton, doing good works for less-fortunate animals, such as a recent charity benefit for the Animal Actors Guild, a non-profit dedicated to the humane retirement of primate thespians. The semi-retired doggie doyenne can look back on career made even more impressive by the fact that she started life as a rescue.