The Love Bug / Characters - TV Tropes (2024)

A 1963 Volkswagen Beetle, the titular Sentient Vehicle who loves to race and wears the number 53.

• Badass Adorable: Herbie has his moments throughout the movies.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Herbie is as good-natured as they come but when he gets mad, he can be downright scary. In Rides Again, he chases Alonzo Hawk through his office and out onto the ledge. If Grandma Steinmetz hadn't stopped him, he probably would have killed him.
• Nice Guy: Herbie is kind-hearted, good-natured, sweet, caring, loyal, friendly, and lovable. It is hard not to love him.
• Primary-Color Champion: Herbie's red, white and blue racing stripes complement his good-natured personality.
• Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Herbie is the sensitive guy to Jim's manly man.
• Took a Level in Badass: Herbie has always had his badass moments but the movie where he has the moment awesome moments is in Fully Loaded.

Played by: Dean Jones

Dubbed by: Dominique Paturel (European French)

A formally down on his luck racing driver. He was Herbie's first owner and the two have been best friends ever since the end of ''The Love Bug (1968)

• Character Development: Starts off the first film as a jerkass, but then becomes best friends with Herbie by the end of the film. The two remained close ever since.

Played by: Michelle Lee

Jim's first love interest.

• Women Are Wiser: Seems to be more level-headed than Jim.

Played by: Buddy Hackett

Jim's friend. He lives in his aunt's old firehouse and is a student of oriental philosophy.

• Nice Guy: He is an extremely nice and lovable individual. He also became Herbie's friend and even gave him his name.

Played by: David Tomlinson

Dubbed by: Bernard Dhéran (European French)

The Big Bad of the film. He wants to find out what makes Herbie win so many races. He even wants to buy him and tear him apart.

• Big Bad: He serves as the primary antagonist, trying to reclaim Herbie and break the car down to figure out how the Volkswagen is able to function.
• Large Ham: Tomlinson's performance just owns this trope. He is a scene stealer.
• Defeat Means Menial Labor: He ends up becoming a mechanic after Herbie wins the race. But he's quite happy with it, and he seems to have a lot of fun spraying oil at Havershaw.

Played by: Ken Berry

Alonzo Hawk's nephew and main protagonist of the film.

• Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: Not exactly feminine but Nicole has much more brawn as opposed to Willoughby's original wimpy persona.
• Nice Guy: Unlike Jim, who went through a Heel–Face Turn, Willoughby was a pleasant person all the way through the film.
• Older Than He Looks: He's implied to be a young man who just graduated from law school but he looks like he could pass for 40!.
• Took a Level in Badass: Becomes more confident and stands up for himself and Nicole more as the film goes on.

Played by: Stefanie Powers

A tough but still kind-hearted lady who works as a flight attendant. She lives with Mrs. Steinmetz and is fiercely protective of her, her firehouse, and her friend Herbie.

• Attack Hello: Her introduction to Willoughby.

  Mrs. Steinmetz: Nicole, I'd like you to meet Willoughby Whitfield from Alonzo Hawk's office.
  Nicole: [Politely] How do you do? [PUNCH]

• Good Is Not Nice: She's trying to protect Grandma Steinmetz from Hawk's goons who also destroyed her home, but her stress and anger over the whole thing have led her to take her frustrations out on the relatively innocent Willoughby .
• Nice Guy: While she did not give off a very nice first impression to Willoughby, Nicole is just trying to protect Mrs. Steinmetz from anyone sent by Alonzo Hawk. When she is not being tough, she is rather kind-hearted, fair, and nice.
• Odd Friendship: With Herbie. Herbie usually wouldn't become friends with someone who hits people but the two do have a close friendship.
• Tomboy with a Girly Streak: Her feminine side does become more prominent as the film goes on. Nicole can be fair and ladylike sometimes but she is not afraid to throw a punch. She gives off a tough first impression however as the first time she meets her future husband Willoughy, she says "how do you do?" and smacks him right in the face. Later on, she even hits Willoughby with a boiled lobster, causing him to fall of the ledge and land straight into the water.

Played by: Helen Hayes

Tennessee Steinmetz's aunt and has been in charge of the firehouse ever since her husband died.

• Badass Adorable: She is cute as a button and a sweet old lady but she can certainly take care of herself.
• Cool Old Lady:
• Nice Lady

Played by: Keenan Wynn

The Big Bad of Rides Again.

• Badass Beard: He's grown one since his last appearance in Son Of Flubber.
• Corrupt Corporate Executive: Again, his plans haven't changed much in the decade since his last appearance; he plans to tear down Mrs. Steinmetz' firehouse to build the giant Hawk Plaza shopping center.
• Large Ham: Similar to Tomlinson, Wynn's performance is a lot of fun.
• Role Reprise: While this is the first time he appeared in the Herbie franchise, Hawk had also appeared in two previous Disney films, The Absent-Minded Professor and its sequel Son of Flubber^note.
• Rogues' Gallery Transplant: As stated, he'd previously antagonized Professor Brainard at Medfield College. By now, he's gone from being simply the owner of a loan company to a full-fledged billionaire.

Played by: Lindsay Lohan

A college graduate who falls for Herbie, before becoming a NASCAR driver.

• Well Done Daughter Gal: She wantes to prove to her dad that she's good enough to be the next great Peyton.