My bologna has a first name — it’s H-I-S-T-O-R-Y
Historians want to capture the unique culture of Oscar Mayer and Wienermobile
It’s fair to say Oscar Mayer has left quite an impression on American culture and American stomachs.
Whether it’s the catchy jingles, the famous Wienermobile or the picnics and school lunches filled with hot dogs and bologna sandwiches, the company that dreamed up Lunchables is no longer a Wisconsin fixture.
When the Oscar Mayer headquarters and plant in Madison closed down earlier this year, the Wisconsin Historical Society acquired artifacts from the company and decided to launch an oral history project.
On Tuesday, the Wisconsin Historical Society announced efforts to collect memories of Oscar Mayer from company workers and retirees, families of Oscar Mayer workers and anyone who has a story they want to share about the frankfurter and bologna purveyor.
A group of Oscar Mayer retirees reached out to the historical society, which acquired a 1969 Wienermobile last year, to ensure artifacts would be preserved before the headquarters moved to Chicago.
“During that process, we talked about the legacy of Oscar Mayer,” said Mary Boeding, who worked at the company for 33 years, “the unique culture that was there and capturing the stories of people working there. Truly it was a unique experience for all of us.”
Anyone can share a memory of Oscar Mayer online — visit oscarmayer
stories.com — or record a video or audio and upload it to the website. Or simply write it down and send it via snail mail.
Oral histories will be accepted through Feb. 28. All stories will be archived and accessible by the public.
When the state historical society acquired the 1969 Wienermobile last year, the organization received many Facebook posts and emails from fans of the giant rolling frankfurter.
“We knew the Wienermobile would get some traction because it’s such an iconic object,” said Wisconsin Historical Foundation Executive Director Dave Wilder. “But this community of employees and retirees has such an affinity for working at Oscar Mayer that spans several generations. At the historical society, it’s our job to capture their stories.”
After immigrating from Germany, Oscar Mayer opened a meat market in Chicago in the 1880s, selling bratwurst and other types of sausages to a predominantly German clientele. Business grew and in 1919, Mayer purchased a meat processing facility in Madison that became the company’s headquarters. In 2015 Oscar Mayer announced it was moving its headquarters to Chicago and the plant on Madison’s east side closed last summer.
“Oscar Mayer had such a big impact in the community. Generations of families worked there,” said Boeding, who worked in sales, sales planning, marketing and new product development including Lunchables.
“I was at the gym the other day talking to a woman I do pilates with and she said her grandfather worked at Oscar Mayer,” Boeding said. “He was a German translator because there were so many dialects for all of the people who worked in the plant.”
The Wisconsin Historical Society’s Wienermobile is being restored and cleaned. It will travel around the state so folks can climb on board and see the famous machine up close. When it’s not traveling, the society’s Wienermobile will be stored in a new preservation archives facility scheduled to open next year.