Hotdogger Blog

Our founder has a first name, it’s O-S-C-A-R!

Oscar F. Mayer was a fun-loving, frankfurter-fixing, folk hero.  Passion for making people smile was realized through the brand’s delicious foods, catchy jingles, fun toys, and of course, the Wienermobile.

For over 125 years Oscar’s brand has been feeding a world hungry for both laughter and scrumptious snacks.

Our love for our fun filled founder causes Lauren and I to get awfully sentimental when we see the name Oscar!

Lauren and I were really happy when we had the opportunaty to see this fish named Oscar in Gatlinburg, TN.

Halibut that? Even tropical fish are gillty of naming themselves after our beloved leader.  If you can think of a better name for this funky freshwater fish, let minnow.

Lauren and I were hanging out in Chattanooga TN when we found a carousel that has been putting the cool in Coolidge park for over 100 years!

Who else did we find there but a patriotic pecker named Oscar the Ostrich. (Note the Uncle Sam hat)

I was just filled with emutions when we met.

Of course it never gets old when Oscar Mayer’s franktastic fans pay homage to our dear friend by naming those closest to them.

This handsome wiener dog is named Oscar Mayer after, you guessed it, our friendly founder

As you may know, February 2nd is a holiday known in the United States and Canada as “Groundhog Day.”

The legend goes: if the weather is cloudy when the groundhog emerges from his burrow, then spring will come early. However, if it is sunny the groundhog will supposedly see its shadow, retreat back into its burrow, and we all get six more weeks of winter weather.

Those furry little meteorologists aren’t the only ones who made a prediction this year, however:

That’s right —  WEENR saw her shadow, that can only mean one thing!

75 MORE YEARS OF WIENERMOBILE-ING!

While cruising around the Blue Ridge Parkway Lucky Dog, OHIWISH, and I stopped in the small town of Little Switzerland, North Carolina.  According to locals, the LTLLINK sized city boasts a population of about 50 bunderful people.  The quaint town welcomed the Wienermobile with open arms… and about half the population!  Bun fact:  At its highest altitude, Little Switzerland reaches as high as 150 Wienermobile vehicles stacked bumper to bumper.

When Lucky Dog Lauren and I roll into a new city we think to ourselves “water we going to do while we’re here!?”  We make it a point to go to local eateries, community events, and, when available, we go to national, state and local parks.  Along our trip we’ve found a love for one of mother nature’s most awe-inducing features: waterfalls.  We seek them out everywhere we go, disobeying American R&B group TLC every chance we can.

This waterfall (Raven Cliff Falls) drops about 15.5 Wienermobile vehicles (stacked bumper to bumper) and can be seen from a trail near Caesar’s Head State Park in the high country of South Carolina.

The photo above is of Rainbow Falls in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Gatlinburg, TN.  This 82 foot falls resides on a trail that spans the distance of over 1263 Wienermobile vehicles.

OHIWISH was starting to feel left out, so we managed to track down a stunning waterfall that didn’t require a lot of hiking, which is the one thing our Lamborgweenie has trouble with.  Minnehaha falls in Minneapolis Minnesota was what we found.  With the help of the coleslAWESOME employees at the nearby Sea Salt Eatery we managed to get this bunderful picture of OHIWISH.

Dijon know? Minnehaha Falls is the subject of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “Song of Hiawatha.”

Lucky Dog and I are used to warm welcomes when we roll up in our big orange attention grabber.  One reception we will not soon forget was at a restaurant in south Georgia.  The wonderful workers at the Smok’n Pig BBQ restaurant, a Valdosta GA tradition, went above and beyond and when we stopped in their parking lot. The food was trumped only by the hospitality of our gracious hosts.  Franks for making us ‘doggers feel at home!

Southern hospitality is no myth!  Every big city and small town from Birmingham to Williamsburg, Nashville to Tampa, and everywhere in between all welcomed Lucky Dog Lauren and I with open arms.  We loved meating each and everyone who saw us on our southeast tour.  Franks for the memories!

Fret not southeast, Lucky Dog and I loved you all so much, I have a feeling we will ketchup very soon.  Until then, relish every day!

We Hotdoggers are always very careful when driving the super-sized sausage around the country.  In fact we go through intensive drivers training during Hotdog High, our two week summer training program.

Our Dog Days of summer are more like dog-driving days.

Lucky Dog Lauren and I often tease each other about who is the best Wienermobile driver.  Luckily in Pigeon Forge, TN we got to solve our rivalry once and for all.  At the track, strapped safely into our ketchup colored karts, Lauren and I bumped, braked, and passed for position. Who do you think won?

Well, I regret to inform you that I was beaten by the better driver that day.  Lucky Dog Lauren cruised past me and all the other competition on her way to a first place finish; she was one speedy weenie! But, I had my vengeance on the bumper boats… where we crashed and splashed our ketchup and mustard colored crafts until there were no winners.

After all our dogging of each other at the track, Lucky Dog and I agreed that when we drive the Wienermobile, everyone is a winner!

Who says Cats and Dogs don’t get along? Lucky Dog Lauren and I wanted to see what would happen when we brought one of the biggest dogs on earth together with some of the biggest cats on earth…  Okay, so really we just wanted to visit tigers.  That is exactly what we did when we visited the Carolina Tiger Rescue in Pittsboro, NC.

In addition to tigers, we saw Lions, Ocelots, Binturongs, Kinkajous, and Servals– probably the only cat not there to meat our 27-foot-long link was the lynx (Fair Warning: If you don’t like corny jokes, particularly cat related ones, this blog post is going to be a catastrophe)

The first time we met Raj we knew that he and OHIWISH would be friends furrever.  Right meow OHIWISH is catnapping in preparation for tomorrows events, probably dreaming about her first encounter with the big cat named Raj.  Carolina Tiger Rescue is the purrfect place for these rescued cats to live and play.  (I warned you about the puns, if you’re still not feline it I would move on to another post, because I’m having a pawesome time)

Efurryone was a little catious when they saw Raj’s face the first time he encountered OHIWISH… boy does he look hungry!

But it turned out Raj was just a big joker.  Just another example of the Wienermobile’s ability to spread miles of smiles to everyone and everything:  Say Cheesey Weenies!

Finally, let me paws for a second to tail you a little more about the Carolina Tiger Rescue.  The Carolina Tiger Rescue is a nonprofit wildlife sanctuary that strives to save and protect wildcats.  Lucky Dog and I learned quite a bit about tigers and other wildcats during our behind the scenes tour of the facility.  Most importantly, we learned about the dangers of private ownership of wildcats.  Please, keep the “wild” in wildcats and leave these magnificent creatures in their natural environment (Cats get clawstraphobic!  Keep them out of cages and leave them in their home!)

Unfortunately it is often a bunce-in-a-lifetime encounter when people see the Wienermobile. While we are constantly navigating America’s hot dog highways, there are many people we meat whom have never seen the Wienermobile. Besides commercials, I had never laid eyes on the 27 foot wheeled wiener before I was selected as one of the lucky dogs who get to drive. Bottom line is: Seeing the Wienermobile is one to truly relish because you never know when it will happen again.

For two lucky dogs in Greenville South Carolina, however, lightning struck twice when OHIWISH came to town.  Kristen and her brother Phillip tracked us down and took advantage of their second interaction with the Wienermobile by recreating a picture they had taken about 14 years ago in Charlotte, NC.

Phillip and Kristen age 7 and 4 & 1/2

Phillip and Kristen age 21 and 19

Franks for coming back to visit us Phillip and Kristen, it was very nice to meat you both!

If you want to make memories like this, come visit the Wienermobile this summer and take a free picture with our cameras!  You can send it directly to your email, and even look it up on Facebook.  It doesn’t get better than this!

Lucky Dog Lauren and I love taking the Wienermobile to beautiful places.  To me, there are few places more beautiful than my home state of Kentucky.  Affectionately known as the “Bluegrass State,” Kentucky is known for its fast horses and unique “Bluegrass” music.

OHIWISH was all smiles at my home, the happiest hotdog in all of Kentucky.

OHIWISH was happy to escape the hustle and bustle of city life for a while and enjoyed

some rural relaxation in the backyard of my small-town Kentucky home.

Dijon Know? The song “My Old Kentucky Home” was published in 1853 by Stephen Foster (the “father of American Music”)– that is only 30 years before the Oscar Mayer brand came into existence!