Unk Mfr - Oscar Meyer Wienermobile Bank

Back in 2016 I posted a bunch of Oscar Meyer Wienermobile's but then they abruptly stopped. I mean after all, a blog cannot live on wieners alone! And then a couple of years ago I picked this up for a decent price from fleaBay with the intent of putting a motor in it from a 3-rail O-gauge train as I've seen so many others do. There have been several variations for exactly how to install a  motor but - like so many other projects - this one is as yet unrealized. But that's okay because the toy itself is still cool all by itself and is in great shape. There is no manufacturer listed on the box and underneath the chassis it  simply says "Made in China". It measures 10" (25.4cm) L x 3" (7.62cm) W x 4 1/2" (11.43cm) H. Enjoy! Opa Fritz

Oscar Mayer Wiener Whistle v.2

Here's the follow-up post to our Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. we did just a couple of days ago. Winie whistles have been around since probably the mid-to-late 1950s although it's hard for me to verify that cuz all my Internet searches only lead me to the Wienermobile history and not the whistle history. Perhaps there's a book out there with more info but I don't have it in my limited library. I'm calling today's whistle "v.2" because the originals were in the shape of a hot dog, while this second version is in the shape of the Wienermobile. I believe these first came out in the '80s but can't verify. If anyone knows for sure let me know please. I do have an original version but haven't yet photographed it. This one measures 2 1/4" (5.71cm) L x 1 1/4" (3.17cm) W and we did not get it as a souvenir of our visit to the Wienermobile back in 2008. Nope, on that day all we got were souvenir stickers. This sample was bought separately for only a dollar or two but is still a nice little reminder of the day. Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina

Oscar Mayer Memories - Wienermobile

Last week I was photographing an old Oscar Mayer Wiener Whistle (or weenie whistle) in the collection when a flood of memories washed over me. The whistle was an '80s version of the toy in the shape of the Wienermobile, and it occurred to me that I had photos of a modern Wienermobile I saw way back in 2008 that never got posted on the blog. Then I happened to think of the few times back in my youth when I saw the '50s era version of the iconic advertising vehicle driving around the streets of Milwaukee. I never did get a close up look at it BUT I did get to see Little Oscar at a Cub Scout function in either the late '50s or early '60s - don't exactly remember now. Little Oscar of course was the advertising gimmick employed by Oscar Mayer by which adult little people (whom we used to call midgets back in the day) where hired to play the character of  'Little Oscar' the chef-garbed spokesman for Oscar Mayer Wieners. He would often times be driven around in the Wienermobile to events extolling the goodness of Oscar Mayer wieners. Unfortunately he didn't show up in the Weenie car at our Scout function - darn! We Scouts did however get souvenir Oscar Mayer Wiener Whistles, the early versions which were shaped like a bent hot dog. Of course the whistles were a clever reminder to kids (and by extension, their moms) to buy Oscar Mayer.  Later versions of the whistle, including the one I photographed recently, were in the shape of the Wienermobile. 

This iconic piece of American advertising started way back in 1936 by Oscar Mayer's nephew, Carl G. Mayer. Variants of the original Wienermobile have been on the road nearly continuously since (except for during WWII as a result of gas rationing). Drivers are called Hotdoggers and often times hand out whistles. Today let's take a look at a modern Wienermobile. These photos were taken at a local store in 2008 and I have to tell ya, it was a real treat for me to be able to see one of these up close and personal. Hope you - Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina

Souvenir sticker