Ripley Entertainment Inc.'s Blog, page 274
May 13, 2019
Behind-The-Scenes In The Oscar Mayer Weinermobile
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
With the publication of Jack Kerouac’s Beatnik classic On the Road, a tradition developed among college graduates in the United States. One very much alive and well to this day, the “Gap Year.” The “Gap Year” has come to encompass everything from coast-to-coast road trips and backpacking across Europe to a wide variety of internships.
But when it comes to post-graduate adventures, nothing compares to climbing into the driver’s seat of one of the sleekest rides to ever hit American roadways, the aerodynamic, orange-yellow-and-red Oscar Mayer Weinermobile.
Inspiring Childhood Nostalgia and a Healthy Appetite Since 1936
Six Wienermobiles tour the United States each year. They’re out and about right now. So, keep your eyes peeled! Known by nicknames such as Bunderstruck, SpeedyWeiner, Autobuhn, and DriftDog (you get the idea), each vehicle sits atop a Chevy W4 truck chassis.
But the real magic comes in the form of their easily recognizable, utterly unforgettable custom crafted fiberglass bodies. These sleek dogs represent visions of both sentimentality and longing. What do we mean? Name another vehicle capable of inspiring such intense childhood memories and a healthy appetite at the same time…
Or, ask any hotdogger—the official title for the pairs of college graduates that drive and work each Wienermobile—and they’ll tell you endless stories about the nostalgia people feel when they see a Wienermobile. In fact, the primary job of the Wienermobile and the hotdoggers who drive it are to celebrate memories of bygone days while inspiring new ones.
The Weinermobile proves just as iconic as Tom and Jerry, Nintendo, and Metallica. That said, you’ll find no heavy metal on the Wienermobile. While the horn can play 20 different versions of the Oscar Mayer Wiener Song, including reggae and rap, heavy metal never made the playlist. Sorry, Ozzie.
The Muscle Behind the Meat
Joshua Rainey Photography/Shutterstock
What’s it like to drive a 27-foot long piece of oblong meat? Although Wienermobiles look like huge tube-shaped campers, they provide a surprisingly smooth ride. And don’t underestimate these hot sausages. They can reach top cruising speeds of 90 miles per hour.
More impressive yet, in 1988, famed NASCAR driver Al Unser, Jr. blasted it out of the park when he took a lap in the Weinermobile at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway accelerating to a face-melting 110 miles per hour. Of course, hot doggers are tasked with observing the speed limit, so don’t expect to catch them street racing or drifting.
Nonetheless, the Wienermobile has come a long way since its first 1936 version. Back then, it proved little more than a 13-foot-long land submarine that cruised the Chicago area lauding the deliciousness of “German wieners.” Built on a metal chassis, Carl Mayer developed the marketing concept and piloted the first vehicle. The nephew of Oscar (the genius and namesake of America’s favorite tubular meat), Carl couldn’t have anticipated the pop culture fervor his kitschy marketing campaign would launch.
From the ‘30s through the ‘50s, various individuals drove the vehicle, portraying the company’s mascot, Little Oscar. From 1951 to 1987, George Molchan took the helm as Little Oscar passing out Magic Wiener Whistles to kids as he drove by. These whistles allowed kids to alert neighborhood peers to the presence of the Wienermobile. During George’s time, the vehicle saw many reincarnations including a 1950s version with tail fins.
Today’s Weinermobiles prove sleek, comfortable, and filled with hot dog hijinks. Besides the horns, each vehicle boasts a sweet, or rather savory, interior. Fitting furnishings include six captain’s chairs and carpeting and upholstery featuring “condiment stains.”
“Can You Cut the Mustard?”
Keith Homan/Shutterstock
That’s one of many questions hotdoggers must answer during the rigorous interview process. Oscar Mayer looks for extroverts who don’t mind meeting and greeting thousands of people each week. Ideal candidates need to demonstrate patience while answering endless questions about hot dogs and the company’s history. Knowing how to diffuse a tense situation also comes in handy, especially when the topic of mustard versus ketchup arises.
Hotdoggers must share a serious sense of wanderlust. Like a 25,000-miles-in-six-months type of wanderlust. They travel across the contiguous United States, and even to Alaska, making three-to four-day long stops in cities and towns along the way. Only recent college graduates can apply, preferably those with a BA or BS in communications, marketing, journalism, or another related field. And they must be able to sing the Oscar Meyer Wiener song at the drop of a hat. Yes, that means all verses as well as the chorus.
To get a leg up on the competition, check out this version sung in four-part harmony. (The only way to make this better? A special guest appearance by Bryan Cranston reprising his role as Hal, the barbershop quartet lead man, from Malcolm in the Middle.)
Between 1,200 and 1,500 applicants apply every year for the coveted position of hotdogger, yet only 12 candidates cut the mustard. Divided up two per Wienermobile, they set out on a years-worth of meaty marketing work.
Becoming Top Dog
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A post shared by Oscar Mayer (@oscarmayer) on Jul 30, 2018 at 9:01am PDT
After selection as one of the 12 top dogs, hotdoggers endure two weeks of Wienermobile basic training, a.k.a. Hot Dog High. This includes instruction from the Madison (Wisconsin) Police Department and driving lessons that progress from a van with taped up windows to an actual Wienermobile.
Hotdoggers make above average for post-college graduates (more than $44,000) although they are not permitted to disclose the exact amount. They also receive benefits. Because they spend a full year traveling, they don’t have to pay rent. This means more money in their pockets. (By the way, hotdoggers don’t sleep in the Wienermobile. They stay in hotels and bed and breakfasts along the way.)
A year touring the country in a Wienermobile changes a person. Hotdoggers become excellent drivers. In fact, Wienermobile accidents prove surprisingly few, though spectacular. Hotdoggers also learn invaluable real-world lessons about marketing, running a business, and connecting with customers.
That said, the end of the year can prove bittersweet. Driving the Wienermobile brings fast fame. Everyone waves and honks when hotdoggers drive by. The faces of passersby light up with authentic glee, and the smiles prove endless. It can feel difficult adjusting to the harsh reality of life outside the dog.
Expanding the Fleet in the Name of Better Hot Dogs
In May 2017, Oscar Mayer launched a healthy new hot dog recipe. To help with the launch, the company expanded its fleet to include a Weinermini (hot dog + a Mini Cooper), the WeinerRover, the WeinerCycle (with a sidecar containing a hot dog warmer), and a Wienerdrone (capable of delivering individual hot dogs).
Interested in applying for the nation’s most hotly contested post-graduate internship in the country? Learn more at the company’s website.
By Engrid Barnett, contributor for Ripleys.com.
May 12, 2019
May 11, 2019
May 10, 2019
Russian Spy Whale Defects To Norway
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
[May 5-11th, 2019] A covert whale, organ-carrying drone, three-eyed snake, and the rest of the week’s weird news from Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
The Beluga Who Spied Me
A group of fishermen in Norway encountered something they were probably never meant to see: a beluga whale. Seeing a whale itself would have been normal, but experts believe this particular whale was a Russian spy. The fisherman first suspected something was strange when they noticed some sort of harness wrapped around the whale’s body. While his mission is unknown, the whale seemed playful enough, swimming up to the men and letting them take off his spy gear before swimming away.
Jorgen Ree Wiig / Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries (Sea Surveillance Service)
London Runs On Water Pods
Hoping to cut down on the avalanche of plastic waste that normally accompanies the London marathon, organizers decided to use edible pods filled with sports drink in lieu of plastic bottles. The pods are made from seaweed and are completely edible. Even if a runner opts not to munch on the tasteless pod, they’re biodegradable, breaking down quickly. All in all, the pods replaced an estimated 47,000 plastic bottles.
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Three-Eyed Snake
A carpet python with three eyes was found in the town of Humpty Doo, Australia. With two eyes in their typical positions, the third eye is nestled in the center of the snakes head, peering out with a lidless gaze. Snakes and other reptiles are sometimes born with extra heads or tales, but an extra eye is exceedingly uncommon. X-rays revealed the snake did not have an extra head fused with its own. The eye sat in a third socket and was seemingly functional.
Parks and Wildlife Commission
Snooze-tern Wanted
Now in tough competition with online mattress retailers, brick-and-mortar stores have had to shake things up. Maybe that’s why Mattress Firm is hiring an intern to sleep on its beds and post to social media. They’re calling the position a Snoozetern and want someone who can fall asleep on command.
Flying Kidneys
While it feels like we’ve been waiting forever for drones to deliver our packages, a drone did manage to make a particularly important delivery in Maryland. The custom-built drone successfully delivered a human kidney for transplantation. Sensors kept track of the organ’s viability during flight as the drone carried it through the air to Baltimore, where it was transplanted into a woman who has spent the last eight years on dialysis.
Mark Teske/University of Maryland School of Medicine
The Creepy Key West Doll They Say Is Haunted
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
There’s an eerie toy doll on display at the Fort East Martello Museum in Key West, Florida, that many believe is either cursed by voodoo or inhabited by a ghostly spirit. Robert the Doll has beady black eyes and an impish expression on his face, which is covered in nicks that look like scars. In his hands, he holds a stuffed pet lion, which is also a little bit creepy.
The handcrafted toy was made near the turn of the 20th century. Standing just a little over three feet tall, Robert is stuffed with wood slivers cut from logs. He wears a sailor suit, and his face was initially painted in a way that resembled a jester, according to the Key West Art & Historical Society.
A young boy named Robert Eugene “Gene” Otto was gifted the doll in 1906. It’s believed his grandfather bought the doll in Germany, but others say a disgruntled servant who practiced voodoo gave Gene the doll. Gene and Robert were best friends, and the little boy treated Robert like a living person. Legend has it that Gene’s family and their servants would hear the boy talking to himself in his room in two different voices. When Gene got in trouble, he often blamed Robert for his misbehavior, including an incident in which furniture was overturned in his bedroom.
Some have suggested that Robert absorbed a lot of Gene’s emotional energy during the boy’s life, which made for some strange occurrences. Neighbors said they witnessed the doll moving from window to window. Visitors swore they saw Robert blink and change expressions.
When he grew up, Gene became an artist and designed the gallery at the Fort East Martello Museum. His home was called the Artist House. A woman named Myrtle Reuter purchased the home after Gene died in 1974, and tenants started noticing some odd things, including footsteps in the attic where Robert was kept. A plumber also claimed he heard laughing, and when he looked to see the source, he noticed the doll had mysteriously moved across the room.
A journalist from Solares Hill, Key West, named Malcolm Ross visited Robert and said the doll had a look on his face “like a little boy being punished.” When Ross and a group of people began discussing the doll’s history, it appeared as though Robert was listening to them and his expression changed.
Reuter moved out of The Artist House six years later, and in 1994 donated the doll to the museum. She told the staff the doll was haunted and that he traveled around her house by himself.
Word of mouth about Robert the Doll compelled people to visit the museum, prompting the staff to put him on exhibit. Visitors’ cameras and other electronic devices mysteriously started jamming around him. Before long, the museum began getting letters addressed to Robert. People apologized for disrespecting him and asked for forgiveness, believing he hexed them or caused them bad luck. Even today the museum receives correspondence for Robert on nearly a daily basis, which it collects and catalogs. Some people even send him candy, money, and joints.
Robert has become somewhat of a celebrity outside of his native Key West. He’s appeared on television, is part of a ghost tour, and had a 2015 movie based on him. A creepy mini version of Robert is through the museum. He is also very active on Facebook.
Earlier this year when Robert reprimanded a thief for stealing the video player from his exhibit, true believers expressed their disbelief on Facebook, writing comments such as: “Let the bad luck commence!” “They’re messing with the wrong doll!” and “Hell hath no fury like Robert scorned!”
Another added, “While I’m not one who is superstitious and I don’t believe in ghosts, there are way too many coincidental things that happen with Robert. That said, not even I am dumb enough to mess with Robert the doll!!!!”
It’s unclear whether Robert is cursed, inhabited by the spirit of his good pal Gene, or possessed by something else. Or it could simply be that people’s rich imaginations have made him come to life.
By Noelle Talmon, contributor for Ripleys.com
May 9, 2019
Does A Numb Left Arm Mean A Heart Attack?
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Not only are heart attacks dangerous because they interrupt blood supply to the heart, but the misconceptions around them—especially symptoms—make them even more so. One of the most commonly perpetuated “symptoms” is the belief that pain in the left arm is a fair warning. This may be one of the most fatal Or Nots in the book. While this can be a common symptom of a heart attack for men, it is not always for women. In women, the pain is more likely to be felt in either arm.
The two sexes can have very different symptoms. Females are more likely to experience shortness of breath, nausea and/or vomiting, back or jaw pain, or other subtle signs. Believe It or Not! in about 10% of women’s heart attacks, there is no form of chest pain at all.
Women may also experience dizziness, lightheadedness, and extreme fatigue. In some cases, they may faint. Both sexes may have chest discomfort, pressure or pain, according to the American Heart Association. But some women don’t feel chest pressure at all.
“Silent” heart attacks strike one out of five people, reports the CDC. When this occurs, an individual is unaware that he or she is having a heart attack. Silent heart attacks are more common among women.
Unfortunately, women often believe heart attack symptoms are related to acid reflux, the flu, or the aging process. They typically take two to four hours longer than men to respond to the symptoms—a difference that can mean life or death. And when men and women have a heart attack under the age of 50, women are twice as likely to die.
What happens during a heart attack? Blood flow to the heart stops or is significantly reduced due to clogged arteries. This damages the heart muscle and can result in death.
A Few interesting facts about heart attacks:
The loneliness factor: Those who live by themselves are twice as likely to have a heart attack versus those who live with a significant other or a roommate.
Manic Mondays: Statistically, most heart attacks occur on Monday mornings. In the early morning, blood platelets are stickier, people are partially dehydrated, and stress hormones are at maximum levels.
Birthdays and holidays are triggers: A person is 27 percent more likely to have a heart attack on his or her birthday. They also commonly occur on Christmas Day, Dec. 26, and New Year’s Day.
Laughter helps: Laughter increases a person’s blood flow by up to 20 percent, while negative feelings are a risk factor for a heart attack.
Heart disease is the number-one killer of both men and women in the United States. Heart attacks occur every 43 seconds in America, and nearly one million people in the United States have one each year.
By Noelle Talmon, contributor for Ripleys.com
May 8, 2019
The New Zealand Coffin Club
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Across the north of New Zealand, a small number of strange clubs have popped up. Members are usually elderly and have set themselves to the task of making coffins…their own coffins! These coffin clubs are a place for the elderly to mingle, stay death-positive and construct the casket they’ll eventually be laid to rest in.
Geraldine painted New Zealand nature scenes on her coffin.
The clubs grew out of a movement within the Rotorua University of the Third Age. New groups were being formed to encourage fellowship and learning, and a single member raised her hand and said she wanted to build her own coffin. Her request was followed by dead silence…
Eventually, she and a couple others got together at her house and began working on their own coffins. As the group grew, they were able to borrow some workshop space and expand into a close-knit group of 100 members. In 2013 the group broke away from the University and officially became the Kiwi Coffin Club.
Members meet every week from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Once the basic design has been completed in the shop, the owner finishes and decorates the rest however they choose. Many adorn their new underground furniture with elements of their life or things they care about.
Volunteers and veterans stick around to help others, and the whole process helps keep many elderly social. It also helps make the process of discussing funeral arrangements and death with family members more open. Coffin club members feel good knowing they are in charge of their lives and have new friends to keep an eye on them as they age.
Fantasy Coffins
Ripley’s is no stranger to creatively made coffins. The fantasy coffins of Ghana are also made to celebrate the deceased’s life. We actually have many of these coffins in our many odditoriums around the world!
Outside the Kane Kwei workshop in Accra, Ghana where they craft about 300 fantasy coffins a year!
Source: The New Zealand Coffin Club
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