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Bibendum (French pronunciation: [bibɛ̃dɔm]), commonly referred to in English as the Michelin Man[2] or Michelin Tire Man, is the official mascot of the Michelin tire company. A humanoid figure consisting of stacked white tires, it was introduced at the Lyon Exhibition of 1894 where the Michelin brothers had a stand.He is one of the worlds oldest trademarks still in active use. The slogan Nunc est bibendum ("Now is the time to drink") is taken from Horaces Odes (book I, ode xxxvii, line 1). He is also referred to as Bib or Bibelobis.

Michelin dominated the French tire industry for decades and remains a leading international tire manufacturer. Its famous guidebooks are widely used by travelers. Bibendum was depicted visually as a lord of industry, a master of all he surveyed, and a patriotic exponent of the French spirit. In the 1920s, Bibendum urged Frenchmen to adopt Americas superior factory system, but to patriotically excel those factories "inferior" products. As automobiles became available to the middle classes, the companys advertising followed suit, and its restaurant and hotel guides expanded to a broader range of price categories.

While attending the Universal and Colonial Exposition in Lyon in 1894, Édouard and André Michelin noticed a stack of tires that suggested to Édouard the figure of a man without arms. Four years later, André met French cartoonist Marius Rossillon, popularly known as OGalop, who showed him a rejected image he had created for a Munich brewery — a large, regal figure holding a huge glass of beer and quoting Horaces phrase Nunc est bibendum ("Now is the time for drinking"). André immediately suggested replacing the man with a figure made from tires, and OGalop adapted the earlier image into Michelins symbol. Today, Bibendum is one of the worlds most recognized trademarks, representing Michelin in over 170 countries. According to Michelin, a study showed that 90% of the world's population could instantly recognize him.

Rubber tires were originally gray-white, or light or translucent beige. In 1912, they became black when carbon was added to them as a preservative and strengthener.The company changed Bibendums color to black as well,[citation neededand featured him that way in several print ads. They decided to abandon the change, citing printing and aesthetic issues (not racial concerns, as is commonly believed).

The image of the plump tire-man is sometimes used to describe an obese person, or someone wearing comically bulky clothing (e.g. "How can I wrap up warmly without looking like the Michelin Man?").

Bibendums shape has changed over the years. OGalops logo was based on bicycle tires, wore pince-nez glasses with lanyard, and smoked a cigar. By the 1960s, Bibendum was shown running, often rolling a tyre as well, and no longer smoked. In 1998, his 100th anniversary, a slimmed-down version of him (sans glasses) was adopted, reflecting the lower-profile, smaller tires of modern cars. An animated version of Bibendum has appeared in American television ads, with a pet puppy similar in appearance to him.