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Everyone is familiar with its iconic red-and-yellow packaging and commercial jingles. Many might not realize, however, that Oscar Mayer was an early adopter of marketing strategy involving company-branded merchandise. From die-cast toy cars to branded hot dog cookers and whistles, the company has steadfastly kept fans of the food happy with promotional pieces, some of which are now hot collectibles.
WHO WAS OSCAR MAYER?
Yes, there was an actual founder of this company, and his name was Oscar Ferdinand Mayer. He was born in Bavaria and arrived in the United States in 1873 at the age of fourteen, settling in Detroit. Three years later, he moved to Chicago and worked for various meat companies. By 1883, his brother Gottfried joined him, having been an apprentice to a sausage maker in Germany. Together, they rented the Kolling Meat Market, which was failing then.
In 1888, their lease expired. But after borrowing $10,000 to buy their own building, they opened a shop with a third Mayer brother, Max. The first half of the 20th century saw the company grow by leaps and bounds into a multi-million-dollar food giant.
LITTLE OSCAR, JINGLES, AND BUILDING A BRAND
In the early days of marketing the products, the company had a character, played by an actor, that visited events like parades and supermarket openings. His name was Little Oscar, and in the early days, Meinhardt Raabe, an actor and salesperson for the company, played the character, billed as “The World’s Smallest Chef.” He had dwarfism and stood 3′4″ tall.
Often, he traveled with the first model of the Wienermobile, which only had a small trap door in the back for someone to pop their head out of. Since space was tight, the company chose Raabe, who had experience as an actor. Before working at the company, he portrayed the coroner of Munchkinland in The Wizard of Oz, famously declaring that the Wicked Witch of the West was “clearly most sincerely dead.” At the time, the company referred to events with Little Oscar as “meat and greets.”
shown in his uniform, ready to greet hot dog fans.
Another actor who later played Little Oscar, George Molchan, passed away in April 2005 at the age of eighty-two. At his funeral, with the Wienermobile parked nearby, mourners pulled out “Wiener Whistles” and sang the company song.
In 2020, Matt Treadaway, whose father worked for the company for twenty-eight years, auctioned off his vast collection of Oscar Mayer items. Included was a complete uniform for “Little Oscar” worn by actor Jerry Maren, who, like Meinhardt Raabe, portrayed a Munchkin in The Wizard of Oz. Treadaway’s collection included many Wienermobile items but also some other advertising materials and promo items that are hard to find.
In 1963, the company jingle “I Wish I Were an Oscar Mayer Wiener” premiered in radio and television ads. It’s a jingle most Americans immediately recognize and will sing along with when they hear it. It’s no surprise that the company put the song lyrics on T-shirts and other promotional gear.
attached recalls the company’s first significant jingle.
The other jingle, which is just as well-known, is the “B-O-L-O-G-N-A song.” The company had such great luck with the earlier jingle about the wieners that they wanted something similar. In this video, one of the company executives explains that in 1977, the plan for the new jingle was to have it as a voice-over, with footage of children playing and eating Oscar Mayer bologna sandwiches.
At the end of the day, there were a few minutes left, so the director asked the children if anyone knew the whole song all the way through. Andy Lambros raised his hand and got the song in one take while sitting on a small dock. The company decided to leave in his question at the end, “How’s that?” and there was another Oscar Mayer jingle hit.
A WIENER ON WHEELS
You can’t talk about Oscar Mayer without mentioning the Wienermobile. The company’s first version of the famous “Meals on Wheels” creation premiered in 1936. So many retro promotional items licensed by the company center around the hot dog car; crowds loved it, and it remains an American advertising icon.
The Wienermobile was taken out of regular service in 1977, but in 1986, the company celebrated its 50th anniversary. Fans demanded a comeback, and they got it, with a fleet of new cars hitting the road in 1988. The car and its history are so popular that it’s no wonder most of the collectibles that fans want involve the Wienermobile.
An upgraded version of the Wienermobile still tours today, boasting GPS and a roomier interior. Young adults, usually recent college grads, apply in droves to the program. In this article, Ed Roland, head of the Wienermobile program for Oscar Mayer, points out how competitive it is, explaining, “Statistically speaking, more people have visited space than driven the Wienermobile.” Oscar Mayer has an average of between 1,000 and 1,500 applicants a year.
or tailgating, of course, with bologna sandwiches for a snack.
KEEPING A PART OF THE PAST
With any brand, marketing is crucial. While Oscar Mayer has changed it up over the years, its early efforts and the merchandise it produced and licensed are integral to its history. Fans of mid-century modern advertising collectibles—or just those who want a cheery red and yellow hot dog on wheels to brighten up their space—can find something to keep the magic alive.
Six Wienermobiles are currently touring the country. The next time you’re on a road trip, look for a large wiener in the slower lane, “hauling bun,” down the road, and honk if you love hotdogs.
Brenda Kelley Kim lives in the Boston area. She is the author of Sink or Swim: Tales From the Deep End of Everywhere and writes a weekly syndicated column for The Marblehead Weekly News/Essex Media Group. When not writing or walking her snorty pug, Penny, she enjoys yard sales, flea markets, and badminton.
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