1898 Michelin Man, "Now it is time to drink."

At first glance, the Michelin man seems to be promoting drinking and driving. Today's PC police would have a cow! (No, I don't think you should drink and drive.) The irony of a tire company's mascot drinking made me chuckle a little.

"At the Lyon Universal Exhibition in 1894, the Michelin brothers noticed an evocatively-shaped pile of tyres on their stand. Édouard said to André, “Look, with arms it would make a man.” André Michelin would remember this moment a few years later.In 1898, when looking at an advertising sketch for a brasserie drawn by O’Galop, 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) declared by the character was also reused by Michelin. O’Galop’s Michelin poster, 1898 “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."





*http://www.logodesignlove.com/bibendum-michelin-man

 

*burp*

 

An interesting bit of automotive advertising history. Thank you for posting it, I suspect there are many interesting stories behind some of the early advertising attempts. Many of which are still very much alive a 100 years later. I think I read on the HAMB yesterday a story of the origins of the GM "Bow Tie".

Great stuff.

 

Over the years Mr. Bibendum or Mr. Bib as he colloquially known has suffered the indignity of falling victim to political correctness and no longer has any connotations or inferences****ociating him with alcohol and his girth has been reduced because it might be deemed offensive. wtf is the matter with the world....

 

I say Cheers & bottoms up .

 

2 words,,,Political Correctness! HRP

 

Times change. Sometimes for the better, sometimes not.

 

I saw this promotional hood ornament on the HAMB and thought I'd throw it in here.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=715436

 

Well, he's drinking, but he's not behind the wheel of an automobile. In fact, there's not even an automobile in the background. Why would there be anything wrong? A fat tire man, sharing a toast with friends and rivals. Political correctness: usually overly reactionary and people who have nothing better to do.

 

Translation: "That is to say, to your health. The Michelin tire drinks up obstacles"