My Food And Family
From the
Beginning...
Beginning...
- 1873
- 1883
- 1906
- 1919
- 1929
- 1936
- 1963
- 1964
- 1965
- 1971
- 2010
- 2014
- 2017
- 2018
1873
Our founding father, Oscar F. Mayer, moved to the U.S. from Bavaria at 14 years old and started working in Detroit as a butcher boy. Shortly after, he moved to Chicago and began working in the retail industry. Little did he know at the time he’d one day combine the two industries to change the world.
1883
Our first OSCAR MAYER shop was born. Sales on the first day totaled at $59. Pork cuts were about 8-12 cents a pound, so these were the big money makers at the time.
1906
We joined a federal meat inspection program, even as just a small Chicago-area shop.
1919
Mayer purchased a small farmers’ co-op meat packing plant in Madison, Wisconsin. It became a central location for our company.
1929
We created the Yellow Band as an indicator of high quality. It was the first ever “branded” meat available and still lives on our packaging today. So when you see it, you know it’s quality meat you can trust.
1971 As a pioneer for the meat industry, we wanted to continue our emphasis on honesty, integrity and quality meat you could trust. So we started open code dating. This means that we’d place a date on our labels to indicate a product’s expected freshness after a package had been opened.
1936
During the height of the Great Depression, we created the first ever WIENERMOBILE. It was driven by “Little Oscar” and went around parades, grocery store openings and even hospitals!
1986 After nine years off the road, the WIENERMOBILE was brought back out for a 50th birthday celebration. Huge crowds of people showed up for its appearance. Cards and letters came pouring in requesting to see the famed two-ton hot dog. A decision was made then to build a new fleet and start touring again.
1988 Six new 23-foot-long fiberglass WIENERMOBILES began touring the U.S., fully equipped with microwave ovens, refrigerators, cell phones, and stereo systems that played 21 different versions of the iconic "OSCARMAYER"
Wiener Jingle.
Wiener Jingle.
1963
The "OSCARMAYERWienerJingle" made its radio debut. Written and composed by Richard Trentlage, the song became such a hit, people were calling into local radio stations to request it.
1964
We began participating in Plan for Progress, a federal equal-opportunity employment program.
1965
Our first TV advertisement aired!
1976 The Bologna Song” commercial was aired and immediately caught on with fans. Many people today still remember and sing the jingle.
1971
We were listed on the New York Stock Exchange and eventually merged with Kraft Foods in 1989, making the OSCAR MAYER® brand a part of the largest food company in North America.
2010
OSCAR MAYER launched the largest advertising campaign in the brand’s 125-year history. In conjunction, OSCAR MAYER launched a nine-month charity effort called the OSCAR MAYER Good Mood Mission.
2014
In January 2014, our WIENERMOBILE became the first vehicle available for “lease” solely through Twitter.
2017
We took out artificial preservatives, added nitrates and nitrites* and by-products for a better dog across the whole line and kept the same high-quality taste you love. We also went to great lengths to get those better dogs in every hand by launching the Wienerfleet.
*Except those naturally occurring in celery juice
*Except those naturally occurring in celery juice
2018
Our mission didn’t stop at making every one of our hot dogs better. In the summer of 2018, we went to great lengths AND new heights to get our better hot dogs in every hand by adding Super Hotdogger, a jetpack-powered hot dog hero, to our Wienerfleet.
Animal Welfare
We believe in the humane treatment of animals in our supply chain and strive to make animal welfare a priority by working with those who share our high animal standards.
Learn more about our practices with antibiotics, housing, hormones and the environment.
