Oscar Mayer Hot Dogs Have A Weird And Wonderful History
NEWS
By BUFFY NAILLON
The Oscar Mayer Company was founded by German immigrant Oscar F. Mayer in Chicago's meat market in 1883 and has since established itself as an iconic hot dog brand.
Events like the Chicago World Fair in 1893, World War I, its Wienermobiles, and the Oscar Mayer Wiener song made these hot dogs a cultural phenomenon.
The company's involvement in World War I expanded its market reach significantly and helped to establish the hot dog as an iconic American food.
During the Depression era, the Oscar Mayer Wiener mobile was introduced in 1936, becoming a rolling advertisement for German-style wieners.
The company was also known for employing female workers throughout its history (particularly during WWII) in all facets of its meat packing business, including meat inspection.
Its women workers even gave birth to the Oscarettes, a women's group formed at the Oscar Mayer plant in Madison, Wisconsin.
In 1962, the company jumped on Chicago-based jingle writer Richard Trentlage for the Oscar Mayer Wiener song, which transformed the brand into a new kind of cool.
Millions of kids in the '60 and '70s (and even beyond) enthusiastically sang along with the tune during commercials, further imprinting these hot dogs deep into American culture.
