Wienermobile
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox automobile A fleet of brandmobiles shaped like a hot dog on a bun, called "Wienermobiles", are used to promote and advertise Oscar Mayer products in the United States. The first Wienermobile was created by Oscar Mayer's nephew, Carl G. Mayer, in 1936.<ref name="wienermobile1936" /> For a brief period in 2023, it was renamed the "Frankmobile", but due to popular demand, the name was changed back to "Wienermobile."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
HistoryEdit
The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile has evolved from Carl Mayer's original 1936 vehicle<ref name="wienermobile1936">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> to the vehicles seen on the road today. Although the first Wienermobile was scrapped for metal in the 1940s to aid the US Army during World War II,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Oscar Mayer and the Gerstenslager Company created several new vehicles using a Dodge chassis or a Willys Jeep chassis in the 1950s.Template:Cn The 1952 model is on display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. These Wienermobiles were piloted by "Little Oscar" (portrayed by George Molchan) who would visit stores, schools, orphanages, and children's hospitals and participate in parades and festivals.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Noted industrial designer Brooks Stevens is also credited with a "new look" 1950s design, taking advantages of the possibilities of modern molded fiberglass construction<ref>"Brooks Stevens reimagined the 'Wienermobile of the Future' and an American classic was born", Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, July 19, 2019</ref> "to put the wiener in the bun" in 1958.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 1969, new Wienermobiles were built on a Chevrolet motor home chassis and featured Ford Thunderbird taillights. The 1969 vehicle was the first Wienermobile to travel outside the United States.Template:Fact
In 1976, Plastic Products, Inc., built a fiberglass and styrofoam model, again on a Chevrolet motor home chassis.Template:Fact
In 1988, Oscar Mayer had a fleet of six Wienermobiles using converted Chevrolet van chassis.Template:Fact
In 1995, a new version increased the size of the Wienermobile to a length of Template:Convert and a height of Template:Convert.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> This version also included the upgraded large parallelogram windows which could now open, as designed by Sheldon Theis.Template:Fact
In 2004, the Wienermobile included a voice-activated GPS navigation device, an audio center with a wireless microphone, a horn that plays the Wiener Jingle (in 21 different genres from Cajun to Rap to Bossa Nova), according to American Eats,Template:Clarifyme and sports fourth generation Pontiac Firebird taillights.Template:Fact
Following mechanical problems with the Isuzu NPR, Oscar Mayer decided to adopt a larger chassis to accommodate an increase in the size of the signature wiener running through the middle. While the Wienermobile was not as long as the 1995 version, it was considerably wider and taller. Craftsmen Industries went through numerous overhauls of the truck including a flipped axle and a leveling kit. This version held a record for numerous suspension problems, most leading to the chassis not being able to hold the large weight of the Oscar Mayer Wiener.Template:Fact
In 2004, Oscar Mayer announced a contest whereby customers could win the right to use the Wienermobile for a day. Within a month, the contest had generated over 15,000 entries.Template:Citation needed
In June 2017, the company introduced several new hot dog-themed vehicles, including the WienerCycle, WienerRover, and WienerDrone.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In May 2023, Oscar Mayer announced that it was renaming the Wienermobile to the Frankmobile, to promote a new recipe for its all-beef franks. It was suggested that the name change would not be permanent.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The name was changed back in September 2023.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
For Carb Day, prior to the 2025 Indianapolis 500, all six Wienermobiles took part in the inaugural Wienie 500. Slaw Dog won the 2 lap race around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. <ref>https://www.jalopnik.com/1867653/oscar-mayer-wienie-500-how-to-watch/</ref>
Source: Oscar Mayer<ref>Cruising in Time (web archive)</ref>
Wienermobile driversEdit
Six Wienermobiles operate throughout the United States.<ref name="Wienermobiles2020">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="103.3 WKFR 2019">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The driver of a Wienermobile is called The Hotdogger. The Hotdogger job is to "meat" and greet people around the country.<ref> Template:Cite news
</ref> The duties of a Hotdogger include:
"...sharing photos and videos on social media, answering questions about the brand and the vehicle (the most frequently asked question is if there's a bathroom in the back, to which they respond: 'No, it's not a Weenie-bago'), and distributing swag."<ref name="Wienermobiles2020"/>
<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Only college seniors who are about to graduate are eligible to be Hotdoggers. Applicants should be getting their BA or BS, preferably in public relations, journalism, communications, advertising, or marketing.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A Hotdogger's assignment is for only one year. Recruiting for each year's new Hotdogger cadre involves current Hotdoggers and Oscar Mayer recruiters visiting college campuses across the country. In 2018, 7,000 people applied to be Hotdoggers. As each Wienermobile carries two Hotdoggers, only 12 Hotdoggers are selected each year.<ref name="Wienermobiles2020" /> Notable Hotdoggers include former US House Speaker Paul Ryan.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
ModelsEdit
Toys and scale replicas of the Wienermobile have been made over the years, with Hot Wheels issuing die-cast versions of the vehicle.Template:Fact
Notable incidentsEdit
Template:Stack In June 2007, a Wienermobile with the Wisconsin vanity license plate of YUMMY made headlines after being stopped by an Arizona Department of Public Safety officer for having an allegedly stolen license plate. Officer K. Lankow had observed the Wienermobile slowing traffic and checked the license plate to determine if the vehicle was street legal. The license plate came back as being stolen out of Columbia, Missouri,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> so the officer stopped the Wienermobile and detained the driver. Oscar Mayer had not notified police that they had obtained a duplicate replacement plate after the previous one was stolen, and that it should be considered stolen only if not on a Wienermobile. The Wienermobile was released soon after the error was discovered.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Cops ketchup with Wienermobile Template:Webarchive</ref>
On July 17, 2009, a Wienermobile on a cul-de-sac in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, was attempting to turn around in a residential driveway. The driver, thinking the vehicle was in reverse, accelerated forward, lodging the Wienermobile under a house and destroying the house's deck.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On January 26, 2020, a Wienermobile was pulled over by a Waukesha, Wisconsin, sheriff's deputy for violating the Move Over Law, which requires motorists to switch lanes to pass an emergency vehicle with its warning lights on. The driver was issued a warning.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In February 2023, during the Super Bowl LVII weekend, an Oscar Mayer Wienermobile in Las Vegas had its catalytic converter stolen.<ref name="Clayton 2023">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In July 2024, a Wienermobile on I-294 near Chicago collided with a passenger sedan and flipped onto its side. No injuries were reported.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
- Wienermobile Instagram
- Wienermobile photo retrospective, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
- Road Trip America Wienermobile article
- Jon Stewart Wienermobile story
- {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}