Important Information Regarding the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile

Oscar Mayer Wienermobile: If you’ve ever had the good fortune of seeing it, you probably won’t soon forget it. Besides, how could you? Rolling along the highway in a huge hot dog bun is not something you see every day.

Oscar Mayer’s Wienermobile is a staple of the company’s advertising, appearing in commercials and on social media platforms. But if that’s all you know about the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, you might think it’s a new creation. After all, motor cars have only been around for about a century, so this is a rather original idea. Or perhaps you believe that there is a single Wienermobile that is only brought out for TV advertising and very special events. But there’s no truth to any of that. With such a long and interesting history, the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile is a fascinating piece of Americana to study. Take a look at this list for all the information you’ll need.

With its debut in 1936, the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile quickly became a cultural icon.

It’s been around for quite some time, yet the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile still looks brand new. Although named after him, Oscar Mayer (who existed) has stated that he did not come up with the concept for the Wienermobile, which debuted in 1936. True story: Carl, Mayer’s nephew, was the one who said it. In 1936, Carl proposed to his uncle that they build a huge hot dog to promote the company’s products all across Chicago.

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Not long after Carl got the green light from Oscar, the first Wienermobile hit the streets. This prototype was built to transport the brand’s spokesperson around Chicago while also prominently advertising Oscar Mayer wieners. The open cockpit was replaced with a glass one after a few years. Not over a decade after its birth, the Wienermobile went on indefinite pause because of gas restrictions during World War II, which made driving the vehicle around Chicago less than desirable. With the end of hostilities, however, the Wienermobile was once again a common sight on city streets, though it was no longer alone. This launch marked the first of what would become a fleet of Wienermobiles for Oscar Mayer.

In the ’70s and ’80s, the Wienermobiles went on an extended break.

After the war’s end and the introduction of the Wienermobile fleet in the 1950s (which, by the way, all featured freshly upgraded sound systems and sunroofs), the Oscar Mayer brand was advertised not just in Chicago but across the country for quite some time. Over the next two decades, the fleet expanded and improved.

In 1977, however, the Wienermobiles went on pause once again, and this time it wasn’t due to a global conflict. Oscar Mayer instead reveals that the business has permanently withdrawn the fleet in favor of other forms of advertising. Then, in 1986, for their 50th-anniversary celebration, Oscar Mayer unveiled a one-of-a-kind Wienermobile. The appearance of the lone Wienermobile garnered so much attention that in 1988, Oscar Mayer relaunched its Wienermobiles with the introduction of six all-new mobiles. With modern conveniences like microwaves and refrigerators, the new Wienermobiles were a significant upgrade over their predecessors.

Since its inception, the Wienermobile has undergone numerous changes.

The original Wienermobile debuted in the 1930s and has undergone several design changes since then. Different automakers and designers have put their spins on the car over the years.

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After the original Wienermobile was built by the General Body Company of Chicago in the 1930s, it was outfitted with glass in the cockpit so that it could be driven outside of Chicago and across the region. Even if you aren’t familiar with the General Body Company of Chicago, you probably know the name Dodge, which was involved in the development of later Wienermobiles in the 1950s. There were also designs that substituted the Jeep chassis or a Chevrolet van chassis for the Dodge chassis. A redesign brought the Wienermobiles up to 11 feet in height, 27 feet in length, and 8 feet in width in 1995. Modern fiberglass mobiles, on the other hand, are based on a design from 2004 and are built on a modified General Motors Chevrolet chassis. This model year’s design features a number of innovative touches, such as a hot dog-shaped dashboard, a gullwing door, carpeting, solar panels, and a removable roof.

There are currently six Wienermobiles in existence, however, they are used for much

The current fleet of Wienermobiles consists of six locatable hot dog-shaped trucks. Although there are six Wienermobiles in the traditional style (or as traditional as they’ve gotten after nearly a century of redesigns), the Wienermobile family includes many more automobiles.

According to Oscar Mayer, in 2008 the company debuted the Mini Wienermobile, a scaled-down version of the original that was based on a BMW Mini Cooper S chassis. At the 75th anniversary of the first Oscar Mayer Wienermobile’s debut in 1941, the company introduced a new mobile hot dog stand in 2011. Oscar Mayer introduced the Wiener Rover in 2015, and it is a battery-operated, remote-controlled vehicle that is one-seventh the size of a regular Wienermobile. Then in 2016, Oscar Mayer unveiled the Wienie-Bago, a combination of the Wienermobile and a recreational vehicle. In 2017, the Wienermobile family expanded to include the WienerDrone, an unmanned drone, and the WienerCycle, a tricycle.

As a profession, operating the Wienermobile is not to be taken lightly.

Surely there must be someone behind the wheel of each of these hot dog-shaped automobiles. But don’t think that operating a Wienermobile is as simple as delivering pizza or working as an Uber Eats driver (neither of which are as simple as they seem). Rather, Oscar Mayer uses the “hot doggers” who drive the Wienermobile as “spokespeople.” A year-long, full-time position exists, and it entails more than just driving the Wienermobiles around, as detailed in the job ad. It’s likely that a degree in communications or marketing is required for the position of “hot dogger,” as the hired individual will also serve as a brand ambassador on radio and television, give interviews to the press, host events, and handle public relations.

However, even if you believe you meet the above requirements, you will face stiff competition. One hot dogger told The New York Times that there are hundreds of applicants for only 12 openings each year, which may motivate some people to go above and beyond the call of duty. The applicant had to go through an interview procedure after sending the Kraft Heinz team a picnic box with fake grass and a blanket, a cover letter wrapped in recycled Kraft cheese packaging, a résumé in a relish bottle, and paper hotdogs with her face on them.

The famous Wiener Whistle is under the authority of the Hotdoggers.

You might be familiar with the Oscar Mayer Wiener Whistle, sometimes known as the weenie whistle, but unless you’re of a certain age, you might not have actually seen one in person. Oscar Mayer claims that the Wiener Whistle was invented in 1951 and distributed in hot dog packages shortly after that, similar to a cereal box prize. This classic toy, though, isn’t as accessible as it once was. You can only get it on the Wienermobile, so get on board!

Hotdoggers operating the Wienermobile give away koozies, key chains, and the most sought-after item, the Wiener Whistle, to adoring fans (via The New York Times). Originally shaped like hot dogs, modern Wiener Whistles take on a kazoo-like miniature Wienermobile design. While the original Wiener Whistles are no longer available directly from the manufacturer, you may find them for sale through vintage and antique novelty item dealers on websites like eBay, where you can get two of them for less than $40 each.

Apps for the Wienermobile are now available.

Why shouldn’t the Wienermobile have its own app? Oscar Mayer released the Wienermobile app in 2014 for free on both Google Play and the Apple App Store. The company behind the software claims it serves three functions. There is a “Find the Wienermobile” feature that allows users to locate the vehicle closest to them. Users can snap a picture and then insert a Wienermobile onto it using this feature (like if you wanted to pretend the mobile was parked in your driveway). Finally, there is a race-through-obstacles game with a Wienermobile. The senior manager of experiential marketing at Oscar Mayer said at the time that the app answered the three most common Wienermobile inquiries: “Where is it? Can I take a picture with it? Can I drive it?” Thankfully, the answers to all three questions are “yes.”

The Wienermobile’s whereabouts are always visible.

Throughout the year, you can find a Wienermobile somewhere in the United States; there are six of them. To find the nearest Wienermobile, you can either download the app or use the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile tracking website.

Locate the mobiles by entering an address (including a street number), city, or state into the tracker. You can also view the upcoming schedules of the mobiles to coordinate your own plans with theirs. The schedules are released two months ahead of time and then revised again when the date of the appearance draws nearer to fill in the final details like the exact address and time. A Wienermobile might appear anywhere at any time. The hot doggers travel to many different places and events with their mobiles. At the local Christmas parade or in the parking lot of your local supermarket, you might see one of these vehicles.

There was a brief period during which Wienermobiles could be hailed using Lyft.

If you’ve ever dreamed of becoming a hotdogger but thought you’d never make the cut, it’s possible you’ve already wasted your opportunity. Last year, Oscar Mayer and Lyft had a temporary partnership in which the Wienermobile could be used as a rideshare vehicle (via Motortrend). Those interested had to visit one of the participating cities between August 25 and 27, 2021, as the promotion was only valid for those dates. A select few, however, were able to schedule a Lyft XL ride and then cross their fingers and toes in the hopes of being among the lucky few who were surprised by the Wienermobile.

Rides were provided for free in Atlanta, New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles for a limited time as part of a promotional event. We can only hope that Oscar Mayer and Lyft will revive the promotion in the future once it was not offered in August 2022.

Wienermobiles aren’t necessarily the most secure mode of transportation.

There’s no denying that Wienermobiles exude a warm, welcoming feel perfect for families and that just the sight of one is enough to bring out the kid in anyone. However, this doesn’t mean that Wienermobiles are the safest cars you’ll ever ride in. Fleet vehicles have been involved in more than their share of accidents.

At some point in 2007, a Wienermobile with possibly stolen license plates was spotted on the road (via The New York Times). According to NBC News, in 2009, a hotdogger drove into a driveway to turn around, but while attempting to pull out and back onto the road, he put the Wienermobile into the wrong gear and crashed through a Wisconsin house. According to the Associated Press, a Wienermobile skidded off the road and collided with a pole in Enola, Pennsylvania in 2015. Another hotdogger was issued a warning in 2020 for passing too close to a parked vehicle, according to the Associated Press. An example? You should give the Wienermobile lots of space on the road even though it seems friendly. After all, it is a gigantic metal hot dog speeding down the highway.

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