Oscar Mayer is changing the name of the Wienermobile. Wait – WHAT??
Oscar Mayer announced this week that they’re changing the name. They’re calling it – the Frankmobile!
Oscar Mayer is saying that the change could possibly be permanent – but it’s most likely just a stunt to promote a new recipe that they’re rolling out for their new recipe franks. No – it’s not because people all of a sudden have a problem with the word “wiener” – it’s a marketing thing.
Believe it or not, the Oscar Mayer “Wienermobile” has been around for 87 YEARS. The 27 foot long, six ton hot dog on wheels, hit the road in 1936 and became one of the most iconic, and noticeable, vehicles across the United States.
The change is meant to promote a new recipe for their weinies – franks – which they’re rolling out this summer. The new formula for their All Beef Franks will feature a “more balanced flavor profile and iconic beefy taste.” The last time Oscar Mayer changed its recipe in 2017.
The hot dog packaging will be updated as well, but the actual Wienermobile itself will not be changed, other than some decals on the side of the vehicle that announce the name change. By the way, there isn’t just one Wienermobile – Oscar Mayer has SIX of these hot dog cars driving around the country at any given time.
The Wienermobile is iconic, so it’s very hard to believe this will be a permanent change. But their spokespeople are being coy about it. They say they’re “trying out [the name] to see if it ‘cuts the mustard’ with its fans.” We “relish” the ambition…
Let them have their fun with the name change for a short while. After that – BRING THE WEINERMOBILE BACK!
Here’s where you can track the Frankmobile, and here’s one of those famous commercials –
Put On Your Neon And Watch The First Two Hours Of MTV From 1981
I WANT MY MTV!
The 80’s were a colorful, indulgent, “no worries” time if you were a teen. When MTV was launched, me and my friends would sit in front of the TV for hours, anxiously waiting for the next video to play. Who would it be? Michel Jackson’s Thriller? George Michael’s butt video? Duran Duran in the boat?
We’d listen to Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, JJ Jackson, Martha Quinn, and Alan Hunter give us all the info we needed on those videos, and artists, cause they were totally cool, and totally “in the know.”
The concept behind MTV was simple: Show music videos and content related to music all day long, every day. And it worked phenomenally. The golden age of MTV lasted from the early 1980s to around 1992, and in its heyday it had a massive impact on the music landscape.
If you’re old enough to remember the launch of MTV on August 1st, 1981 at 12:01 A.M., this will bring you right back: Somebody put the first two hours of MTV on YouTube, and it will immediately transport you back to that day, and time, and feel.
Everyone knows the first video they played was “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles. You’ll also see all of the original VJs introduce themselves, plus the very first ad that ever aired on MTV, for a three-ring binder called The Bulk. It was followed by a commercial for “Superman 2”.
For many, the 1980s and ‘90s represents the most interesting stage in music video history. With huge budgets to spend, a number of revolutionary music videos were released – The iconic “Thriller” video, and A-ha’s amazingly creative “Take On Me” represents music videos that were hugely influential at the time and which cemented MTV as a cultural force. There’s something very powerful about visuals and imagery being combined with music. Visual storytelling quickly became an integral part of music creation.
Here is the link for that first two hours of MTV. Put on your neon and scroll through it. And below are the first ten videos that were played on MTV – RIGHTEOUS!