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Well, maybe John Dobson didn’t grow up with the dream of spending a year driving a 27-foot-long hot dog-shaped vehicle.

But he and the iconic Oscar Mayer Wienermobile go way back.

“I even had a Wienermobile Christmas ornament when I was in middle school,” said Dobson, who as an Oscar Mayer hotdogger drives one of the company’s six distinctive vehicles. “So when I saw that I could apply to drive one, I was all over it.”

This spring, it came together like a dog, kraut and spicy mustard for the Clay County resident, who graduated in May from the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia. He learned in early April that he was one of just 12 new grads chosen from among 1,500 applicants nationwide to drive a Wienermobile.

“I cut the mustard, so to speak,” said Dobson, who’s already mastered the art of hot dog-related word play. “I love sprinkling in puns.”

The son of rural Kearney residents Tom and Joleen Dobson, he’ll spend the next year touring the Midwest in a vehicle shaped like a wiener. For the first six months, the Excelsior Springs grad will partner with a University of Florida broadcast communications major Torey Greenwald, nicknamed “Toppings” by Oscar Mayer. Dobson, called “Dijon” (as in the spicy French mustard), will get a new partner the second half of the year.

It’s hard to hide in a Wienermobile, not that Dijon and Toppings want to. In fact, they say they enjoy the attention they generate on the highway, at stoplights, in shopping-center parking lots and, well, everywhere.

“So far, it’s been an amazing experience,” said Dobson, who was in Grand Rapids, Mich., after two weeks of training in Wisconsin. “People are happy to see you wherever you go.”

Like his son, John’s father, Tom, is a big fan of the Wienermobile. He’s also pleased with the experience his son’s getting.

“Most people, when they think of the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, get a big-old smile on their faces,” he said. “I thought it would be a good opportunity for him and fun along the way.”

Oscar Mayer, a subsidiary of Kraft Foods, gets about 15,000 requests a year for Wienermobile appearances. The vehicles tour the country year-round, dispatched to events and stores by a supervisor in Wisconsin.

Dobson’s one of three University of Missouri School of Journalism graduates chosen as hotdoggers this year. Oscar Mayer annually recruits at the school, which graduates the outgoing broadcast journalism and public relations types the company likes.

At each stop, the drivers greet devoted fans, hot-dog lovers and people drawn like lemmings to the sight of a bright yellow and red motorized wiener. Dobson and his partner pass out popular Wienermobile whistles and coupons at their stops, answer questions, play 40 varieties of the Oscar Mayer theme song and set up a two-foot magnetized hot dog for photo ops.

Families place their favorite toppings — magnetized onions, ketchup, sauerkraut, relish etc. — on the wiener, then have their pictures taken. It’s part of a campaign to learn “how America likes to top their dog,” Dobson said.

“It’s actually a lot of fun and it makes a really good photo,” he said. “The kids love it.”

Even before he took the wheel, Dobson was a hot dog aficionado who likes his with sauerkraut, ketchup and mustard. And while you’d expect him to say it, he’s a fan of Oscar Mayer franks.

“I really love them,” he said. “We best the best-selling beef franks (in a well-advertised taste test) from Ball Park and Hebrew National brand franks.”

Unfortunately, there’s no way for Dobson and his partner to pass out hot dog samples at their stops.

“I think the question you get asked most is ‘Do you have hot dogs?’ ” Greenwald said. “I hate to disappoint people, but their smiles light up when we give them a Wienermobile whistle.”

Dobson, Greenwald and the other hotdoggers may have fun, but there’s work to do.

“There’s a lot that goes with this job,” Dobson said. “Obviously, we have to represent the brand and put on good events, but we’re asked to contact media outlets and do a lot of fun things with social media and updating the blog.

“This job’s no baloney.”

ONLINE

Look for John Dobson’s blog postings (under his handle “Dijon”) at www.hotdoggerblog.com. The Oscar Mayer blog will soon include a map showing the location of each Wienermobile.

Freelance writer David Knopf reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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