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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Abené Clayton

Wienermobile in a pickle after falling victim to catalytic converter thieves

The Wienermobile makes a stop in Davenport, Iowa, in 2020.
The Wienermobile makes a stop in Davenport, Iowa, in 2020. Photograph: Meg Mclaughlin/Dispatch Argus/Zuma Wire/Rex/Shutterstock

One of the US’s most easily recognizable vehicles is back on the road after it fell victim to a crime that has grown more common in recent years: catalytic converter theft. While parked in Las Vegas ahead of a Super Bowl weekend appearance, the Wienermobile, a 27ft-long bright yellow-and-red hotdog on wheels, was disabled after someone took the vehicle’s hardware.

The Wienermobile is actually a fleet of six vehicles used as a promotional tool for the celebrated Wisconsin-based hotdog brand Oscar Mayer. The Wienermobiles are driven across the nation by “hotdoggers” who claim the job for a one-year assignment. The morning after the converter was taken, the Wienermobile was towed to a nearby auto repair shop where mechanics installed a temporary converter that would allow the Wienermobile’s crew to drive it.

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