Technical Focus: The Living Tyre

By Michelin Sport
June 29 2005

First created in 1898 by the imagination of the Michelin brothers and the paintbrush of the talented poster artist O'Galop, alias Marius Rossillon, Bibendum was immediately a great success. Depending on the period and current tyre innovations, he evolves to remain always in phase with his time.

Inspiration: An evocative pile of tyres

At the Lyon Universal Exhibition in 1894, the Michelin brothers noticed an evocatively- shaped pile of tyres on their stand. Edward said to André: "Look, with arms, it would make a man". André Michelin would remember this moment a few years later.

Shaped by the brush

It was when looking in 1898 at an advertising sketch for a brasserie drawn by O'Galop that André Michelin had an idea: why not replace the bearded giant raising his beer mug with a man made of a pile of tyres and holding a cup filled with nails and broken glass.

The Latin quotation from Horace, "Nunc est Bibendum" ("Now it is time to drink"), declaimed by the character was also reused by Michelin: "Cheers, the Michelin tyre drinks up obstacles!". This slogan had been launched by André Michelin a few years previously to convince engineers of the benefits of tyres.

Metamorphoses

A plump, jovial character

Michelin used a large number of artists who each brought their own interpretation to this character overflowing with humour and vitality. His shape was guided by the narrow silhouette of the tyres, while his appearance and attitudes reflected the customer of the time, smoking a cigar and wearing spectacles in 1914.

Pneumatic evolution

From the 1930s onwards, Michelin made increasingly less use of outside artists. As a result, the images of Bibendum became more standardised, although there were country- specific variants. Adapting to the evolution of tyres, his rings became thicker and the character dropped his wealthy image to move closer to a broader customer base.

Bibendum in 3D

The 1980s saw Bibendum return in force to advertising. The sportsmanship of Bibendum was clear to see with the famous Running Michelin Man.

A young, dynamic silhouette

In 1998, his centenary was an opportunity for the company to give him a new look: he appeared slimmer and more dynamic in the company's brand block.