Categories: Stories

Hot Dog! The Birth of the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile

ADVERTISEMENT

July 1936 was a banner month for hot dog lovers everywhere, for that was when the first Oscar Mayer Wienermobile drove out of the General Body Company’s factory in Chicago and started serving up the iconic German sausages for patrons on the go. The 13-foot-long vehicle, which would regularly appear at schools, hospitals, festivals, parades and store openings, was famously driven by “Little Oscar, the World’s Smallest Chef.”

The character and vehicle were the brainchild of Oscar Mayer’s nephew Carl, who believed the concept would be a great way to market hot dogs to kids. Actor Meinhardt Raabe, who portrayed Little Oscar, would gain immortality three years later with his role as the coroner of Munchkin Town in the timeless cinema classic The Wizard of Oz.

ADVERTISEMENT

Nevertheless, Raabe, who attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison with Carl Mayer, continued to drive the Wienermobile throughout the 1940s and ’50s. Since those days a lot has changed with the vehicle, which is now more than double the original size at 27 feet long. And the Little Oscars who once piloted them have been replaced by Hotdoggers, whose driving duties for each of the six vehicles currently on the road last only one year instead of multiple decades.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Check Out These Other Branded Vehicles Inspired by the Wienermobile:”

“The Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Mobile”

prototypesource.com

At 23 feet long and 13 feet tall—and sporting an eight-foot-long pair of shades—this Golden goody is easily the biggest fish on the street.

“The Hershey’s Kissmobile”

picssr.com

This 12-foot tall, 26-foot-long custom-made truck has been doling out Kisses since it was introduced in 1997.

“The Spam Mobile”

jalopnik.com

Outside of Hawaii, samples of this canned meat are generally as welcome as their computerized namesake.

“The Planters Nutmobile”

littlerock.com

This eco-friendly nut-buggy runs on biodiesel and features solar panels on the roof and a wind turbine, which help to charge its battery.

“The Tonymobile”

prototypesource.com

At 23 feet long, 13 feet wide and weighing more than 9,500 pounds, this cereal-inspired truck features several of our favorite Kellogg’s characters from yesteryear.

“The Dairy Queen Blizzard Mobile”

productmobiles.blogspot.com

Free Blizzards are on the menu every summer when this truck full of frozen love rolls into town.

“The Cadbury Creme Egg Car”

geyserofawesome.com

Every year prior to the Easter holiday, a number of these ovular vehicles are driven around to advertise this line of popular candy eggs.

Show comments
Share
Published by

Recent Posts

Ryan Gosling Shares The Rare Advice He Got From This Hollywood Legend

Ryan Gosling and Burt Reynolds may have found friendship beyond the set of Frankenstein And…

1 hour ago

Abandoned 1950s Home In New Jersey Draws Attention For Being ‘Frozen In Time’

A ‘50s home in New Jersey has yet to be inhabited in the last three…

23 hours ago

‘Beverly Hills, 90210’ Star Jason Priestley Shares Why He Ditched LA For Nashville

Jason Priestly has kept his schedule busy as ever, with a new television credit already…

1 day ago

Kyra Sedgwick Admits She And Kevin Bacon “Fooled Around” On Set Together

Theirs has been quite the romance since they got married in 1988, and according to…

2 days ago

Clint Eastwood, Rival To John Wayne, Thought The Duke Was “Brilliant” In This Role

Clint Eastwood and John Wayne were two icons of the Western drama, yet they represented…

2 days ago

Some Homeowners Are Just Discovering Milk Doors And How To Repurpose Them

Many features have come and gone within the blueprint of the ideal home. But their…

2 days ago