Oh I Wish I Were An Oscar Mayer Wiener

That is what I'd truly like to be! 

Don't worry little 'Albert,' we're quite sure that everyone is already in love with you!  Thanks to Albert's mom for writing in:

Dear Joey and Maggie,

I own a 5 year old mini dachshund and review your blog daily with him. His name is Albert and we are from London, Ontario Canada. Every year Albert and I attend Wienerfest which is hosted just outside of London in Thamesford.  Last year Albert was thrilled to get his photo taken in the Wienermobile and when we saw the posting about the 75th birthday of the wienermobile we had to share his photo!

Thanks for all the interesting articles and the updates on Joey and Maggie!

Rebecca & Albert

Happy 75th Birthday to the Wienermobile!

Thanks so much to our friend Jerry for letting us know that the Wienermobile turned 75 yesterday! That's a lot of smiles that these funny contraptions have brought to folks all over these United States - even the world. Above, Ed Roland with Kraft Foods and two hotdoggers talk to CNN about the Wienermobile's legacy. Excerpt from CNN:

The Wienermobile was born in 1936, when Carl Mayer approached his uncle Oscar with the idea of driving a giant hot dog through Chicago streets, selling Oscar Mayer wieners, Roland said. Over the years, the Wienermobile developed from a smallish 13-foot affair (Carl Mayer drove around with his head sticking through a hole in the roof) into a fleet of mobile marketing hot spots. Children in the ’50s and ’60s knew to look out for the Wienermobile.
The Wienermobile went on hiatus during the fuel woes of the ’70s, when Oscar Mayer could more effectively reach its audience through television advertising. This was the heyday of the jingle-laden commercials featuring bologna’s first name and last name, and children who wished only to be loved like Oscar Mayer wieners.

Read some fun stories in the archives about the Wienermobile.

A Note From Joey and Maggie: We're Back! And We Visited The Wienermobile!

The Mothership landed directly behind your Long and Short of it All hosts 'Joey' and 'Maggie'

Greetings fellow Dachshund Lovers.  We're back from vacation, and boy did we need it.  We visited our grandparents for Mother's Day, and they are two of our favorite humans, so we had a great time.  We also visited with our Dachshund country-cousin 'Rudy,' and his young pain-in-the-neck brother 'Baxter,' a Havanese who is just getting out of puppyhood.  We had a fun time though.

We headed back to Chicago for MidWest Dachshund Rescue's 3rd Annual Cross Town Bark Around Fundraiser on Saturday - and WOW!  What an event!  There were over 500 humans in attendance, and a good 300 or so Dachshunds.  Between the wiener races, free hot dogs, Wienermobile, cake walk, raffle prizes, silent auctions, and Doxie store, we sure kept ourselves busy.  What an awesome event.  If you live in the MidWest, make sure to plan on attending next year.

On the home front, Joey and Maggie were in good health for the vacation.  Maggie has to spend a day at the vet's today to get an ACTH stimulation test to see how her trilostane is helping her for her Cushing's.  Joey won't like being left home alone.  We're hoping to schedule Maggie's surgery for next Tuesday to remove her anal tumor.  It's starting to bug her more, but she should be far enough away from her pancreatitis attack to go ahead with surgery (surgery can induce pancreatitis).  It's going to be a risky surgery for her with her heart murmur, Cushing's, and pancreatitis, but she's feeling really good right now - running around outside like a puppy - so hopefully all will be OK. 

Here are some fun photos that we took from MWDR's event.

Midwesterners Mark Your Calendar: MWDR's Crosstown Bark Around Fundraiser

If you live in the Midwest, you're not going to want to miss MidWest Dachshund Rescue's 3rd Annual Crosstown Bark Around Fundraiser on Saturday, May 14, 2011.  This year's event promises to be bigger and better than ever, as the location has been moved to a fairground in Wheaton, Illinois, about an hour outside of Chicago.  The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile will be there, dash in Wiener races, socialize with hundreds of Dachshunds, and win AWESOME raffle prizes or silent auction items.  We'll be there, so be sure and say hi if you see us!  Here are all the details:

WHAT:  The Crosstown Bark Around Fundraiser and Doxie Social

WHEN:  Saturday, May 14 12:00-4:00

WHERE:  DuPage County Fairgrounds - Wheaton, IL

WHO:  MWDR welcomes all well behaved doxies and other small breed dogs who are up to date on vaccines ...sorry no big dogs allowed.

COST:  $4.00 adults & $2.00 children (cost includes hot dogs, chips and drink). No preregistration to attend is required.

Don't own a doxie, you are still welcome to attend! Come one....Come All!! This is an awesome event!!

Raffles and Silent Auctions

Door Prizes

Wiener Races

Bake Sale

Doxie General Store

Nail trims

Photographer with Wienermobile Car

Wiener Games-Best Trick, Best Costume, Doxie Owner Look Alike, and

Cake Walk

Pre-registration for the Dachshund Dash races is now open until May 6th 

The Dachshund Dash pre-registration fee is $5.00.

You can also register the day of the race. The fee will be $10.00 the day of the races.

There are 4 Race Divisions. They include :

Lil' Schnitz-under 2 years old

Frankfurters - 2-4 years old

Bratwursts - 5-8 years old

Knockwursts - 9 + years and handicapped

Fantastic prizes are in store for the fastest wieners out there.  Click the following link for registration details:   Dachshund Dash Registration Form and Details.

One of the highlights of the Cross Town Bark Around fundraiser will be the drawing for the winner of this "Rescue Rainbows Raffle Quilt" made by MWDR supporters.  MWDR put out a call for donations of dachshund themed quilt blocks, and received over 40 wonderful squares, each one unique in it's own way.  Twenty of those blocks were made into this quilt.  Almost every block has a special story to tell, as many of the blocks represent foster dogs, adopted dogs, or dogs that have gone over the rainbow bridge.  This large machine quilted lap quilt measures approximately 59" x 71", and is backed with black dachshund print fabric and has a sleeve for hanging.

Buy raffle tickets at the event, or on-line at MWDR.  1 for $1, 12 for $10, 25 for $20, or 70 for $50.  Winner need not be present to win.

Win Your Very Own Wienermobile For A Day

There it is....The Holy Grail.  Like you, sometimes we dream at night about riding around in our very own Wienermobile - we'd be the envy of all our pals, the puparazzi would take our photo, and we'd arrive at every Dachshund event in incredible style.  That dream can become a reality if you go to Oscar Mayer's Good Mood Mission and click on the Ride SHOTBUN button before July 31 and tell them what you would do with the Wienermobile for the day. Four lucky winners will receive the chance to ride SHOTBUN in the Wienermobile, along with $5,000 to help spread good moods. For every good mood America shares, the Oscar Mayer brand will donate one pound of food to Feeding America, for a total donation of up to three million pounds of food.

Or, if you've got the cash, just bid to win your very own Wienermobile for a day at an ebay auction which closes June 4th.  The auction package includes: the use of the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile for one day, a catered Oscar Mayer brand cook-out with all the fixings for up to 50 people and everything needed to make the day perfect, including a grill and grilling utensils, a cooler, and to help hot dog season last throughout the year, a one-year supply of Oscar Mayer Hot Dogs.

Desert Doxies: Henderson Heritage Parade 2010

Thanks so much to Kristi and Steve Eberhard for sending in this awesome video of the Desert Doxies of Las Vegas Meetup Group on Parade!  Looks like a blast!  They write:

Dear Maggie and Joey,

We are members of the Desert Doxie Meetup Group. Our group walked and some got a ride in the Henderson Heritage Parade in Henderson, NV, Saturday April 17, 2010!

Here is the video of the event! We had 30 Dachshunds all wearing matching harness' made by a member of our group. 'Schatzenhiemer' and 'Savannah' were a big hit in their "Wienermobile." 

Good Times!

 
Video by TJ McCormick, who additionaly noted:  Parade formation: low!!! Dachshunds take over Henderson's annual Heritage Parade, marching down Water St. Brenda McCormick caught the hot dog action, and only wieners need apply!!

Dachshund News Roundup!

Proving once again that National Hot Dog Month is really all about the Dachshund, here's a Dachshund News Roundup on a beautiful summer day, Monday, July 27, 2009. Can we get a woof?! Above....they grow the sausages big in Kentucky, as evidenced by red shaded smooth 'Buck,' a 50-pound monster who raced at Evansville's Ellis Park Race Course on Saturday. Buck came in last in his heat, but we're sure that what he lacked in speed, he made up for in respect from the other Dachshunds. Congrats goes out to 'Gizmo' for taking the crown. Read all about the event and see some nice pics at The Gleaner.

Wiener Haters? Who doesn't love the Wienermobile? Hawaii, apparently. After a wienermobile commenced a 3-week tour of the islands, a nonprofit group called Outdoor Circle said the Wienermobile violates a recently enacted state law that bars vehicles used primarily to advertise or promote a service or product. Oscar Mayer says it did nothing wrong; they did not know about the ban, they completed all the paperwork for the visit, and the Honolulu mayor even honored the rolling sausage on July 2nd, declaring an official Oscar Mayer Wiener Day. Read all about the beef at the Honolulu Advertiser. Thanks to our pal 'Clancy' for the story tip!

Can't you just feel the anticipation in this photo? This was the scene at the 5th annual West Virginia Hot Dog Festival on Saturday at Pullman Square in Huntington, West Virginia. Thousands enjoyed wiener dog races, a Bun Run 5K, a hot dog eating contest and a root beer chugging contest at the event. See a super gallery of photos at the Herald-Dispatch.

 
And finally, in rescue news, do you remember the six sickly Dachshunds that were dumped at Furrytale Farm animal shelter about 6 weeks ago on Bainbridge Island in Washington state? They are now looking for forever homes. What's especially sad about this case is that a veterinarian has determined the females had never had litters, so it's not thought that they came from a puppy mill at this point, and yet were in such poor health. The vet bill for these six came to $12,000. Warning, the video is hard to watch. Read more at Q13 Fox News.

Have a nice day.

Wienermobile Crashes Into Wisconsin Home

Frankly Ridiculous

An Oscar Meyer Wienermobile crashed into the home and outdoor deck of Nick Krupp in Racine, Wisconsin on Friday morning, July 17, 2009. According to a witness, the vehicle was parked in the driveway. The driver lurched the vehicle forward instead of backing out of the driveway, hitting Krupp's deck and cracking the foundation of his house. (AP Photo/Journal Times, Tom McCauley). Read all about it at The Chicago Tribune. We're glad that no one was hurt.

Thanks to tips from 'Clancy,' 'Bogie,' and 'Monty' for this story!

Related: Wienermobile Stories

Oscar Mayer Dies at 95

Photo Source: CBS News

Thanks to our good pals 'Oscar' and 'Hans' for sending the link, and writing:

Dear Joey and Maggie,

What a sad day for Wiener fans! What Dachshund lover hasn't smiled at a sight or mention of the Wienermobile, or wished to be an Oscar Mayer Wiener?

We will be taking a moment of silence today in memory.

Oscar and Hans

It's a sad day indeed. Oscar G. Mayer, retired chairman of the Wisconsin-based meat processing company that bears his name, has died at the age of 95.
Mayer's wife, Geraldine, said he died of old age Monday age at Hospice Care in Fitchburg.
He was the third Oscar Mayer in the family that founded Oscar Mayer Foods, which was once the largest private employer in Madison. His grandfather, Oscar F. Mayer, died in 1955 and his father, Oscar G. Mayer Sr., died in 1965.
Mayer retired as chairman of the board in 1977 at age 62 soon after the company recorded its first $1 billion year. The company was later sold to General Foods and is now a business unit of Kraft.
Mayer's first wife, Rosalie, died in 1998. He married Geraldine Fitzpatrick in 1999.
Read more at The Cornell Daily Sun.
Our hearts go out to Mr. Mayer's family and friends, and all of the Dachshunds, especially those named Oscar and Mayer throughout the world. RIP.

Related: Wienermobile Stories



Oscar Mayer Wiener Commercial, 1965

Upcoming Dachshund Events

Unfortunately there aren't enough hours in the day to post about all the upcoming dachshund events around the world, but when awesome logos are involved, we make an exception.
If you're in the MidWest this coming Saturday, May 9th, don't miss MidWest Dachshund Rescue's Cross Town Bark Around "Doxie Social and Fundraiser" in Villa Park, IL. There will be raffles for Cubs & Sox tickets (including the Cross Town Classic), hotel stays, restaurant gifts certificates, luxurious dog beds and much much more. Free refreshments. Cubs and Sox dog coats/jerseys will be on hand to dress up your doxie for photos with pet photographer. Special appearance by the one and only WIENERMOBILE. Admissions $2.00 per person. Must register to attend. Find out more at MWDR. We know this group of dedicated folks have worked tirelessly for this event, it's not to be missed!

And if you're near Oklahoma on Saturday, don't miss the Annual Dachshund Dash in Oklahoma City. Ninety Six Dachshunds will be competing to be top Wiener Dog! Find out more at Doxie Dash.



Enjoy this nice video from last year's Dachshund Dash.

Fun With Dachshunds

Hotdogger John Woodbridge holds a hot dog cutout for a boy and his dachshund at the Buda Wiener Dog Races last weekend. The Oscar Meyer Wienermobile made an appearance during the festival. See more fun photos from the event at the San Marcos Daily Record.

Dachshund News Roundup!

Proving once again that you can't keep a good dachshund down, here's a dachshund news roundup on a cold and very wet Tuesday, December 9th, 2008. Woof! Above, we've featured artist Dee Dee Murry before, but she's in the news in a nice article over at The Chronicle, out of Centralia, Washington. She is seen here in her studio with her pretty black and tan longhair 'Hallie.' Read all about her award-winning art and love of animals at The Chronicle.

Related: Dachshund Gifts and Fine Art by Dee Dee Murry

In politics, dachshund lover Donald Rumsfeld had a party a few months ago, and The Washington Post noted: The low-key brunch for 50 or so included Democrats and Republicans (although next-door neighbor Dick Cheney was not spotted), according to a guest; a "very relaxed" Rumsfeld greeted everyone by name and directed them to the lawn, where a little fleet of dachshunds zipped through the crowd. Related: Famous Dachshund Quotes: Donald Rumsfeld.

The crisis facing Britain's Kennel Club and Crufts continues after the BBC aired its documentary Pedigree Dogs Exposed a few months ago. Still yet to air on BBC America, you can watch the troubling documentary in six 10 minute clips at Daily Motion. Related: The Quest for the Perfect Dog.

Need a job? The perfect job? Oscar Mayer is now hiring wienermobile drivers. Submit that resume! Photo Source. Related: Really fun Wienermobile stories.

Remember the unfortunate story of the bees which attacked and killed 2 dachshunds and seriously injured their human in Florida a few weeks ago? Meet their human, Nancy Hill, in a follow-up at the Palm Beach Post. Related: Dachshund News Roundup, 10.27.08.
And finally, that nice E.B. White Dachshund Bookend by Levenger has SOLD OUT, and is no longer on their website! It was a limited edition of 1,000 which sold out in a few weeks. As a consolation if you didn't get your order in, these new bookends are available at Target.

Have a great day.

3rd Annual Wheatland Dachshund Derby Recap

An estimated 500 people showed up to watch 53 doxies race at the 3rd Annual Dachshund Derby in Wheatland, Wyoming on Sunday! The best news is that over $3,000 was raised for the Antelope Gap Fire Zone. Way to go! Two lucky dachshunds and four humans also won a raffle and got to go for a one-hour ride in the Wienermobile. Heaven! Read all about it and see more pics at the Platte County Record Times.

Doxies Enjoy Wiener Roast on the Beach in Carmel, California

The 5th Annual Wiener Roast took place yesterday at Carmel Beach, in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. We're betting all the dachshunds had a great time! Excerpt from the Monterey Herald: There was no velvet rope — dachshunds aren't nearly that snooty — but the canine convention that took place Sunday at Carmel Beach was pretty doggone exclusive. Frankly, if you weren't a wiener dog, it wasn't your party. That's why a dachshund named Piggles spent much of his morning securing the perimeter, running off every four-legged creature with more than 3 inches of clearance between stomach and sand.
"Piggles is perfectly content around all the other dachshunds," explained Stacey Wideman of Atascadero, founder of Central Coast Dachshund Rescue. "But if another dog comes in, she turns into our little security guard."
For the hundred-some dachshunds who brought their owners to the bash, it was quite an event, complete with the famous Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, which doled out free hot dogs to the two-legged partiers.
Read all about it, and see some nice pics in a fun article at the Monterey Herald. Woof!

The New Mini Wienermobile

Ocsar Mayer has created the new Mini Wienermobile to celebrate their 125th anniversary. We're waiting for the longhair and wirehair version!



New York Giant Michael Strahan unveils the new Mini in Times Square, New York City.

Related: Wienermobile Wipes Out

Related: Crimes Against Wieners

Wienermobile Wipes Out

Thanks to Jerry S. for the story tip! Luckily no hotdoggers were injured when the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile took a spin and crashed on a snow-covered Pennsylvania highway on Sunday. Tongue-in-cheek excerpt from the Star-Gazette: Let's be frank: motor vehicle accidents aren't much fun for anyone.
But when a 27-foot-long tube-steak spins out on a snow-covered highway, it's bound to generate some grins.
The growler contained two "hotdoggers" -- driver Emily Volpini, 22, of Lexington, Ky., and Caylen Goudie, 22, of Hinsdale, Ill. Although they didn't relish the experience, they weren't hurt, investigating state Trooper Rex Johnson said.
"We thought we had come out of the blizzard," Goudie said. "We thought we were through it. Then we hit a patch of ice. The Wienermobile weighs 7,000 pounds, so usually ice and snow isn't much of a problem. It was this time.
"Stuck, Volpini called 911 dispatchers in Wellsboro. Though skeptical at first, they notified state police at Mansfield. As passersby called in the crash on cell phones, the dispatchers became convinced that the barkburger was indeed in hot water.
Police contacted Dave Kurzejewski of Costy's Truck and Auto Mart, and he showed up in short order with a heavy four-wheel-drive vehicle and some chains. Johnson, the trooper, grilled the women briefly and concluded that a routine and sober spinout was all he had on his plate.
Kurzejewski hooked up and Emily fired up the highway hot dog, and a few well-timed tugs later, the Wienermobile was back on the highway.
For Kurzejewski, veteran of hundreds of tows over the years, Sunday's experience was a new one.
"I've pulled out a lot of vehicles," he said. "But that's the first wiener I've ever pulled out.
"It was a first for the women, too. They left none the wurst for wear.
"Usually we try to keep from scratching our buns," Goudie said. "But sometimes, things go wrong."
Read more at the Star-Gazette.

Related: Crimes Against Wieners

Crimes against Wieners

A Chicago police officer tickets the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile in the 400 block of North Michigan Avenue. (click photo to enlarge)

Thanks to Rebecca S. for the link! Kevin Pang had a good time writing this fun story for the Chicago Tribune. Excerpt: A massive hot dog clogged Chicago's main artery Thursday morning.
In a rare occurrence of an encased-meat vehicle committing a traffic violation, Chicago police ticketed the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile for illegal parking on the Magnificent Mile.
The incident began at 10:57 a.m. in the 400 block of North Michigan Avenue. At least two members of the Wienermobile entourage left the vehicle in the six-lane street with its emergency blinkers on. The vehicle is registered to Kraft Foods under the Wisconsin license plate "WEENR."
A police officer approached the Chevrolet with the 27-foot fiberglass sausage and removable bun roof. The officer radioed for a tow truck.
Matt Smith of the city's Streets and Sanitation Department said the city would have been ready to handle the job.
"We have access to tow trucks that could have handled a Polish sausage, not just a hot dog," Smith said.
The officer wrote the ticket and affixed it to the wiener's footlong side mirror. Ed Walsh, a spokesman for the city Department of Revenue, said parking in a "Parking/Standing Prohibited Anytime" zone is a $50 violation.
About 15 minutes later, as curious passersby snapped pictures with their camera phones, the driver and passenger of the vehicle returned before tow trucks could arrive. "The situation was resolved without the use of ketchup, which in Chicago is a big thing," Smith said.
The entourage got a grilling from the officer.
"You can't just park here," the officer said.
One of the passengers, who declined to be identified, said they were visiting a Wienermobile alumnus who worked nearby, but were unaware that one could not park a giant sausage in the middle of the city's busiest thoroughfare.
Sydney Lindner, a spokeswoman for Kraft Foods, said the Wienermobile is on a nationwide tour promoting a contest to sing the Oscar Mayer jingle in an upcoming commercial.
She said "regardless of the reason" the driver had for parking there, the company neither condones nor relishes such actions.
"It's against company policy to park in undesignated area even if you're driving a company vehicle that's shaped like a giant hot dog," Lindner said. "We appreciate the police doing their job and we regret any inconvenience this may have caused."
The hot dog was last seen driving north on Michigan Avenue. Link to story Find out more about the Wienermobile at wikipedia.