DATE: Thursday, July 24, 1997               TAG: 9707240421

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY JOHN-HENRY DOUCETTE, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   65 lines

OSCAR MAYER WEINER CAR UPSETS PETA STOMACHS

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is in dogged pursuit of the folks whose bologna has a first name.

Members of the Norfolk-based animal rights group are following the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile from city to city, greeting the wheeled, fiberglass bun-encased billboards with anti-meat protests in the middle of July, which, of course, is National Hot Dog Month.

PETA had an anti-Oscar outing Tuesday when one of the 10 Wienermobiles visited a Maryland supermarket and encountered protesters.

A Wienermobile, in addition to having a fun name to say, is a 27-foot rolling frank. One such Weinermobile is due to visit two Norfolk supermarkets next month.

Over PETA's calls for a vegetarian majority, the Wienermobile's staff of ``hotdoggers'' Tuesday conducted a ``talent search.''

This contest helps promote the wiener that has warmed American buns since 1883. Each summer, Oscar Mayer Foods of Madison, Wis., sends its fleet of Wienermobiles across the nation to find adorable children who can sing either of the company's famous jingles.

``The Oscar Mayer Wiener Jingle'' and the ``Bologna Song'' - the more challenging of the two because its lyrics involve spelling - have helped the company rake in $2 billion in sales each year and employ more than 9,000 people in the United States.

For the young winner, a $20,000 college scholarship is on the line. For PETA, such a contest is manipulation.

``We're not trying to shout down the kids,'' said Bruce Friederich, 27, of PETA. ``We're offering an alternative to eating meat. Oscar Mayer is exploiting children to sell a product the child would never support if he or she knew what went into making it.''

One of the signs PETA regularly employs reads, ``Food has a face.''

Oscar Mayer spokeswoman Shelagh Thomee said the song contests are not propaganda, but a chance for young performers to have a brush with fame while singing jingles that have Americana written all over them. ``We think it's an absolute shame anyone would disrupt a fun time between parents and children,'' Thomee said.

The Oscar Mayer protests have been low-key by PETA standards. Nobody dangled with a fake meat hook poking from his or her chest. No fur-using fashion designers had their Chicago offices occupied..

PETA is using kid gloves on this campaign. In Maryland, a sign-holding person wearing a cute pig suit and a couple of bullhorn-aided shouters chanted anti-meat slogans at the Wienermobile and those who took delight in looking at a big car shaped like a hot dog bursting from its bun, then singing about a link of machine-separated turkey, pork, water and salt.

PETA, according to spokeswoman Lisa Lange, also talked to children about the health concerns and cruelty associated with eating meat.

That's the extent of the wiener plan.

Since moving to Norfolk a year ago, PETA has actively promoted its vegetarian ideal. Members have prepared meatless dishes at area homeless shelters and grilled veggie burgers and, yes, even no-meat hot dogs at food fairs.

As far as they are concerned, the last thing you should wish to be is an Oscar Mayer wiener. ILLUSTRATION: File color photo

The 27-foot Weinermobile is on the road 345 days a year promoting

the hot-dog maker's brand name.

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