Wienermobile's visit to Prospect Heights brings memories

When the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile visited Tony's Fresh Market in Prospect Heights Saturday morning, it drew a steady stream of visitors.

Michael Mastrangelo of Arlington Heights said when he saw the vehicle, a mainstay of hot-dog marketing since 1936, he had to stop.

“It's iconic from my childhood,” he said as he photographed son Clark, 4, and daughter Abby, 2, with the vehicle and then took them through it on a tour.

Jill Rusten of Palatine said that she had to visit because of her memories of her father, who was a classmate of Meinhardt Raabe, who was hired to drive the first Wienermobile.

“He was not treated well because of his stature,” Rusten said, recalling her dad's stories of how teachers talked to Raabe in a childlike way when they were students at the University of Wisconsin.

Upon graduation, Raabe had trouble getting a job, but was hired by Oscar Mayer because the original vehicle, unlike today's spacious model, had very little room for the driver.

“They needed a wee man to fit,” Rusten said.

Despite his early difficulties, Raabe went on to have a long career with Oscar Mayer, and a small role as the coroner who confirmed the death of the witch in “The Wizard of Oz,” Rusten said.

Hotdogger Cheyenne Herron, driving the vehicle Saturday and in the seventh month of her 12-month tour of duty, said she enjoys the job.

“We definitely get a lot of attention driving down the road,” she said. “It's really the adults who enjoy it, because they grew up with it.”