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Wienermobile
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. For a brief period in 2023, it was renamed the "Frankmobile", but following popular demand, the name was changed back to "Wienermobile."
The initial 1936 vehicle—not yet termed a "Wienermobile" in publicity—weighed 2000 pounds and cost $5000 to fabricate. Its first public appearance was in Janesville, Wisconsin on October 16-17, 1936, having been completed in Chicago the previous day. Appearing with the new vehicle was Oscar Mayer’s "World’s Smallest Chef"— "19 years old, 42 inches tall, and weighs 45 pounds". The identity of this first "Little Oscar" making promotional appearances is not known. Meinhardt Raabe took the position sometime after his mid-1937 hiring by Oscar Mayer, and held it until at least 1941.
The “Wienermobile” promotional name debuted only in 1951. In the 1936-41 years publicity for the vehicle was variously "Wiener Truck", "Oscar Mayer Truck", "German Wiener Sound Car", "World’s Largest Wiener Car", and "Giant Wiener Sound Truck".
The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile has evolved from Carl Mayer's original 1936 vehicle to the vehicles seen on the road today. Although the first Wienermobile was scrapped for metal in the 1940s to aid the U.S. Army during World War II, Oscar Mayer and the Gerstenslager Company created several new vehicles using a Dodge chassis or a Willys Jeep chassis in the 1950s. The 1952 model is on display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. Beginning in the 1950s Wienermobiles were usually piloted by "Little Oscar" (portrayed by George Molchan) who would visit stores, schools, orphanages, and children's hospitals and participate in parades and festivals. Noted industrial designer Brooks Stevens is also credited with a "new look" 1950s design, taking advantages of the possibilities of modern molded fiberglass construction "to put the wiener in the bun" in 1958.
In 1969, new Wienermobiles were built on a Chevrolet motor home chassis and featured Ford Thunderbird taillights. The 1969 vehicle was the first to travel outside the United States.[citation needed]
In 1976, Plastic Products, Inc., built a fiberglass and styrofoam model, again on a Chevrolet motor home chassis.[citation needed]
In 1988, Oscar Mayer had a fleet of six Wienermobiles built using converted Chevrolet van chassis; by 1995 all had accumulated more than 250,000 miles.
In 1995, a new version increased the size of the Wienermobile to a length of 27 feet (8.2 m) and a height of 11 feet (3.4 m). This version also included the upgraded large parallelogram windows that could now open, as designed by Sheldon Theis.[citation needed]
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Wienermobile
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. For a brief period in 2023, it was renamed the "Frankmobile", but following popular demand, the name was changed back to "Wienermobile."
The initial 1936 vehicle—not yet termed a "Wienermobile" in publicity—weighed 2000 pounds and cost $5000 to fabricate. Its first public appearance was in Janesville, Wisconsin on October 16-17, 1936, having been completed in Chicago the previous day. Appearing with the new vehicle was Oscar Mayer’s "World’s Smallest Chef"— "19 years old, 42 inches tall, and weighs 45 pounds". The identity of this first "Little Oscar" making promotional appearances is not known. Meinhardt Raabe took the position sometime after his mid-1937 hiring by Oscar Mayer, and held it until at least 1941.
The “Wienermobile” promotional name debuted only in 1951. In the 1936-41 years publicity for the vehicle was variously "Wiener Truck", "Oscar Mayer Truck", "German Wiener Sound Car", "World’s Largest Wiener Car", and "Giant Wiener Sound Truck".
The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile has evolved from Carl Mayer's original 1936 vehicle to the vehicles seen on the road today. Although the first Wienermobile was scrapped for metal in the 1940s to aid the U.S. Army during World War II, Oscar Mayer and the Gerstenslager Company created several new vehicles using a Dodge chassis or a Willys Jeep chassis in the 1950s. The 1952 model is on display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. Beginning in the 1950s Wienermobiles were usually piloted by "Little Oscar" (portrayed by George Molchan) who would visit stores, schools, orphanages, and children's hospitals and participate in parades and festivals. Noted industrial designer Brooks Stevens is also credited with a "new look" 1950s design, taking advantages of the possibilities of modern molded fiberglass construction "to put the wiener in the bun" in 1958.
In 1969, new Wienermobiles were built on a Chevrolet motor home chassis and featured Ford Thunderbird taillights. The 1969 vehicle was the first to travel outside the United States.[citation needed]
In 1976, Plastic Products, Inc., built a fiberglass and styrofoam model, again on a Chevrolet motor home chassis.[citation needed]
In 1988, Oscar Mayer had a fleet of six Wienermobiles built using converted Chevrolet van chassis; by 1995 all had accumulated more than 250,000 miles.
In 1995, a new version increased the size of the Wienermobile to a length of 27 feet (8.2 m) and a height of 11 feet (3.4 m). This version also included the upgraded large parallelogram windows that could now open, as designed by Sheldon Theis.[citation needed]