Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Gerstenslager History

Why, exactly, did World's Largest Things Inc. decide upon a Gerstenslager to house its World's Largest Collection of the World's Smallest Versions of the World's Largest Things? Because of its long history of producing quality bookmobiles, and super extra added roadside icon bonus, they produced 5 Weinermobiles!

Constructed in 1936, the original Oscar Mayer Wiener mobile was a 13 ft (4 mj hot dog on wheels used to transport the hot dog chef known as little Oscar.
(From the collections of Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village, Dearborn, Michigan.)
 

Product promotion requires a willingness to "take a chance." The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, used to promote Oscar Mayer hot dogs, was an audacious promotion that was successful. The original Oscar Mayer Wienermobile was constructed in 1936 by the company founder's nephew, Carl. It was a 13 ft (4 m) hot dog on wheels used to transport the hot dog chef known as "Little Oscar," featured open cockpits at the rear and center and was primarily driven in Chicago.

The Wienermobile proved very popular and was modified over the next sixty years The car, currently on exhibit in Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, was made between 1950 and 1954 and is one of five second-generation Wienermobiles. It is made by the Gerstenslager Company, a custom truck and trailer manufacturer that modified a sheet bodies on a customized Dodge chassis. This Wienermobile is 22 ft (6.7 m) long, has glass over the cockpit, and weighs about 8,000 Ib (3,632 kg). This, along with the other four made around 1954, were stationed near key distribution plants and deployed for promotional events along with hot dog chef Little Oscar. The company continued to modify its successful promotional car and produced versions of it in 1958, 1969, 1988, and 1995. Kids still delight in sporting the Wienermobile (sightings of it often makes the local paper) and love to play kazoos in the form of Wienermobiles to the tune of "I'd love to be an Oscar Mayer Wiener."

-from www.madehow.com/Volume-4/Hot-Dog.html



More Gerstenslager history can be found here: Coachbuilt dot com

No comments: