Gidget the Chihuahua

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," Spanish for "I want 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."