From Mickey to Roary: a short history of caravans in cartoons

by Chris Jefferies
The charm of caravanning has won over animators and cartoon creators alike for more than 70 years, and indeed the development of the two has almost gone hand-in-hand.
Back in the 1930s, caravans were just starting to make an impression on the public, with more and more people starting to see the appeal of taking your home on the road with you.
At the same time, Walt Disney was pioneering some of the world’s first animated cartoons, with loveable characters such as Porky Pig and Donald Duck.
Of course the most memorable of all the Disney characters was Mickey Mouse, with his iconic smile and enormous ears.
But what some people may not know is that Mickey was a caravanner, as this 1937 cartoon shows:

In this episode of Mickey’s adventures, he wakes up in his trailer and with the help of his pal Goofy, hitches up for a memorable road trip.
Mickey’s caravan seems to have incredible amounts of storage space, with a bath popping up out of the floor, giving the sleepy Donald a refreshing morning soak.
But it’s not all easy riding, as Goofy’s towing skills leave a lot to be desired and their wacky trip nearly comes to a disastrous end.
As the allure of caravanning continued to grow ever stronger into the 1960s, so did the temptation to use tourers in animated TV shows.
In an early episode of the Magic Roundabout, we find out the Dougal is also a keen caravanner, although clearly no-one has introduced him to the concept of corner-steadies:

The hapless dog eventually calls on the help of the friendly heifer Ermintrude who helps to get him up and running.
But it doesn’t end there, and with caravans now becoming a ubiquitous part of daily life it was only a matter of time until we got a cartoon with a caravan as a main character.
Readers with younger children may already be familiar with Roary the Racing Car, which has been running on Channel 5 for the past five years.
The show, which is from the makers of Bob the Builder, centres on Roary and his racing adventures, but also regularly includes Rusty the Caravan, a lovable curmudgeon who is always reminiscing about the good old days.
It may not have the timeless qualities of Mickey Mouse or the Magic Roundabout, but if this show can get another generation of kids into caravanning then it surely deserves every success: