What is the Weinermobile category called, anyway? Promo cars? Brand cars? Theme cars? Whatever you call them, they’re a ton of fun and always a treat to see. Which makes us wonder why we don’t see more of these things – like, you can put a set of wheels and a place for a driver under just about anything (see: parade floats), and what brand wouldn’t like to draw crowds of happy consumers eager to snap photos for their InstaFaces and Snapbooks and share the brand’s good cheer far and wide?
We are happy for the Weinermobile and other brandmobiles that we do have, of course. Shout out to Ronald McDonald and his literal clownshoe car (which is a Houston thing, apparently?), and props to that elegantly monocled legume Mr. Peanut and his, uh, deeply veined conveyance.
But we want more!
Below, I’ve roughed together a Sharpiemobile, which may be too long and skinny of a subject for a car, but go for it, I say. Maybe it would be better to model one of the super-fat Magnum Sharpies, but the brand is built on the shape below.
Or, the Sharpie people could go beyond just putting wheels on a marker, like Bic did in 1953 with the stunner below. Would daily. The build was commissioned for the Tour de France, and you can see a bunch more promotional Tour vehicles here.
Anyway, we want to know which brands really need to have Weinermobile-like rigs of their own, whether it’s because their product would look good on wheels, or they make stuff related to travel or speed or car-ness, or … something else?
See you in the comments!
Top graphic image: Oscar Mayer
There’s still weird modifications going along with the Tour de France.
It’s called the Caravane Publicitaire and goes through each stage hours before the race.
That’s about the only way they can be seen on road in France as most of the modified vehicles are not road legal in France… But they can be used on a race track or a blocked road with no traffic which is basically the status of the roads for the Tour de France.
They are blocked hours before the actual race to let through the said Caravane and then the race . ( and when I say hours I mean hours, like 8:30 AM for a stage to les Deux Alpes at a point where the race will only appears around 3 or 4 PM… I got blocked several time and in some cases managed to wiggle a secondary itinerary towards my destination… but in other the blocked road was the only road available )
Trojan condoms, Trojan horse. Park outside of places until they bring it inside.
A car company could go meta with a mascot car.
Citroën missed an opportunity to capitalize on the film The Muppet Movie which came out in 1979 when the Méhari was still in production:
https://imcdb.org/i250001.jpg
Vox amplifier car
Viagra could probably use the same fiberglass molds as the weinermobile…
With a longer wheelbase
Or any condom company.
I would like to see every other hot dog/sausage maker get into the game.
Just a narrow, ultra-competitive race to the best vehicle based on cylindrical meats.
First I think a sausage mobile is better than a Weiner mobile. Except for that the best already exist. Circuses using caged animal trucks, buses are public transportation advertising, maybe cigarettes and cigars but probably illegal,
How about a three-way partnership?
A Weinermobile body chopped and channeled to fit on a Little Red Wagon frame stander drag chassis with rear mount engine and a set of custom CNC Viagra pill shaped wheels.
Large round fenders out back too, with fender skirts
In the 90s Mug Root Beer had a series of “Mug Bugs” made and I own one. I think it’s this one but it had seen some wear since these photos were taken:
https://debossgarage.com/nation/projects/1674264312034-mug-root-beer-bug
Great mug shots!
Nice. Front Beam, ot Struts? Flat windshield? 2 speed fan? As long as the body and pan are good, don’t expose it to salted roads. No matter how fun it is with Snow Tires!
The People of Walmart mobile.
The Festival Foods chain in Wisconsin has a nifty giant-sized hot rod shopping cart.
https://youtu.be/P_2lPMYbpvs
Don’t forget the Crosley Stuckey-mobile!
https://www.pennlive.com/life/2024/01/dauphin-county-man-advertises-nostalgic-candy-brand-with-stuckeymobile-heres-how-you-can-see-it.html?outputType=amp
Wasn’t Stuckey’s the name of the obvious clone of that truck-stop-petro-mart-and-more that’s a famous thing in Texas, in the old “Sam And Max Hit The Road” computer game…?
Sorry, I’m a nerd ;3
Shock top orange beer used to use Orange New Beetles with a mohawk on them, looked pretty sweet, similar to the Red Bull minis.
Also the NAPA trucks with their hats were always cool, don’t know that they do that so much any more.
I also think the AFeela should have a more Playstation theme, Front end like a controller, windshield like the PSVR, back lines split like the top of a PS5. Either that or go retro and style it like a walkman sportman in Yellow with the wheels looking like Cassette reels and mirrors like earbuds. Either way, give it SOME personality.
Kotex. Old Land Rover that carries it own drip pan.
Depends. Corvair with blow O-ring sales with something to catch the drips out the back.
Every USDA commodity promotion program should be required by law operate a custom vehicle.
Sure, we all know Milk Does a Body Good™ and all about the Incredible Edible Egg™ but when was the last time you heard from the National Processed Raspberry Council, the Popcorn Board, or the United Sorghum Checkoff Program?
It’s about time these slackers hit the street and inform the public of their good work.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodity_checkoff_program
The North Carolina Dept. of Agriculture agrees with you. In order to promote the products of NC farms, they created a 13-foot-tall shopping cart powered by a big block Chevy V8, which can often be seen (and heard…no mufflers) cruising around the NC State Fair, holiday parades in Raleigh, and the occasional Durham Bulls baseball game.
That NEEDS a Torch Drives video!
LLBean boot truck
https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/518669?page=the-bootmobile-is-hitting-the-road-again-to-surprise-and-delight-fans
* Any soda maker (bottle shaped car)
* Lie Nielsen (hand plane shaped car)
* Subway (sandwich)
* Dove body soap
* Fleet enemas
* Preparation H
The Sharpiemobile is going to definitely leave a mark if it hits you.
How did you miss this one?
https://www.phcppros.com/articles/14529-the-all-pro-toilet-car
Can’t imagine the employees being picked to drive those embarrassing vehicles…
I get the impression the owner of the company drives it in parades, and apparently the drag strip.
“How does it run?”
“Shitty.”
Because Torch didn’t write this….?
Sure – SM-58 shaped car truck thing.
Audio Technicia – turn table maybe based off a cab over
Ubiquiti – some kind of UFO shaped thing after their access points maybe a Beatle
T-Mobile – big magenta T – maybe some kind of dragster
Verizon – big red V – maybe prowler
Att – broken globe with wires hanging out – just one of their old vans preferably burning oil with paper mache
Xfinity – lit up x with half the lights burnt out with various wires dragging behind throw into the back of rusted out pickup
Xcel, Entergy, national grid – burning coal pile with wires sticking out – just thrown on top of one of their old trucks
Trojan
Shaped like a horse of course!
Get you mind out of the gutter!
Haha, this was my first thought.
Any condom brand would make a much cooler wiener mobile.
Technically, the customer McLaren racing cars were Trojans, so that’s already covered.
The ironic of a condom letting in invaders.
Victorias Secret. The possibilities are endless.
Probably not bottomless, though.
Maybe crotchless?
I approve this message.
That would get a lot of.motors running.
Maidenform
Cigarette companies can use the Munster’s Dragula.
Trojan, make it have an almost zero inch wheelbase that magically expands to 20 or 30 feet.
Or just make a giant wooden horse, but that seems too obvious
And always have it drive in front of the Weinermobile to help avoid accidents.