New Thing #83 - Oh I Wish I Were an Oscar Mayer Wiener....

July 25, 2013

Tonight I had the pleasure of riding around in a real life Wienermobile. Yep, you read that right. A 27 foot hot dog on wheels. With me. Riding shotbun. (Yes, pun intended.) And I seriously had the time of my life. I felt like that little girl getting her first Barbie doll again. What's so special about riding in a car shaped like a hot dog, you ask? Let me explain.

First, let me start off by saying that I have an awesome extended family. An awesomely large family diverse in age ranges, talents and geographical locations. One such cousin happens to have just graduated from Mizzou and won one of the 12 coveted Hotdogger positions with Oscar Mayer. There are 6 vehicles, with two people assigned to each. Out of 1500 people, he was one of the lucky ones. (There weren't 10,000 applicants as previously stated in an article I read. That person was a liar.) But, still. To beat out roughly 1488 other people is pretty damn impressive. So, for the next year, Stephen gets to drive that thing around. He even had to go to Hot Dog High earlier this summer to learn how to drive it, learn some classic witty puns and practice his pageant wave.

Each week they stay in a different city doing various events, charity gigs and spreading Oscar Mayer love to people of all ages. It's definitely a job dependent on a sparkling personality, and I can say that Stephen is absolutely perfect for this job. He even gets a nice pun-tastic nickname: Sizzlin' Stephen, and his partner is Atta Dog Alex.

They have been in St. Louis for a few days and actually have another week before they move on to their next city. They get off days with no events mixed in during the week, but usually have to work all weekends. Since he didn't have anywhere to be today or tonight, it was a perfect time to go for a little joyride around South City.

When he said he would come pick me up, I was a bit concerned about how that thing would fit down my street. I live on an old one-way street in South St. Louis City. We're not really known for having the most easily navigable streets. You should see it in the winter. It's like one giant luge. Anyways, he assured me that he made it down some streets of New York City a few weeks ago, so it would be fine. I have to say, being picked up outside my house in a giant wiener is pretty much the coolest thing that's ever happened to me. Okay, maybe not THE coolest, but it ranks pretty high up there.

Fortunately, he was able to easily fit, and I got my first glimpse of the Wienermobile in all its majestic glory. Holy cow. It really is the most awesomely ridiculous looking thing in the world. And I loved it. After some quick I-haven't-seen-you-in-forever hugs, I hopped in to get my tour and start our journey. We also quickly made our escape because people on my street were coming out of the woodwork to take pictures. It's not every day you see a Wienermobile on Lansdowne. It fact, it's a pretty safe bet that there has NEVER been a Wienermobile on Lansdowne before. You're welcome, Lansdowne residents.

Cruising down Lansdowne.

Is that a big hot dog you're driving, or....wait...

The back 4 seats. Please note the mustard swirl down the middle.

The stereo system is in that black box.

The "bun box".

Every Wienermobile needs a flat screen!

Up front.

This is what the end of the wiener looks like. It's used for storage for swag, luggage and the occasional crutch (for Hotdoggers who recently broke their foot!)

GPS, A/C, etc.

Sizzlin' Stephen at the helm.

Riding shotbun. I don't have my meatbelt on yet.

As we started off down the street, I noticed a few things. 1) It's not quite as big as I had imagined in my head. Yet, 2) It's actually quite roomy inside. 3) It rode really well. And 4) I felt like wiener royalty.

I expected stares....it's a giant hot dog after all....but, I wasn't ready for the sheer volume of stares, honks, waves, double-takes and smiles we got while driving down Hampton. People were trying to get their iPhones out while driving, little kids were plastered up against the windows waving furiously at us, and people on the street would stop what they were doing to catch a glimpse of us as we drove by. And Stephen, being quite the professional, waved, smiled and really looked like he was enjoying his job. I even joined in on the fun and started waving at people coming from every direction. This must be what Queen Elizabeth feels like. Wait, scratch that. Does she even wave at her subjects? Doubtful. And even if she did, she clearly would not be having as much fun as we were.

Taking the ol' girl out for a spin!

Part of our trip included a stop for dinner, so I took him to one of my favorite places, Joey B's on the Hill. It's not in the best location for parking a 27' vehicle, but fortunately, we were able to find a place on the street to park. When Stephen went to open the door/hatch, I swear to you I felt like a celebrity about to get out of a limo (and I was very glad to not be wearing a skirt). There was paparazzi standing on the street and everything. Okay, it was just one guy with his iPhone giggling like a school girl, but dammit, I felt special!!!

As we walked to the restaurant, I looked back to see random people stopping to take pictures of the unique addition to their neighborhood and looking around to see who it belonged to. And I just had to stop and really appreciate the moment I was in. Most people don't even know that Oscar Mayer does this. I didn't know about it until Stephen talked about applying last year. I had no idea people spent an entire year doing this. So, for these people, seeing the Wienermobile today may be the only time in their life, and it was pretty cool to be a part of it.

Jus the Ween hanging out in South City.

After dinner we figured there was no better way to cap the evening than to stop off at Ted Drewes for some famous custard. I wanted to run to the bank first to pick up some cash, so we pulled in to the closest US Bank so I could use the ATM real quick. It's too bad that thing wouldn't fit in the ATM drive thru! As I got out, a Jeep with two ladies whipped in behind us. They jumped out and said that they had passed us on Hampton when they pulled a U-turn and followed us until we stopped. They were SO FREAKING EXCITED! You'd think they'd seen the Bon Jovi tour bus or something. Stephen was kind enough to show them the inside quickly and take a few photos while I collected my cash, and even played a short snippet of their famous song. I think we really made their night. As we packed up the Ween, two more people pulled in to the parking lot to take pictures, but thankfully they didn't get out and ask to see inside.

Next up, we tackled the famous Ted Drewes phenomenon and managed to park in the bank across the street. Luckily, we were early enough that it wasn't too full yet, so we didn't attract too many curious onlookers at first. Stephen does a pretty good job of parking that thing. It has two side mirrors, but no rearview mirror, but luckily it does have a back-up camera. After some much needed custard for dessert, we made our way back across the street only to be stopped by a lady and her two kids asking for a picture. This would be the trend for the rest of the night. And that's one of the drawbacks to the Ween being your ONLY mode of transportation. Even on his off days, he still has to "work" and do his professional duty. But, like I said, he's such a great guy, and he was so sweet to the family, even letting them peak inside.

As our evening started to wind down, we headed back to my house, and almost immediately two families were out for a walk and stopped us just as we were getting out. You know, just the wiener princess and her royal subject. No big deal. The next twenty or so minutes went by with Stephen patiently giving them all a tour, interacting with the kids and answering all of their questions. It was so sweet. Every few minutes, they'd have to stop and let a car go by, and each time, the person would gawk and stare. Like I said, it's not every day the Ween is on Lansdowne.

We were able to get a quick respite inside my house, but before he left, a few more people stopped to talk and take pics - one gentlemen was particulary intrigued by it - and finally I told him to just go or he would never get to leave! People on my street, who I've never even met before, were coming out of the woodwork. And then they were all asking me why I hadn't mentioned it to the whole street that he was going to be here. Uh, because he's not here for you, crazy lady! He's here for me!

I can't even begin to thank Stephen for coming by and letting me ride shotbun. I'm now the proud owner of a Wiener whistle AND a Wienermobile hat. SCORE!! This really was such a fun thing to do, and I'm so glad I could do it.

So much fun!

Flat Nate was to Born to Bun.

The hatch was surprisingly heavy as hell.

Patiently waiting for his wiener whistle.

Yep, we're sitting through the bun roof.

Feeling pretty majestic right now.

My house in the background (just over my right shoulder). So, it's proof he really was at my house!

Random people from my street getting a VIP tour.

Their kids were pretty excited.

The legend himself...Sizzlin' Stephen!

Thanks cuz! I had a BLAST!!!

They have numerous versions/styles of the famous theme song. This one happened to be a Bruce Springsteen inspired one!

So, a few side notes. #1 - You need to go to this website http://wienermobilerun.com/teams/borntobun and join Stephen's team: Born to Bun. They are competing against the other 5 Wienermobiles this summer, and every person who joins adds points to their total. They're currently in first place, and I want to see them take the whole thing!

#2 - If you want to see where the Wienermobiles are near you, go to this site http://hotdoggerblog.com/track-the-wienermobile/ and you can see the general area or maybe even the specific event. I can't guarantee you'll get to ride in one (that's kind of reserved for family and friends, or charity events), but you might still get to see one!

#3 - If you're related to Stephen and I, be patient. He only knows his schedule about a week or so in advance, so as soon as he knows if he'll be in your neck of the woods, you will know. His hope is to see as much family as possible, but he's not in charge of the scheduling.

#4 - Remember #BorntoBun!