History of World’s Oldest Mascot: Michelin Man | DIStory Dan Evolution Ep. 83

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The world’s oldest branded character, the Michelin Man aka Bibendum has been with us for over 100 years. What you might not know is that he started off as an aristocrat that encouraged drinking, literally. It’s what his name means. To drink. Like… What?? His tire built body has morphed and changed over the years from horrifying to cuddly, cigar smoking drunk to a puppy owner. This is one wild ride.
00:00 - Brief History Of The Inflatable Bike Tire
01:56 - A Tire Mascot Is Born: Bibendum
04:04 - Michelin Man's Early Exposition Life
05:06 - The First Michelin Man Mascot Costumes
07:28 - The Michelin Family Man
09:30 - Inflatable Michelin Man Puppets?
11:25 - Michelin X Tire Changes The World
14:00 - 70's Michelin Man Is Rad
14:35 - The Michelin Baby Was Weird
15:39 - 90's Revamp Gets Inflated!
17:36 - Bubble The Tire Dog
18:30 - New Inflatable Costumes Rise Up
21:26 - Sponsor (SquareSpace)
22:55 - Outro & You Rock!
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Edited by Kenny Johnson
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[@Ihartwalrusguy]

You should do more Non-Disney mascot history videos.

[@bluegold1026]

I believe he has in the past. What I'd like to see is the evolution of Looney Tunes costumes.

[@lilacsanctuary3323]

I mean depending on if they are actually interesting those candy mascots were totally out of the blue. Personally i just saw a mascot version of spookley the square pumpkin. Im kinda interested if theres history of that design.

[@PurelyCoincidental]

The glasses that Bibendum wears are called pince-nez, which were pretty common in the era, if worn more by the wealthy and educated classes. (They're not the most practical, since they could fall off your nose when you lean over, hence the chain that you'd attach to your jacket, etc.) Pretty brilliant to put them on Bibendum, since he has no ears for normal glasses to hang off of, and probably helped to make him look classy and smart.

[@fee-bleue]

I was born in the Michelin hometown (Clermont Ferrand). I grew up surrounded by the Bibendum merch. And I am very surprised to learn that he is so popular in the US. I mean popular enough to get his own Disney Dan video !!! Thank you so much for this mind blowing moment ! It was certainly a hard task to get all these incredible pictures. Well done !

[@Sweet00thtkc]

This is the first time I've heard him called Bibendum but he is extremely well known and beloved here. Many know him before they know Mickey Mouse.

[@NathanSpies]

Disney Dan videos never TIRE me out!!!

[@Coco12769]

Good one I never get tire of these kinds of comments

[@BWCActionFigures]

Your good

[@diegoleonelreyes]

🥁 💥

[@coolkid57456]

This joke really DRIVEN me to tears

[@Sweet00thtkc]

@@coolkid57456 My wife says the Michelin Man tends to rubber the wrong way

[@Helloworld-ss5uv]

Finally! Validation for all the times Dan and Kenny talked about this guy in the vlog channel! I almost feared this day would never come🤣 Also I never thought I’d see a tire mascot featured alongside so many beautiful looking women. Idk exactly why but that cracks me up😂🤣😂

[@mollymcdade4031]

You should do a video on Bertie Bassett - he’s a mascot for a British brand of liquorish sweet (/candy). There are some quite cursed mascot costume photos online

[@sericsmith5770]

You know what's funny? It wasn't until I hit the 4:10 time mark that I realized that the video was released just 3 MINUTES ago! 3 MINUTES! Other than that, it's always nice learning about the histories of costumed characters.

[@PixieDust18]

as a French person I was really surprised to learn that Michelin had created costumes for their mascot! I had never heard of it 😆

[@shinyagumon7015]

I love how Bibendum is so old of a mascot that his design kind of doesn't make sense to the modern viewer, like if you didn't know the history, would you ever guess that he was supposed to be a tirestack? Probably not. I know many people who think he's a marshmallow man, like from Ghostbusters.

[@mollymcdade4031]

Literally have always wondered (in the back of my mind) why he is made out of tires that don’t look like tires!

[@PurelyCoincidental]

I'm a history nerd who grew up with an antique car guy for a dad, and even I was like OMG OF COURSE. I never even thought that they could be bicycle tires, never mind that rubber is naturally white/beige.

[@piperjojostott7790]

Fun fact: In an unused concept for Ghostbusters Afterlife, there was going to be a scene where the Mini Pufts would be seen bowing down to a poster of the Michelin Man. Even the filmmakers were aware of the connection!

[@DuchessRococoPuff]

Oh I LOVED this one. Would you consider doing the Pillsbury Dough Boy? I’m sure he’s got some crazy history.

[@piperjojostott7790]

My Dad has worked in garages for almost his whole life, and I've been exposed to all manner of car related brands, signage, and merchandise as a result. If there's one that sticks out among them all, it has to be Michelin with their iconic mascot. My Dad has his own garage now, and we actually have a Michelin Man cutout in the office! I also recently learned there was a Build-A-Bear of him! That's something I'd buy if given the chance. 😁

[@SniffyTugBoat]

if someone bought me four brand new tires, I'd be stoked lmao

[@Herowebcomics]

Omg! "Anaphylactic shock face!" Good one! 😂

[@alibutterfly82]

Thematically, I feel like the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man should be next in this series ;-p

[@sakuranokunoichi]

This is fascinating. Bibendum beat the Kool-Aid man in bursting through walls.

[@davidfc7136]

What I would give for a Taylor Swift and Michelin Man collab!

[@sianintomystery]

Didn't think today would cause me intense flashbacks to a childhood visit to the michelin museum but here we are! Also Dan, if you feel like exploring more crazy French corporate history but this time almost a parade check out the history of the tour de france caravan. Basically before the race comes through there's a massive convoy of vehicles from various sponsors & businesses and it's wild.

[@Chicken_JAC]

For reals who is this person

[@piperjojostott7790]

There's a museum?

[@nodesire9291]

early 1920s Michelin Man is HAUNTING. those glasses. but 1930s is pretty creepy too

[@muppetsretrofan8873]

This was a fantastic video, Dan! Michelin Man/Bibendum has such an interesting and amazing history, though those pre-50s ones were creepy looking. I honestly think mascots are underrated, as they can be just as interesting as animated film and TV characters. For example, Jack from Jack In The Box. When the chain opened in 1951, he had a droopy hat, no hair, and a rather creepy grin, but there was another version, which was the drive thru version. This one had green hair, blue pie eyes, a rainbow collar, and the yellow hat. Jack's design was very inconsistent throughout the 50s and 60s, with each restaurant having a different look for him on the signs. But interestingly, during the 60s, Jack got a walkaround version based on his drive thru counterpart [as seen in grand opening pictures]. In 1968, Ralston Purina [yes, THAT Purina], bought Jack In The Box out, and major changes would be made throughout the 1970s. In 1971, Jack got a new design, this new design was cartoonier, had a white shirt and blue pants, and his face was animated, therefore he was able to move his mouth. Jack would also gain a group of friends: The Jack In The Box Bunch. They were used throughout the 1970s [only three ads: Baseball, In The Park, Jack In The Box Animated Commercial 1970s, and three comics, with my favorite being How A House Makes Noise, are on KZbin], and were voiced by Paul Winchell, voice of Tigger and inventor of the artificial heart. There's photos of The Shakes [the furry monster-like milkshake band] with Jack at a grand opening of a Jack In The Box, as well as newspaper ads about being able to meet Jack. In the 80s, Jack was dropped, but he would return in the 90s, and still exists to this day. While Jack is still popular, I wish his past was talked about more often. Other interesting mascots IMO are The Noid [Domino's Pizza, 1980s], Donny and Dottie Domino [Domino's Pizza 1993/1994], the California Raisins, and the M&Ms spokescandies. I honestly cannot get enough of mascots, they are so cool!

[@viewer-of-content]

There is an older mascot that is far more American. The Quaker Oats trademark was created in 1877 a decade earlier than Michellen. And a founder of the cereal maskot craze. Quaker oats went on to be a multi billion dollar brand and invented Gatorade, Captain Crunch, Life Cereal, and Funded Willy Wonka and the Coco late factory movie in the 1970's for a new chocolate line. They used to be equivalent today to a ~$50-$100billion dollar company, but they were parted out in the late 90's early 20's selling their frozen foods, Snapple, and other devisions until they merged/were bought out by pepsi for 14billion in 2001. Quaker Oats was founded in 1851 and used the Quaker as it's maskot to represent food purity and morality. Also they thought the Quakers and their semi religious garb looked silly and made good maskot material.

[@danny_thunder7378]

You should do the evolution of the TMNT costumes

[@lovethenightair]

Not mascots, well for hecklers they could be, but could you do a muppet distory on Waldorf and Statler? Edit: Even now knowing the Michelin mascot is supposed to be made from tires, I will continue to thrive on my childhood memory of thinking he was made out of whip cream 🤣

[@Slicedude2004]

I think a Geico Gecko evolution would be a lot of fun

[@maxordman4100]

It is indeed wild that since the eighties, The Michelin Man started to look like a big white Ninja Turtle! That 2017 version captures the look well but I could see it in the eighties and nineties designs too. I’m so glad that he looks friendlier now but I honestly wouldn’t mind having him as an extra big white member of the Ninja Turtles, I wouldn’t. I joked about this as a kid in the nineties myself. He really does look like he would fit right in the sewer. I like Bubbles the dog too. Amazing job on this video! By the way speaking of parades, and balloons, can you do a video about Snoopy from Peanuts? I don’t know if he has ever been a walk-around mascot character but I know that there are a lot of Snoopy balloons at least. I think this is a topic that you should definitely research!

[@evavoss2047]

the planters peanut, Mr. Peanut? I think it would be a cool one. Love your videos

[@surferbrg]

Not only this was interesting to watch but last year while working mascot gigs. I got to work Michelin guide and was working with Michelin man mascot suit and will say manufacturer did a great job on the suit for an inflatable one.

[@andyb7808]

My wife is so happy this episode exists! Thank you!

[@DistoryDan]

Big tire fan?

[@Pinn8]

You know, the Michelin man looks like the stay puff marshmallow man from "ghostbusters".

[@ejthefighter4879]

I’m about to show my age but i remember him as Mr belltire 😂😂 instead of Michelin man

[@devinmckay9764]

Dan can you do the history of all the McDonald's mascots?

[@unseengrub]

Bibendum YES! 🎉 I'm a car dork and he's been around forever. Great film!

[@RPena98]

I didn't know there was so much history! I'd love for you to do more videos that are non-Disney mascot videos! Honestly anything you upload I'll watch! 😂

[@roseprevost8081]

I loved your marshmallow man comment, as he was one of the inspirations for Stay-Puft.

[@agentkmr]

The other one might be Marshie.

[@BuckarooBanzai84]

Funny that you'd bring up marshmallows, because I'm almost CERTAIN that the Michelin Man directly inspired the look of Mr Stay-puft in 'Ghostbusters'! =D

[@r11r-kn1mo]

No ghostbusters? That's probably the most famous use of the mascot!

[@moonlightwite]

The tire dog is so cute! I wonder if they'll bring it back someday.

[@stella_is_9]

The way in that one vid that he just pulls out this HUMONGUS tooth out of him was so sillly 10:00

[@francishollingshead2134]

In the French dub of the film "Ghostbusters", the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man is called "Bibendum Chamallow" (Chamallow being a French candy brand).

[@theprodigiousspiderstarTM]

i think its actually fascinating during 1800-1999 weve had a lot of Brothers inventing things or companies, The Michelin brothers, the wright brothers, the mario brothers, You could even perhaps say kinda Walt and Roy.. Almost, but a very. Interesting history on the Michelin Man

[@Sweet00thtkc]

Michelin's X is how the Michelin babies were made

[@Havito80]

The Michelin man puppets look so funny when they move

[@victoriabrown6830]

8:30 One of the first costume appearances of Bibendum's signature sash 8:56 The first time the sash appeared to the _right (the current position)_ 13:51 A mid-1960's French ad for X As 13:59 The final time Bib's sash appeared on his _left_ shoulder until the 2010's 11:48 FACT: Michelin (The New American Tire Company at the time) was already producing tires in the United Kingdom and Italy. 15:39 Michelin Energy UK advert from early 1995 20:27 FACT #2: This costume debuted at the 2022 Sebring racing event (and was used concurrently with the previous costume until late 2022). 20:58 A Spanish version of the 2022 costume, first seen in a Casoli KZbin video

[@margaretwest9533]

The 1911 black tire Michelin man gives Lord Licorice vibes.

[@MattLogan13]

Great video Dan! Cereal mascots would be cool

[@kayseecoward7571]

I loved the Michelin Baby commercials when I was little! I would get so excited every time one came on and they made me want a baby brother or sister (I was four or five and erroneously believed babies stayed babies forever 😂)

[@Tactical_Hotdog]

9:56 hey, it's my new sleep paralysis Demon, thanks Dan!

[@hayleywaalen2612]

The Michelin Man looks like a big mummy marshmallow instead of a tire man LOL

[@DavidDoodleCartoons]

Why do I want a Ninja Turtle Disney Dan video?

[@DisneyLover23]

That's the Pillsbury Doughboy's father and Mr. Stay-Puft's grandfather, except that he's made of tires and NOT raw dough or marshmallows.

[@TramiNguyen-oi3kp]

I love these costumes!

[@jacob_n_r_z8755]

Since you're doing non-disney mascot evolutions, can you you please do the evolution of Jolibee??

[@tancoplays3502]

My dad works at Michelin so I remember seeing the costume from the 2000s as a kid but I've gotta say my favorite version is the current version and they recently brought back the 50s design

[@GalaxyfullofStars]

19:42 I feel so sorry for that little girl...

[@avaroseenglish3745]

Love this channel

[@gothamsangel]

I never thought I would see a RackaRacka reference in a Disney Dan video.

[@evie2411]

Hey, I'm always up for mascot history outside of park lore!

[@ElyseExplosion]

In the vein of the Michelin Man, I'd love to see you look into the Pep Boys or the Big Boy! I'm not sure those have mascot costumes though, so maybe not quite what you're looking for. 🤔

[@Genieruler6348]

Awsome evultion

[@mafeuk]

Crazy to think that Michelin Man got his current design 50 years into his existence.

[@EntityofDarkness696]

The Michelin Man is a rubber elemental, so does that make The Kool-Aid man a water elemental or a glass elemental?

[@mindwarp42]

... oh yeah, i grew up in the 70s and 80s, so I had both the Michelin Man and Baby during my childhood. Nice to see how truly iconic Michelin Man is.

[@DigiRangerScott]

I carved out an entire section of my day

[@mimdafrogbit4558]

what kind of mad lad hasn't played chubby bunny😂

[@wendaythepotato2979]

With the FNaF Movie coming out, I think it'd be cool to see a video on FNaF mascot suits, like the Fright Dome or the ones made by daregularsauce for Help Wanted 2's PAX West booth

[@hotdogstratus6533]

Tires still feel like a luxury item

[@markthomas6236]

I love what you do

[@olgagachaphoenix9130]

Old? Oh that's right.

[@RandomTire]

This is a wheely good video XD

[@katanne9006]

I need the tea set😭

[@gracekim25]

Ooo awesome 😊

[@Spookyweasel99]

We went from Mickey Mouse to a tire man. I love it

[@emily91303]

This mascot has been alive for 129 years!

[@victoriabrown6830]

And he turns 130 in 2024.

[@michaelfletcher2089]

Bullseye the Target dog! They have a suit running around

[@MrWolfiebites]

just to think... the michellin man was an inspiration for the stay puft marshmallow man

[@bluegold1026]

Now that current Michelin man costume is one I would love to try on.

[@SwellestJeans32]

I love big inflatable tire man

[@pixelythegamer3260]

I think I remembered seeing a blow up inflatable of this guy years ago

[@Pipitastic2019]

The first thing I thought of when watching the first episode of Stranger in Paradise came

[@SEGASister]

TIL that the Michelin Man actually has a name: Bibendum Also, don't look up, "Michelin Baby."

[@kendragramley6243]

Fun fact relevant to your most recent videos! The company that makes the most tires every year??? Lego!

[@destinyallen1749]

Give this man the verification checkmark.

[@Thunderbeer604]

Please do a deep dive on Stay Puft!

[@evacameron6288]

Even though he’s made of tires, he looks more like a mummy to me

[@juliagoodwin9510]

Dang, who knew the Michelin Man had such a long and storied history?

[@autum2004]

He looks like a marshmallow guy from the ghostbusters (maybe it’s his brother)

[@piperjojostott7790]

There have been plenty of folks who have made the connection regarding their similar designs. An unused concept for Ghostbusters Afterlife would've seen Mini Pufts bowing to a poster of the Michelin Man, which I honestly wish they kept in the film.

[@Aurochhunter]

Rollerskates with tiny, little Michelin tyres on them.

[@SkulShurtugalTCG]

What's next, Mr. Clean?

[@DistoryDan]

Maybe.

[@Emthe30something]

I literally gasped when i saw the notification.

[@Emthe30something]

Definitely a didn't know I wanted but now that I have I gotta know situations.

[@sarahwhitson5021]

You should spend the whole day in Hershey Chocolate World like you did in The Land pavilion

[@fleischmanfamily8878]

Fun fact: i was born 100 years after the Michelin man costume was made

[@Pipitastic2019]

In 1912 there was a grey costume too like the ones that are black and white

[@sakuranokunoichi]

Also, if you ever decide to research the Jollibee- if you don't already have any Filipino ppl around you to help with pronunciation of certain names and words, idk how you send messages on here but I could help

[@lorcadoodles]

why did the bike stop moving… because it was TWO TIRED!!! 😭😭😭😭

[@codythedogyoutuber]

Ironically musk uses Michelin tires on his cars

[@theprodigiousspiderstarTM]

ooo ! how about Aflac duck or Geico the Gecko XD

[@Hamboarding]

13:39 😂

[@corazondonquixote]

13:23 lmaoooo

[@Taydar]

I want to see Dan wear the old Michelin man costume now.

[@campaug]

I’ve only seen chubby bunny played at church camp. Hindsight is something something.

[@geekletsplay32]

I’m finally early for once