Hotdogger Blog

After all 12 Hotdoggers graduated valedogtorian from Hot Dog High, it was finally time to hit the open roads. Tate-Yum joined Diggity Dog Drea and I in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin at our very first event EVER. We posted up at the starting line for the annual Strawberry Fest 5K/10K race and watched as a stampede of runners flooded past the wienermobile.

We rarely see so many people running away from the Wienermobile. While hundreds of local residents raced for miles across town, I opted to stay behind and sample strawberry shortcake, strawberry shakes, and other game-day fuel.

After the event, we were energized by the fast pace of race day only to be slowed to a complete halt by this adorable nuisance on our way out of town…

At graduation ceremonies, the candidates for graduation often move the tassel on their caps from the right side to the left side to mark their transition to graduate status.  As part of our final road test at Hot Dog High, Brian the Bunderful and I took our Wienermobile on a ferry ride across the Wisconsin River.  Moving from one side of the river to the other with the Wienermobile felt much like moving that tassel at graduation.  We were about to become alumni of Hot Dog High and embark on a franktastic new adventure.  Watching each pair of Hotdoggers head off to their new destination was like watching friends leave for college.  You will miss each of them, but know you always have the time you spent together.  Smiley Kylie and Brian the Bunderful are ready to start their new chapter as partners and  have buns and buns of fun in the southeast!  Congratulations Class 23!

Cruising across the Wisconsin River with the Wienermobile

Proud Hot Dog High alumni, Brian the Bunderful and Smiley Kylie, pose for a picture before they take off on their coast to coast wiener roast. Franks for the memories Class 23!

I went to my very first baseball game ever today. I’ve never been to one! Not even a little league game. So, on a scale of one to thrill, I was beyond super excited. It felt great to be a kid again at the local Madison Mallards game in Wisconsin. I ran around exploring every nook and cranny of the stadium, stood on my tiptoes to see the game, and cheered ridiculously and loudly whenever possible. I even bought a cheesy souvenir (re: hat below).

The ultimate topping trifecta: ketchup, mustard, and relish!

Of course, to complete the quintessential baseball game experience, I also had to eat a hot dog. And this particular dog was a triple play, loaded with ketchup, mustard, and relish. Delicious!!!

Meep! Meep! Maria and I found some extra large pants hanging along the side of the stadium. Do you think it could fit two Wienermobile vehicles in each leg? These pants could definitely be 60 hot dogs high!

We even met Maynard Mallard too.  Right before the first inning, this brave duck zip-lined across the stadium. I’ve never sausage a thing!

This was one of my favorite nights at Hot Dog High, and a perfect beginning to the amazing adventures soon to come.  Class 23 just graduated, so get ready, game on, and let’s hit the road!

After an fun-packed two weeks of training, my 11 fellow Hotdoggers and I graduated from Hot Dog High on Friday, June 18. We have packed up and  are ready to go the distance this year. We all really liked Madison, WI (Oscar Mayer’s Headquarters and the Hot Dog High campus location), but are ready to sniff out new adventures. Here’s a picture of the Hotdoggers going in for a group hug (my favorite kind) before we hit the road.

A big group hug before hitting the road.

Being the lucky dog that I am, my bud Superdog Sam and I ventured out not only with our Wienermobile (WNR MBLE), but with Smiley Kylie, Brian the Bunderful, and OH I WISH, too. Everyone on the road thought it was pretty cool to see one big dog trailing another! Here’s a picture through my bunshield. The Wienermobile in front is OH I WISH!

Can you guess which skyline is in the background? Here's a hint: It's also known as the windy city AND where Oscar Mayer lived when he first started making hot dogs.

Smiley Kylie and Brian the Bunderful had to head South, so Superdog Sam and I said our good-byes in Cleveland, OH. Don’t worry, we still had buns of fun taking WNR MBLE’S first round of pictures. It’s cheesy when the Wienermobile is so photogenic.

The color of this huge ship and the blue skies really accentuate WNR MBLE's color palette.

Superdog Sam loves sports so he made sure to get a shot with the Cleveland Browns stadium.

This is the last one in Cleveland, OH. The big stamp that says "FREE" is a reminder to get your FREE picture "Riding Shotbun" in the Wienermobile the next time you see us stopped!

You may think with all of our stops that Superdog Sam and I haven’t made it anywhere, but bunlieve it or not, we’re  in Rochester, NY, a whole 750 miles from where we started at the beginning of the post. We’ve already met buns of smiley and franktastic people in this city, but this special group of hot dogs really made my day.

These lucky dogs took a picture in front of the Wienermobile to help Superdog Sam and I spread Good Moods outside of Wegmans.

Franks for smiling by to see us! This is Meep! Meep! Maria signing out.

Class 23

Who would have thought that a group of 12 strangers could become such good friends?  Each year a new class of Hotdoggers comes to Madison, WI to start their journey.  Class 23 first came together in early June.  One week later the transformation we have made as a group is unbelievable.  Through team building activities like volleyball and laser tag to studying in the classroom, I feel like I have known the other 11 Hotdoggers for years.  We have shared stories and adventures of our past and are all really excited to make memories in the future.

Super Dog Sam

Hello from Hotdogger Class 23!

Fasten your meat belts, Hotdogger Class 23 is about to hit the road. The 12 of us met each other for the first time just one week ago at Hot Dog High to get ready for our upcoming coast-to-coast wiener roast.

Seeing the Oscar Mayer WIENERMOBILE for the first time. Can you believe its 27 feet (60 hot dogs) long?

Today, we started our extensive training program on how to drive the Wienermobile vehicles. When I saw those 27-foot hot dogs on wheels cruising down the street towards our training course, I got butterflies in my stomach. It was an extraordinary experience in a everyday place, just like seeing a celebrity walking down the street. I couldn’t help but jump up and down with excitement.

These smiling dogs condiment each other.

The Wienermobiles were happy to see us too–look at those big smiles!

The mini Wienermobile!

At the end of our day, we also met ‘Lil Links’, the mini Wienermobile. Like the big dogs, this grilled fiberglass hot dog rests on a lightly toasted bun, runs on high-octane mustard, and comes with all the condiments.

We have one more week of Hot Dog High left before you’ll see us spreading miles of smiles in these aerodognamic Wienermobile vehicles. So until then, I hope you’re having a wienerful day!

Image Source: Wendy Soucie

On our very first drive day as Hotdoggers, R Dog Rachel and I had the opportunity to drive Chris Brogan and Wendy Soucie to the airport the day after a Social Media Club event in Madison. Both Chris and Wendy are top dogs when it comes to social media and marketing so having the privilege to meat them was really something to relish! Ketchup with us by watching some of the footage from our ride on the hot dog highways!

Chris Brogan meats the Wienermobile

After months and months of anticipation, Hot Dog High has finally arrived and is in full bloom! Driving the most famous 27-foot long hot dog can be quite a pickle, but after all the training and hard work is over we’ll be ready to haul buns! When spotting the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, you can’t help but smile while it smiles right back.

Now, with nothing but miles of smiles ahead of me, my new family of Hotdoggers (Class 23) and myself prepare to take this coast to coast weenie roast to the open hotdog highways! Can’t wait to meat all the amazing people along the way and introduce our lambourgweenie to many new and great adventures!

Ketchup with you later!

We were turning the Wienermobile around in a driveway, which is at the end of a dead-end street, and got into a bit of a pickle.  We are so relieved that no one was home and nobody was injured.  We promptly alerted police.  We are working with the local authorities and the appropriate insurance companies to fix the damage and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause the homeowner.  We are back on the hot dog highways spreading miles of smiles today.  Franks everyone for your concern.