What it's like to ride in the Wienermobile
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The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile celebrates its 90th anniversary this year. Photo: Carlie Kollath Wells/Axios
I crossed off a bucket list item over the weekend: Riding in the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.
Why it matters: You don't age out of childhood dreams.
The big picture: I met "Nacho Dog Norah" and "Cookout Caroline" at Rouses in Metairie during their trip across Louisiana.
- They were passing out Wiener Whistles, taking photos with starstruck shoppers and making every hot-dog-themed pun possible.
- Franktastic. Bunderful. Hot dog highways. Buns of fun. Aero-dog-namic. "We relish this job."
How it works: I climbed the stairs and walked the mustard runway to my wiener-embroidered seat.
- I fastened my "meatbelt" and followed their instructions to wave as people snapped photos outside.
- "Every day is like a parade," Nacho Dog Norah told me.
- I've been in parades, and I can certainly see the similarities. But in this case, the car is 100% the star. And we weren't throwing anything.
What's inside: The Wienermobile was more luxurious than I was expecting. It has six seats — for 12 buns, the ladies quip — cellphone chargers, Bluetooth, AC, carpet, backup camera and a trunk.
- What I didn't find: a kitchen or any edible hot dogs on board.
- We buzzed along Veterans Memorial Boulevard, hanging a U-ey on Bonnabel and another in front of Trader Joe's.
Zoom in: The hotdoggers had to go to a specialized school to learn how to drive the 27-foot wiener on wheels.
- They are both recent college graduates and will spend the next year crisscrossing the "Sizzling South," as they call it.
- Cookout Caroline is from north of Atlanta and graduated from Alabama. Nacho Dog Norah is from Philly-ish and graduated from Penn State.
- "Spark smiles — that's the center of everything we do," Nacho Dog Norah says.
Fun fact: The Wienermobile is their personal vehicle while they are on the road.
- They drove it to the movies the other week and came back to find a crowd taking photos.
By the numbers: There are six Wienermobiles on the road today.
- It's the 90th anniversary of the first one, designed by Oscar Mayer's nephew, Carl.
- They are 11 feet tall, 27 feet long and 8 feet wide. The horn blasts the Oscar Mayer Wiener jingle.
- The "bunroof" comes off for parades and other appearances.
The bottom line: Five stars. Would ride the giant hot dog again.
