George Molchan

Who was George Molchan?

George A. Molchan was an American spokesperson, most famous for his work as Little Oscar for the Oscar Mayer meat company.

Molchan grew up in the Gary, Indiana area; as a young boy, he received hormone treatments to try to make him grow taller. His lack of height was a concern to him; a local theater manager who sympathized with his worries managed to contact Meinhardt Raabe, who was "Little Oscar", the spokesman for the Oscar Mayer company. Raabe met with Molchan and assured him that if he continued his education, he would have a bright future ahead.

Molchan took his advice, earning both an accounting degree from his local junior college and a degree in communications from Chicago's Columbia College. He went to work as a bookkeeper for Pepsi-Cola, staying with the job until 1951. Oscar Mayer had plans to expand its promotion of the "Little Oscar" character. The company decided to put more than one Wienermobile on the road to travel the United States, which meant they were in need of more spokespersons to do the same work Raabe did. Raabe contacted Molchan and suggested he apply for one of the positions.