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Nothing captures the nation’s attention as much as strapping an oversize hotdog to the top of a car and driving round the country.
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Believe it or not, the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council proudly reports the average American eats 60 hot dogs a year. As we round out July and America’s National Hot Dog month quickly comes to an end, this statistic has got me thinking, and counting. With the final figure adding up to a ‘healthy’ 18,420,393,000 hot dogs, it seems street meat is pretty big business.
Since 1936, the friendly folk at the Oscar Mayer wiener company have been promoting and advertising their wares the only way they know how, through their Wienermobiles. It seems nothing captures the nation’s attention as much as strapping an oversize hotdog to the top of a car and driving round the country. And while controversy still surrounds the originator of the hot dog (was it the people of Frankfurt? was it Johann Georghehner?), there is no doubt what people really want to know is ‘when will the Wienermobile get here?’ At present, seven Weinermobiles are traversing America spreading the love and wisdom of processed meat tubes, and an early model is on display at the Henry Ford Museum in Detroit.
Want to sign up? Fear not for you too can get in on the wiener action. For an annual wage of $30,000 (plus medical and dental insurance) you can apply to become a ‘hotdogger’ preaching the word of Oscar Mayer to the citizens of the US of A. Candidates are screened from an average of 2,000 hopefuls a year. Please note all applicants require a college degree…
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Images courtesy of (clockwise from top): John M. P. Knox, Theatrical, Matt Billings and Ramsey Beyer.
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1 Comment
Merrie Osborn
How do I apply to be driver of Oscar Mayer wiener mobile?