How Taco Bell Lost $42 Million to a Cartoon Chihuahua #190

This week, Harley and Big Lynch are joined by Chef Atari for the tale of two dogs, a line taken from Taco Bell's own Supreme Court brief. In 1996, Michigan creators Tom Rinks and Joe Shields pitched Taco Bell a character called Psycho Chihuahua and spent nine months sending art, merch, and proposals at the company's request. Then Taco Bell's new ad agency pitched a chihuahua of its own. A Taco Bell staffer warned the company's lawyers the two dogs looked a little too similar, and they launched anyway. The boys break down the campaign that sold 13 million plush chihuahuas in a single quarter, the record sales slump that ended it in 2000, the Grand Rapids jury that awarded $30,174,031, the interest that pushed the judgment past $42 million, the confidential settlement, and Taco Bell suing its own ad agency to cover the bill and losing that too. Plus: the Godzilla crossover, RIP Wishbone, the great dog-actor salary debate, Wendy's grocery store burgers that reportedly disintegrate on the grill, and the Christopher Nolan Star Wars coffee rumor. Next week: the phone police. New episodes of Double Dusted Discussion, every Monday! Join the Discord, Harley's Trap House, and check out the Double Dusted Discussion channel. Tell us what you think at r/EpicMealTime, @EpicMealTime on Twitter, or business@epicmealtime.com. Make sure to subscribe and follow the podcast. New episodes every Monday! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices