If we are looking for one of the most famous lizards in the
world today, the GEICO Gecko lizard has to be hands down the
most popular lizard in the advertising world. It was voted
in 2005 as America's favorite advertising icon. The GEICO
Gecko lizard travels the country spreading the good news
about GEICO, and has fascinated audiences of all ages.

The Gecko made his debut in 1999 for GEICO, an insurance
company owned by Berkshire Hathaway and based in Washington,
D.C. The tagline for the GEICO commercials reads: "Fifteen
minutes could save you 15 percent or more on car insurance."

The idea for the GEICO Gecko we all know and love actually
came from a mispronunciation of GEICO. The Gecko actually
explains this in one of his first commercials. The Martin
Agency in Richmond, Virginia pioneered the idea after a
brainstorming session. The GEICO Gecko was born and aired in
the 1999-2000 television season.

The current Gecko animation was created by Framestore of New
York. His elegant mannerisms and English accent (Dave Kelly)
set him apart from other advertising icons of his day. As
ambassador of GEICO he touts the great service and quick
rate quotes that GEICO offers its customers. He can not only
be found on television but also at the local events to which
he is constantly invited.



The GEICO Gecko is six inches of green computer animation.
In the earliest commercials people were constantly calling
him and confusing him with GEICO the car insurance. Then the
irritated Gecko would wax on about how he was constantly
getting confused with GEICO car insurance in the phone book.
The Gecko's voice has undergone several changes throughout
the years. The first voice of the gecko was supplied by
Actor Kelsey Grammer in the first commercial. The latest
voice of the famous Gecko is supplied by Jake Wood and has a
distinct aussie accent.

The latest commercials have the Gecko showing an "If you
can't beat them, join them." attitude in response to the
previous commercial campaign. It started with auditions
where the Gecko goes in and applies to officially become
GEICO's mascot, only to meet the Taco Bell Dog who had come
to audition for the position as well. In the commercial, the
Taco Bells dog says, "Oh, great - a talking Gecko!"

The GEICO Gecko has become such a phenomenon that there is
even space on GEICO's website dedicated to the little
lizard. He has his own blog, games, wallpapers, and
etcetera, all to be found on Geico.com. You can find his
commercials liberally splashed across the Internet and of
course there are toys and merchandise featuring him. And it
all started with a bunch of wrong numbers.


Adorable Stuffed Plush Geckos and Lizards