There is a team that needs help.
You see, the Wienermobile Run is an extremely important competition. All six Wienermobiles, Oscar Mayerâs 27-foot long hot dogs on wheels, stationed in different regions of the U.S. fight for points that can be gained in two ways. The first way to score is by completing challenges like âtake a video of a band playing the Oscar Mayer jingle with the Wienermobile.â The secondâand possibly the most lucrativeâis by having people use the team name of the Wienermobile they see (ex. Bunderstruck, Speedy Wiener, Drift Dog) on social media. Every tweet or Instagram picture is a point.
A few weeks ago, I wrote a letter to Oscar Mayer telling them that when Iâm old enough I plan on becoming a hotdogger (someone who drives the Wienermobile). I hadnât heard from Oscar Mayer until Friday, when I received an email from current hotdogger Spicy Mustard Mandy. She said that her partner, Pigs in a Blan-Kate, and she had read my letter and wanted to know when they could come by my house to meet me. I told them noon the next day, even though I was sort of thinking it was a prank. Nonetheless, a day of sign-making and friend-calling later, a group of friends was waiting when Autobuhn rolled up to my house.
There really arenât words to describe what it is like to have a 27-foot long hot dog sitting in front of your house. Mandy and Kate couldnât have been nicer. We took photos, looked inside, whistled on our wiener whistles, and heard stories about life as a hotdogger.
After munching on some Oscar Mayer (premium beef) wieners, everyone left, because they thought the show was over. Everyone, that is, except for four of us. Kate and Mandy asked if we wanted to take a ride. How many could they take? Four. Patience has its rewards, my friends.
Autobuhn was in need of a wiener wash, so we rolled up to the local fire station, Station 69. Mandy and I strolled inside and found two firemen.
âHey guys. This isnât something Iâd ever thought Iâd be saying when I woke up today, butâŠwe just parked the Wienermobile out back and were wondering if we could use your hose to wash it,â I asked one of them.
âYou brought the Wienermobile!! Hold on one second.â He reached for the intercom and then, âBoys! The Wienermobile is parked out back, and it needs washing. Letâs show âem how Fire Station 69 does it.â
You should have seen the looks in their eyes when they walked out back and saw Autobuhn parked there.
Ten minutes later, the firefighters were pampering the wiener themselves until they got a call and had to go. So, being responsible Wienermobile Riders, we finished the job.
While washing Autobuhn, we found a soda stain on the side. We decided to drive the Wienermobile across the street to a real car wash. We walked up to someone at the car wash and asked him if he had anything to get it out. He replied by asking us to bring our car around. We told him that we couldnât fit our car, pointed to the Wienermobile, and watched the man fall over laughing. Even though they couldnât get the stain out, we still paid them handsomely in Wiener Whistles for their efforts.
Since the firefighters never got a photo opportunity before they got their call, we headed back to Station 69 and took some pictures with the firefighters.
Autobuhn headed back to my house afterwards with me sitting shotbun. I got on the PA and started yelling at people.
âHey! You in the grey shirt!â
âJoin team Autobuhn!â
âHowâs it going today?â
But all good things have to end, and almost as quickly as it appeared, Autobuhn drove off onto Sunset Blvd. and was gone.
I learned all about being a Hotdogger Saturday. I handed out Wiener Whistles and stickers and made peopleâs week. There isnât a feeling like having everyone stop, take a picture, and then laugh all because of you. This isnât a job that is all fun and games though. It takes some skill, and if golf and bowling can be called sports, then Hotdogging should most definitely be considered one too. A successful hotdogger needs to be determined. Oscar Mayer doesnât organize the majority of Wienermobile-attended events, theyâre organized by the hotdoggers themselves. Without determination, the Wienermobile would just be a giant hot dog with nowhere to go. The job requires endurance. Smiling and waving day after day is not only get tiring but annoying too. Finally, a successful hotdogger must have incredible social skills. Kate and Mandy are the Michael Jordans of friendliness. They smile to everyone, they donât kill each other after hours of driving, but most impressively they donât snap whenever someone whistles a Wiener Whistle for the thousandth time. Trust me. That takes skill. Lots of it.
Spicy Mustard Mandy (left), Pigs in a Blan-Kate (right), and I with Autobuhn.
I also learned about the Wienermobile Run. The second I heard about the contest, I started tweeting, instagraming, facebooking, and vine-ing using #autobuhn because Autobuhn is in third place, and that is not OK. Kate and Mandy could not have been nicer. They deserve this victory. They want it.
But they canât do it without you.
So go onto wienermobilerun.com and join Team #Autobuhn. Tweet. Instagram. Vine. Do it all.
Kate, Mandy, and Autobuhn need your help. Letâs make sure they are the wiener.
