"Oscar Ferdinand Mayer began working at a meat market in Detroit, Michigan
and then later in Chicago, Illinois. In 1883 in Chicago, Oscar Mayer leased the
Kolling Meat Market along with his brother, Gottfried Mayer. The two brothers
sold bratwurst, liverwurst and weißwurst and were very popular in the
predominantly German neighborhood of Chicago where the market was located.
As the meat market grew in popularity, it expanded its storefront and sponsored
local events including the Chicago World's Fair of 1893. By 1900, the company
had 43 employees and a Chicago-wide delivery service. In 1904, Oscar Mayer began
branding their meats to capitalize on their popularity, beginning an
industry-wide trend. In 1906, Oscar Mayer became one of the first companies to
voluntarily submit to the newly-created Food Safety Inspection Service (part of
the United States Department of Agriculture) for testing the purity of their
products.
One well-known advertising jingle:
My bologna has a first name, it's O-S-C-A-R
My bologna has a second name, it's M-A-Y-E-R
Oh, I love to eat it every day, and if you ask me why, I'll say,
"'Cause Oscar Mayer has a way with B-O-L-O-G-N-A."
Another, written in 1963 by Richard D. Trentlage:
Oh, I wish I were an Oscar Mayer wiener
That is what I truly wish to be
'Cause if I were an Oscar Mayer wiener
Everyone would be in love with me. " ~ from Wikipedia
Oscar remained active in the company until his death at age 95. To read a more
complete history of Oscar Mayer
click here.
