Everyone's favorite racing car Herbie appeared first in The Love Bug, which opened to wide release March 13, 1969. It premiered in a limited release December 24, 1968. The movie starred Dean Jones, Michelle Lee, David Tomlinson, Buddy Hackett and Gary Owen of Laugh-In fame.
It is based on the book Car, Boy, Girl by Gordon Buford, published in 1961, and it was the last live-action movie authorized by Walt Disney. It was released two years after his death. Dean Jones attributes this to the movie's success.
It was the third-highest grossing movie of 1968.
