If you’re a fan of the National Lampoon’s Vacation movie series, you might have wondered how old Rusty, the son of Clark Griswold, was during the first movie. Rusty is a significant character that has appeared in several installments of the franchise, but his age in the original is a topic of debate among fans.
According to various sources and clues from the film, Rusty was around 12 years old in National Lampoon’s Vacation. The family’s car had an “Honk if you love peace and quiet” bumper sticker with the year 1976 on it, which suggests that the movie took place in 1983.
Additionally, Rusty mentions that he is going into junior high school soon. Based on these details, we can assume that Rusty was born around 1971 or 1972.
However, there are some inconsistencies in Rusty’s age throughout the franchise. In European Vacation, which came out two years after the first film in 1985, Rusty appears to be much older than he was before.
He is shown driving a car and pursuing girls, which suggests that he is at least sixteen or seventeen years old. This sudden jump in age could be attributed to different actors playing Rusty or just poor continuity.
Regardless of these inconsistencies, Rusty remains one of the most beloved characters in National Lampoon’s Vacation series. His youthful innocence and hilarious antics add to the overall charm of these classic movies.
In conclusion, based on various clues from National Lampoon’s Vacation movie and assumptions from fans; we can conclude that Rusty was around twelve years old during his family’s cross-country trip to Walley World theme park. However; due to inconsistent aging as shown in later sequels; we can’t be entirely sure about his actual age throughout all films.