The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile Is In Town!

Maggie and Zachary with the Wienermobile.

This week the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile came to town. The pair who are accompanying t were guests at our Thursday evening Duluth Toastmasters Zoom meeting. Zachary Chatham and Maggie Thomas brought an exuberant, upbeat mood to the meeting. To be frank, they were bunderful. (Their repertoire features tons of puns.)

Before sharing more on their adventure I thought I'd tell a little about the history of the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. The first Wienermobile was created in 1936 by Carl Mayer, a 27-foot-long hot dog on wheels. In fact, there are currently six traveling across the U.S. right now.

The 1952 Wienermobile has been residing at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.

The 1969 Wienermobile model featured Ford Thunderbird taillights, a Chevy motor home frame and, legend has it, averaged 187 smiles per gallon.

The Oscar Mayer story begins in 1873 when 14-year-old Oscar F. Mayer moved to the U.S. from Bavaria, settling in Detroit with his first job as a butcher boy. From there he moved to Chicago and worked in the retail industry. The blending of these two experiences eventually led to a hot dog business that is as American as apple pie.

The first Oscar Mayer shop opened in 1883 with first day sales of $59. They were rolling in the dough, dough that would later be used for buns.

After WWI the brothers bought a meat packing plant in Madison, Wisconsin, with yet larger ambitions. To this day Madison is the HQ. When I spoke with Maggie and Zach, I learned that Madison is where they were trained for their one year trial by fire on the road as the face of Oscar Mayer in the Wienermobile. No matter how you grill them, though, they leave you smiling.

In 1929, Oscar Mayer created their Yellow Band as a signature of quality. It became the first branded meat in the country. This event had nothing to do with the collapse of the U.S. economy that followed. In fact, it was in 1936, in the middle the Great Depression, that the company introduced its first Wienermobile, driven by Little Oscar to events, grand openings and in parades.

Do you remember the Oscar Mayer Wiener Jingle? If you can identify the year in which it was created, then you can win a free wiener whistle. Answer, and where to get your whistle, at the end of this blog post.

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Yes, it is registered with the Department of Transportation.

The Wienermobile itself has a V-8 6 liter engine with an Isuzu chassis. Inside it has six seats with mustard floors, meat belts, catsup and mustard colored seats and a bun roof. The vehicle is 60 hot dogs long and 24 high. When I asked what it's like to drive, Zach said it's like driving a large SUV.

EN: How did you hear of this Wienermobile opportunity?

Zachary Chatham: I heard about the Wienermobile opportunity from my father and immediately jumped at the chance to apply because my great grandfather drove the Wienermobile! In terms of Maggie and I, we listen to different types of music but we’re both pretty open and have been going back and forth allowing the other the chance to explore our music interests.

Maggie Thomas: My mom read an article about the job opportunity and sent it to me because I have a degree in communications, enjoy traveling, and love hot dogs. When I found out I’d be one of twelve Hotdoggers in class 33, I was thrilled! To prepare for a year on the hot dog highways, we attended hot dog high. We learned about the history of Oscar Mayer and the Wienermobile, gained PR skills and were taught how to drive the American Icon.

They appear to really relish their hot doggin' lifestyle.

EN: Will you be staying within the same region all year? How many states and which ones? And what is the best way to find a Wienermobile near them?

Zachary: We will be traveling within the central region of the United state until December where we will switch regions as well as partners and experience a new region of the country.

Maggie: In terms of tracking the Wienermobile and following our coast to coast wienie roast, you can go on the Oscar Mayer website and they have a Wienermobile tracker filled with all 6 Wienermobiles upcoming cities and events.

It is purportedly the largest moving billboard in the U.S., though I did not fact-check that.

When I asked their backgrounds I learned that Maggie studied communications in college and recognized this experience as an invaluable way to learn more about Public Relations. Part of the training included learning how to reach out to media, and by the first day they'd already been in contact with our local TV stations. "This has been a real chance to learn" she said.

Maggie hails from Tupelo, MS. (Think Elvis.) Zachary is from Charlotte. Both have a Southern drawl and cheerful, upbeat disposition.

Want to know where the Wienermobile will be this week, month or year? 

Visit https://khcmobiletour.com/wienermobile

You can also learn more here.

To follow Zach and Maggie on Instagram 

 @ZachnCheesin @MustardMags

Related Link
Reading the Oscar Mayer story reminded me of another German entrepreneur who came to America in the 1800s and made good. You can read the story of C.F. Martin here:
Add Martin Guitar Factory to Your Bucket ListMartin Guitars

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Trivia Question Answers: The Oscar Mayer Wiener Jingle made its radio debut in 1963. You can get a Wiener Whistle anywhere you find Zach and Maggie this week in the Wienermobile.