Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1922-03-08
NOVEL CONTEST
FOR NAMING TIRE
Natios ~, 'e Contest Now Being
Condn> ~, by the Michelh.
Tire e,,uy, Whose
Decoran Aa,er is
w. S. Hus,
BIG PRIZE OFFERED
FOR SUITABLE NAME
The Contest Closes on March 25, and
Names Sent After That Date
Will Not be Considered.

Mr.. w. S. Hustvedt, the local
Michelin Tire dearler, is very
enthusiastic these days over the ma
tion wide contest now being conduct
ed by the Michelin Tire Company
offering $1,000 in cash and sixty five
other prizes for securing a suitable
name for the interesting tire man
which has been a feature of Michelin
advertising for many years, and
whose antics have amused countless
thousands of people.
1t seems this tire man already has
a name, but the Michelin Company
feels the name is not exactly suit
able because ii is not a name easily
understood or remembered, in short
the Michebin Man is known as Biben-
dunn, but while Bibendum is a good
name in some countries, it is hardly
suitable for American use.
The story about the original NAM
ing of the MicheEn Man takes the
reader back to France where the
modern pneumatic tire had its birth
place in the Michelin Works at Cler-
mont Ferrand, city of 10000 busy
people away up in the mountains in
the south central part of the great
Republic beyond the seas. The
story goes that the Michelin Man
was developed from a crude idea
suggested by workman in the Niche
lin factory. This workman noticed
that pile of tires, carelessly as
sembled, bore crude resemblance to
a man. He mentioned this to a
member of the advertising staff, who
later developed the idea, using tires
of different sizes. The services of
the celebrated French cartconist
gO'Gallot were then called in, and
soon the Michelin Tire Man became
reality.
About the first public use of the
figure was on a poster where the
Tire Man was shown holding a COB
let containing broken glass, horse
shoe nails, and other terrors of the
road, evidently in the act of pro-
posing toast, the wording being
"Nunc est Bibendum" which is Latin
for our more familiar expression (be-
fore prohibition) of 'here's How.
From that, time forward the Michelin
Man was known abroad as Bibend-
um, this name being considered APP
propriate, because Michelin advertis-
ing bore the message that MicheIin
Tires "GIank' or absorbed the shocks
of the road, and also such obstacles
as bits of iron, broken stones, and
so on.
The rules governing the present
contest are very simple. All the con-
testant has to do is of course first
find a suitable name for the tire
man and an appropriate slogan or
phrase of not more than ten words!
This sounds simple, but it isn't. No
wonder the Michelin Company is
willing to pay $1,000 in cash for a
good name for the famous tire man.
Nevertheless the company feels that
good name exists, and is willing
to pay this considerable Tsum to
secure it. After selecting a name
end phrase the contestant simply
mails them to the Michelin factory
at Miiltcwn, New Jersey, sometime
between March 1st and March 25th.
The contest closes CT March 25th
and names sent in after that date
will not be considered.
Of course the would-be contestant
should first learn all he can about
Michelin Tires and the Michelin Man
before he starts cudgeling his brains
for a name and phrase. To help
him the company has provided Mr..
Hustvedt, the local Michelin dealer,
with circulars telling all about the
House of Micheln.
Mr.. Hustvedt, also has printed
postcard forms for use in sending