Grosse Pointe native relishing her time as a Hotdogger

DETROIT — Some people awaken to the blare of an alarm. The morning of Feb. 8, Grosse Pointe City native Bridget Doyle awoke to the sound of people singing the Oscar Mayer jingle.

This might have been the most random occurrence in the world had it not been for one thing: The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile was parked in her driveway.

Doyle, 23, is one of only 12 recent college graduates named to serve as an Oscar Mayer Hotdogger for 2025 to 2026. Hotdoggers — who are brand ambassadors for Oscar Mayer — crisscross the country via Wienermobile, making appearances at fairs, parks, charity events, grocery stores, festivals, parades, weddings and other events. They don’t serve up hot dogs — the Wienermobile isn’t equipped for that — but they do serve up smiles as visitors get a closer look at an iconic vehicle that celebrates its 90th birthday this summer.

On Feb. 8, the Wienermobile made a stop at Valade Park in Detroit. Doyle — whose Hotdogger name is Bologna Bridget — estimates that she and her Hotdogger co-pilot, Ben Kapp, 22, of Madison, Wisconsin — aka Bun-Length Ben — met 300 visitors during that stop alone.

“We joke whether you’re 8 or 80 or 8,000, everybody loves the Wienermobile,” Doyle said with a smile.

Hotdoggers typically stay at hotels in the cities they visit, but while in metro Detroit, Doyle and Kapp have been staying at Doyle’s father’s house in Grosse Pointe City. Visitors to The Village got a glimpse of the Wienermobile the other day as Kapp and Doyle made their way to an event in Detroit.

Doyle said stunned motorists and pedestrians have stared and waved as they drove by.

“It’s been an honor to bring the Wienermobile back home,” Doyle said. “My friends and family have heard so much about the Wienermobile. Being able to share it has been a blast.”

Kapp said this experience has been “buns and buns of fun.”

“Each week, we’re in a new city,” Kapp said. “To be able to share in a moment, a laugh — truly special.”

Hotdoggers can only serve a one-year term.

“After that, we’re expired meat,” Kapp quipped.

Kapp and Doyle are members of the 38th class of Hotdoggers. Their term began June 1, 2025.

“That’s when Hotdog High starts,” Kapp said.

During those three weeks of training — which take place in Madison, Wisconsin — they learn how to drive the 27-foot-long Wienermobile. Kapp said three retired Madison police officers lead the driver’s training.

Halfway through their tenure, Kapp said the Hotdoggers switch regions and co-pilots. That led to him and Doyle being teamed up in January. Both have journalism degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where they had a class together their senior year. Doyle said she wants to go into public relations or marketing.

Being a Hotdogger is a master class in marketing, as the brand ambassadors reach out to the news media and share their journey via social media and in person.

Detroit marked their third stop aboard the Midwestern Wienermobile. There are six Wienermobiles on the road.

“Not every Hotdogger gets to go home,” Doyle said. “I was definitely lucky.”

Part of the training to be a Hotdogger includes becoming a master of hot dog puns. “Thank you” becomes “Frank you.” “Wonderful” becomes “bunderful.” And so on. Visitors to the Wienermobile are treated to such puns sprinkled throughout the conversation.

With the Wienermobile parked in her dad’s driveway, Doyle has had more than a few visitors stop by.

“A lot of people have been coming to my house to ‘ketchup’ with me,” Doyle said.

During her first six months on the road, Doyle was out West, visiting cities like Los Angeles; Las Vegas; Salt Lake City; Phoenix; Spokane, Washington; and Bozeman, Montana.

“That was one of my favorite spots,” Doyle said of Bozeman, which she said was beautiful. “Great people in Bozeman.”

Some of her most memorable moments include when a man drove an hour to see the Wienermobile and upon arrival brought out his guitar and sang the jingle. In El Paso, Texas, Doyle said she met a woman whose childhood nickname was Angewienie; she was getting married that night, so Doyle and her co-pilot brought the Wienermobile to their wedding.

The Wienermobile has a sunroof — or “bunroof,” as the Hotdoggers call it — and one of the Hotdoggers usually sits on the roof during parades wearing a hot dog costume. Kapp, who was on the East Coast last year as a Hotdogger, said he was at a lobster event in Maine and donned a lobster costume as he sat atop the Wienermobile.

“It is just truly all about joy,” Kapp said. “You can’t help but smile when you’re staring at a 27-foot-long hot dog.”

Besides having gone to college together, Kapp and Doyle have another thing in common: They share the same birthday as the Wienermobile, which is July 18. And yes, there is an official Wienermobile birthday song.

Becoming a Hotdogger isn’t easy. Oscar Mayer officials say they get about 5,000 applications for only 12 positions. As they note, more people have traveled in space than driven the Wienermobile. Doyle, who graduated from Grosse Pointe South High School in 2021, is believed to be the first Hotdogger from the Pointes.

“There is no better way to jumpstart your career than behind the wheel of an American icon, and each year applicants go all out to get our attention — whether it be creating social media videos or mailing in creative scrapbooks and projects to our headquarters,” Molle Twing, senior brand manager for Oscar Mayer and a former Hotdogger, said in a press release. “That spirit and imagination perfectly captures what it means to be a Hotdogger, and whether you were in the first class of Hotdoggers or are looking to become part of this year’s, one thing remains true: this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to relish.”

Hotdoggers get a salary, health insurance, paid vacation days and more during their tenure.

“It’s just been such a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Doyle said. “Being able to experience so many unknowns, being in a new city every week … I’m going to miss it.”

Doyle said she’s made many friends on the road and has witnessed “just how much joy a hot dog on wheels can bring people. … Everybody’s a child at heart, and never be afraid to let that come out. Never take life too seriously.”

To see where the Wienermobile is going next — or to request its appearance at an upcoming event — visit oscarmayer.com/wienermobile.