LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — PETA, the animal rights group, says it has offered to pay for repairs and maintenance for up to one year on the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile that was damaged last week in the lot of a Las Vegas hotel if the vehicle goes vegan.
In a letter to Carlos-Abrams-Rivera, president of the Kraft-Heinz Co., Oscar Mayer’s parent company, PETA says it will pay for a new catalytic converter on the Wienermobile “if the company converts it to a vegan hot dog mobile.”
The Wienermobile’s catalytic converter, a key part of the emissions system, was cut out by thieves as it was parked overnight at the Sonesta Suites on Paradise Road. In town for some appearances tied to Super Bowl weekend, the Wienermobile was repaired on the morning of Feb. 10, when its hot dog handlers discovered the missing part.
“PETA is willing to cover the cost of the replacement part and the maintenance of the vehicle for one year if you convert it into a Not Dogmobile or something similar,” the letter reads. “With the rising demand for vegan hot dogs and following last year’s report about the potential for Oscar Mayer Not Hot Dogs, now is the perfect time to put the brakes on an old idea and make a shift.”
Kraft Heinz representatives did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
In keeping with the avalanche of word puns associated with stories on the wheeled wiener’s damage, PETA president Ingrid Newkirk said in a news release: “PETA would relish the opportunity to help Oscar Mayer ketchup with the booming vegan food market.”