THE man who speaks for the Taco Bell Chihuahua says it may only be matter of time before the cagey canine returns to TV.
“I believe this is a mixed blessing,” said voiceover artist/stand-up comic Carlos Alazraqui, who has provided the dog’s voice for more than 30 advertising spots.
The diminutive pooch appears to have become corporate roadkill after a major management shakeup at Taco Bell.
The shuffle resulted in the company dropping the dog when it dumped TBWA Chiat/Day, the advertising agency that makes the wildly popular commercials.
“Since the campaign won’t run its natural course, people might get hungry for it again and [Taco Bell] might say, ‘We killed it before it died off naturally,'” Alazraqui said.
The dog – played by a female Chihuahua named Ginger – debuted in 1997 and became the focal point of a $200 million advertising campaign. The spot’s popularity turned Ginger (and Alazraqui ) into the biggest doggy pitch-animal since Budweiser’s partying pit bull, Spuds McKenzie.
Alazraqui, who turns 38 today, said he recently received a letter from Chiat Day/Taco Bell explaining that the company had chosen not to renew his contract – and that they were probably going to discontinue the ad campaign.
“My contract ends on Aug. 7,” he said, noting that up until Aug. 6, the company can still launch a 13-week cycle of new commercials. “After that, I don’t know if they’re allowed to air old spots.”
The chihuahua, famous for its expressive face and Señor Wences-like voice that cried, “Yo quiero Taco Bell,” “Drop the Chalupa” and “Goooey,” may be out of work – but Alazraqui said he won’t shed too many tears.
“I hate when actors whine about losing a [character-driven] job. Move on!” he said.
He added, “To me, while the dog was a big part of my work, it was only one-10th of my one-man show. My business has always been trying to get on-camera or write a film or have a Hank Azaria/John Leguizamo-type of career. The dog was a means to an end for me.”
Alazraqui said that without the dog in his life, he’ll stay busy with stand-up comedy and a bunch of animation gigs, ranging from Nickelodeon’s popular series “CatDog” and a possible return to Fox’s “Family Guy.”
“I’ve always had my hands busy in other things,” he said. “It’s certainly something I identified with for a long time, but I’m not too disappointed – I’ve kind of seen this coming.”
