Sammi Manning and her co-driver Haley Rohe pulled into Duluth with the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile for five days of activities. She took the time to answer a few questions about a most unusual job.
How did you come to be on one of the Hotdogger teams? How many teams are there?
For both my co-pilot, Haley, and I, driving the Wienermobile was our dream job coming out of college. Over 1,500 people apply for the job each year, and only 12 “lucky dogs” (six pairs) are hired to drive one of the six Wienermobile vehicles in the fleet. We went through an extensive interview process, and thorough training at Hot Dog High, before hitting the road as Brand Ambassadors for Oscar Mayer, aka "Hotdoggers."
What’s the most frequent response to the Wienermobile?
"Wow! It’s the Wienermobile!" "It's real!" "I remember seeing the Wienermobile when I was a kid!" "Hot dogs!!!"
People are usually just so excited to see the Wienermobile, they just don't know what to say! It's quite a shock to see a 27-foot hot dog on wheels.
Do you remember a personal favorite response?
We have met a few very special people whose lifelong dream is to see the Wienermobile. They approach us, often with teary eyes, and say how much it means to them to see it. One woman in particular comes to mind, a cancer survivor from my small hometown in Iowa, who has been searching for the Wienermobile for over 15 years. After battling her illness for so long, it was her dream to find the Wienermobile. She even took a road trip across the Midwest to try and hunt it down! When she came to my house to finally see it this summer, she said, "I've been searching and searching, and it turns out the Wienermobile actually came to find me."
We are so excited for our trip to Duluth!