City Cast

Food & Drink: Wienermobile → Frankmobile

Sidney Madden
Sidney Madden
Posted on May 25   |   Updated on June 5
A person dressed as a hot dog rides in a hot dog vehicle in a parade

Oscar Mayer’s Wienermobile at the 2022 Bud Billiken Parade. (Jacoby Cochran / City Cast Chicago)

ICYMI: The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile got a rebrand. The Chicago-based meat company renamed its iconic hot dog vehicle the Frankmobile.

Ergh, why? The Wienermobile long highlighted the brand's weenies, but now the Frankmobile will drive around the country to promote Oscar Mayer 100% beef franks.

What happens to the Hot Doggers? The drivers of the vehicle are getting a rebrand, too. They’ll become the Frankfurters.

Why is the hot dog vehicle a thing? The marketing idea was born in 1936 when Oscar Mayer commissioned Chicago’s General Body Co. to design the Wienermobile to transport the company spokesperson around the city.

This is the Wienermobile’s first rebrand in almost 100 years. The vehicle has remained iconic while its cousins — the Wiener Rover, the WienerCycle, and WienerDrone — haven’t quite caught on.

Want to see the Frankmobile for yourself? It’s going on tour this summer, stopping in the city and nearby suburbs like Orland Park and Schaumburg.

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