The Love Bug

The Love Bug (1969) was the first of a series of movies made by Walt Disney Productions that starred a white Volkswagen racing Beetle named Herbie, a 'bug' with a mind of its own. It was based on a 1961 book Car, Boy, Girl by Gordon Buford. The movie follows the adventures of Herbie, Herbie's driver, Jim Douglas (Dean Jones), and Jim's love interest, Carole Bennett (Michele Lee). It also featured Buddy Hackett as Jim's enlightened friend, Tennessee Steinmetz, who created 'art' from used car parts. British actor David Tomlinson portrayed the devilishly evil Peter Thorndyke, the owner of the auto showroom who sells Herbie to Jim and eventually becomes his racing rival. The movie itself inspired a franchise that is still popular even today. The movie also pushed along the Volkswagen Beetle craze, as people began to identify with the strange, rounded car that seemed just a bit different from most vehicles on the road.

Four theatrical sequels followed: Herbie Rides Again, Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, Herbie Goes Bananas, and Herbie: Fully Loaded. A five-episode TV series, Herbie the Matchmaker, ran on CBS in the US in the spring of 1982. In 1997, there was a made-for-television sequel which included a Dean Jones cameo, tying it to the previous films. Another sequel, Herbie: Fully Loaded, was released on June 22, 2005 by Walt Disney Pictures.

At Walt Disney World's All-Star Movies Resort in Orlando, Florida, a hotel complex is dedicated to Herbie and his first film The Love Bug.

According to Answers.com, The Love Bug was the highest-grossing film of 1969.