It was a bucket list moment for Your Humble Narrator this past week; I was given a ride on the Oscar Mayer Frankmobile!
The vehicle was formerly known, of course, as the Wienermobile; it's been redubbed to showcase the company's All-Beef Franks. Predictably, I found considerable squealing online that the name change is somehow "woke," calls to stop buying Oscar Mayer products, etc.
Anyway, Frankmobile pilots extraordinaire Ann and Allie were most congenial, telling tales of Ridin' the Dog from Madison, Wisconsin to Jacksonville, Florida to San Juan, Puerto Rico! From here in Phoenix, they were off to new adventures in Huntington Beach, California.
They even presented me with my very own whistle!
I think these two should be the stars of a Gen-Z-era anthology TV road series, a la Martin Milner and George Maharis in Route 66. Maybe it could be called 'Kraut 66?
This CBS piece on the Frankmobile (née Wienermobile) is frankly the kind of hard-hitting journalism that I relish. I genuinely had no idea that wieners and franks were different things.
In 2005, as a promotion for their new Teenie Weenies™️ miniature hot dogs, Oscar Mayer commissioned original Wienermobile creator Harry Bradley to build a special promotional vehicle to match their existing beloved Wienermobile. The result was a vehicle affectionately dubbed "The Weenie Speeder" Custom-built on the chassis of a Fiat 500, this 1-seater car contained a custom-built foldable Weber grill in the back, allowing it to be taken to promotional events to, of course, grill Oscar Mayer hot dogs for guests to enjoy. Since then, five more have been built, and they are currently on tour across the country to the delight of many.
What's your favorite hot dog? Nathan's? Howard Johnson's? Yocco's? Our latest 11-minute podcast, "Hot Dog Heaven," is now online at https://alookbehindinrewind.buzzsprout.com, Apple, Pandora, iHeart, or wherever you get podcasts. In this episode, we revisit some childhood (and adult) memories of hot dogs, frankfurters, and wieners of days gone by.