Before The Michelin Man There Was Bibendum

Around the turn of the 20th century the Michelin brothers, Édouard and André, spied a stack of tires and Édouard noted, “Look, with arms and legs, it would make a man.” Despite that moment of epiphany, it took five more years and a drawing of King Gambrinus, the patron saint of brewing, by cartoonist Marius Rossillon (who also drew the original “tire man”) for the first rendition of the Michelin man to fully come alive.

The drawing of King Gambrinus included “nunc est bibendum.” In Latin it reads, “Now it is time to drink.” For the Paris–Amsterdam–Paris race in 1898, the Michelin brothers added that phrase to their “tire man” advertisement. When driver Léon Théry shouted, “Voila Bibendum, Vive Bibendum,” the brothers found the mascot’s name for their eponymous company.

A Very Different Time

It’s important to note that the advertising icon back in the early 1900s looked more like Mad Max than Pokemon. The earliest depictions of “Bibendum” showed him perpetually smoking a cigar and pounding champagne, accompanied by a phrase that translated to “The Michelin tire drinks up obstacles!” He literally became known as a “road drunkard,” which would obviously cause zero controversies today!

Other advertisements around the time also portrayed “Bibendum” actually killing the competition in gladiator-style fights to the death. Design historian and curator Alain Weill theorized, “Once a character becomes a popular icon, you don’t have to question if it’s good or bad. At different periods Michelin stopped using him but always came back to him. He has lasted so long because the brand did, which is not the case with many others who invented brilliant logos.”

“Bibendum” Matures

The coarse nature of the original “Bibendum” was supposedly geared toward the wealthy upper class as they were the only ones who could afford a car. As the clientele of cars changed, so did “Bibendum.” He stopped drinking, smoking, and gradually changed from the stuff of nightmares to a family-friendly purveyor of road safety.

Advertisements stopped picturing their mascot murdering other tire companies and began illustrating him helping stricken travelers with spare tries from his ever-shrinking belly. Weill appreciated the marketing genius in the character's malleability, “The great thing with the chubby little man made out of tires is that he could be represented in various situations; the different possible versions is my favorite thing about him.”

Spreading His Proverbial Wings

As Michelin, the company, expanded by introducing its famous guidebooks, its mascot also broadened his horizons. He even received a column in their popular travel magazine while taking up biking, playing frisbee, and other less murderous pursuits.

The body of the Michelin Man likewise went through many transformations. From zombie stiff to wildly portly to incredibly buff, the incredibly popular character ran the gamut of body types. When a tuberculosis epidemic hit in the 1920s, the Michelin Man responsibly quit smoking. 

An Icon For The Ages

Although the Michelin Man saw a great many changes over the years, he remains a famous figure today. His long-lived life ranks him as the second oldest corporate mascot behind only the Quaker Oats Pilgrim who dates back to 1877. That puts our rubbery hero ahead of Betty Crocker, Mr. Peanut, and even Mickey Mouse!

More importantly, none of those characters ever grew to such popularity as to have a chair! The Bibendum chair, invented in 1926, was created in his likeness and is still considered one of the most distinctive designs of the 20th century.