Adios, Gidget. Te amo, little friend.

A bit off-topic here, but significant news in Critterland, nonetheless:

Today we say goodbye to dear little Gidget, who crossed the Rainbow Bridge yesterday after succumbing to a stroke at 15. She passed at the Los Angeles home of her longtime trainer, Sue Chipperton.

Gidget is probably better known to most folks as the Taco Bell Chihuahua. Playing a male, beret-wearing spokesdog for the Americanized Mexican fast food chain, Gidget was digitally enhanced to utter the often-parodied expression of tortilla love, "Yo quiero Taco Bell!" And yes, I have one of the little stuffed dogs that says so when you squeeze it. And no, it's not for sale.

You couldn't help but fall in love with this little ball of personality with those huge brown eyes. The best spot was the one where the little "boy" dog tried to seduce the female with those expressive eyebrows and blinking eyes. I'll admit that it was one ad campaign I wished would never end. Beats the hell out of "FourthMeal," anyway.

Whatever you think about it, Gidget in her Taco Bell persona became a cultural icon of the 1990s, and will likely live on long past that in people's memories.

We'll miss you, Gidget. Adios, little friend.