Up to six different Weinermobiles are driving around the USA at any given time so the chances of seeing one aren’t as slim as one might think. Far rarer though is the Weiner Mini, a one-off cocktail weenie-sized Weinermobile based on a Mini Cooper S. It’s now the talk of the interwebs because it flopped over in traffic. Now that the Hotdoggers (yes, that’s the technical term for Weinermobile drivers) are confirmed okay let’s chat about exactly what happened.
The accident occurred Monday morning on the northbound side of I-294 in Illinois. The Weinermobile came together with another car, a Hyundai, and ultimately lost control.
Pictures and video from the scene indicate that the majority of damage to the Weiner Mini occurred on the driver’s side (the one it flopped onto) and the front where the bumper cover is long gone. The rear driver’s side tail light (I wonder where that tail light comes from) [Editor’s Note: I think they may be from a Chevy HHR? – JT] section has a little damage too.
Weinermobile had a little accident. #oscarmayer pic.twitter.com/GhTnMejfS2
— CHICAGO CRITTER (@ChicagoCritter) July 22, 2024
“We’re grateful that everybody involved is safe and there were no injuries,” a spokesperson for the Oscar Mayer brand said in a statement to the Chicago Sun-Times. “We’re offering ongoing support for our Hotdoggers and we appreciate the support we’ve received from local authorities. Safety on the road is top priority for us.”
Evidently, it took over an hour to flip the Weiner Mini back onto its wheels and clear the highway. There’s no word from the company on what will happen to the vehicle now.
It originally came from a builder in Santa Barbara, California. Under the hood is a supercharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine. Having owned just such a Mini I can confirm it’s a hoot to drive. The Weiner Mini might not be so agile though. At least the cabin has mustard and ketchup-themed seats.
Interestingly, Oscar Meyer has even smaller Weinermobile members in the fleet including the WeinerCycle with a built-in sidecar hot dog warmer, the WeinerRover, a remote-controlled vehicle big enough to transport up to six hot dogs, and even the WeinerDrone which carries just a single hot dog for up to 15 minutes at a time. It can even climb to an altitude of 1,200 feet. Maybe the future is full of flying weiners. See a quick video of the Weiner Mini before the crash below.
I was traveling up to North Carolina on Monday and saw a full sized Weinermobile on the highway. Made my trip up there worth it. Haven’t seen one in years
It came through Wilmington last weekend, so the timeline checks out
Only if flying cars happen.
I expect to see a David Tracy headline sometime next week: “You won’t believe what I’m taking to Moab this year”.
With helping hands from some bystanders they could have had that Weiner standing proud in no time. No need for the tug job from the towing company.
when I saw clips of this on the news and various late night comedy shows I kept thinking why TF does it have a Mini front end? I didn’t know there was a cocktail sized version
If it started smoking, that would be appropriate.
I’m honestly surprised that thing is still around. When I worked on it back in 2009, shortly after it was built, it was relatively cobbled together and had quite a bit of weight up in the weiner. At this point I say they make a new one with an updated Cooper.
It shouldn’t take an hour to get your wiener up. They make pills for that, you know.
I didn’t know Pfizer is now in the towing business.
Aw that’s so cute. It just wants you to wub it’s little belly…
If COTD isn’t from this comment section something is seriously wrong
Were they speeding? Were they trying to ketchup to someone? Mustard been a sight.
I would relish hearing further details on all of this soon.
Serious marketing miss on Oscar Meijer’s part not branding this “Little Smokey”.