George A. Molchan (June 5, 1922 – April 12, 2005) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

spokesperson A spokesperson, spokesman, or spokeswoman is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others. Duties and function In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have receiv ...

, most famous for his work as Little Oscar for the

Oscar Mayer Oscar Mayer is an American meat and cold cut producer known for its hot dogs, bologna sausage, bologna, bacon, ham, and Lunchables products. The company is a subsidiary of the Kraft Heinz, Kraft Heinz Company and based in Chicago, Chicago, Illin ...

meat company. Molchan grew up in the

Gary, Indiana Gary ( ) is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 69,093 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it Indiana's List of municipalities in Indiana, eleventh-most populous city. The city has been historical ...

area; as a young boy, he received hormone treatments to try to make him grow taller. His lack of height was a concern to him; a local theater manager who sympathized with his worries managed to contact

Meinhardt Raabe Meinhardt Frank Raabe (; September 2, 1915 – April 9, 2010) was an American actor. He was one of the last surviving Munchkin actors in ''The Wizard of Oz'', and was also the last surviving cast member with any dialogue in the film. He p ...

, who was "Little Oscar", the spokesman for the

company. Raabe met with Molchan and assured him that if he continued his education, he would have a bright future ahead. Molchan took his advice, earning both an accounting degree from his local junior college and a degree in communications from Chicago's Columbia College. He went to work as a bookkeeper for

Pepsi-Cola Pepsi is a Carbonated water, carbonated soft drink with a cola flavor, manufactured by PepsiCo which serves as its flagship product. In 2023, Pepsi was the second most valuable soft drink brand worldwide behind Coca-Cola; the two share a long ...

, staying with the job until 1951. Oscar Mayer had plans to expand its promotion of the "Little Oscar" character. The company decided to put more than one

Wienermobile A fleet of brandmobiles shaped like a hot dog on a Hot dog bun, bun, called "Wienermobiles", are used to marketing, promote and advertising, advertise Oscar Mayer products in the United States. The first Wienermobile was created by Oscar Mayer's ...

on the road to travel the United States, which meant they were in need of more spokespersons to do the same work Raabe did. Raabe contacted Molchan and suggested he apply for one of the positions. Molchan was hired and was based in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

; the other additional Wienermobiles were based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, and

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, the company's home. He traveled the United States in his Wienermobile for 20 years, making appearances at parades, shopping centers and grocery stores. At each appearance, Molchan gave away plastic "wiener whistles", which were shaped like a hot dog with the company's logo on them that whistled the Oscar Mayer tune when blown. During many of these cross-country trips, he was accompanied by Stan and Denise Stanley, both of whom were responsible for various roles, ranging from driving the Wienermobile to distributing toys. As a result of the Stanleys' efforts during the early 1980s, they were recognized during both the 1982 and 1983 year-end reports. After the company phased out the Wienermobiles, Molchan remained on the job for them. He relocated to

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

for a job as "Little Oscar" in the Oscar Mayer restaurant at

Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort is an entertainment resort complex located about southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of the Walt Disney Company. ...

in the mid 1970s. Molchan worked at Disney for 16 years, retiring in 1987. Upon his retirement, Oscar Mayer also retired the "Little Oscar" character that began with Meinhardt Raabe in 1936. After retirement, Molchan did some part-time character work, but was always recognized as "Little Oscar". He eventually moved back to Indiana to be near family members. When Molchan was buried in a

Merrillville, Indiana Merrillville ( , ) is a town in Ross Township, Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 36,444 at the 2020 census. Merrillville is in east-central Lake County, in the Chicago metropolitan area. On January 1, 2015, Merrillville bec ...

cemetery on April 16, 2005, Oscar Mayer sent one of the Wienermobiles to the cemetery, where it was parked near his gravesite during the ceremonies. Molchan's mourners also sang "Oh, I wish I were an Oscar Mayer wiener", and followed it with wiener whistle toots of tribute.

References

External links

George Molchan Obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Molchan, George 1922 births 2005 deaths Columbia College Chicago alumni People from Pennsylvania Male actors from Indiana People from Gary, Indiana