2 hit Taco Bell jackpot: Ka-ching! Talking dog nets men $30.2 million

Detroit Free Press ^ | June 5, 2003 | JEFF BENNETT

[sarcasm]

Two Michigan men are rolling in the dinero today after a Grand Rapids federal jury ordered Taco Bell Corp. to pay $30.2 million for stealing the idea of "Dinky" the talking Chihuahua.

Thomas Rinks, 40, and Joseph Shields, 42, both of the Grand Rapids area, sued Taco Bell in 1998 saying they were never paid a doggone cent for creating the canine sensation that makes Lassie's fame look like a used chew toy.

[Bella_Bru]

Cute ad campaign, but it still did not make up for the fact that Taco Bell food is nasty and absolutely without decent flavor.

Gimme some nice carne asada, on a soft corn tortilla, with some cilantro, anyday.

[ppaul]

BUMP!

[drlevy88]

YO QUIERO TACO BELL!

[martin_fierro]

"I, Chihuahua! $30.2 Million will sure buy a lot of Chalupas!"

[Bella_Bru]

Nahhhhh....I'll take King Taco, right up the street, over Taco Bell. The wait is always long, I have learned some Spanish from the people that own it, and the food is awesome.

[Fawnn]

I don't see the two who sued as greedy at all. I'd much rather see the true creators reap the rewards of their creation than witness people who spill coffee in their laps or get fat because they eat fast food win humonga lawsuits.

Creators are too often given too little respect. (Anyone remember the Atari 8-bit days when the game programmers were told they were nothing more than "towel designers"?)

[martin_fierro]

The former Taco Bravo in Campbell, CA was the only "Mexican" food known to be nastier than Taco Bell's.

[Bella_Bru]

WORSE than Taco Hell? Is that possible???

[L.N. Smithee]

This story is eerily similar to that of the legal dispute between McDonald's and Sid & Marty Krofft, the creators of H.R. Pufnstuf, Land of The Lost, Lidsville, and The Bugaloos.

The Krofft brothers conceptualized the "McDonaldland" in the TV commercials and created all the additional characters around Ronald McDonald (The Grimace, Hamburglar, etc.) when suddenly, the chain broke off talks to put commercials into production. Sometime later, McDonald's went ahead and used the Kroffts' ideas anyway.

They sued. And won.

[weegee]

I thought it was the Dick Dale styled surf guitar that made those ads a hit. Maybe Dick should give up his airstrip and make some money off the advertisers instead.

Post 1994 (Pulp Fiction's use of Miserlou) there was an increase in Dale knock offs.

[martin_fierro]

WORSE than Taco Hell? Is that possible???

Oh, believe it.

As the linked article shows:

• The food must be lousy if the photo focuses on the salsa;
• Taco Bravo was only frequented by late-night drunks; and
• it failed to satisfy even that clientele, and closed. NASTY!