The Volkswagen Type 2, known as the VW Bus in the US or the VW Camper in the UK, is an iconic automobile first introduced by German manufacturer Volkswagen in 1950.
Quickly associated with the rise of the US counterculture movement in the 1960s due to a combination of the vehicle’s ability to carry large groups of people, a fresh, rebellious image compared with other sedans of the time, ease of maintenance and a blank canvas to fill with flowery art and political slogans, the Type 2 also came to be known as the ‘Hippie van/bus’.
It’s hard to catch a glimpse of a VW bus and not have your mind drawn to images of Flower Power and Woodstock or Californian surfers and coastal road trips. These associations enshrined on album covers by artists such as Bob Dylan and Johnny and the Hurricanes.
As we continue on past the 70th birthday of the original Type 2, the vehicle’s nostalgic pull is as strong as ever. Many VW buses are now being converted into mobile bars for use at weddings, bridal showers and birthday parties, their iconic silhouettes and evocative body paint bringing another level of cool to proceedings. Others are transformed into eye-catching coffee bars or as photo shoot props.
Inevitably, this symbol of freedom, adventure and the open road would be immortalized on the silver screen. Here are our favorite examples of the lovable bus being used in film.
In Quentin Tarantino’s third feature film, Jackie Brown, A-list actors Robert DeNiro and Samuel L Jackson share a scene inside a white and blue VW bus.
The characters quarrel behind the unmistakable oversized steering wheel of the VW as they get tangled up in a typically tangled Tarantino crime caper. Set in California, it’s the quintessential choice of vehicle.
Well, of course one of the most famous and nostalgic of 80’s films would include one of the most famous and nostalgic of automobiles. In this cult sci-fi classic, Marty McFly (Michael J Fox) is pursued by gun toting, VW bus driving Libyans before he disappears back to the 1950s in his time travelling DeLorean.
Whilst it’s unable to chase McFly back through the decades, the VW displays a surprising turn of pace to keep up with the sports car until it hits the magic 88mph mark to initiate time travel.
Another iconic 80’s movie and another iconic VW bus, this time driven by Kevin Costner with James Earl Jones in the passenger seat as they drive from Iowa to Minnesota and back in a red 1979 Type 2, complete with white top and roof rack.
A perfect vehicle for a movie steeped in nostalgia and America’s favorite pastime. A little like setting up a mobile bar, "if you build it, they will come".
It’s fleeting but a VW campervan also pops up in one of the most loved movies of all time, Forrest Gump. As we see Tom Hanks’ character writing letters back to his sweetheart, Jenny, whilst he serves in Vietnam, she is seen jumping into an orange VW with a group of hippies.
The film covers the presidencies of Kennedy and Johnson, the Vietnam war, the Watergate scandal, and other historical events throughout which the VW bus was connected to as a mainstay of the counterculture movement of the 1960s and 70s.
A bright yellow VW bus plays a starring role in this 2006 comedy heart warmer about a family travelling cross-country to transport their young daughter to the finals of a children’s beauty pageant. The bus is central to the film’s poster and marketing material as well as the plot itself, transporting the family and bringing them together throughout the course of the movie.
Writer, Michael Arndt is quoted as saying, “I remember thinking, it's a road trip, what vehicle are you going to put them in? And [the] VW bus just seems logical, just because you have these high ceilings and these clean sight lines where you can put the camera. In the front windshield looking back and seeing everybody.” Funnily enough that sounds like the perfect vehicle to convert into a mobile bar!
Fillmore is an animated, smooth-talking hippie VW bus and owner of Fillmore's Taste-In, where he sells organic fuel in the Disney/Pixar Cars franchise.
Originally voiced by the late George Carlin and subsequently by Lloyd Sherr, Fillmore is painted light green, with Peace, Groovy, and Love painted on the sides of his doors, as well as various swirl and flower designs matching the real-life hippy aesthetics of the 1960s.
Based on real events, the dramatic thriller Argo chronicles the life-or-death covert operation to rescue six Americans, which unfolded behind the scenes of the Iran hostage crisis. In one of the movie’s most tense scenes, the group of Americans edges through a protesting crowd in Tehran whilst riding in a yellow VW bus.
The unmistakable vehicle certainly helps to take the viewer back to the period in which the picture is set.
So, there we have it, seven of our favorite movies that include the iconic VW bus, and in the case of Cars, a speaking one!
Whether you know the VW Type 2 as a VW Bus, VW Campervan or the Hippie Van, there is no doubting it’s striking looks and symbolism. It evokes wonderful nostalgia and is a style that never seems to age.
If your wedding, corporate party, bridal shower, birthday or other event would benefit from a touch of 60s nostalgia or some West Coast surf vibes, then check out our mobile bar listings where we have converted VW Buses and Campervans ready to contact and serve at your next event.