The best logo in history? The Michelin Man. This title was awarded to the legendary Bibendum by an international panel of professionals in 2000. The Michelin Man is a timeless icon that has been the face of the brand’s success for over 100 years.
It all began at the Lyon Universal Exposition in 1894, where the company's founders, brothers Andre and Eduard Michelin, noticed an evocatively-shaped pile of tyres on their stand, resembling the shape of a character. All that was missing were two pairs of limbs and a face to create a distinctive man. However, four years had passed before that eventually happened. Bibendum, as this is how the characteristic white figure was named, debuted in Michelin commercials as a poster hero created by artist Marius Rossillon.
The first poster by O'Galop depicting the Michelin Man (Pic. Michelin.com).Creating the first Michelin logo
When André Michelin met Marius Rossillon, better known by his pseudonym, O'Galop, the artist had just finished work on an advertising poster for a brewery in Munich. O'Galop presented to Michelin a previously-rejected poster by the brewery showing Gambrinus, a half-mythological figure recognised as the Flemish king and founder of beer, raising a chalice. The sign on the poster proclaimed “Nunc est bibendum!”, meaning “Time to drink!”.
Inspired by the picture, Michelin asked the artist to switch the character with an image of a tyre man. The alcoholic contents of the chalice were replaced with broken glass, a symbol of the unpuncturable resistance of Michelin tyres, and complemented with the slogan “Nunc est bibendum”. The poster that would define the Michelin logo for over 100 years was complete.
The original Michelin Man was a cigar-smoking aristocrat
Why did a French company base its campaign on a Latin slogan? The same reason why Bibendum initially wore a pince-nez and smoked a Cuban cigar: an extremely narrow social group could actually afford tyres. Since the purchase of a car at the time was an indulgence of affluent individuals, such people were often well-travelled and familiar with foreign languages and cultures. It is no wonder then, that the original Michelin Man was carrying items characteristic of that social group and sported a foreign catchphrase.
Originally, Bibendum didn’t look as friendly as he does now – his characteristic smile appeared in later years (Pic. Michelin.com). How the Michelin Man earned his name
Bibendum is a name that spread by accident. During the Paris-Amsterdam-Paris races of July 1898, driver Léon Théry greeted André Michelin with a shout “Here comes Bibendum!”, using the slogan from the poster. Théry did not know Latin and it is unlikely that he knew what the phrase meant, but the name Bibendum stayed for good and the mysterious tyre man soon started to be officially referred to as such.
A black Michelin Man?
But why doesn’t Bibendum’s colour match the colour of tyres? This is actually indicative of what tyres once looked like: their original colour was ivory. The first black tyres appeared only in 1912, when changes were made in the manufacturing process and rubber compounds began to be added with preservatives and soot. Nevertheless, Bibendum remained the colour in which he was initially created.
The evolution of Bibendum
Bibendum’s attributes were not only his pince-nez and cigar. The Michelin Man outfits changed depending on the nation or region of the world for which the ad was aimed. For instance, “Sir Bibendum” visited the UK equipped with a medieval helmet, shield and lance. On posters designed for the North African market, Bibendum wore a Bedouin costume, and in Italian commercials, he showed off his fashion sense in a tuxedo with a tricolour sash, accompanied by beautiful women.
Bibendum today (left) and in the past (right) – despite the appearance of black tyres on the market, the Michelin Man stayed true to his colours (Pic. Michelin.com). Over time, Bibendum’s costume features began to be abandoned and his appearance unified until he was ultimately presented the same in every part of the world (note that Bibendum represents Michelin in over 150 countries!). By 1925, Bibendum got rid of the pince-nez, and four years later, had his last cigar, which was partly influenced by an epidemic of tuberculosis at the time.
Bibendum in comics, literature and songs
As he spread his global reach and influence, Bibendum became engraved in pop culture to such an extent that he is now regarded as one of the most recognisable brand symbols on the planet. The Michelin mascot has also appeared in songs (French reggae band “Tryo”), comic books (René Goscinny’s “Asterix in Switzerland”) and literature (William Gibson, “Pattern Recognition”).
This is how Bibendum was presented in 1920 in Argentina. Celebrating the Michelin Man
But does the Michelin logo deserve the title of the best logo ever created? A jury of 22 designers, heads of advertising agencies and authorities in the field of branding seems to think so. The decision was made as part of a competition conducted in 2000 by the Financial Times and the Canadian Report on Business magazine. It was then that Bibendum was crowned with the highest award (the roundel, logo of the London Underground, took second place).
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As Édouard Michelin, the former president of Michelin and great-grandson of the company’s co-founder, said, Bibendum is much more than a corporate logo or marketing tool. It is a symbol that has practically existed since the beginning of the automotive industry. This feat gives it a much broader context and status incomparable to any other logo, and above all, makes the character trustworthy and true.