So what's under the hood of the Oscar Mayer wienermobile? Iconic ride coming to Stark

The Oscar Mayer Frankmobile is a rock star on wheels.

And it also serves as a portal to childhood for passersby who spot it in parking lots and during stops on its tour across the country.

Some folks even break into song, like Tina Kinnick, 60, and Mary Jo Lewis 76, both of Canfield.

"We were just driving, and I said, 'Oh my gosh!' And I saw the wienermobile," said Kinnick, a smile still glowing on her face.

Within moments, Kinnick was turning the steering wheel in the direction of the Frankmobile, where it was parked Wednesday outside the Eastwood Mall in Niles. The unique auto will be in downtown Canton from 5 to 9 p.m. today at Centennial Plaza as part of First Friday festivities.

'I'd love to be an Oscar Mayer wiener...'

Forming a three-person chorus with Kinnick and Lewis was Anna Murphy-Pociask, who works on the marketing team at Oscar Mayer, and one of two drivers cruising the country to promote Oscar Mayer franks while spreading happiness and nostalgia.

Gleefully, they sang the Oscar Mayer throwback theme song:

Oh, I'd love to be an Oscar Mayer wiener. That is what I'd truly like to be. 'Cause if I were an Oscar Mayer wiener, everyone would be in love with me.

So it went. Pitch, notes, singing voices weren't the point. Having fun, laughing and turning back the clock to the innocence of childhood is the mission of the Frankmobile, said Murphy-Pociask, who seemed as genuinely happy about her job as anyone could be.

Lewis agreed. "A hot dog in your hand is like being a kid again."

Kinnick and Lewis weren't the only ones caught under the spell of the mobile frankfurter, which dates to 1936 as an attempt to cheer up people during the Great Depression.

From young to old, people flocked to what's formerly known as the wienermobile for photos and a peek inside the curious rig. Corporate CEOS, motorcyclists, mothers with their newborns ... Murphy-Pociask has seen them all smiling and giddy over the iconic vehicle.

"We really get all walks of life migrating towards us because it really is out of the ordinary," she said. "It's something that you don't see every day."

Jennifer Phillips, 39, of Niles first saw then wienermobile in the '90s.

"I wanted to get the whistle for my son," she said, referring to the red "wienie whistle" trinket given out for free to those who check out the traveling attraction. "I already have one; I still have it. It's in my box of memories.

"I was just driving by," Phillips added with a big grin and laughter. "I saw it and like screeched over across traffic."

So what's the story with the Frankmobile? What's under the hood? How fast does it go? And what was once stolen from a Frankmobile? Read on to learn more or to .... ketchup on the wienermobile.

What powers the Frankmobile ... and how fast does it go?

The Frankmobile coming to Stark County is among a fleet of six based in Verona, Wisconsin.

So far this summer, this particular Frankmobile has been in nine states, including Maine, Massachusetts and New York. Cincinnati and Kentucky are coming up after the Northeast Ohio stop.

The one Murphy-Pociask was showing off on Wednesday is a 2021 model, the newest in the group. Under the hood is a Chevy V8 Vortec engine; the car has logged roughly 55,000 miles.

Murphy-Pociask, whose charismatic personality matches the vibrant vehicle, said she doesn't drive the Frankmobile faster than 70 mph on the highway. The speedometer, however, goes to 100.

Her fellow driver on the tour is Jimmy Creamer, aka "Jumbo Dog Jimmy."

She's sorry to disappoint, but Murphy-Pociask said the vehicle doesn't make hot dogs or include a grill; it just isn't practical or part of the promotions. But it's the No. 1 question she fields.

The custom-made vehicle is built on a box truck chassis. A fiberglass shell comprises most of the exterior.

And fortunately, a Frankmobile has never been stolen, although a catalytic converter was once heisted from one of the touring vehicles, Murphy-Pociask said.

A smooth ride, but parking is precarious

Asked how it handles, Murphy-Pociask said the Frankmobile is a smooth ride, and similar to a small bus or RV. A total of six seats are inside.

The public relations staffer said she took a two-week training course, which included driving instruction, as well as learning about the history of the Frankmobile and a slew of humorous puns meant to entertain.

"We say it drives like a Lambunghini," she said with laughter. "And it's very aerodognamic on the highways."

Oh, there's another doozy: "We say we can really haul buns!"

A commercial driver's license isn't required. Parking can be a bit precarious, and takes practice, she said. Up to four parking spaces are gobbled up by the Frankmobile.

Dimensions include a width of eight feet and height of 11 feet, although Oscar Mayer measures it in hot dog lengths.

How does the frankmobile decide where to go?

Oscar Mayer receives a lot of requests for appearances at events. The company can't fulfill all of them, but anybody can make a pitch at https://www.oscarmayer.com/frankmobile.

"We would love to be at everything but it's not (possible)," said Murphy-Pociask, who noted a primary consideration is scheduling stops on an efficient route.

While events like county fairs, car shows, festivals and grocery stores are most common, the wiener on wheels even appears for weddings from time to time, although nobody has ever tied the knot aboard the Frankmobile, at least to Murphy-Pociask's knowledge.

Why did Anna take a job as a 'hotdogger'?

A graduate of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, with a degree in public relations, Murphy-Pociask said this is her first job since finishing college.

"This really was one of the things that as soon as it came to my sight, I wanted to do it," she said, beaming another smile. "It's the best job I could ask for. It's such a positive, magical job.

"It just fuels my energy," Murphy-Pociask said of the vehicle's status and popularity. "It's the people's vehicle."

Reach Ed at ebalint@gannett.com

On X (formerly X) @ebalintREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Wiener weirdness: Oscar Mayer Frankmobile cruising into Stark County