I remember the old tortillas as being very thin and paperlike. I was very glad when they changed to a softer, slightly thicker tortilla. Of course, I like a little chewiness to my tortillas–they’re more like the ones I’ve made myself.
Damn, now I wish I could remember the recipe, because those suckers are GOOD! 
It was a dinosaur. And as he ate up the little Taco Bell building (shaped in classic “Alamo” mission style) he would say, in a heavy cartoon accent - sounding as much like Boris Badenov as Jose Jimenez, “It’s nice to eat… Taco Bell.”
I still say that every time I think of T.Bell.
I’d be curious to know if that was a national ad or just early on in CA. and the West.
Back in the early 90s, Taco Bell used to have 39 cent menu items. They were fiesta sized, mini versions of the regular item. I always had some at home in my fridge. Yum!
Do you remember the ads leading up to Little Richard? They had some white, bearded guy singing and playing piano while being pulled on trailer. The song and prices were 39, 59, 79. They started getting popular, so they notched up the prices and “invested” in the wax-faced Little Richard. For some weird reason, I always felt bad for the original guy. He was the voice and face of Taco Bell when they needed him, then they dumped him when they hit it big. Ah Lady Bell, you are a fickle woman.
I’m glad somebody remembers those ads better than I can. I tried Google to find out more about them but came up empty.
I’m pretty sure those commercials aired mainly on the West Coast since I saw them when I was living in Sacramento around 1969 which is before Taco Bell franchises went nationwide.
I was living in Hawaii at that time (okay, still am), and the 39 cents stuff cost 79 cents. The other funny thing (more recently) is Carl’s Junior’s $6 burger cost more than $6!!
Not that these kind of posts garner too much sympathy, besides the usual “shut up, you live in Hawaii”
Oh man was I pissed when they stopped using black olives. I always ordered extra, and then bang! No black olives for you! :mad:
A quick youtube search brought this up:
Quite different from their current ad campaigns. Seems vaguely familiar to me - I would have been 11 or 12 years old at the time if the 1983 date is right.
“I’m in this dumb hotel, near the Taco Bell, without a hope in hell, I can’t believe that I’m still around”
This is interesting but my first brush with Mexican fast food was;
Zantigo, nothing more than 99 cents, nothing less than delicous!
Back in the early 80’s there was a Taco Bell just over the fence from my apartment. My roommate, who worked evenings, got home right around the time TB was closing up for the night. He occasionally bought something, but mostly, he asked for (and got) whatever they were going to throw out…there were always at least a couple of tacos or burritos sitting on the warming trays. He pretty much lived on Taco Bell for about 2 years.
The flesh of captive warriors sacrificed to Huitzilopochtli, stewed with chili peppers and squash. Betcha didn’t know the chain was that old! In those days, they called it “Teotihuacabiloctli” (banqueting temple of the artery-hardening victuals).
I remember the (girl singing) fiftynine-seventynine-nine-ty-nine!!! commercials from 1993/'94 and thinking that was expensive, as I’m sure their tacos were 29 or 39 cents up until then (maybe I lived in a cheaper part of the country?)
Before those commercials I remember the “Border Buster” (big, reusable cup) and Run for the Border commercials.
I remember when the Mexican Pizza was first introduced and it was called the “Pizazz Pizza”. Anyone else remember that?
When I was a kid the only place I knew to get Taco Bell was back on the West Coast, so every time I went back to visit San Diego, the very first place I’d have mom take me was TB. I’d always get a taco & a tostada. For my third item either a burrito or Bell Burger. God, I can’t believe I used to love Bell Burgers. I still love everything else though.
Later in the late 70’s a TB opened up where I was living in Wisconsin. Yay! Even better, I dated a girl who worked there and she’d get me free stuff sometimes. Yah again!
I love the regular tostadas. IIRC, you could get guacamole on it for a small extra charge. The last time I was there I ordered a tostada and got this soft folded up thing that was gross. Do they not have the old-fashioned tostadas anymore? That would depress me.
No more tostadas, not even special order. They stopped carrying the flat tortillas for them a few years ago. 
It’s been so long since I ordered a tostada at Taco Bell that I can’t say whether or not they stopped carrying the flat tortillas for a time, but I’m 100% sure they have them now. They’re in TB’s current big-push item, the crunchwrap supreme.
AAMOF, they are. I wonder if that means they’re back on the special request menu?
This is definitely going to require an investigatory trip to the local TB. Their main website doesn’t list tostadas, but some personal websites claiming to be up-to-date do.
No, no. It’s okay. I’m willing to do this in the name of fighting ignorance.