You could win $50 to spend on groceries for singing the jingle, and that's no baloney.
Oscar Mayer Just Brought Back Its Iconic ‘My Bologna’ Jingle
Published on Dec. 03, 2024
Do you know how to spell “bologna”? I do, thanks to the iconic Oscar Mayer bologna song, a nostalgic TV commercial that is forever lodged in brains like a blue Jolly Rancher lodged behind a molar. Now, it’s making a comeback, thanks to the company that also brought us the Weinermobile.
If you were raised on 1970s and 1980s TV (I co-wrote a book on it!), you know the Oscar Mayer bologna jingle as well as you know the hand gestures to “YMCA,” the names of the six Brady kids or the function of “Conjunction Junction.”
Bologna’s national anthem goes something like this: “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 saaaaaay ’cause Oscar Mayer has a way with B-O-L-O-G-N-A.”
Why is the jingle back?
“The Bologna Song” commercial aired for the first time in 1974, and might be the only reason some of us know “baloney” has a fancier spelling. To celebrate the irresistible tune’s 50th anniversary, Oscar Mayer is bringing back the iconic ad, which the company says is the “longest-running jingle in advertising history.”
“50 years ago, we introduced the world to ‘The Bologna Song’ as a way to spotlight our delicious deli meats and cement the brand’s legacy and mantra of uniting millions around a love of meat,” said Shelby Max, brand manager for Oscar Mayer, in a press release. “We knew this anniversary was a moment that needed to be celebrated in a big way.”
Not only is the jingle back, but you also have a chance to win free groceries simply by singing it.
How do I sing to pay?
You might have heard the meaty melody when Oscar Mayer re-aired the commercial nationwide during Thanksgiving football last week. But now, Oscar Mayer wants you to join in. The brand is calling its promotion “Sing to Pay,” and through December 15, fans can submit an audio recording of themselves correctly singing “The Bologna Song” to SingtoPay.com.
Film your rendition of the song, submit the audio recording to the site and you could receive an Instacart credit, up to $50, to use on Oscar Mayer bologna or any other groceries, while supplies last.
“Any and all singing abilities welcome,” the company says, which is good news for many of us. Winners are selected at random. This isn’t American Bologna Idol.
The commercial itself famously shows four-year-old Andy Lambros sitting on a pier clutching a fishing rod and a bologna sandwich. But it almost didn’t happen that way. Originally, the ad was supposed to cut between a number of different kids, all singing short parts of the jingle. But with 20 minutes of light left on film day, the director asked the kids if anyone had memorized the entire song. Andy stepped up and sang his way into Gen X history.
