Fun & Fast Facts About 1969’s ‘The Love Bug’
In 1969, another kind of ‘Beetlemania’ began with the Disney film The Love Bug, which focused on the loveable Volkswagen Beetle Herbie. Walt Disney purchased the rights to a story called “Boy-Girl-Car” and dreamed up a comedy film about a car. Unfortunately, Walt passed away in 1966 before the film came to fruition. Bill Walsh was the producer and writer and had the very important job of choosing the type of car to star in the film. So, why did he choose a VW Beetle?
Why a Volkswagen was chosen
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Walsh parked several different types of cars near the studio. He said, “As the employees passed by on their way to lunch, they looked at the little cars, kicked the tires, and turned the steering wheels. But everybody who went by patted the Volkswagen. They didn’t pat the other cars, which was indicative. The VW had a personality of its own that reached out and embraced people. Thus, we found our star.” Herbie was a 1963 sunroof-model 1200 Volkswagen.
Why was Herbie’s racing number 53?
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Again, it was all thanks to Walsh! He was a huge fan of baseball and particularly, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Don Drysdale, so he chose his number 53. The name Herbie came from a Vegas act, featuring a joke about a ski instructor named Herbie.
Herbie had some very expensive parts
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To make Herbie go faster, the car was given a Porsche engine and even Porsche brakes, Koni shocks, and race tires. During the filming of The Love Bug, 21 VW Beetles were used, each carefully designed for different tricks.
The film was a huge success and reached an important milestone
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When it came out, it was the second most successful Disney film, after 1964’s Mary Poppins, and held the title for many years. The film was so popular that it led to several more films, a TV series, and a TV movie. Herbie sure captured our hearts for years to come and perhaps led to the idea and success of the Disney Cars franchise.
It almost wasn’t called ‘The Love Bug’
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Some other names thrown around for the title were “The Magic Volksy, The Runaway Wagen, Beetlebomb, Wonderbeetle, Bugboom and Thunderbug.” Tell us, what is your favorite scene of The Love Bug?
Stars & Cars
April 2018
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