First created by the imaginative Michelin brothers and the talented poster artist O'Galop, alias Marius Rossillion, the Michelin Man was immediately a great success. The Michelin Man has evolved since his birth in 1898, becoming a modern, socially responsible icon - similar to the way Michelin, as a company, has evolved to outfit vehicles and meet the changing needs of consumers while maintaining its position as the leader in tire innovation and technology for over a century.
Shaped by the Brush
In 1898, while looking at an advertising sketch for a brasserie drawn by O'Galop, Andre Michelin had an idea: why not replace the bearded giant raising his beer mug with a man made of a pile of tires and holding a cup filled with nails and broken glass. The Latin quotation from Horace, "Nunc est Bibendum" ("Now it is time to drink") proclaimed by the character was also reused by Michelin: "Cheers, the Michelin tire drinks up obstacles!" This slogan had been launched by Andre Michelin a few years prior to convince engineers of the benefits of tires.
An Evocative Pile of Tires
At the Lyon Universal Exhibition in 1894, the Michelin brothers noticed an evocatively-shaped pile of tires on their stand. Edward said to Andre: "Look, with arms, it would make a man." Andre Michelin Would remember this moment a few years later.
He is made of 26 tires and has even shared his tires with stranded motorists. He has been an astronaut, a stunt driver, a tire inspector and a dancer, doing everything with a helpful spirit, confidence and good humor that has helped define him for generations.