The Michelin tire company was started in 1889 in France. Tires were (and are) made of rubber. But rubber is white. So tires were white. So the Michelin Man was probably made white for that reason.
And Michelin is now running ads in the US with cartoon white tires on cars. Which I find kind of funny.
Tires stayed white until 1910 when the Goodrich tire company in the U.S. started putting carbon black into tire formulations. Carbon black acts as a catalyst during the vulcanization process, which turns soft rubber into the more durable and elastic substance we use in automotive tires and elsewhere. It not only prevents the rubber's deterioration by stabilizing dozens of chemical bonds, but it increases the material's tensile strength, or the maximum amount of stress it can bear before breaking. This is obviously a boon for tires, which face constant strain. There is still carbon black in modern tires.
What is carbon black? It is a material produced by the incomplete combustion of coal tar, vegetable matter, or petroleum products, including fuel oil. The biggest use of carbon black in the world is tires. It is used as a pigment and reinforcing phase in automobile tires. Carbon black also helps conduct heat away from the tread and belt area of the tire, reducing thermal damage and increasing tire life.
Why is the Michelin Man still white after over 120 years of black tires? Well, you'd have to ask the company. But a black Michelin Man just would look strange, these days.
What do you think? Should the Michelin Man be black? Or are you okay with white? Let me know in the comments below.
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