The Love Bug (1968) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error A race car driver becomes a champion with a Volkswagen Beetle with a mind of its own. Director: From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON DISC a list of 44 images created 03 Nov 2013 a list of 37 titles created 11 Feb 2014 a list of 40 titles created 11 Mar 2015 a list of 37 titles created 23 Mar 2015 a list of 26 titles created 16 Aug 2015 Title: The Love Bug (1968) 6.4/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. 1 win & 2 nominations. See more awards » Photos The living Volkswagen Beetle helps an old lady protect her home from a corrupt developer.

Director: Robert Stevenson 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5.5/10 X Herbie, the Volkswagen Beetle with a mind of its own, is racing in the Monte Carlo Rally. Unbeknownst to Herbie's driver, thieves have hidden a cache of stolen diamonds in Herbie's gas tank, and are now trying to get them back. Director: Vincent McEveety The adorable little VW helps its owners break up a counterfeiting ring in Mexico. Director: Vincent McEveety Jim Douglas and his partner Bo ran a small driving school with a very "human" Volkswagen Beetle named Herbie, who could think for "himself" and frequently got Jim into some sticky comic ... See full summary » Stars: Dean Jones, Patricia Harty, Richard Paul A lawyer makes an interesting discovery that could affect his chances of getting elected to office. Director: Robert Stevenson A college professor invents an anti-gravity substance which a corrupt businessman wants for himself. Director: Robert Stevenson Professor Dooley takes home a duck from his research laboratory as a toy for his son, but soon finds out that it lays golden eggs.

Director: Vincent McEveety Maggie Peyton, the new owner of Number 53 - the free-wheelin' Volkswagen bug with a mind of its own - puts the car through its paces on the road to becoming a NASCAR competitor. Director: Angela Robinson On the Carolina coast, Godolphin College's new track coach lodges at Blackbeard's Inn, run by the Daughters of the Buccaneers who claim to be descendants of the notorious pirate and who risk losing their hotel to the local mobster. Director: Robert Stevenson A teenage boy is cursed with periodically turning into an sheepdog. Director: Charles Barton Fran Garrison's all in a tizzy because her prize Dachshund, Danke, is having pups, and she has hopes of one of the pups becoming a champion. But at the vet's, her husband Mark is talked ... See full summary » Director: Norman Tokar A woman is kidnapped. While in captivity, she manages to send a message out with a wandering cat. The cat's owner calls the FBI. The FBI tries to follow the cat. Jealous boyfriends and nosy...

See full summary » Director: Robert Stevenson Edit Storyline Meet Jim Douglas, a down-on-his-luck race car driver who lives in an old run-down fire house in San Francisco with his friend Tennessee Steinmetz, a occasional drunk mechanic. One day, Jim went to a luxury car dealer and surprisingly seen a strange Volkswagon Beetle with a unusual problem, it tends to drive on it's own almost having its own mind. Then this car drove all the way to Jim's home. Believing that the owner of the car dealership Peter Thorndyke, planted the car on him. Then, Jim wanted to try out the car for himself, then, he experienced the nature of the car for himself. Then, Jim fixed it and now is in more control. Tennessee dubbed the car "Herbie". Then, Jim used Heribe for races. Jim then, was rising to fame and becoming more successful in racing, Then, Thorndyke wants Herbie back, but Jim refuses and Thorndyke wanted to compete against Jim in the races, then Thorndyke sabotaged Herbie before a race so, he can win. then, a big race known as the "El Dorado" was coming up...

Written by John Wiggins It's a Love-in for Herbie... the incredible little car who shifts for himself! See more » Genres: 13 March 1969 (USA) See more » Also Known As: Did You Know? Trivia The station attendant at Tang Wu's Quick Service is wearing a jacket bearing the phrase "Put a Dragon in Your Tank." This is a reference to the 1960s advertising slogan "Put a Tiger in Your Tank" used by the Esso oil corporation, the forerunner of ExxonMobil. See more » Goofs The Edsel grille on Tennessee's sculpture is upside down the first time we see it and then appears right side up when it appears again a few moments later. See more » Quotes Jim Douglas : I'd like another shot at that prize money. Okay for next Sunday? Bice : No, Jim, it ain't okay. Jim Douglas : Now, look, Bice, I know... Bice : No, *you* look. All my drivers are eighteen, nineteen... You're too old for these kid sports. You're liable to get hurt in there.

See more » Crazy Credits At the end of the end credits, the words "The End" turn into an animated bug which drives away from the screen. See more » Connections A Car that Will Win You Over 3 November 2003 | by Jenny (Red Bud) – See all my reviews Since, I was three years old I have loved Herbie, the Volkswagen Beetle with a mind of his own. The Love Bug is a wonderful film for the family. Filled with adventure, comedy, and sweetness it is perfect for kids of all ages. When Jim Douglas, played by Dean Jones, starts to have a fluke in his racing career he almost gives up hope. He is stunned by a car dealership that is owned by Thorndyke, played by David Tomlinson, where he first runs into the famous Herbie. After standing up for the little car, Jim has found that the little car is his for keeps. After winning numerous races, Jim believes it is his luck and not the little car. Tennessee, played by Buddy Hackett, knows that it is the little car and not Jim. Tennessee also influences Carole, played by Michele Lee, who took a little more convincing.

Thorndyke tries many evil and cruel stunts to win Herbie back. After a mere loss, Jim has to prove himself to the little car and to the rest of his friends. A big race is where Jim believes he will do it. The race is two days long and in those two days the little car will be tested to the limits. Herbie rides on water, rides with only two wheels, and even comes apart. Thorndyke is a true bad loser and is actually intimidated by the little car. This will determine who the better person in the end is. The actors in this movie are truly acting and the content of the movie is good as well. Robert Stevenson did a wonderful job directing this movie. Having the actors know how to act and having the little car doing all of the stunts played a really made a difference in this movie. As for the little car, I would like to know how they made him come to life so well that kept my interest for fifteen years. This is a wonderful movie and families every where will fall in love with Herbie and the rest of the cast. 6 of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

Yes Herbie | Disney Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia “They make 10,000 cars, they make 'em exactly the same way...and one or two of them turn out to be something special.” ―Jim Douglas Herbie is a sentient, anthropomorphic 1963 Volkswagen Beetle featured in several Disney motion pictures starting with the 1969 feature film, The Love Bug . He has a mind of his own, is capable of driving himself and has been a serious contender in auto racing competitions. Throughout most of the franchise, Herbie is distinguished by red, white and blue racing stripes from front to back bumper, a racing-style number "53" on the front trunk lid, doors, and engine lid, and a yellow-on-black '63 California license plate that says, "OFP 857." One exception to this is his introduction in The Love Bug, where he initially appears as a nondescript white vehicle with a gray colored fabric sunroof (a.k.a. "ragtop"), the style of sunroof offered on VW Beetles produced throughout 1963.

Contents Background Personality Herbie is cheerful, energetic, has a sense of humor and likes to play practical jokes on people. Initially, no one seemed to know exactly how he is alive, but he seems to run his best with the love that people give to him. (He always repays that love with a little extra on top.) Interestingly, how he got life in the first place didn't really seem all that important to them. Despite being incapable of verbal speech, there is apparent communication between him and humans or, at times, other cars. He is, for the most part good-natured. Although aggressive and competitive, he is nevertheless sensitive to the feelings of the humans he drives and will not comply with them if abused. He was named after Tennessee's Uncle Herb after being reminded of him. As his nickname indicates, he seems to have a knack for matchmaking. Behind the Scenes Before production of The Love Bug began Herbie wasn't always going to be a 1963 Volkswagen Beetle to begin with. In order to find the right car to play Herbie they had a casting of cars parked outside the studio, they had Toyotas, a TVR, a handful of Volvos, an MG and a pearl white Volkswagen Beetle.

At lunch the producers would come outside and watch people's reaction towards the cars. They would see them kick the tires or grab the steering wheel to see how it handle but when they approached the Volkswagen they reached out and petted it as if it was like a friend, so out of all the other cars the Volkswagen Beetle was chosen to play the role of Herbie. Herbie's racing number "53" was chosen by producer Bill Walsh, who was a fan of Los Angeles Dodgers baseball player Don Drysdale (Drysdale's jersey number, later retired by the team, was 53). Appearances The Love Bug Herbie first appears as a pearl white Volkswagen when he rolls into the show room of Peter Thorndyke 's Car Agency after being returned by his previous owner (He originally belonged to a upstairs maid but was returned due to having some difficulties.) Peter Thorndyke openly showed a dislike for the little car and often kicked him in the fenders. Jim Douglas showed some disapproval for this kind of behavior and stood up for him. It was then that Herbie decided he wanted Jim to be his new owner and followed him home.

When Jim is charged with suspicion of grand theft because Herbie snuck out of the car agency, Thorndyke's assistant, Carole Bennet , decides they should sell the car to him in order to settle the matter. Before he became a race car. As Jim starts driving him, Herbie starts to display his shy and yet freewill behavior when he refuses to drive onto the freeway and turns around. When Carole has a go at driving to inspect the car he behaves normally until a couple in a hot rod challenges Jim to a race. The moment the traffic light turns green he shoots off displaying his incredible speed that he outruns the hot rod. He also tries to match up Jim and Carole by taking them to a drive in or to a romantic spot in the park, making Carole late for her date with Thorndyke. Jim at first disliked the little car until he saw how fast he can go and decides to enter him in racing. Giving him red, white and blue racing stripes and racing number 53. Over time, Herbie makes a lot of successful wins making Jim famous and Thorndyke look like a loser.

However in one race, Herbie feels drunk due to being fed Irish Coffee by Thorndyke. He conks out in the middle of the race leaving Thorndyke to win the victory. Tennessee and Carole managed to fix him but to his disgust, Jim has bought a new car and plans to sell him back to Thorndyke. Upset and angry he smashes Jim's new car proving once and for all to him that he has a mind of his own. While no one is looking Herbie runs away and Jim goes out into the foggy city to find his little friend. Herbie ruins his paintwork and wrecks his front. When he gets to the golden gate bridge he tries to commit suicide with only Jim to stop him. Jim slips and nearly falls off the bridge holding onto Herbie's bumper. Seeing his friend in trouble and sorry, he reverses and pulls him to safety as the police show up. Herbie becomes impounded by charges pressed by Tang Wu . Tennessee tries to reason with the Chinese gentleman to drop the charges which he does after showing he's a huge racing fan of Jim and Herbie.

Wu willing drops the charges in exchange for becoming Herbie's new owner which Jim accepts, as long as he's allowed to race him in the El Dorado. If Jim wins, Wu will be able to keep the prize money but has to sell Herbie back for a dollar. Herbie racing in the El Dorado. At the El Dorado, Herbie is repaired and races against the other cars with Jim, Carole, and Tennessee as his crew. However Thorndyke attempts to make sure the little car fails and uses all sorts of nasty tricks to keep him from winning. After being slicked with oil, flipped upside down and having his wheels knocked off, Herbie manages to limp to the finish last. Despite Tennessee's best efforts, it looks as if Herbie will be unable to start the return leg of the race. Thorndyke also shows up claiming that he is now his new owner and plans to do terrible things to him angering Jim and everyone else. Herbie then unexpectedly lurches into life and angrily chases Thorndyke, showing he is more than willing to race on.

Thanks to some ingenious shortcuts, Herbie and his friends become neck and neck with Thorndyke as they approach the finish line. In the ensuing dogfight, Herbie's welded-together body splits in two. His back half crosses the line while his front rolls over the line just behind, meaning He takes both first and third place. At the end of the film Herbie is fully repaired and chauffeurs the newlywed Jim and Carole away on their honeymoon. Herbie Rides Again Herbie with Willoughby Whitfield and Nichole Harris. Herbie continues to live in the old firehouse with Mrs. Steinmetz (Tennessee's aunt) and Nicole Harris while his driver is in Europe driving foreign cars. Herbie first met Willoughby Whitfield when he came over tried to convince Mrs. Steinmetz to move out so Alonzo Hawk can proceed with construction of his new building. Both Herbie and Nicole took a dislike towards him especially when he didn't believe Herbie was a alive. Willoughby's tone towards Herbie soon changed when he took him for a joyride and entered a chicken jousting tournament.

They made up and became friends when Willoughby came back the next day and gave him a gentle pet. Hawk tried to kidnap him, little did he know the little car was alive and imminently stopped in the middle of the street when he called him A Cylinder Hair-dryer. The police tried to tow him and Hawk out of the streets but Herbie challenged them in a tug of war and drove off the moment the rope snapped. He drops Hawk outside his office building and drives off home. He arrives home in time to take Mrs. Steinmetz to market but is pursued all around San Francisco by Hawk's lawyers. While shopping for some broccoli, Herbie attempts another one of his matchmaking tricks by taking Willoughby and Nicole to the beach. While there they fall in love and share their first kiss. When they arrive home they find the house empty and head for Hawk's storage warehouse to get back Mrs. Steinmetz furniture. For a while they are pursued by Hawk and his security until he takes them on a detour around a city block and causes them to crash into one another. He accompanies Mrs. Steinmetz while she goes to Hawk's office to give him a piece of her mind.

Instead he gets a piece of Herbie's mind when he makes him so angry and chases him around his building. When Hawks makes a final attempt to tear down the firehouse, Herbie goes out for help. He picks up Willoughby and Nicole and races back to the firehouse with other Volkswagens in follow. He arrives with an army of beetles and chase off Hawk and his diggers. Like in the first film, Herbie drives the newly-wed Willoughby and Nicole away on their honeymoon. Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo On a date with Giselle. Herbie, Jim Douglas , and their new partner Wheely Applegate journey to Paris to enter the Trans-France Race. Once there Herbie becomes in possession of a priceless diamond stashed in his gas tank by two jewels thieves and falls in love with a beautiful Lancia named Giselle . As it goes Herbie becomes more interested being with Giselle than racing which bothers Wheely while the two jewel thieves, Max and Quincy , try to get back the diamond but all their attempts failed.

On the day of the big race, Herbie is told by Wheely that Giselle has dumped and took off into the race like he never excited (when in fact she been waiting for him until Wheely lied to her about him dumping her.) Herbie charges into the race and as they race on they end up making a few stops. Their first stop is when Max and Quincy put them off course and end up on a mountain road. Herbie ends up half buried in rocks by Wheely's yodeling echoes but manages to escape Max and Quincy again and buries them under rocks by yodeling another echo with his horn. Their second stop is when the diamond in Herbie's gas tank starts clonking around and Jim and Wheely investigate. When they find the diamond they finally understand why those two thieves were after Herbie and engage Max and Quincy in a fist fight. Jim, Wheely, and Herbie win the fight and tie them up. Their third stop is when they see Diane and Giselle in river. At first Herbie refuses to help until his friend Jim tells him the truth about Wheely's lies. He quickly turns around the the three of them rescue Diane and Giselle.

Herbie refuses to leave Giselle until Diane encourages him to finish the race for his friends and for Giselle. He allows Jim to get in but doesn't allow Wheely too until he gets down on his knees and apologizes for lying to him. Herbie makes it to Monte Carlo and catching up with the leading race driver Bruno von Stickle . After a few failed attempts to pass him, he manages to get into first place by driving upside down in a tunnel and wins. When Inspector Bouchet tries to get away with the diamond threatening to kill anyone who tries to stop him, Herbie outsmarts him by rolling onto his foot and smacking the gun out of his hand. With the diamond safely returned to the museum executive Monsieur Ribeaux, he rewards Herbie with a kiss on the hood and goes all red. Herbie is last seen watching the fireworks with Giselle happily flashing their headlights. Herbie Goes Bananas After Jim Douglas retires from racing, Herbie is passed onto his nephew, Pete Stancheck , who plans to enter him in the Grand Primeo of Brazil. At first he shows no confidence in the little car until Herbie displays his incredible speed while helping Paco escape.

Once on board the Sun Princess Herbie and his new friend Paco who calls him "Ocho" (which means "eight" in Spanish. Paco simply added together the individual numbers in Herbie's 53.) start causing mischief which gets them into trouble with Captain Blythe . When they trash the costume party, Herbie is sentenced to be dropped into the sea. After being pulled out of the salty water. Herbie manages to swim all the way to Panama and is rescued by Paco and local fishermen. Being in the salt water for so long has caused his body to go all rusty and becomes completely exhausted that he collapses from his wheels. At first Paco believes he's dead until he springs into life and they race off together before the fishermen could catch them. Paco turns him into a taxi but they are caught up by Prindle and Quinn who demand for the return of their missing film and threaten to cut up Herbie if Paco doesn't. Herbie and Paco manage to get the film but instead of handing it over they make a run for it. With the two men in hot pursuit, Herbie drives into a bullring where they end up inside the ring with a mean bull.

As Herbie and Paco try to leave with Blythe and Aunt Louise Trends as their passengers, Herbie becomes blinded after accidentally being covered up by a bull cape. The bull starts to bash him around while trying to get away but has no choice but to fight. using his hood he manages to the remove the cape from his headlights and uses it against the bull. He successfully defeats the bull and the crowd applause to Herbie and Paco. However they make a quick exit when Prindle and Quinn try to catch them. Prindle, Quinn, and Shepard manage to lure Herbie and Paco out of the woods and successfully capture Paco. Herbie tries to save him but they get away and so he goes to find Pete, D.J., Louise, Melissa , and Blythe for help. They drive through the stormy rainforest and find Paco in the Inca ruins. They manage to steal the gold the three men found and drive off to hand it in. In order to be undiscovered, Herbie gets covered in bananas from bumper to bumper. Herbie and Paco catch Prindle, Shepard and Quinn trying to escape in their plane but the two friends give chase resulting in wrecking the men's plane.

Herbie is last seen with his owner and friends aboard the Sun Princess, fully restored to his original racing colors on his way to the Grand Primeo of Brazil. The Love Bug (1997) Herbie starred in the made-for-television remake/sequel of the first film starring Bruce Campbell, Alexandra Wentworth, John Hannah and features a special appearance by Dean Jones returning as Jim Douglas. The film delves into the origins of Herbie, explaining how he's alive. Herbie in a road race against Horace. How Herbie ended up with Simon Moore remains unknown, but after he failed to win any races for him he was sent to the junkyard where he was set up as one of the junkers in a mechanic contest. Hank Cooper chose him to enter and Herbie was overwhelmed as no one else did. He won the contest for Hank and over time, Simon grew curious about the little car's unbelievable capabilities. It was revealed by his creator Dr. Gustav Stumpfel that he was originally built to be a weapon of war but Gustav decided to set him free and found a happier life with Jim Douglas and a racing career.

At first Hank didn't believe Herbie was alive and became jealous of him because he was getting all the credit and after he wailed out, Herbie went looking for him. As it got dark he was ambushed and attacked by his evil twin, Horace , and died after Hank found him. His old driver, Jim Douglas, encouraged Hank to rebuild him, and using his original parts, he was brought back to life. However, Simon Moore challenged Herbie and Hank in a race against his own little car in order to get rid of Herbie. Despite all of Horace's nasty tricks, Herbie won the race and was last seen driving Hank and Alex away. Following the events of the previous four films, Herbie's popularity and racing ability gradually waned and disappears from the public eye. After decades of being in obscurity, Herbie is then purchased by young auto racer Maggie Peyton in a junkyard. This section of the article is a stub. You can help by expanding it . Television Herbie in a Disneyland commerical. Herbie also had his own television series in 1982 entitled Herbie the Matchmaker (aka Herbie, the Love Bug ), however, it was cancelled after five episodes.

Herbie also appeared on House of Mouse , in the episodes " Max's New Car " and " Dining Goofy ". Herbie appeared in a 2005 TV commercial advertising Disneyland 's 50th Anniversary, where he is driven by Mickey Mouse to pick up Goofy , so they can join the other Disney characters at the park to celebrate. Theme Parks Herbie has had some presence in the Disney parks, like in Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show , where he had his own stunt segment. Gallery The Disney Wiki has a collection of images and media related to Herbie . Trivia A car very similar to Herbie made a cameo in Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension when Ferb Fletcher is going after Perry the Platypus after the Robot Riot sequence of the movie. In the 1982 TV series, Herbie was known to beep his horn to the tune of the "Bridal Chorus", "Happy Birthday", and "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow", as well as a couple of famous Italian tunes.

Since Herbie: Fully Loaded was released in theaters, Herbie completely lost his "OFP 857" license plate and gained facial expressions, particularly eyelids and the ability to smile or frown using his front bumper. He also gets to make new sounds in the movie, like purring and whimpering. Throughout the six films Herbie's appearance changes a lot. The most changes he makes is in Herbie Fully Loaded. Racing Stripes - In the Love Bug, his stripes started out red, white, and blue and in the later three films (along with the 1982 TV series) he had darker blue stripes that can be mistaken for black. In the 1997 television film and the 2005 film, his stripes are the original red, white, and blue. 53 Font - The font of his 53 remains the same in the first four films, large, round and bold but from the 1997 television film to the 2005 film it changes to smaller and thinner.

Side Mirror - From The Love Bug to Herbie Rides Again, Herbie's side mirror is a round shape, from Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo to the 1997 Love Bug it changes to an oval mirror and returns to a round shape in Herbie: Fully Loaded. Rag-Top Roof - In the first four films, Herbie's rag-top roof always has the racing stripes across from the front to the back but in the 1997 Love Bug he has a white rag-top with no stripes across but returns to the gray color in Herbie: Fully Loaded but without the stripes. The prop Herbie dropped into the ocean was never retrieved. A total of twenty-six VW Beetles were used in Herbie Goes Bananas , by reason of the quantity of stunts and tricks.

53 Interesting Facts About the Number 53: #3 Herbie the Love Bug’s Racing Number | art predator 53 Interesting Facts About the Number 53: #3 Herbie the Love Bug’s Racing Number January 25, 2015 53 Interesting Facts About the Number 53: #3 53 is the racing number for Herbie the Love Bug Based on the 1961 novel Car, Boy, Girl by Gordon Buford, Herbie the Love Bug is a beloved 1963 Volkswagen Beetle with a lot of character. He has been featured in seven films; the first came out in 1968 and was the third highest grossing that year. with one being made for TV, plus in 1982 there was a TV series with five episodes. Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (1977) with Don Knott was the most memorable of the lot for me when I was growing up, but I am quite fond of the original Love Bug film. The most recent Herbie the Love Bug film was made in 1995, and starred Lindsay Lohan.

The car she drove in the film is in the collection of the Peterson Automotive Museum, located in Los Angeles, and only an hour from where I live. As I have never been there, I do believe a visit is in order to go see Herbie as soon as the Museum reopens following renovations! (Photos of Herbie from the Museum’s collection). Herbie at the Petersen Museum Distinguished from other white VW Bugs by his blue and red racing stripes and his number 53, Herbie is a very independent, charismatic, and unexpected race car who can think, feel, and act on his own which leads to his numerous adventures. Herbie got his name “Herbie” from Herb, a professional boxer whose broken nose greatly resembled the hood of a Volkswagen Beetle. But where did he get the number 53 from? Producer Bill Walsh was a fan of Los Angeles Dodgers baseball player Don Drysdale –and Drysdale’s jersey number was 53. PS Today’s the last day of the #yourturnchallenge –and I’m on a roll now! Herbie, the Love Bug (TV Series 1982– ) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title.

Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error Jim Douglas and his partner Bo ran a small driving school with a very "human" Volkswagen Beetle named Herbie, who could think for "himself" and frequently got Jim into some sticky comic ... See full summary » Stars: a list of 7850 titles created 08 Nov 2013 a list of 30 titles created 08 Dec 2013 a list of 253 titles created 16 Dec 2013 a list of 102 titles created 7 months ago a list of 116 titles created 3 months ago Title: Herbie, the Love Bug (1982– ) 6/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Add Image Add an image Do you have any images for this title?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5.5/10 X Herbie, the Volkswagen Beetle with a mind of its own, is racing in the Monte Carlo Rally. Unbeknownst to Herbie's driver, thieves have hidden a cache of stolen diamonds in Herbie's gas tank, and are now trying to get them back. Director: Vincent McEveety The adorable little VW helps its owners break up a counterfeiting ring in Mexico. Director: Vincent McEveety The living Volkswagen Beetle helps an old lady protect her home from a corrupt developer. Director: Robert Stevenson A race car driver becomes a champion with a Volkswagen Beetle with a mind of its own. Director: Robert Stevenson Maggie Peyton, the new owner of Number 53 - the free-wheelin' Volkswagen bug with a mind of its own - puts the car through its paces on the road to becoming a NASCAR competitor. Director: Angela Robinson On the Carolina coast, Godolphin College's new track coach lodges at Blackbeard's Inn, run by the Daughters of the Buccaneers who claim to be descendants of the notorious pirate and who risk losing their hotel to the local mobster.

Director: Robert Stevenson A lawyer makes an interesting discovery that could affect his chances of getting elected to office. Director: Robert Stevenson A college professor invents an anti-gravity substance which a corrupt businessman wants for himself. Director: Robert Stevenson A teenage boy is cursed with periodically turning into an sheepdog. Director: Charles Barton Fran Garrison's all in a tizzy because her prize Dachshund, Danke, is having pups, and she has hopes of one of the pups becoming a champion. But at the vet's, her husband Mark is talked ... See full summary » Director: Norman Tokar A mother and daughter find their personalities switched and have to live each other's lives on one strange Friday. Director: Gary Nelson Professor Dooley takes home a duck from his research laboratory as a toy for his son, but soon finds out that it lays golden eggs. Director: Vincent McEveety Edit Storyline Jim Douglas and his partner Bo ran a small driving school with a very "human" Volkswagen Beetle named Herbie, who could think for "himself" and frequently got Jim into some sticky comic situations. Jim's arch-rival was snooty Randy, who was formerly engaged to Jim's cute girlfriend Susan.

Written by Marty McKee <mmckee@wkio.com> 17 March 1982 (USA) See more » Also Known As: Herbie, the Love Bug See more » Company Credits Mono (RCA Photophone Sound Recording) Color: Did You Know? Trivia Herbie The Love Bug was a 1963 Volkswagen Beetle deluxe ragtop sedan painted in Volkswagen L87 pearl white. Under normal circumstances, the interior would be a matching white. However, Herbie's interior was painted a special non-reflective grey color so the camera and studio lights would not reflect. See more » Connections (Australia) – See all my reviews They actually screened this in Australia prior to the TV Movie coming out, I enjoyed it as a child, can't remember much of it though, and of course its not available anywhere, legitimate copy or not. The "general knowledge" is that Disney canceled the series after only 6 episodes and refuses to let it out of The Vault because its central theme is a divorced woman with children finding happiness with the (in this version) single Jim Douglas.

And Disney will not tolerate the idea of divorce, nor support it in any way; doesn't matter that 1/2 of American marriages fail, divorce is wrong. That's the word on the street anyway, and its at least an explanation, even if it is a downright stupid one. Also, only Herbie Goes Bananas was truly terrible, Herbie Fully Loaded was pretty good if you ignore the general laziness of the production and stupidity of the main characters. Even the TV movie is saved from the trash heap by virtue of Bruce Campbell and his power of being awesome. 4 of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes Herbie | Star cars Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia ―Jim Douglas [src] Herbie is an anthropomorphic 1963 Volkswagen Beetle, a character that is featured in several Disney motion pictures starting with the 1968 feature film The Love Bug . He has a mind of his own and is capable of driving himself, and is a serious contender in auto racing competitions.

Throughout most of the franchise, Herbie is distinguished by red, white and blue racing stripes from front to back bumper, a racing-style number "53" on the front trunk lid, doors, and engine lid, and a yellow-on-black '63 California license plate that says, "OFP 857". One exception to this is his introduction in The Love Bug, where he initially appears as a nondescript white vehicle with a gray colored fabric sunroof (a.k.a. "ragtop"), the style of sunroof offered on VW Beetles made through 1963. Contents The Love Bug | Disney Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia [ show ] Plot After another race ending in a crash, Jim Douglas a down-on-his luck reace driver finds himself without a car and heads into town in search of some cheap wheels. He is enticed into an upmarket European car showroom after setting eyes on an attractive sales assistant, Carole Bennet. Jim witnesses the dealership's owner, Peter Thorndyke, being unnecessarily abusive towards a white Volkswagen Beetle that rolls into the showroom, and defends the car's honor, much to Thorndyke's displeasure.

The following morning Jim is shocked to find the Beetle parked outside his house and that Thorndyke is pressing charges for grand theft. The car is seen following Jim home. While Thorndyke (and the police) believe it is stolen, Douglas thinks he is the victim of a prank. A heated argument between Jim and Thorndyke is settled when Carole persuades Thorndyke to drop the charges if Jim buys the car on a system of monthly payments. Jim soon finds the car is prone, going completely out of control he believes Thorndyke has conned him. Tennessee, however, believes certain inanimate objects have hearts and minds of their own and tries to befriend the car, naming it Herbie. Jim's feelings about his new acquisition soon improve when it appears Herbie is intent on bringing him and Carole together. He also discovers Herbie to have an incredible turn of speed for a car of his size and decides to take him racing. After watching Jim and Herbie win their first race together, Thorndyke, himself a major force on the local racing scene, offers to cancel the remaining payments Jim owes on Herbie if he can win a race that they will both be competing at Riverside.

Jim accepts, and both enter the race, Douglas in Herbie and Throndyke in a silver Jaguar XKE. Despite Thorndyke's underhanded tactics, he and Herbie take victory, narrowly beating Thorndyke in a late race pass. Over the next few months they go on to become the toast of the Californian racing circuit, while Thorndyke suffers increasingly humiliating defeats. Thorndyke finally snaps, and persuades Carole to take Jim out on a date while he sneaks round to Jim's house. This occurs the day before a race, in which Thorndyke is competing, this time driving a red Ferrari 250 Berlinetta. After getting Tennessee drunk on his own Irish coffee recipe, Thorndyke proceeds to tip the remainder of the whipped cream into Herbie's gas tank. At the following day's race, an apparently hungover Herbie shudders to a halt and backfires while Thorndyke blasts to victory. That evening, Jim returns home in a brand new car, having agreed to sell Herbie to Thorndyke to pay the remaining installments he owes on it.

Jim states he needs a "real car" for the upcoming El Dorado road race, but finds no sympathy from Tennessee, Carole, or Herbie, who jealously smashes up the car, proving to Jim once and for all he has a mind of his own. By the time Thorndyke arrives to collect Herbie, he is nowhere to be found, and Jim sets off into the night hoping to find Herbie and make amends before the car is seized by Thorndyke's goons. After narrowly escaping being torn apart in Thorndyke's workshop, and a destructive spree through Chinatown, Herbie is about to launch himself off the Golden Gate Bridge when Jim reaches him. In his attempt to stop Herbie from driving off the bridge, Jim himself nearly falls into the water. Herbie pulls Jim back to safety, but then is impounded by the San Francisco Police Department. There, Tang Wu , a Chinese businessman whose store was damaged during Herbie's rampage, demands compensation that Jim can no longer afford. Using the Chinese he learned while in Tibet, Tennessee tries to reason with Wu, and learns that he is a huge racing fan who knows all about Jim and Herbie's exploits.

Wu is willing to drop the charges in exchange for becoming Herbie's new owner. Jim agrees to this, as long as Wu allows him to race the car in the El Dorado. If Jim wins, Wu will be able to keep the prize money but has to sell Herbie back for a dollar. Wu replies to this proposal in clear English: "Now you speak my language." A well-known publicity photo for The Love Bug. Note that the "53" racing number is missing from Herbie's open door. The El Dorado runs through the Sierra Nevada mountains from Yosemite Valley and back. Before the start of the race, Thorndyke persuades Wu to make a wager with him on its outcome. Thorndyke pulls every trick in the book to ensure he and his Thorndyke Special are leading at end of the first leg of the race. As a result of Thorndyke's shenanigans, Jim (with Carole and Tennessee as co-drivers) limps home last with Herbie missing two wheels. Despite Tennessee's best efforts, it looks as if Herbie will be unable to start the return leg of the race the following morning.

Thorndyke then arrives and claims that this makes him the new owner of the car. Wu regretfully tells Jim of the wager and that in accordance with its terms this is true. Thorndyke, thinking he is Herbie's new owner, gloats to Jim about what he's going to do to Herbie and kicks Herbie's front fender, but Herbie then unexpectedly lurches into life and chases Thorndyke from the scene, showing he is more than willing to race on. Thanks to some ingenious shortcuts, Jim is able to make up for lost time in the second leg and is neck and neck with Thorndyke as they approach the finish line. In the ensuing dogfight, Herbie's hastily welded-together body splits in two. The back half crosses the line just ahead of Thorndyke, while the front rolls over the line just behind, meaning Herbie takes both first and third place. In accordance with the terms of the wager, Wu takes over Thorndyke's car dealership, while Thorndyke and Havershaw are relegated to lowly mechanics. Meanwhile, a fully repaired Herbie chauffeurs the newlywed Jim and Carole away on their honeymoon.

Cast Gary Owens as an Announcer Gallery The Disney Wiki has a collection of images and media related to The Love Bug . Trivia The racetrack known as Riverside was in fact a real racing circuit known as the "Riverside International Raceway" until the grounds were transformed into a shopping mall on June 2, 1989. The racetracks of Laguna Seca and Willow Springs are both featured prominantly in the film, although Willow Springs is shown in the movie under a different name. Unlike Riverside, both are still used for racing today. Thorndyke drives a variety of cars in the film. In the Riverside race he competes in a silver Jaguar XKE Coupe. In the following race (that he wins) he drives a Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta. He runs the El Dorado event in the Thorndyke Special. The Thorndyke Special is actually an Apollo 3500 GT, a rare and relatively obscure sports car made by an Italian American company in the early 1960s. The announcer for the El Dorado race is famed racing promoter Andy Granitelli.

Granitelli as a team owner employed legendary racing driver Mario Andretti in the late 1960s through his business, STP. Although a Volkswagen Beetle features prominantly in the movie, the word Volkswagen is never heard in the film. Instead, Herbie is variously referred to as "The Douglas Special", "the little car", and "the compact car". It is also worth noting that all Volkswagen badging has been removed from the car. Other cars in the film, such as Throndyke's Jaguar and Ferrari, appear with full manufacture logos on them. The Lamborghini that is destroyed by Herbie is not really a Lamborghini. Douglas is shown pulling up in a new Lamborghini 400GT, but the car that is severely damaged by Herbie is actually a previously wrecked Jaguar E-Type. During the drive in sequence at the beginning of the film, Dean Jones played the role of the bearded hippi. In early story development the producers were going to stick with the original title Car, Boy, Girl and over time they experimented with other titles like The Magic Volksy, The Runaway Wagen, Beetlebomb, Wonderbeetle, Bugboom and Thunderbug.

Legacy 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, aired on CBS in the United States in the spring 1982. In 1997, there was a made-for-television sequel which included a Dean Jones cameo, tying it to the previous films. The last entry 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 , Herbie has been immortalized in the "Love Bug" buildings 6 and 7. Herbie The LOVE BUG Fan Club (Members' Only) Page! What is Herbie's license plate number? OFP 857. Herbie has original 1963 yellow on black California plates. These plates stayed with Herbie up until "Herbie Fully Loaded" in 2005. HFL was the only film in the series to not feature a front license plate on Herbie.

The Herbie detective, Tory Alonzo, discovered that the letters and numbers on Herbie's tag represent a code. The Love Bug's producer, Robert Stevenson, first worked with Walt Disney in August of 1957, so OFP 857 represents: Our First Production, 8-57. How many Herbie films were made? There were five theatrical films made and one TV movie.They are as follows: "The Love Bug," 1969. (The highest grossing film of 1969, and one of the highest until Star Wars came along in 1977) "Herbie Rides Again," 1974. "Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo," 1977. "Herbie Goes Bananas," 1980. "The Love Bug" Re-make TV movie, 1997. "Herbie Fully Loaded," 2005. What year Bug is Herbie? For all purposes on film, Herbie is a 1963 Sunroof Sedan. However, Disney used several different year beetles through out the many films. All of the beetles were altered to look like '63 models.

Disney used cars ranging from the 1950s models through the 1970s. What is Herbie's paint color? Herbie's paint is a factory 1963 VW color called pearl white. The color code is L87. Contrary to the name, the color has no pearl effect. The color is actually a solid, off-white color. (see picture below) How was the number 53 chosen for Herbie? It has been said that "The Love Bug's" producer, Bill Walsh, chose the number because it was the uniform number of a popular baseball player named Don Drysdale. Herbie's red, white and blue racing stripes were chosen for a patriotic theme. How did Herbie get his name? Buddy Hackett, who played "Tennessee" in "THE LOVE BUG" stated that he chose Herbie's name. Buddy got the name for a comedy routine that he used to perform. It focused around a ski instructor. The punch line of the joke mentioned "I only ski with Herbies." Can Herbie really drive that fast? How does he do it? Herbie's performance ranged through out the films.

In "The Love Bug," at least one Herbie was equipped with a 356 Porsche engine, Others used modified VW Bus engines. Some Herbies featured Porsche brakes. In Herbie Goes To Monte Carlo several Herbies were fitted with high performance 1835cc Volkswagen engines with 2 barrel Holley carburators. Can Herbie really do a wheelie? Yes he can! This is a specially modified Bug with a high performance 1835 cc engine. How many Herbies were actually built for the films? Hard to determine because it seems that the records do not exist. However, one estimate places the numbers at upwards of 50 for the original four films (not Counting the cars built for "Herbie Fully Loaded"). What was the name of Herbie's girlfriend? In "Herbie Goes To Monte Carlo" Herbie's girlfriend was a 1976 Lancia Scorpion named Giselle (see above picture). In "Herbie Fully Loaded" Herbie ended up with Sally, a yellow New Beetle. Poor Giselle. How To Build A Herbie Welcome to the Herbie build page! Click on the above thumbnail for a larger image.

So, you want to build your very own Herbie? Hmm, the recipe seems easy enough. Just find a 1963 sunroof beetle, paint it The factory VW color, L87 Pearl white, and slap on some stickers! OK, well it's not quite that easy, but you will find that creating a Herbie can be a fun and rewarding experience. We'll talk more about the details later, but for now I want to cover decals and their placement. Step one, use the correct font for the numbers. See the above thumbnail. Click on that bad boy to see the graphic in full detail. Print it and keep it! Just so you know, the Herbie gurus have not been able to locate the official font that Disney used. One theory is that Disney created this font just for Herbie. If you find it somewhere PLEASE drop me a note. OK, now that you have the correct font it's time for some basic homework. You'll need to fire up your DVD players for this next part. Watch ALL of the films and pay attention to the decals on the cars. Look closely. You may want to do some freeze frame action.

Or, if you'd rather not step away from your computer just go back to my main page and click on the movie still links. Once you've studied all of the Herbie films you will notice a pattern. The pattern is that the stripes and decals never seem to be the same on any two cars. Actually, there are always slight fluctuations in placement. When I put the decals on my car I used movie stills from Herbie rides again to come up with proper placement. I hope these detailed photos of the decals, dimensions, and their placement on my car will enable you to build a correct looking Herbie of your very own! The number one question I am asked is where to get Herbie decals. I usually refer everyone to Greg for a complete kit for a bargain price. However, if you'd rather make them yourself here's what you need to know: The door and rear deck lid 53s are 16 1/2 inches across. The outer black circle on them is 3/8 of an inch wide. The front hood 53 decal is the most complex. It is 17 3/4 inches across. The decal must be cut into sections to be applied.

I don't have a picture of the front decal but the circle is actually elongated with extra spacing between the 5 and 3. This is to accommodate the ridge in the front hood. The numbers themselves are all 10 1/2 tall by 5 inches wide and are 2 inches thick. My car uses separate stripes for each color. Together, the stripes are 5 1/2 inches wide. The red and white stripes are each 1 3/8 inches thick. The blue is 2 3/4 thick. Just remember, the width of the white and red stripes together equals the width of the blue. If you're on a budget and looking for Herbie decals please e-mail Greg by clicking the HERE. Greg sells a set that is pretty dead on to the originals. A little history on Herbie graphics. A friend of mine, VW collector Daryl Adams owned several Herbie's in the early 90's. He had restored a few and in his restoration had printed extra Herbie 53 decals. When I purchased my Herbie in 94 I purchased four 53 decals and a front OFP 857 Herbie license plate from Daryl.

When Daryl found out I was building a Herbie he told me about this young guy who was also building a Herbie. Daryl put me in touch with Bob Hoag. Bob eventually sent me some pictures of his car (in the mail ...before the web was a big thing) and when I opened the package my jaw hit the floor! Bob had created THE HERBIE! His car was the first ever, EXACT replica of Herbie. In fact, his car looked BETTER than some restored originals! Why? B ecause Bob is a true enthusiast. I like to call Bob Hoag the Grandfather (even though he's a young guy) of the correct Herbie graphics set. Without him, who knows were the hobby would have gone. Bob was such an enthusiast about detail that he went out to California and researched Disney's archives (when the were open to the public) to create dead on decals for his car. I got my original front 53 and stripes from Bob, but the door and deck lid 53s were from Daryl. Bob was the guy who also sold sets of decals to Greg Carr for his Herbie replica. Greg later had the kit duplicated and began selling them to the public.

Greg's decals are a bit different in their construction. Unlike Bob's where the stripes are individual pieces of colored vinyl and the black and while 53s are made up of separate pieces, Greg's kit features printed vinyl. The numbers and stripes are printed directly onto white vinyl. This makes installation easier because the three stripes are actually one piece. Chances are, if you see a Herbie on the road today it probably has one of Greg's kits. There are plusses and minuses to both kids of decals. The separate stripes will not fade like printed vinyl but they will shrink and separate. I'm going to include pictures of my car's graphics CLOSE up so you can see what a decade plus of life has done to them. And keep in mind, my car has been garaged most of that time. I'm told normal life expectancy for vinyl graphics is 3-4 years. Just where do those decals go? OK, so you've learned a bit about Herbie graphics history and you're ready to put them on. But before you rush out and start applying your decals on you might want to consider the complexity of the task.

If you've never installed vinyl decals before let me caution you, they are a lot harder to apply than they look, especially the front 53. You may want to consider a vinyl sign shop for installation. Decision made yet? Ok, let's go. The door and deck lid 53s are fairly easy. You just have to deal with air bubbles. If you spray the door with water and apply the decal you can position it properly. Once positioned work from the center out and squeegee all the air bubbles out. take your time. The stripes will give you some trouble on curved surfaces (along with the usual air pockets). Make sure you work in warm temps when applying the vinyl and DO NOT stretch it tight! If you do, it will shrink and lift after installation. Keep it as loose as possible. The front 53 is the difficult one. I think I have a few new gray hairs because of that one. the problem is that you are dealing with a surface that is curved in TWO directions. When I installed my set back in 1997 I used water, a squeegee, and even a hair dryer. The end result was pretty good.

Although, vinyl doesn't last very long when exposed to the elements. If you are going to keep your car outside you might even consider having the decals painted on. WARNING, this will be expensive! I never measured my car before installing the stripes. I just eye-balled the movie stills for placement. I did some calculating for the doors based on other stills, but remember that decal placement varied from car to car. I don't think it was an exact science. Plus, Disney probably never though fans would be nit-picking their work years later. Hope this page helps. Good luck! Drop me an e-mail if you need any advice. Click on the thumbnail pictures below for an expanded view. No Herbie would be complete without official license plates. I made these using photo shop by combining pieces of actual California license plates. Just click on the thumbnails to view the full size plates. Then you can save the files and print them out to use on your car during car shows. The rear tag features period correct 1968/1969 decals for the original Herbie film, "The Love Bug." The front tag is plain and will work for all films.

Disney used both stamped plates and prop plates (just painted on numbers) during the films. These plates resemble the actual stamped plates because they have highlighting for a 3-D effect. You can print them, have them laminated and use them on your car. It's a cheap alternative to having a $60 plate made. Enjoy! As I stated earlier, the decals on my car are over ten years old. Herbie does get driven and is always exposed to rain, cold and extreme heat. Oh yeah, and let me not forget all the stone and bug impacts! Needless to say, the vinyl does take a beating. In normal photos its hard to see any flaws (see recent photo above) but up close you can see the damage. Check these pictures out. Click on the thumbnails for a larger view. 1. This is the hood 53 with the chrome removed. You can see the color difference and the cracking. 2. You can see how the stripes have shrunk a bit over the years. I did place the 53 on top of the stripe. Some people cut the stripes around the 53.

In retrospect, I think the best way would be to have the stripes about even with the black outline (where it starts) so that there is no gap showing between the two but not having the stripes go all the way under. 3.You can see in the picture below how the blue has lifted. The hood stripe (blue portion) has been the worst. I actually replaced this blue piece four or five years ago for this very same reason. 4.Rear engine vent grilles. Just cut and fold the pieces over. You can also trim and paint in there as well if you'd like. 5. Here's the rear deck lid. the strip lifted and just recently tore due to being dried out. I'm debating on if I should change all of the stripes or just piece them in. Up close they look a little worn but as you can see in pictures they still look pretty fine! Stay tuned for more detailed information on widened wheels, interior, and engine. More photos coming soon! Wheels: Either 15X6 or 14X6 widened. Available from Stockton or Bolton wheels. Interior: Gray vinyl seats, door panels and headliner. In addition, all interior surfaces (except chrome) are painted a matt gray.

More details and hopefully a paint code soon. Engine: Some Herbie's were powered by 1835 cc engines.

Question: What was the racing number of "Herbie" in the "Love Bug" series?
Answer: 53