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October 18, 2005
Vishy's Useless Factoid of the Day #21: What's the Michelin Man's name?
The Michelin Man has been one of the abiding icons of the automobile industry. He inspires an aww-so-cute feeling almost universally as he makes his appearances on TV and in the print media. Did you know though that the name of this lovable rubber-ringed creature is Bibendum?
A recent issue of Fortune magazine profiled this veritable icon of advertising, who was born no less than 107 years ago! He first appeared on an April 1898 poster with the slogan Nunc est bibendum (Latin for "Now is the time to drink").
Notice how the glass he is holding up is filled with nails and glass? That's an allusion to how Michelin tires could just 'drink up' nails and glass without puncturing, whereas other tire brands of the time failed. A rather weird sales pitch for a tire, if I do say so myself. The bibendum ('to drink') part of the slogan stuck nonetheless and continues to be the official name of the Michelin Man to this day.
Posted by Vishy at October 18, 2005 09:15 PM