ALL ABOUT BIBENDUM: The evolution – and collectibility – of the Michelin Man
April 11, 2019
Posted by Barrett-Jackson
Written by Barbara Toombs
During the 2019 Scottsdale Auction, the top-selling Michelin item – at $23,000 – was an all-original air compressor from the 1930s with the chubby tire man riding on top.
At any given Barrett-Jackson Automobilia Auction, the collection of authentic pieces of our motoring past is as diverse as it is colorful. There is memorabilia galore to suit the taste of any collector, whether their passion lies in pristine pedal cars, soda collectibles, Route 66 relics, colorful neon signs or towering gas pumps.
One jolly brand icon that can usually be found in the mix, however, is the beloved Michelin Man, the face of Michelin tires. Now 121 years old, Bibendum – as he was originally known – has aged well. He has also become increasingly collectible, as witnessed at the 2019 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Automobilia Auction, where some 45 different items bearing his image made their way across the auction block. The top-selling Michelin item – at $23,000 – was an all-original air compressor from the 1930s with the chubby tire man riding on top.
The idea for Bibendum dates back to 1894, when the Michelin brothers, Édouard and André, were attending the Lyon Universal Exhibition and noticed an evocatively shaped pile of tires on their stand. “Look, with arms and legs, it would make a man!” Andre is said to have proclaimed.
Four years later, the Michelins’ idea came to life through a popular French poster artist and cartoonist of the day, O’Galop. As the story goes, O’Galop initially showed the brothers a rejected poster he had made for a brewery that depicted King Gambrinus, the patron saint of brewing, raising a beer mug. The king was shown announcing “nunc est Bibendum” (now it is time to drink), which was written at the top of the poster. André Michelin thought to replace the illustration of the king with that of his man made from a pile of tires, holding a cup filled with nails and broken glass – meant to be indicative of how tough and hardy Michelin tires were, and that they would not puncture that easily.
This rare Michelin poster from 1898 sold at the 2019 Scottsdale Auction for $6,900.
A rather odd tagline – devised by André several years prior – was also added to the poster: “À Votre Santé Le Pneu Michelin Boit L’Obstacle!” (Cheers – the Michelin tire drinks up obstacles!)
The character depicted on the poster was named rather inadvertently, when, at the Paris-Amsterdam-Paris race in 1898, the driver Léon Théry is said to have shouted “voila Bibendum, vive Bibendum” to André.
Compared to the rather cuddly mascot we know today, that first Bibendum was considered somewhat sinister: large, bespectacled and chomping on a cigar. But he did change with the times. In the 1920s his pince-nez eyeglasses were gone, as was the cigar. By the 1950s he became more rotund and jovial; 20 years after that he had transformed into a true jolly cartoon figure.
Today’s Michelin Man has slimmed down somewhat, and has even been referred to as “macho-looking.” The public has embraced Bibendum to the point that, over the years, he at times has even escaped the realm of advertising and ventured into popular culture, including a guest appearance as a chariot wheel dealer in the French comic book series Asterix and a starring role in the animated French short film “Logorama,” which won an Oscar in 2010.
A Michelin light-up garage sign was among the Bibendum items at the 2019 Scottsdale Auction.
Made of 26 tires, which he has even shared with stranded motorists from time to time, Bibendum has been a gladiator, a kick boxer, an astronaut, a stunt driver, a tire inspector and even a ballroom dancer. No matter how he has been portrayed, Michelin’s long-lasting mascot has done everything with a helpful spirit, confidence and good humor that has helped define him for generations.
Look for Bibendum items among the 300+ authentic items – including the William K. Haines Estate Collection – that will be selling at No Reserve during the 2019 Palm Beach Automobilia Auction, the mornings of April 11-13, immediately prior to the Collector Car Auction. To view the Automobilia docket, click HERE.