What is 60 hot dogs long, 24 hot dogs high and the color of ketchup and mustard? If you answered the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile then you probably have fond memories of seeing the iconic vehicle cruising down the main streets of your youth. Originally designed by Carl Mayer, Oscar’s nephew, the first Wienermobile was seen on the streets of Chicago as long ago as 1936. The current Wienermobile visited the Fry’s Marketplace at the corner of Guadalupe and Signal Butte roads in Mesa on March 16.
A large crowd of kids of all ages stopped to see one of the most powerful examples of brand identity in marketing history. A few of the lucky guests received Wiener Whistles that were included in packages of Oscar Mayer hotdogs in the 1950s. If you listened carefully, it didn’t take long until someone began to sing the catchy jingle that is now the “Official Wiener Jingle horn” for the vehicle.
Ashley Eisert is a Hotdogger. She is one of only 450 college graduates who have held this prestigious position. It is Eisert’s job to guide the West Coast Wienermobile (there are five other Wienermobiles in the U.S.) to hundreds of cities in the western U.S. Eisert is full of impressive facts about the Wienermobile. She describes the current, 2016 Wienermobile as weighing just over 7 tons or equal to 140,500 hotdogs.
The interior of the Wienermobile is just as impressive as the exterior. There is a removable “bunroof,” a hot dog-shaped dashboard and six mustard and ketchup-colored seats. Eisert and her team enjoy traveling in comfort as they bring joy and memories to large crowds of children and adults.
OK, sing along with me, “Oh I wish I were and Oscar Mayer wiener…”
– Ted Wendel is staff photographer for MyNewsMesa.com.
