The Love Bug
The Love Bug (1968) was the first of a series of movies made by Walt Disney in the late 1960s that starred a white Volkswagen racing Beetle with a mind of its own named Herbie, along with his driver (Dean Jones) and driver's love interest (Michele Lee). The movie itself inspired a franchise that lasted well into the 90's with at least a film a decade. The movie also helped along the Beetle craze, as people began to identify with the strange, rounded car that just seemed a bit different from most things on the road.Three theatrical sequels followed: Herbie Rides Again (1974), Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (1977), and Herbie Goes Bananas (1980). A five-episode TV series ran on CBS in the US in the spring of 1982.