Hotdogger Blog

Hotdogger pairs spend a lot of time together; after all, we travel the nation with only one other person.  We drive together, work together, eat our meals together – it’s safe to say we become closer than the best of friends.  We learn a lot of peculiar facts about our co-pilots too, things that don’t necessarily come up in standard conversations.

So here’s an interesting fact you should know about Lil’ Links Laura:

When Lil’ Links was a young girl growing up in Cincinnati, Ohio, she really really liked Native Americans. Laura would spend hours reading about Pocahontas and Sacajawea and dream about some day becoming a Native American herself. In fact, Laura loved Native Americans so much – her parents even bought her a pair of moccasins and a bow and arrow! Notice Laura’s approval when we found this giant teepee in Tucumcari, New Mexico.

Two thumbs up for a teepee

So, for her 23rd birthday, I thought it would only be appropriate to throw a Native-American themed surprise birthday gathering for my bunderful buddy, Lil’ Links. Hotdogger alumni, All-Beef Allison from Class 21 even paid us a visit in San Antonio to celebrate.  

The birthday girl wearing her hot dog headdress and touting her tomahawk

A proper Native American-theme party is never missing appropriate weaponry

To top off a franktastic evening painting the town ketchup, we decided to storm the Alamo for old time’s sake, even if this reenactment was extremely historically inaccurate.

An inaccurate historical reenactment

Happy Birthday, Lil’ Links Laura!  I bet you will always “Remember the Alamo!”

The South Team made a brief stop in New Orleans, Louisiana to try some tasty cajun cuisine and admire the mighty Mississippi River.  The Wienermobile tour is quickly coming to an end for Class 22 so we truly relish our final days together.

The meaty, I mean Mighty Mississippi

While in New Orleans, we also stumbled across some festive accessories that represent where our fellow Hotdoggers went to college.

Some of the schools the Hotdoggers attended prior to Hot Dog High

Rumor has it that Class 23 is just as diverse, smart and hilarious as the current class of Oscar Mayer Hotdoggers.  I can’t wait for you to meat them!

Class 22, passing the torch soon.

At the same time, I have a feeling you’re really gonna miss us.

A well-camouflaged kielbasa

I’m being facetious; Lil’ Links Laura and I never went to the jungle. We did, however, bring the Wienermobile to the San Antonio Zoo so kids, their families and a smorgasbord of animals could see the elusive 27-foot-long hot dog!

Our frank surrounded by fauna and foliage

When you drive a massive hot dog, your perspective of other things gets slightly skewed.  For instance, Lil’ Links Laura and I were dumbfounded by the peculiar sizes of these creatures.

FISH BIGGER THAN LAURA'S HEAD!?!?

AN ELEPHANT SMALLER THAN MY HEAD?!?

Patient People

The Wienermobile was a popular stop for thousands of attendees at the Cinco de Mayo Festival in Houston, Texas.  All of these folks were patiently waiting for their turn to enter the Oscar Mayer contest this summer. Though the line was quite long, the grand prize is definitely worth the wait – a chance to ride Shotbun in the Wienermobile along with $5,000!

Wienermobile guests hoping to cut the mustard and win the grand prize

All of these friendly folks were explaining what they would do if they could spend the day with the Wienermobile – Go to the beach? Tailgate a football game? The possibilities are endless, almost as endless as the line of people.  Fortunately, Kraft Foods had tons of food samples to satisfy the hungry Cinco de Mayo attendees, including delicious Oscar Mayer hot dogs.

Hungry people sampling some delicious snacks

It’s safe to say that Lil’ Links Laura and I had a busy, but fun-filled day.  We met buns of franktastic folks, maybe one of them will be the lucky wiener who gets to ride Shotbun in the Wienermobile later this year.

In addition to thousands of people, we also ran into some of our favorite friends from Kraft Foods!

As Hotdoggers, we’re really spoiled when it comes to doing bunderful and awesome things. We get to drive the coolest vehicle around, hand out Wiener Whistles, and spread miles of smiles. Sometimes, we’re lucky enough to meet a celebrity spokesperson. The Oscar Mayer brand is working with Modern Family star, Ty Burrell, to get the Wienermobile ready for America. Ty helped us get the Wienermobile squeaky clean, and with his help, we’re ready to give someone the SHOTBUN ride of a lifetime. But enough about us, check-out our cruise around town with Ty Burrell.

As you know, the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile is a charming iconic part of American history. The first vehicle was built in 1936, and the Wienermobile has been spreading miles of smiles across the country ever since.

Lil’ Links Laura and I decided to visit some other, esteemed remnants of American history in Houston, Texas. Behold this magnificent sculpture garden of giant President heads!  What a blast from the past!

The stoic countenances of our nation's forefathers.

36-foot Beatles - more than 3 times as tall as the Wienermobile!

We interFACED with a lot of great leaders at the Houston sculpture garden, but Lil’ Links Laura and I have a particular affinity to a certain past President because of his excellent Hotdogger name!

Meat AbraHAM LINKin!

AbraHAM LINKin!

Lil’ Links Laura and I even found this enormous lucky penny with Honest Abe’s profile on the front.  We use this as a decision making tool when we travel, a magic 8 ball of sorts.  

Our enormous decision-making penny.

Even though the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile can really haul buns, we Hotdoggers choose to follow the speed limit on those Hot Dog Highways.  That’s why Lil’ Links Laura and I had a blast watching another speedy breed of hot dogs at the 13th Annual Wiener Dog Races!

Canine contestants of all shapes, sizes and colors congregated in Buda, Texas for the fun and festivities. Hundreds of our four-legged friends lined up and scurried to the finish line in hopes of being the prize-winning top dog.

Dachshunds Dashing!

In addition to participating in the heated races, a lot of these canines were dressed to the nines for the puppy parade!  Check out some of these crazy costumes!

The competition at the Buda Wiener Dog Races was pretty steep, so not every dog placed in the racing events. However, every single one of these dogs from Central Texas Dachshund Rescue was adopted by a happy, welcoming family.  So in that sense, everyone’s a wiener!

A playpen of puppies!

Every wiener dog should feel loved and wanted, so here’s an appropriate life lesson that should resonate with each and every one of us every day.

A valuable life lesson that we should always remember.

Though those odd silhouettes in the distance vaguely resemble Mayan Ruins or even Stonehenge, those figures are actually a series of upturned vehicles.  Don’t worry, not a single Wienermobile was damaged in the creation of the legendary Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas.

What a cool car crash!

This odd art installation was built along the remains of Route 66 in the early 70’s and has been frequented by locals, tourists and road warriors for years. Cadillac Ranch is a piece of roadside America that Lil’ Links Laura and I could not resist visiting.

We're used to seeing crazy, colorful novelty vehicles...

These colorful Cadillacs already look good enough to eat, but in addition to admiring these artistically graffitied cars, visitors are encouraged to leave their own mark on this unmistakable monument. Having permission to tag a car with spray paint was an opportunity I couldn’t possibly dismiss.

Lil’ Links Laura and I wanted to leave a tasteful, iconic symbol of our Hotdogging adventures at Cadillac Ranch.  So behold – Roman Numerals representing Hotdogger Class 22.

Leaving a mark on behalf of Hotdogger Class 22

For live footage of our art piece being created click this!

When Hotdoggers are asked to share fun facts about ourselves, my fun fact is always “I have never been outside of the United States.”  Though it is indeed factual, that piece of information is actually not very much fun at all.

While staying in McAllen, TX, the South Team decided to head even further south to pay a visit to our neighboring foreign country, Mexico!

Lil' Links Laura and I coexisting in two different countries!

Crossing the border was quite the rite of passage for me considering I had never left the country before.  Lil’ Links Laura and I spent our lovely afternoon exploring the charming town of Nuevo Progreso; we ate some delicious Mexican cuisine and purchased a handful of cool souvenirs such as this new guitar! I need to learn how to play the Official Wiener Jingle on it.

My new mustard-colored guitar!

I never dreamed that my Hotdogging adventures would lead me to a foreign country, but wishes really do come true with the Wienermobile (though we left WEENR parked stateside). I suppose my new fun fact about myself will have to be “I’ve never left North America” or possibly “I can type 95 words per minute.”

Since I started Hotdogging, I’ve visited a handful of esteemed universities across the nation.  I quite enjoy being surrounded by college traditions and scholarly individuals.  The academia and erudite environment oftentimes reminds me of my college days that I reminisce about from time to time.

Check out some of the iconic buildings and landmarks I’ve come across at different schools:

Golden Dome at Notre Dame. Oh, IRISH I were an Oscar Mayer Wiener.

Doggone Columns at Mizzou

Bunderful Boise State Smurf Turf

Top Dog Tower at the University of Texas.

In addition to visiting all of these schools, I’ve started a substantial wardrobe collection to commemorate my cross-country campus crawl.  One might assume that scholarly university alumni such as myself wear sweater vests, sports coats and loafers, which I do.  However, I figured collecting college t-shirts would be a more efficient packing strategy for my travels and on-the-go Hotdogger lifestyle.

The colorful contents of my suitcase.