Wienermobile makes its way through Tyler, spreading smiles as it goes

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - Seeing a glimpse of a giant hot dog driving down the road may bring a nostalgic feeling. For some, it’s a first-time encounter.

For the ‘hotdoggers’ who work on the hot dog-shaped vehicles for Oscar Mayer, it’s a daily serving of fun.

“Oh my gosh, it is buns of fun! I mean, every day is different,” said hotdogger Shelby Lewis, aka, Sizzlin’ Shelby.

One of six Wienermobiles is making its way through Tyler over the next few days.

The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile has been making people around the country smile since 1936. It was started during the Great Depression with the sole purpose to lift people’s spirits – and they continue that legacy of smiles to this day.

Oscar Mayer hotdogger, Keila Garza, known as Queso Dog Keila, said she loves to travel and meet people on the road.

“Oh my gosh, it’s like a parade wherever you go,” said Garza. “You’re never alone in any given city. People are always waving, honking at you, taking photos, you’re like a mini celebrity but it’s mostly about the Wienermobile.”

Lewis said they get ‘I remember when’ statements all the time. She said it’s fun to share in those memories with people and make new ones.

“I had a woman earlier tell me that she hadn’t seen it ever in her life and she was just freaking out because she had been trying to track it down forever and just happened upon it at the grocery store,” said Lewis.

Garza said she loves the opportunity to meet so many different kinds of people every day.

“You hand them a Weiner Whistle, you listen to them, listen to their memories of seeing it and you get to make them smile,” said Garza.

The Wienermobile will be in Tyler at various grocery store parking lots through Sunday, ending its stay in East Texas in Chandler.

Keep track of the Wienermobile at https://khcmobiletour.com/wienermobile.

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