Tiger Attire

Check out what Santa brought me:


Santa, or "eBay" as I like to call him, delivered a balanced breakfast of delicious duds in the form of this Tonymobile Tour jacket and shirt!


It's been far too long since the actual vehicle has toured but as soon as it does again this outfit will help me blend right in with the tour staff...and then wacky shenanigans will ensue! Looking forward to that.


This is actually the back of the shirt but since the front only has a small Tonymobile logo, this is the side that got photographed.


This is going to have to hold me until Tony and his pals hit the road again...or until I can find some matching cuff links.

Wienermobile Visits Edwards Air Force Base

The Wienermobile recently made a holiday visit to Edwards Air Force Base:

Post-Thanksgiving Wrap Up Part 2

Well, this is awkward. I was hoping to end the Thanksgiving wrap up with a little more content. I went through the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade video twice and the Planter's Nut Mobile was M.I.A. Maybe the new Mr. Peanut is too much of a big shot to show up.

Or more likely, NBC just didn't show him for whatever reason. We may never know. But guess who did show up:


All of the sudden Ronald McDonald's Big Red Shoe Car is everywhere.


There was also talk of some kind of "Snoopy's Dog House" vehicle but all I saw was a standard float. I know I've made allowances for floats before but after such a dismal turnout I'm in no mood to be generous.

Or am I? Since there are no other product mobile pictures to be had this Thanksgiving, here's a picture of the giant, creepy Ronald McDonald balloon that followed the Shoe Car:


And lest you think I'm a junk food shill, here are some more balanced McDonalds blog entries I did in the past:

McMansions - Clobbergate - Unhappy Meal

Post-Thanksgiving Wrap Up Part 1

A shocking revelation occurred yesterday as I learned (between mouthfuls of turkeypotatoehampie) that Thanksgiving has room for more than one parade.

One Heimlich Maneuver later and I had my second shock as I learned that in addition to an appearance at the Macy's Parade, Ronald McDonald's Big Red Shoe Car also cruises the streets of Houston during the HEB Holiday Parade:

Photo Courtesy of KHOU

It must be really fast to be in both Texas and New York in the same day.

And yet a third shock occurred when when I learned of the existence of something called the Houston Chronicle Star Car which also made an appearance at the parade:

Image Copyright Serious Wheels

I'm assuming that this baby is meant to promote the Houston Chronicle and it looks like I have another new(?) product mobile to research.

I also need to go through my TIVOed Macy's Thanskgiving Day Parade to prepare for Part 2 of the Post-Thanksgiving Wrap Up. Tune in for that tomorrow.

Hyundai Football Car

Apparently there are parts of the world where soccer isn't just a game for children. It's taken seriously enough to warrant a product mobile (or two).


These beauties were made by Hyundai to promote something called the "World Cup." Sounds cute.

Here's a video from the UK's Car Dealer Magazine about these sporty little numbers:

Old Friends Return For Thanksgiving

Mr. Peanut's new makeover isn't keeping him from his regular gigs. The Planter's Nutmobile will be making its regular appearance at this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Our old pal Ronald McDonald and his regular entourage will also be making his yearly appearance at the beloved holiday event.

They are listed, as usual, with other "Specialty Units" and again, as usual, they seem to be the only product mobiles in the parade...or are they? Another "unit," listed toward the bottom caught my eye:
Snoopy's Dog House, huh? I searched for information but couldn't find any. Assuming it's some kind of vehicle, I imagine it might look something like this:

Is it promoting something (like any good product mobile should)? Chex Mix? Met Life? I guess we'll just have to tune in to find out.

Finally, a Beermobile!

Because the people demanded it, we now live in world with a beer themed product mobile! (And yes, trailers count as product mobiles...according to me.)

So say hello to "Woody," ambassador of Deschutes Brewery and purveyor of refreshing libations. I feel happier just knowing it exists.


Woody's barrel exterior, giant taphandle, stereo system and disco ball show up wherever fun is need and is currently in the middle of the "In Search of Snow tour. I guess they're looking for snow or something.
Want to know if Woody is coming to a town near you? Here are its next few stops:

• Boise State University Tailgate Party at the R Bar

  November 19
  Boise, ID
  

• The Civil War! U of O Ducks vs. OSU Beavers Tailgate Party

  (Location to be determined)

  December 4
  Corvallis, OR
  

• Cyclocross National Championships

  Deschutes Brewery (901 SW Simpson Ave.)

  December 10-13

  Bend, OR

If you are luck you might even get to see "Little Woody." (insert obvious double entendre here)
And you better hurry before a dinosaur drinks all the beer. Dinosaurs love beer!

For more info:

http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/

Happy Halloweenie!

It's been kind of quiet here in Blogtown, U.S.A. so why don't we check in with the Wienermobile?


Halloween is still fresh in all our minds so let's all de-costume, kick back with a big pumpkin head full of candy and click the picture above to see how the Wienermobile celebrated the haunted holiday.

Veggie Mobile

And here we have the mysterious Veggie Mobile:




I don't have a lot of information about this one. I just know if was made by WOW Promotional Vehicles, the makers of one of the Burger Cars and the Yoo-Hoo Trailer.

Three Car Pile Up

I'm a semi-annual visitor to the great State Fair of Texas for many reasons. One of which is that it is a frequent stop for product mobiles like the Pepperidge Farms Goldfish Mobile which I saw there in 2002:
Unfortunately there were no product mobiles in attendance at this years fair but there were still some pretty famous rides. An exhibit within the Auto Show contained:
The Monkeemobile!
And "Black Beauty" from Green Hornet:

And best of all, the Batmobile!
(Not to be confused with the Onstar Batmobile)
Not a bad turnout at all. But hopefully next year some of our favorite product mobiles will return to the fair.

Wagon Wheels

A retired couple became disheartened with the lack of new product mobiles (hey, just like me!) so they decided to take matter into their own hands. Awesome!

There should be more people like this in the world.

Separated at Birth Part 4 - A Pair of Skates

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

Awhile back we introduced you to the Skateland USA Skate Car:
That one was located in Anderson, SC but I recently stumbled across a similar one in my own backyard:
The Aloha Skate Car lives outside the Westlake Skate Center in Mesquite, TX.
According to their MySpace Page it used to look like this:
Or it's possible that this picture is of a completely different car that they had in the past. It's interesting to not that this one has a top/cover so it could be driven in the rain.

How many of these Skate Cars exist? Is it possible that a fleet of these skates exist with a different one parked outside of every small time roller rink? Do people really still go roller skating? We may never know.

Blizzard Mobile Tour Wrap Up

As summer comes to a close another Product Mobile Tour winds down. This time it's the end of the 25th Anniversary Blizzard Birthday Tour conducted by the Dairy Queen Blizzardmobile. Here are some highlights from the tour:

Hopefully, unlike so many other product mobiles that ended up in mothballs, the Blizzardmobile will one day ride again bring frosty treats to the masses.

Wiener Check

Even the Wienermobile needs a check up from time to time. And no one considers the toll this takes on the poor Hotdoggers. Here's a look at the process:

Flipped Out Award Winner

We've mentioned Ben & Jerry's Flipped Out Sample Vehicle (and its twin, the Topsy Turvy Bus) before, and recently the eight wheeled wonder rolled up and down across the EX Awards.
The Vehicle is the winner of the Best Vehicle Design (18 Wheels or less) in Event Marketers Magazine's EX Awards. Congrats to Ben & Jerry's and to Turtle Transit, the designers of the vehicle.

Hipster

I'm still trying to piece this all together via the interwebs. From what I can gather, Kabaya is a Japanese candy company that makes cool weird Japanese candy like Green Tea Chocolate."Kaba" also seems to be Japanese for Hippo. So if your candy company was named after a Hippo and you wanted a promotional vehicle...well, you can see where this is going.

So the Kaba Car is a hippo shaped ambassador for the candy company. One of the first pictures I found of it is a bit of a downer:
This is the Kaba Car in front of the Hiroshima "Atomic Dome" which is the central area where the atomic bomb was dropped at the end of World War II. I'm not sure if this is meant to be ironic juxtaposition or if there is a cultural significance that is lost on the Western world.

A slightly cheerier picture is below:
I don't know if this vehicle is still touring but it is now officially on my radar in the way that only a bright red hippo car could be. For more wacky internet fun check out Kabaya's surreal website:

http://www.kabaya.co.jp

And what appears to be the car's web page:

http://www.kabaya.co.jp/kabacar

We'll leave you today with a fairly disturbing Kabaya commercial which may or may not include a cartoon hippo:

See the Zippo Car Next Month

Flicking Fans will get a chance to see their favorite product mobile next month when the Zippo Car makes an appearance at the 2010 Case & Zippo Swap Meet South at Smoky Mountain Knife Works in Sevierville, Tennessee.
Here are the details from Zippo's website:

Smoky Mountain Knife Works and the National Knife Museum are hosting the 2010 Case & Zippo Swap Meet South at Smoky Mountain Knife Works retail showroom in Sevierville, Tennessee on September 24, 25 and 26.

Weekend-long activities include Case and Zippo collectors/dealers from across the country displaying their treasures under the tents, the traveling Case Event Trailer and the Zippo Car. There will also be one-of-a-kind Zippo and Case exhibits, raffles, and giveaways.

There will be limited edition Swap Meet products available at the event including a Smoky Mountain Knife Works Click Zippo lighter available on a first come, first served basis. Sale tables in the showroom will feature Case and Zippo red tag items.

More details, including registration and table reservation information, are available at http://www.eknifeworks.com/events/SWAP_MEET_SOUTH.html

Make Your Own Kissmobile

It's still a little irritating that the Kissmobile is staying put at the Antique Auto Museum in Hershey, PA instead of traveling. Kissmobile fans have to take what they can get when they can get it.
(Picture courtesy of The Hershey Insider)

So it's no surprise that some people try to fill the kiss shaped void in their hearts any way they can. This is a video of the museum's "Make Your Own Kissmobile" activity from 2008 from WHP-CBS. It was a part of "Chocolate Covered February."

Now go grab some candy and a glue stick and get to work.

"Not a Product Mobile" Part 6: Mr. Softee Strikes Back

The "Not a Product Mobile" Series Rolls On!

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5

Most people are happy to see the Mister Softee Truck pull up because it brings sweet creamy goodness to a hot summer's day.
Recently, however, Mister Frostee brought a two scoops of pain, sprinkled with fists of fury and a cherry on top! And it was all directed at the deceptively named "Softy Cream Man." The two left their good humor at home and came to blows in the street over a disputed parking space.

A local ice cream enthusiast caught it all on tape:


Softy Ice Cream Man, you got soft served!

The Making of the Pfizer Revolution Mobile

Found some more video that we just now got around to uploading to YouTube. This time it's the making of the Pfizer Revolution Mobile:

This is another clip from our 2003 documentary Fast Food.

Some Pig

Nothing's better than a product mobile that that's functional. The people of Seattle know what I'm talking about since their streets are home to the Maximus/Minimus catering truck.
This little piggy serves up piled high pulled pork sandwiches to hungry patrons squealing with delight. It was designed by Seattle artist Colin Reedy and is known for its signature sandwich and home made barbeque sauce.
If you are in the area, keep an eye out for this saucy swine or track its movements on its website.
Special thanks to "Uncle Frank" from The Hot Dog Hall of Fame for the heads up on this one!

Friends WIth Benefits

In an effort to cover every possible aspect of product mobiles ad nauseam, today we've got a look at an extra benefit of running into these wacky roadsters.

The tiny hoard of Little Debbie Cupcake Cars spread the word about the new product to cupcake enthusiasts and their tour culminated in a car giveaway sweepstakes. Those of us that didn't win one of the tiny rides weren't left empty handed however. We all got a coupon for a free box of cupcakes.
A run in with the Dairy Queen Blizzardmobile will not only get you a free Blizzard on the spot, but also a coupon for a discounted future treat.
If that little insight wasn't thrilling enough for you then stay tuned for our 12 part series on product mobile mudflaps!! (No, we're not running out of material... Surely not...)