People in Champaign-Urbana had the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile as it passed through town on its way to Arkansas on Monday and Tuesday. 

Kelly Burger, one of the drivers of the Wienermobile, is a University alumna. She appeared enthusiastic to be driving the hot-dog shaped vehicle through Campustown. 

“We just came from the Milwaukee-Madison area, and our next stop is in Little Rock, Arkansas,” Burger said. “So I asked our bosses if we could make a pit stop in Urbana-Champaign and bring the Wienermobile back to where I call home.”

Burger recently took on the position of driving the Wienermobile across the U.S. to promote excitement about the Oscar Mayer brand.

“What we like to say we do is ‘spread miles of smiles across the hot-dog highways of America,’” Burger said. “Just kind of driving around and letting people check out our famous ride. We go to different events and meet people all around the country. It’s something that just seems to bring happiness to people.”

Since the time of the first Wienermobile, which was built out of metal back in 1936, this transportation of spokespeople for Oscar Mayer has increased. 

There are currently six Wienermobiles actively driving across the U.S., including the vehicle piloted by Burger, which has been named “Oh I wish”. Each Wienermobile is tasked with navigating through a different region of the country.

“It’s really awesome to see people’s faces when you drive by,” Burger said. “Every day we’re driving and we see people smiling and honking. My partner and I have been to nine states in little over a month.”

Other vehicles in the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile Fleet include a modified mini-cooper from 2008, a converted Chevrolet from 2004 and a Wienermobile food truck from 2011. All these vehicles include vanity license plates saying things such as, “IWISHIWR” or “WNRMBLE”. 

The Wienermobiles are almost always on the move, and can be seen at various locations across the country.

“Every single day is different, which makes it a ‘bunderful‘ life,” Burger said. “My favorite part is meeting all the different people all across the country, because everyone has a different story to tell. 

“It’s really interesting to hear the, ‘Oh, I remember when’s,’ like, ‘I remember seeing the Wienermobile when I was young.’ I love hearing stories from people of all ages with their experience with the Wienermobile because it’s all positive. It’s really incredible to be a part of something with such a rich tradition.”

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