Nunc est Bibendum!!

Marius Rossillon (professionally known as O’Galop) was a French artist and cartoonist. He is best known as the illustrator of Bibendum or the Michelin (Tyre) Man, the official mascot of the Michelin tyre company. O’Galop created his first advertisement for Michelin in 1898 and continued to create posters for the company featuring Bidendum until 1911. He was also a pioneer in animation and between 1920 and 1927 he created around 40 animated films. Bidendum, a humanoid figure consisting of stacked white tyres, was conceived at the Lyon International and Colonial Exhibition of 1894 by André en Edouard Michelin. He is one of the oldest trademarks still in active use. “Nunc est Bibendum!” means “Now is the time to drink!”. O’Galop depicts Bibendum lifting his goblet filled with assorted road debris. His companions, tyre 'Y' and tyre 'X' alongside are, quite literally, deflated by it all. The green background and the red lettering are exclusive to this 1898 first-edition Michelin poster, one of only a handful of first-edition examples to have survived. In 1899, Michelin changed their house colours to blue and yellow, and their subsequent posters bore their new colours. Printing house L. Revon lt & Cie, 93 Rue Oberkamp, Paris