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Oscar Mayer, the longtime meat processor, became a major employer in Madison after a production plant opened on the city’s north side in 1919. Soon Madison was the company’s headquarters, and that meant it also became home base for the Wienermobiles that promote Oscar Mayer hot dogs.
The bright yellow and red-orange Wienermobile, designed to resemble a giant bun and hot dog, made its debut July 18,1936, as the company’s float for Chicago parades.
In the vehicle rode Little Oscar, a diminutive chef and the company’s mascot.
The first Little Oscar was Meinhardt Raabe, who also was the Munchkin coroner in “The Wizard of Oz.” His role as Little Oscar, touring with the Wienermobile in the 1930s to 1950s, earned him a place in the Meat Industry Hall of Fame in 2011.
The first Wienermobile was 13 feet long, and Little Oscar was a mere 3 feet, 6 inches tall.
Other Designs:
Milwaukee industrial designer Brooks Stevens, who created the Excalibur luxury vehicle, was commissioned to add a sleeker look to the Wienermobile in the 1950s. He used a Jeep chassis and in the late 1980s came up with another version that converted a Chevy van and used a V-6 engine.
Others – including Oscar Mayer mechanics – also designed Wienermobiles, A 1952 Wienermobile is on permanent exhibit at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. A 1969 version was the first to be used in foreign countries.
Oscar Mayer had no such promotional vehicles during World War II because of gas rationing.
Wienermobile visibility faded in the 1980s, but then Oscar Mayer brought the Wienermobile out of storage as part of the company’s 50th birthday party in 1986. Public feedback was strong and positive.
Modern Wienermobiles:
Today there are six of the vehicles, each 27 feet long, on the road in addition to a mini model and food trucks. The Wienermobile has been redesigned many times since 1936, and the most recent version is built on a Mini Hatch Cooper S chassis.
Drivers share their cross-country observations on the Hotdogger Blog, and that’s especially true during the 2013 Wienermobile Run, a contest to see which vehicles and drivers gain the most points from doing good deeds and accepting dares from fans. The number of fan photos posted on Instagram and Twitter matters, too.
Fans in this promotion choose to back one of six Wienermobile teams, each identified by their Twitter hashtag: BornToRun, SpeedyWiener, Autobuhn, HellOnBuns, Bunderstruck and DriftDog.
The drivers, while traveling throughout the U.S., try to make “Wienermobile Dreams” come true by doing things like being helpful at a wedding ceremony or Times Square. Sometimes people get a free ride; each of the vehicles accommodates up to six.
Behind the Wheel:
Being a Hotdogger (driver) is described online is “a pretty sweet gig” because of the travel and attention that the Wienermobile receives. There are 12 drivers, upbeat and outgoing college grads. Two are assigned to each vehicle, after completing 40 hours of job training, referred to as Hot Dog High.
The job lasts one year and begins in June. Applicants with communications or advertising education tend to gain an edge over the competition. Learn more here before sending a resume to:
The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile Department
Attn: Hotdogger Position
910 Mayer Ave.
Madison, WI 53704
Thousands apply for these jobs, and finalists visit Madison to be interviewed. At least 300 people Hotdogger alums.
Remember the Jingle?
What’s almost as well-known as the Wienermobile? The Oscar Mayer jingle, which was broadcast on radio stations in 1963, still is played when the Wienermobile shows up at festivals and other events. It goes like this:
"Oh, I wish I were an Oscar Mayer Wiener,
That is what I'd truly like to be-ee-ee.
'Cause if I were an Oscar Mayer Wiener,
Everyone would be in love with me.”
Other Trivia:
The Oscar Mayer Wiener Banjo-Ukelele, used during the first recording of the jingle by composer Richard Trentlage of Chicago, is in the Wisconsin Historical Society’s archives.
Which came first, the Wiener Whistle or Wienermobile? The whistle was created in 1952. Wherever the dawg on wheels goes, chances are good that there will be a stash of wienie-shaped whistles to distribute. On eBay, vintage whistles sometimes fetch $20 or more.
Although the Oscar Mayer brand still exists, the company was sold to General Foods Corp. in 1981 and became a part of Kraft Foods Company in 1989.
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