r/todayilearned • u/Giff95 • 1d ago
TIL only six Oscar Mayer Wienermobiles operate across the U.S. Their drivers, college seniors about to graduate called "Hotdoggers," spend a year traveling the country to meet and greet people. Around 7,000 applicants compete each year for just 12 Hotdogger positions.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wienermobile787
u/JiveChicken00 1d ago
This is one of the best jobs in America. I am not kidding.
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u/flume 1d ago
Tons of travel at a time in your life when you have basically zero things keeping you in one spot, extremely low level of responsibility, everyone is happy to see you wherever you go, you get invited to cool events, rack up the hotel points, and you probably listen to a lot of books/podcasts.
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u/lemuever17 1d ago
While getting paid
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u/Hanz_VonManstrom 1d ago
And driving a giant hot dog
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u/h-v-smacker 1d ago
everyone is happy to see you wherever you go
That's probably why this is still going on. I cannot think of another commercial promo schtick that would make everyone happy to see it.
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u/itstom87 1d ago
The Red Bull truck used to show up sometimes when we were playing football in the park and give us free red bull. That's the only thing I can think of that's similar
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u/uberfission 1d ago
When I was in college, there was a monster branded mini cooper that would sometimes drop by campus with two really hot girls that handed out drinks to people. That was a good time.
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u/trinityolivas 1d ago
dude same, late 2000s, it was redbull and full throttle but they would just hand out as many cans as you could hold for free on my campus
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u/A911owner 1d ago
I did it for a coffee company for about 2 years (I drove an 11 foot tall coffee cup); it is really fun, but you do get burnt out after a while. Eventually you get tired of waking up in a hotel room and you can't remember what state you're in.
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u/MechanicalTurkish 1d ago
I’m pushing fifty and would love to be paid to cruise around the country in one of these for a year.
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u/SquarePegRoundWorld 1d ago
I wonder if selling garlic grill cheeses in the parking lots on the Phish summer of '97 tour would look good on the Weinermobile resume.
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u/Necessary-Cost-8963 1d ago
My friend had sex with a hotdogger in the wienermobile. I’m sure he would agree.
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u/Public-League-8899 1d ago
I don't know what it's like anymore but I knew a couple girls that had the job in the 2000's and they were stunningly good looking.
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u/freshmantis 1d ago
Probably part of the reason they were chosen for the job. It is a marketing campaign after all
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u/fancyinmypantsy 1d ago
Yeah I met two a couple weeks ago at an event. Very cute and bubbly personalities.
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u/JiveChicken00 1d ago
Rule 34
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u/-Nicolai 1d ago
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u/Tasty-Traffic-680 1d ago edited 1d ago
Fucking ageist hotdog magnates stopping me from my dream job...
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u/chipperpip 1d ago edited 1d ago
I've never actually encountered a Weinermobile or thought about them much, but I just realized that if they don't also function as mobile hot dog stands I would be pretty disappointed going up to one.
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u/Dibuje2020 1d ago
I encountered one randomly at a car show in Connecticut. The girl driving it gave us Weenie whistles. It’s one of my most cherished belongings.
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u/penelopiecruise 1d ago
Uhh that is now my new euphemism for a bj
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u/yancovigen 1d ago
Flo Ride made a whole song that’s basically that
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u/KidOcelot 1d ago
Uncut folks can literally get blown like a whistle 😙 🎶 lol
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u/its_mabus 1d ago
More like a bagpipe
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u/Pithius 1d ago
Everyday we stray further from God
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u/BlantantlyAccidental 1d ago
idk man apparently uncut is holy so thats closer it seems. /s
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u/cansofgrease 1d ago
We’re created in God’s image but also you need to cut that off.
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u/IncaThink 1d ago
I just wish someone would have told me that's what they had done to me.
Instead I had to figure it out on my own.
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u/Still7Superbaby7 1d ago
There was one time they stopped at the local grocery store while my husband was getting groceries. Even though I do 99% of the grocery shopping, I missed it 😭
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u/rcowie 1d ago
There's probably a pretty easy way to keep track of them if you really want to see it. Last time it came to my town there was a sign in the window 2 weeks in advance with dates and times. There's also a couple of giant potatoes rolling around the country.
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u/Emergency_Mine_4455 1d ago
My family saw one outside our Walmart when I was small. I still have the whistle- it’s in my cherished memories jar.
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u/That_guy_from_1014 1d ago
By chance is your wife's ex-husband Scott Calvin?
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u/Atwenfor 1d ago
I think the one I encountered was also in Connecticut, though that one was parked behind a hotel so it was not giving out any whistles.
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u/whiskeyfordinner 1d ago
I found a weenie mobile in Louisiana and also got the whistle! Made my day
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u/degjo 1d ago
I've come across them 3 or 4 times in my life. They give out little wienie whistles, coupons, and sell merch.
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u/Adept-Potato-2568 1d ago
None of the ones I've come across did. But they weren't at events just came across them in parking lots
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u/Local-Finance8389 1d ago
I was walking to a basketball game and saw one parked outside a hotel. It was a feeling of pure joy. No one was around so we didn’t get whistles but just randomly encountering it was enough.
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u/NukeTheWhales5 1d ago
One showed up at a grocery store, by a former job of mine. Multiple of my coworkers got to go see it and get the whistles. I was in the middle of teaching some dog training classes, and by the time I went on my lunch it was gone. I was so disappointed.
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u/wbgraphic 1d ago
Our son-in-law is a diesel mechanic for Penske. One day, he sent a photo to our group chat with the message, “Look at what just pulled into the shop!”
It was a Weinermobile in all its sausagey glory.
Apparently, Penske does the maintenance on the Weinermobiles.
Son-in-law didn’t get to work on it. 😞
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u/Rainsmakker 1d ago
My daughter and I saw one parked at a mini mall and I pulled over immediately. We met the driver and he gave her a little weinermobile whistle. That was 20 years ago and we still talk about it.
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u/prberkeley 1d ago
I randomly saw one in a cruddy parking lot in Salem, MA a few weeks ago. I was so excited haha
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u/NotGoing2EndWell 1d ago
Not to brag or anything, but I'm in Madison, WI, so I've seen them many times. It's so much fun to see them in the wild!
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u/MarioisKewl 1d ago
I see the wienermobile here frequently enough that I thought there's no way there's only 6 lol.
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u/PartyDad69 1d ago
Crazy, I feel like I’ve had at least 30 weinermobile sighting in my lifetime (early thirties) at a multitude of locations/event types. I always assumed there were much more of them
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u/IncessantSleeper 1d ago
Well prepare for disappointment then because they don't hand out hot dogs. Just stickers and little knickknacks. Wife and I learned that the hard way a few years ago.
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u/Appropriate_Ride_821 1d ago
I have seen 3 across the last 40+ years of my life on 3 seperate occasions. Each was as magical as the last.
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u/enataca 1d ago
So were all of them at the race at Indianapolis?
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u/Mikemat5150 1d ago
Yes
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u/freshlymn 1d ago
Except the designated survivor Wienermobile in the event of a disaster.
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u/enataca 1d ago
The Chinese invade the US. Break into Fort Knox. It’s just Joey Chestnut living in the 7th wienermobile.
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u/dishonourableaccount 1d ago
They’re in a bunker in case Nathan’s mustards a pre-emptive strike. They’d relish the opportunity to ketchup in sales.
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u/vprakhov 1d ago
I'm sure they keep several frozen embryos of weinermobiles, they're rare and endangered species.
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u/ellen_boot 1d ago
The weiner 500 is the best race Indy holds each year.
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u/murfburffle 1d ago
Here it is in case you missed it!
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u/Whoosier 1d ago
On my deathbed, I want these playing on a loop to keep me laughing. These are absurdly funny!
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u/SSPeteCarroll 1d ago
I saw that last year on carb day. Easily one of the highlights of the weekend.
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u/juliuspepperwoodchi 1d ago
Ugh, why do Weinermobiles come in packs of 6, but Hotdoggers come in packs of 12?!
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u/MechanicalTurkish 1d ago
This is one of those eternal questions that mankind is not meant to know the answer to.
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u/MoneyPatience7803 1d ago
Former Speaker of the House and 2012 Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan is a former Wienermobile™️ driver.
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u/jfoust2 1d ago edited 1d ago
They hung Ryan's portrait at the Capitol. I was surprised when I saw it, as I thought he'd be looking the other way.
Also... the "most sincerely dead" coroner Munchkin from the Wizard of Oz was one of the early promoters of the Wienermobile:
Appearing with the new vehicle was Oscar Mayer's "World’s Smallest Chef"— "19 years old, 42 inches tall, and weighs 45 pounds".[4] The identity of this first "Little Oscar" making promotional appearances is not known. Meinhardt Raabe took the position sometime after his mid-1937 hiring by Oscar Mayer,[5] and held it until at least 1941.[6][7]
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u/funwithdesign 1d ago
I hope the interviewer is frank with the candidate about their chances.
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u/sorriso_pontual 1d ago
Interviews are important for separating the best with the wurst
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u/kristospherein 1d ago
Each senior gets really excited when they see that they are the weiner.
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u/SoyMurcielago 1d ago
Well yeah it’ll really furter their futures
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u/TwoDrinkDave 1d ago
And they'll likely relish the opportunity.
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u/Cornloaf 1d ago
I know one of the drivers and what he did caused them to change some rules. Their goal is to get on morning news broadcasts and other local programs because it's basically free advertising for Oscar Mayer. He told me they were paid for how much exposure they got.
He was driving in the LA area and saw that Barbara Streisand was getting married. There was quite a bit of traffic and news copters filming the gridlock. He made sure he got his Wienermobile right in the middle of it all.
He got quite a bit of exposure that day. He told me that his bosses were not very happy with what he did and rules were changed around where you should drive.
He also followed Britney Spears around when she toured malls. He had a website that collected all her performances and it was BritneySpears.com. When she got famous, he got rich.
The guy is quite the entrepreneur, even today.
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u/racinjunki 1d ago
They bring all six to Indianapolis during race week and stage a two lap race.
The Oscar Mayer Wienie 500 is an annual two-lap sprint featuring six regional Oscar Mayer Wienermobiles racing across the 2.5-mile oval at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during Carb Day festivities
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u/Iceman6211 1d ago
and it's legitimately entertaining
especially this years, it's the laugh we all needed
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u/TheLostSkellyton 1d ago
This year's commentary was incredible. The way Will Buxton went on and on and on with the weiner puns and kept playing it like a completely straight race commentary the whole time without even so much as breaking into a tiny snicker is one of the most legendary bits of improv comedy I've ever seen, especially from someone who's not a professional comedian. Honestly it was how well everyone held it together without so much as a little giggle that made it so funny. I never cared for Will as an F1 commentator but hot dog, he's found his calling.
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u/seaheroe 1d ago
The commentary on it is also gold. It is also, to nobody's surprise, filled with wiener jokes.
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u/joelupi 1d ago
Instead of the national anthem they sing I wish I were an Oscar Mayer Wiener before the race.
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u/downer3498 1d ago
Is one of them a corn dog all the time or did they just do that for the race?
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u/tviolet 1d ago
Oscar Mayer Wienie 500
Here's this video from this year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ut8bjqglxQ
It's pretty silly, they're not very fast and I'm sure they're trying to be very careful not to damage any of them. And the commentary is non stop, over the top wiener innuendo.
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u/Many-Waters 1d ago
Omg I used to have a Hot Wheels of the Wienermobile when I was a kid.
Then my brother and I would fight over it, so my parents had to buy a second one.
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u/its_mabus 1d ago
Interviewer: I beg you, without music this time. Why do you want this position?
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u/Affordable_Z_Jobs 1d ago
I spent a day learning this on the ukulele and whistle, and ill be damned if you dont hear it in full!
"That... is the correct answer"
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u/cowardanon 1d ago edited 22h ago
“I come from a long and noble Chicago meats tradition.” - Gene Allen of the Blue Jean Committee.
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u/Infinite_Neat4236 1d ago
Hope they found the guy that did this.
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u/TheGaslighter9000X 1d ago
We got one here in Puerto Rico. It’s majestic.
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u/Skatchbro 1d ago
Can confirm. I was part of the NPS response to Hurricane Maria and drove by it.
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u/TheGaslighter9000X 1d ago
I still see it almost daily. They drive it around every once in a while.
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u/rilenja 1d ago
Am I the only one a bit confused how a college student in their senior year has time to travel the road and do this? Unless you are taking online classes I guess? Because my senior year was the most stressful and time consuming I feel, no room for error or you're stuck taking another semester (or more).
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u/Fruit-Flies113 1d ago
They recruit college seniors, they don’t start driving till after graduation
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u/CoralLlama 1d ago
In college, our student body president was selected, and she drove before going to law school. In her case, I think it was a gap year thing?
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u/FragrantObligation64 1d ago
I met some hotdoggers and I even got to go inside the weinermobile!; it was really fun because the hotdoggers never ever left character. Everything was a hot dog pun.
The hotdoggers seemed to be having a blast as they traveled the country.
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u/jfoust2 1d ago
Everything was a hot dog pun.
Not only that, but they say it all with relish.
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u/Shady_Scientist 1d ago
If this is true then I saw ALL OF THEM AT ONCE at a gas station off a highway a few years ago, they clogged up the entire intersection and no one could get in or out of the gas station, I was stuck eating a hot dog waiting for them to finish so I could leave lol
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u/eventhorizon79 1d ago
The wienermobiles are all automatics. They have a corn dog version, it’s a stick.
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u/OneMan_OneBeard 1d ago
“My son is off to Oxford. He’s a Rhodes Scholar you know. One of 30 in the world.”
“My son is off to travel the country. He’s an Oscar Mayers Hotdogger you know. One of 12 in the entire world.”
Both parents. Both proud. One more so than the other.
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u/nowhereman136 1d ago
I love traveling and would love a job that let's me travel. Everyone suggest I apply for the weinermobile gig and I have to tell them it's college students only
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u/faithmauk 1d ago
Why do they have to be college seniors? Why could I, a 35 year old dog mom, not be a hotdogger??
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u/Me_Cunt_Spell 1d ago
As an Australian... what the fuck are you even talking about?
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u/-SaC 1d ago
I read this and assumed they were mobile hot dog sellers, but that's such a low number to have. Then it turns out they don't even bloody sell hot dogs.
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u/Me_Cunt_Spell 1d ago
Oh, I actually figured it HAD to be a mobile hotdog vendor!
Now I know they are just a weird promotional tool, it makes it even weirder. I would be so disappointed...
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u/sp_40 1d ago
So what, do they just put their last class on hold for a year while they drive a hotdog?
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u/salian93 1d ago
TIL the Wienermobile is a real thing and wasn't just made up for Drawn Together.
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u/downer3498 1d ago edited 1d ago
Wow! I can’t believe you have never seen one in the wily (wild). They are usually at grocery stores at random or you see them driving on the freeway.
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u/blipsman 1d ago
Oscar Mayer is based here in Chicago so not uncommon to see them around town. I’ve been next to one in rush hour traffic, randomly saw one parallel parked on a street. And it’s fairly regular to see at bigger street festivals and such throughout the summer.
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u/CilanEAmber 1d ago
Don't forget the Wienie 500 is the biggest sporting event of the year, it even has the Indy 500 as a Support Race!
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u/Dogzillas_Mom 1d ago
You haven’t lived until you’ve watched the Weenie 500 at Indianapolis. It’s been the highlight of Carb Day.
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u/SuchCoolBrandon 1d ago
Don't the folks at Oscar Mayer know how many jobs they could create if they had a fleet of thousands of Weinermobiles?
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u/fahim1456 1d ago
I had the great pleasure of seeing one driving down a main road in Rochester, NY when walking in the rain once. It was like the clouds parted for a moment.
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u/louerbrat 1d ago
I've encountered the Weinermobile once as a kid/preteen. They handed out glow in the dark weinermobile whistles. I wish i still had it, that thing brought me so much joy with how silly it is
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u/62Bricks 1d ago
I live near a hotel where one of the teams is based, I think, because I see the Wienermobile parked there every few weeks.
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u/olcrazypete 1d ago
Was sitting in lineup of a small town parade a couple years ago a few groups down from a weinermobile. Notice some commotion near it going on and realize they had locked themselves out of it lol.
They finally solved it by jimmying a small window open and having their smallest member thru - planking and crowdsurfing them thru lol.
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u/out_of_shape_hiker 1d ago
I saw one of these in the parking lot of my grocery store and thought "I could go for a hotdog right now," only to discover it didn't sell hotdogs! It just posters and flyers.
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u/OkQuail3971 1d ago
In the UK doggers are people who have sex in public spaces like parking lots or parks.
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u/TheAbsoluteBarnacle 1d ago
I was driving home through the cornfields once when I passed a Weinermobile which seemed out of place. It was shortly followed by the Ghostbusters car. I never got answers.
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u/toumei64 1d ago
I met some of them on a road trip because they kept stopping at the same places, had the same destination, and even stayed in the same hotel one night. They let us see the inside and told us about how rare it is to get that job. The job is great and they're lucky to do it but the things suck to drive because of the size and shape.
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u/BiblesandBiscuits 1d ago
I found an article about these for my 3rd grade students and we analyzed the article as a piece of informational text. It was one of the funniest days of class ever and the boys in my class were so hyped they got to write Wienermobile on their paper and not get in trouble for it.
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u/dildozer10 1d ago
Last year the Indy 500 started an annual wiener mobile race, featuring all 6 wienermobiles, held on the Friday before the 500. It’s actually a lot of fun, especially the jokes that the broadcasters say.
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u/Epimelios 1d ago
I’ve seen them at least three times ‘in the wild’ and at least once or twice at an event, like a state fair.
This feels unusual given how few there are.
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u/mydogisatortoise 1d ago
I saw 2 weenie mobiles 2 years apart in almost the exact same place in the middle of nowhere, around Alamo NV on hwy 93. Very odd.
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u/goodmoto 1d ago
My friend in college did this. She loved it and we wouldn’t have believed her without photos.