During his childhood, George A. Molchan was often uncomfortable with the attention he received because of his diminutive stature.
As an adult, however, he was gratified for the smiles his size helped him bring to the faces of children and adults.
Mr. Molchan, 82, who as a Little Oscar for the Oscar Mayer Co. crisscrossed the country for years in the company’s Wienermobile, died of Alzheimer’s disease, Tuesday, April 12, in his home in Hobart, Ind.
In the early 1950s, he was working, as a bookkeeper for a beverage company when he received a call from Meinhardt Raabe, the original Little Oscar who later became the Munchkin coroner in the movie “The Wizard of Oz.” The two had met when Mr. Molchan was a teenager growing up in Gary and Raabe was in town on a promotional tour.
With the company adding five more Wienermobiles, Raabe suggested he interview for one of the Little Oscar openings with Carl Mayer, who dreamed up the promotion and was Oscar Mayer’s nephew.
Mr. Molchan’s height–44 inches, or what he later would say was 10 wieners high–and his outgoing personality landed him the job, which continued for more than 35 years.
“We were sorry to hear that George Molchan passed way, and we extend our sympathies to his family and friends,” Nick Meriggioli, general manager for Oscar Mayer, said in a statement released by the company. “The Little Oscars brought unique and memorable goodwill to every venue and event they visited. Arriving in the Wienermobile, they brought instant smiles and fun to people of all ages. Even today, people fondly remember when they first met Little Oscar and getting a Wiener-Whistle toy.”
Mr. Molchan was born in Hobart and then, along with his six siblings–two of whom also are less than 5 feet tall– was raised in Gary, near the steel mill where his father worked. He received a degree in accounting from the local community college and later received a degree in communications from Columbia College in Chicago.
During the heydays of the company’s advertising campaign, from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s, Mr. Molchan–dressed in white from his shoes to his chef’s hat–would travel daily in the 22-foot long, 10-foot-high hot-dog vehicle. At the beginning of each week, he would pop out of its hatch at smaller retailers, schools, orphanages and children’s hospitals. The end of the week was reserved for parades and promotions at larger grocery stores.
In a 1985 Chicago Tribune interview, he recalled those times with fondness. He recalled the night when college students spread gallons of mustard over the Wienermobile and another when someone stole it–the vehicle was found the next day.
“What I remember most, though, were the visits to children’s hospitals,” he said, “especially places like the Shriners’ hospitals.” The patients’ eyes would light up, he said, when they saw him.
His sister, Lillian Martin, said he was a natural for the job. “He got along with all kinds of people, especially kids,” said his sister. “He loved that job. It was all you heard about.”
In 1971, when the company largely halted use of the Wienermobile, Mr. Molchan was asked to represent the company as Little Oscar at its restaurant in Disney World. When he retired in 1987, the company also retired the character.
After his retirement, he had a second successful career in Florida bringing smiles to the faces of the young and old dressed as a leprechaun and Christmas elf at automobile and trade shows, shopping malls, restaurants and parades.
A few years ago, as his Alzheimer’s disease progressed, he returned to Indiana to be closer to his sister.
Other survivors include two brothers, Elmer and Alex; two other sisters, Susan Phillips and Agnes Wisner; and numerous nieces and nephews.
A Wienermobile will be parked outside the Pruzin Brothers Funeral Home, 6360 Broadway, Merrillville, Ind., during visitation from 2 to 8 p.m., Thursday and Friday. Services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday in St. Michael Byzantine Catholic Church, 557 W. 57th Ave., Merrillville.
