In the 1930's Michelin had these compressors, and that is what colors the man was painted. The dude with the shoes on, is a repro made of fibreglass.
The ones on, and around the compressor, are the real deal, and are cast iron.
The smaller compressors have the man made of cast aluminum.
In the early days, the Michelin man smoked a cigar. On the compressors, he had the air hose coming out of his mouth.