Most theft stories involving automotive businesses tend to end with broken windows, missing tools, or a police report. This one apparently ended with french fries, motorcycles, a dinosaur statue, and one very recognizable tire mascot making it home before morning.
Footage posted by TAVIR on X shows a group of young men pulling up to a tire shop in a black Jeep Wrangler and making off with a deflated inflatable Michelin Man, also known as Bibendum. Rather than disappearing forever, Bibendum was apparently taken out for an increasingly ridiculous night on the town.
Phone footage from the group’s adventure shows the Michelin mascot appearing in locations that probably weren’t listed in the company’s marketing plans. He visited a McDonald’s, went through a grocery store checkout, rode behind a motorcycle, posed with bikers, and even spent some time relaxing on a living room sofa.
The strangest part is how neatly the whole thing ended. After their joyride was over, one member of the group returned the inflatable to the shop, plugged it back in, and ran off as the Michelin Man slowly reinflated in what appears to be exactly the same place where the night began.
Bibendum Apparently Had A Busy Night
Çaldıkları Michelin maskotuyla gün boyu eğlenen şüpheliler, polise yakalandıkları anları da kayda aldı. pic.twitter.com/wkYyNPxJpQ
— TAVIR (@tavir_tr) July 17, 2026
The roughly minute-long video jumps between black-and-white security footage and clips recorded during the group’s excursion. At one point, the enormous white mascot can be seen balanced on a green dinosaur sculpture, creating the sort of image that probably requires quite a bit of explanation without context.
His next stops were considerably more ordinary, although still unusual for a corporate mascot. Bibendum appears seated at a McDonald’s table with french fries, later turns up at a supermarket, and eventually finds himself strapped to the back of a motorcycle at a gas station.
The inflatable also posed alongside a group of riders after dark. Considering how instantly recognizable Michelin’s stacked-tire mascot has become over its long history, carrying him around in public was hardly the most discreet way to spend an evening.
The Return Might Be The Best Part
The final security-camera sequence shows one of the group members running back toward the tire shop with the now-deflated mascot. He places it on its original platform, connects the power, and quickly retreats while the Michelin Man begins expanding back to full size.
By the end of the clip, Bibendum is standing outside the business as though absolutely nothing happened. Assuming the shop employees didn’t immediately check their security footage, they may have arrived the next morning without realizing their inflatable employee had enjoyed a considerably more exciting night than they had.
Not Exactly A Master Criminal Operation
Taking someone else’s property without permission is still theft, even when it is eventually returned undamaged. Still, compared with the usual stories involving stolen automotive property, this incident appears to have been driven primarily by a group of friends making a questionable decision and committing fully to the joke.
There is also something undeniably funny about the amount of effort involved. The group didn’t simply move the mascot around the corner; they effectively created an entire evening itinerary for him before making sure he was back at work on time.
Bibendum has spent well over a century representing Michelin, yet this might rank among his strangest unofficial promotional appearances. After dinner, shopping, motorcycles, and a late-night return to the tire shop, the inflatable Michelin Man apparently completed his entire joyride without missing a single shift.