Relish Ray, left, and Cookout Christian with their Wienermobile at Martin’s.

WARSAW — Ever wish you were an Oscar Mayer Wiener? The beloved Oscar Mayer Wienermobile made a stop at the Warsaw Martin’s, 1150 Husky Trail, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today, March 17.

Hotdoggers — the people who drive the giant hot dog — “Cookout Christian” and “Relish Ray” are parked at Martin’s Supermarket “meating” those who wish to stop by and take a gander inside the food shaped vehicle.

The Wienermobile has been traveling America’s highways since 1936, when it was created by Oscar Mayer’s nephew, Carl Mayer. There are currently six Wienermobiles roaming around the US.

Ray and Christian are two of 12 Hotdoggers that were lucky enough to cut the mustard among 1,200 applicants for the position. They travel the country visiting retailers, festivals, fairs, parades, car shows, touch-a-trucks, charity functions and other events where they take pictures, let people peek inside the Wienermobile, play games and, of course, hand out iconic Wiener Whistles.

The beloved whistles were once available in Oscar Mayer hot dog packages, but now can only be had if you visit a Wienermobile in person. “People like to share stories about when they got their whistles,” said Christian.

The Hotdogger program began in 1988, making Christian and Ray graduates of the 29th Hotdog High class.

“You go through two weeks of really intensive training,” commented Christian. Ray added that it’s about two 80 hour weeks. “You come out with lifelong friendships with [other Hotdoggers],” she stated.

The intensive training takes place in Madison, Wis. Hotdoggers learn facts about the company, learn a few communication skills and, most importantly, learning awesome hot dog puns. “They give us two pages of puns,” said Ray. “You start slipping them into every conversation.”

Oscar Mayer recruits at college campuses for their Hotdoggers, seeking graduates who are interested in spending a year traveling and meeting people. The commitment is one year and Hotdoggers spend two six-month segments in different areas of the country. Ray and Christian are currently traveling the Midwest.

Though the schedule can get busy, Hotdoggers typically get two days off in a week with the busiest days being Thursday through Sunday with weekend events. “We usually travel on Mondays,” commented Christian.

The unique experience is enjoyable for all. Frankly, it’s hard to do anything but smile when you’re around a giant hot dog. Everyone is in love with the Oscar Mayer Wiener.

Wienermobile dimensions:

• 24 hot dogs high – roughly 11 feet.
• 60 hot dogs long – 27 feet.
• 18 hot dogs wide – 8 feet.
• Weighs 140,500 hot dogs – 14,050 pounds.