Oscar Mayer Wienermobile Rolls Into North New Jersey, July 8-11

NORTH JERSEY — If you’ve been one of the lucky people to see a 27-foot-long hot dog rolling by you in New Jersey recently, your eyes aren’t playing tricks.

Caroline Frankenfeld, best known in the Oscar Mayer world as “Chili Cheese Caroline” and co-pilot Nick Ruybalid or “Nick-aroni & Cheese,” who first rolled into the Garden State this past Monday and plan to stay through July 12, say they’re looking forward to “meating” New Jerseyans over the coming weekend.

It’s Frankenfeld’s first visit to New Jersey with Ruybalid — though originally a Trinidad, Colorado, resident — having lived in Warren County’s Blairstown for the past seven years.

“It feels good to be back in Jersey because there’s no place like your second home,” Ruybalid said.

“I’m so BUNderfully excited to come to New Jersey for the first time,” Frankenfeld said, who hails from Austin, Texas. “Can’t wait to ‘meat’ everyone soon.”

“And of course,” she added, throwing in the company’s newest slogan, “Keep it Oscar.”

For Frankenfeld and Ruybalid, it’s been an adventure after each being chosen from among 4,000 applicants to serve as a dozen lucky “Hotdoggers,” who co-pilot one of the company’s six Wienermobiles together.

“We are on our coast-to-coast weenie roast for one year,” the pair said, venturing to a new city every four or five days, where they have “buns and buns of fun;” and give away special Oscar Mayer swag, like their famous Wiener Whistles, stickers, coupons and other cool gear they “dish out.”

It takes some extensive training at “Hot Dog High” to pilot one of the Wienermobiles, with driving courses in Madison, Wisconsin, first with the Madison Police Department, Frankenfeld and Ruybalid reported.

Navigating the Wienermobile takes practice, they say, with the vehicle 27 feet in length, 11 feet tall and 8 feet wide. Frankenfeld and Ruybalid calculate that end-to-end as 60 hot dogs long, by 24 tall and 18 wide.

The special surprise in 2021 is the Wienermobile’s new “Keep It Oscar” slogan and updated logo on both sides of the vehicle.

“This new look is to help people take life less seriously and enjoy the wonderfully odd,” said Frankenfeld and Ruybalid.

"Meat" Frankenfeld and Ruybalid and the Wienermobile during their upcoming schedule below:

• July 8 - Walmart (461 NJ-10 Roxbury Township, NJ 07852) 12 - 6 p.m.
• July 10 - Walmart (40 International Drive S, Mt. Olive, NJ 07836) 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
• July 10 - Walmart (1885 NJ-57, Hackettstown, NJ 07840) 1 - 4 p.m.
• July 11 - Walmart (235 Ridgedale Ave, Hanover, NJ 07927) 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
• July 11 - Walmart (48 NJ-23, Riverdale, NJ 07457) 2 - 5 p.m.

See all of their future appearances on www.oscarmayer.com.

Check out Chili Cheese Caroline and Nick-aroni & Cheese’s Hotdogger Instagram fan pages at:

@om_chilicheesecaroline
@om_nickaroniandcheese

Questions or comments about this story? Have a news tip? Contact me at jennifer.miller@patch.com.