Garfield: Difference between revisions
imported>JJMC89 bot III m Moving Category:Indiana culture to Category:Culture of Indiana per Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Log/2025 July 22#Culture of U.S. states |
imported>Surveypartychef Corrected a factual error regarding Jim Davis' birthplace, and where he grew up. He did NOT live in Muncie until he went to college. |
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| alt = An illustration of the characters in the comic strip ''Garfield''. | | alt = An illustration of the characters in the comic strip ''Garfield''. | ||
| author = [[Jim Davis (cartoonist)|Jim Davis]] | | author = [[Jim Davis (cartoonist)|Jim Davis]] | ||
| owner = [[Paws, Inc.]]<br>{{small|([[Viacom (2005–2019)|Viacom]] | | owner = [[Paws, Inc.]]<br>{{small|([[Viacom (2005–2019)|Viacom]], 2019)}}<br>{{small|([[Paramount Skydance|Paramount Skydance Corporation]], since 2019)}} | ||
| website =[https://www.gocomics.com/garfield www.gocomics.com/garfield] | | website =[https://www.gocomics.com/garfield www.gocomics.com/garfield] | ||
| rss = | | rss = | ||
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}} | }} | ||
'''''Garfield''''' is an American [[comic strip]] created by [[Jim Davis (cartoonist)|Jim Davis]]. Originally published locally as ''Jon'' in 1976 (later changed to ''Garfield'' in 1977), then in nationwide [[Print syndication|syndication]] from 1978, it chronicles the life of the title character [[Garfield (character)|Garfield]] the cat, [[Odie]] the dog, and their owner [[Jon Arbuckle]]. As of 2013, it was syndicated in roughly 2,580 newspapers and [[Magazine|journals]]; the comic held the [[Guinness World Record]] for being the world's most widely syndicated comic strip.<ref name="BW1">{{Cite news|title=Garfield Named World's Most Syndicated Comic Strip.|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2002_Jan_22/ai_82001296|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040910215254/http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2002_Jan_22/ai_82001296|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 10, 2004|access-date=July 26, 2008|publisher=[[Business Wire]]|date=January 22, 2002}}</ref> | '''''Garfield''''' is an American [[comic strip]] and [[media franchise]] created by [[Jim Davis (cartoonist)|Jim Davis]]. Originally published locally as ''Jon'' in 1976 (later changed to ''Garfield'' in 1977), then in nationwide [[Print syndication|syndication]] from 1978, it chronicles the life of the title character [[Garfield (character)|Garfield]] the cat, [[Odie]] the dog, and their owner [[Jon Arbuckle]]. As of 2013, it was syndicated in roughly 2,580 newspapers and [[Magazine|journals]]; the comic held the [[Guinness World Record]] for being the world's most widely syndicated comic strip.<ref name="BW1">{{Cite news|title=Garfield Named World's Most Syndicated Comic Strip.|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2002_Jan_22/ai_82001296|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040910215254/http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2002_Jan_22/ai_82001296|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 10, 2004|access-date=July 26, 2008|publisher=[[Business Wire]]|date=January 22, 2002}}</ref> | ||
Though | Though the strip's setting is rarely mentioned in print, the television special ''[[Happy Birthday, Garfield]]'' states that Garfield lives in [[Muncie, Indiana]], the hometown of the creator Jim Davis. The strip frequently focuses on Garfield's appetite, laziness, and interactions with other characters. | ||
''Garfield'' has been adapted into various | ''Garfield'' has been adapted into various forms of media. Several [[Garfield television specials|half-hour television specials]] aired on [[CBS]] between 1982 and 1991, starting with ''[[Here Comes Garfield]]'' and ending with ''[[Garfield Gets a Life]]''. Also airing on CBS from 1988 to 1994 was the animated series ''[[Garfield and Friends]]'', which additionally adapted Davis's comic strip ''[[U.S. Acres]]''. All of these featured [[Lorenzo Music]] as the voice of Garfield. The feature film ''[[Garfield: The Movie]]'' was released in 2004, followed by its [[sequel]], ''[[Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties]],'' in 2006. Both were live-action featuring a computer-animated Garfield voiced by [[Bill Murray]]. Another animated TV adaptation, ''[[The Garfield Show]]'', aired on [[France 3]] in France and [[Cartoon Network]] in the United States from 2009 to 2016. In addition, Garfield has been the subject of merchandise, video games, books, and other spin-off merchandise. The strip has also been re-published in compilations; the first of these, ''[[Garfield at Large]]'' (1980), developed what came to be known as the "Garfield format" for re-publication of newspaper comics in book form. | ||
On August 6, 2019, New York City–based [[Viacom (2005–2019)|Viacom]] (now [[Paramount | On August 6, 2019, New York City–based [[Viacom (2005–2019)|Viacom]] (now [[Paramount Skydance|Paramount Skydance Corporation]]) announced that it would acquire [[Paws, Inc.]], including most rights to the ''Garfield'' franchise (the comic strip, merchandise and animated cartoons).<ref name="Steinberg">{{Cite news|url=https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/garfield-nickelodedon-licensing-rights-viacom-1203293468/|title=Viacom Acquires Comic-Strip Cat Garfield|first=Brian|last=Steinberg|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=August 6, 2019|date=August 6, 2019|archive-date=May 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511222924/https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/garfield-nickelodedon-licensing-rights-viacom-1203293468/|url-status=live}}</ref> The deal did not include the rights to the live-action ''Garfield'' films,<ref>{{cite web|last=Mullin|first=Benjamin|title=Viacom, Hungry For Hits, Gobbles Garfield|url=https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/viacom-hungry-for-hits-gobbles-up-garfield-11565107200|website=The Wall Street Journal|date=2019-08-06|access-date=2019-08-12|df=mdy-all|archive-date=August 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190812001344/https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/viacom-hungry-for-hits-gobbles-up-garfield-11565107200|url-status=live}}</ref> which are still owned by [[The Walt Disney Company]] through its [[20th Century Studios]] label, as well as ''[[The Garfield Movie]]'' (2024), released by [[Alcon Entertainment]] and [[Sony Pictures]] under its [[Columbia Pictures]] label.<ref name="collider_com">{{cite web |last=O'Rourke |first=Ryan |date=September 16, 2022 |title=''Garfield'' Release Date Moved to Spring 2024 |url=https://collider.com/garfield-release-date-change-chris-pratt/ |access-date=2022-09-16 |website=Collider |archive-date=September 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220917020924/https://collider.com/garfield-release-date-change-chris-pratt/ |url-status=live }}</ref> A new animated series is in production for [[Paramount+]]. | ||
==History== | ==History== | ||
[[File:Jim Davis cropped.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Cartoonist [[Jim Davis (cartoonist)|Jim Davis]] is the creator of ''Garfield''.|alt=A picture of cartoonist Jim Davis]] | [[File:Jim Davis cropped.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Cartoonist [[Jim Davis (cartoonist)|Jim Davis]] is the creator of ''Garfield''.|alt=A picture of cartoonist Jim Davis]] | ||
Cartoonist [[Jim Davis (cartoonist)|Jim Davis]] was born and raised in [[ | === Before ''Garfield'' === | ||
Cartoonist [[Jim Davis (cartoonist)|Jim Davis]] was born in [[Marion, Indiana]], and raised on a farm in [[Fairmount, Indiana]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Davis |first=Jim |title=Garfield at 25 : in dog years I'd be dead |last2=Acey |first2=Mark |last3=Nickel |first3=Scott |publisher=Ballantine Books |year=2002 |isbn=0345455304 |edition=1st |location=New York |pages=21-22}}</ref> In 1973, while working as an assistant for T.K. Ryan's ''[[Tumbleweeds (comic strip)|Tumbleweeds]]'', he created the comic strip ''[[Gnorm Gnat]]'', which ran in the ''Pendleton Times'' of [[Pendleton, Indiana]], from 1973 to 1975 and met with little success. Davis had tried to [[Print syndication|syndicate]] the strip, but was unsuccessful; he noted that one editor told him that his "art was good, his gags were great, [but] nobody can identify with bugs."<ref name="Twenty"/> Davis decided to review current comic strips to determine what types of animal characters might be more popular. He felt that dogs were well represented, but noticed that there were no prominent cat characters.<ref name="Twenty">Davis. ''20 Years & Still Kicking!: Garfield's Twentieth Anniversary Collection''. p. 14.</ref> | |||
[[File:Jon - 1976-01-08.png|thumb|upright=1.35|right|The first ''Jon'' strip, which ran in the ''Pendleton Times'' on January 8, 1976. It was redrawn as the first ''Garfield'' strip published on June 19, 1978, with the dialogue in the second panel removed and Garfield's line in the first panel moved there.]] | [[File:Jon - 1976-01-08.png|thumb|upright=1.35|right|The first ''Jon'' strip, which ran in the ''Pendleton Times'' on January 8, 1976. It was redrawn as the first ''Garfield'' strip published on June 19, 1978, with the dialogue in the second panel removed and Garfield's line in the first panel moved there.]] | ||
The title character [[Garfield (character)|Garfield]] was | The title character, [[Garfield (character)|Garfield]], was inspired by the cats Davis grew up with. It was named after Davis' grandfather, James A. Garfield Davis, whose personality also influenced the character; Davis described him as "a large, cantankerous man".<ref name="CNN">{{Cite news|url=http://archives.cnn.com/2000/fyi/student.bureau/10/24/jim.davis/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214062806/http://archives.cnn.com/2000/fyi/student.bureau/10/24/jim.davis/|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 14, 2009|title=The cat's meow|date=October 6, 2000|publisher=CNN|first=Gerrard|last=Hall|access-date=July 26, 2008}}</ref> Garfield's owner, [[Jon Arbuckle]], was named after a 1950s coffee advertisement. Jon's roommate, Lyman, was introduced to provide Jon with a conversational foil and was named after a character from Davis' earlier comic strip, ''Gnorm Gnat''.<ref name="Twenty"/> Lyman's dog was originally named Spot, but was later renamed to [[Odie]] to avoid confusion with another comic-strip dog of the same name in ''[[Boner's Ark]]''. | ||
=== ''Jon'' === | |||
From 1976 to early 1978, these characters appeared in a comic strip titled Jon, which was published in the ''Pendleton Times''. In 1977, the strip was renamed ''Garfield''. For many years, Jon remained largely unavailable to the public until 2019, YouTuber [[Quinton Kyle Hoover|Quinton Hoover]] found several [[microfilm]] archives of the ''Jon'' publications from the Pendleton Community Library and [[Indiana State Library and Historical Bureau|Indiana State Library]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2019/07/28/newly-discovered-davis-pre-garfield-garfield/|title=Newly Discovered – Davis' Pre-Garfield Garfield|date=July 29, 2019|website=The Daily Cartoonist|language=en-US|access-date=October 25, 2019|archive-date=August 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819020014/https://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2019/07/28/newly-discovered-davis-pre-garfield-garfield/|url-status=live}}</ref> Jon first appeared in the ''Pendleton Times'' on January 8, 1976, two weeks after ''Gnorm Gnat'' ended. | |||
=== Syndication === | |||
In March 1978, [[United Media|United Feature Syndicate]] accepted the strip for national distribution (which had been retitled ''Garfield'' on September 1, 1977), and the last ''Pendleton Times'' strip ran on March 2, 1978. United Feature Syndicate debuted the first strip nationwide in 41 newspapers, starting on June 19, 1978. After a test run, the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' dropped the ''Garfield'' strip, only to reinstate it after readers' complaints.<ref name="BW1" /><ref name="Catty">{{cite magazine|url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,953256,00.html|title=Living: Those Catty Cartoonists|date=December 7, 1981|access-date=June 20, 2020|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]}}</ref> | In March 1978, [[United Media|United Feature Syndicate]] accepted the strip for national distribution (which had been retitled ''Garfield'' on September 1, 1977), and the last ''Pendleton Times'' strip ran on March 2, 1978. United Feature Syndicate debuted the first strip nationwide in 41 newspapers, starting on June 19, 1978. After a test run, the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' dropped the ''Garfield'' strip, only to reinstate it after readers' complaints.<ref name="BW1" /><ref name="Catty">{{cite magazine|url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,953256,00.html|title=Living: Those Catty Cartoonists|date=December 7, 1981|access-date=June 20, 2020|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]}}</ref> | ||
[[File:Garfield-comparison.png|thumb|upright=1.35|The appearance of the characters gradually changed over time;<ref name="NYT1">{{Cite news|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/19/nyregion/boldface-names-933295.html|title= Boldface Names|first=James|last=Barron|date=April 19, 2001|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=June 20, 2020}}</ref> the left panel is from the March 7, 1980, strip; the right is from the July 6, 1990, strip]] | [[File:Garfield-comparison.png|thumb|upright=1.35|The appearance of the characters gradually changed over time;<ref name="NYT1">{{Cite news|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/19/nyregion/boldface-names-933295.html|title= Boldface Names|first=James|last=Barron|date=April 19, 2001|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=June 20, 2020}}</ref> the left panel is from the March 7, 1980, strip; the right is from the July 6, 1990, strip]] | ||
The strip underwent stylistic changes, evolving from the style of the 1976–83 strips, to a more cartoonish | The strip underwent significant stylistic changes, evolving from the style of the 1976–83 strips, to a more cartoonish visual style from 1984 onward. This change has mainly affected Garfield's design, which underwent a "Darwinian evolution" in which he began walking on his hind legs, "slimmed down", and more expressive. According to creator Jim Davis, these changes made the character easier to animate and stage in visual gags, such as pushing Odie off a table or reaching for food.<ref name="NYT1"/> The redesign was in part on the advice of Davis's mentor and erstwhile rival [[Charles M. Schulz]]. Although he regarded Garfield as less subtle than his own strip, ''[[Peanuts]],'' he provided valuable guidance, particularly in licensing and [[merchandising]]. Davis later applied many of these strategies to the ''Garfield'' franchise<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tardive |first=Ambrose |date=2024-06-19 |title=Peanuts vs. Garfield: Charles Schulz Secretly Considered Jim Davis His Arch-Rival |url=https://screenrant.com/peanuts-garfield-charles-schulz-jim-davis-rivalry/ |access-date=2024-06-21 |website=ScreenRant |language=en |archive-date=June 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240619203352/https://screenrant.com/peanuts-garfield-charles-schulz-jim-davis-rivalry/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
''Garfield'' quickly became a commercial success. By the beginning of 1981, less than three years after its nationwide launch, the strip was in 850 newspapers and had sold over $15 million in merchandise. To manage the merchandise, Davis founded [[Paws, Inc.]]<ref name="Catty"/> In 1982 the strip was appearing in more than 1,000 newspapers.<ref>DRD/KT. "Newswatch: Garfield Hits 1000th Newspaper", ''The Comics Journal'' 73 (July 1982).</ref> | ''Garfield'' quickly became a commercial success. By the beginning of 1981, less than three years after its nationwide launch, the strip was in 850 newspapers and had sold over $15 million in merchandise. To manage the merchandise, Davis founded [[Paws, Inc.]]<ref name="Catty"/> In 1982 the strip was appearing in more than 1,000 newspapers.<ref>DRD/KT. "Newswatch: Garfield Hits 1000th Newspaper", ''The Comics Journal'' 73 (July 1982).</ref> | ||
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By 2002, ''Garfield'' became the world's most syndicated strip, appearing in 2,570 newspapers with 263 million readers worldwide;<ref name="BW1" /> by 2004, ''Garfield'' appeared in nearly 2,600 newspapers and sold from $750 million to $1 billion worth of merchandise in 111 countries.<ref name="slatewhyhate" /> In 1994, Davis's company, Paws, Inc., purchased all rights to the strips from 1978 to 1993 from United Feature. | By 2002, ''Garfield'' became the world's most syndicated strip, appearing in 2,570 newspapers with 263 million readers worldwide;<ref name="BW1" /> by 2004, ''Garfield'' appeared in nearly 2,600 newspapers and sold from $750 million to $1 billion worth of merchandise in 111 countries.<ref name="slatewhyhate" /> In 1994, Davis's company, Paws, Inc., purchased all rights to the strips from 1978 to 1993 from United Feature. | ||
While retaining creative control and being the only person to whom the strip is credited in newspapers, Davis now only writes and usually does the rough sketches. Since the late 1990s most of the work has been done by long-time assistants Brett Koth and Gary Barker. Inking and coloring work is done by other artists, while Davis spends most of the time supervising production and merchandising the characters.<ref name="slatewhyhate">{{cite magazine|url= https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2004/06/why-we-don-t-hate-garfield.html|title=Why we don't hate Garfield.|access-date=June 20, 2020|last=Suellentrop|first=Chris|date=June 11, 2004|magazine=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]}}</ref> | While retaining creative control and being the only person to whom the strip is credited in newspapers, Davis now only writes and usually does the rough sketches. Since the late 1990s most of the work has been done by long-time assistants Brett Koth and Gary Barker. Inking and coloring work is done by other artists, while Davis spends most of the time supervising production and merchandising the characters.<ref name="slatewhyhate">{{cite magazine|url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2004/06/why-we-don-t-hate-garfield.html|title=Why we don't hate Garfield.|access-date=June 20, 2020|last=Suellentrop|first=Chris|date=June 11, 2004|magazine=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]|archive-date=December 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201207125658/https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2004/06/why-we-don-t-hate-garfield.html|url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
==Content== | ==Content== | ||
{{main|List of Garfield characters{{!}}List of ''Garfield'' characters}} | {{main|List of Garfield characters{{!}}List of ''Garfield'' characters}} | ||
The strip's title character is [[Garfield (character)|Garfield]], an obese orange tabby cat. Garfield's personality is defined by his sarcasm, laziness, and gluttony, with the character showing a particular affinity for [[lasagna]]. His owner is [[Jon Arbuckle]], a man with an affinity for stereotypically [[nerd]]y pastimes. Jon's other pet is [[Odie]], a dim-witted yellow dog. Most strips center around interactions among the three characters' conflicting personalities. For much of the strip's history, one recurring theme was Jon's unsuccessful attempts at [[dating]], particularly involving the pets' veterinarian, Dr. Liz Wilson, a character who also carried over from ''Jon''. However, after a 2006 story arc, the two | |||
The strip's title character is [[Garfield (character)|Garfield]], an obese orange tabby cat. Garfield's personality is defined by his sarcasm, laziness, and gluttony, with the character showing a particular affinity for [[lasagna]]. His owner is [[Jon Arbuckle]], a man with an affinity for stereotypically [[nerd]]y pastimes. Jon's other pet is [[Odie]], a dim-witted yellow dog. Most strips center around interactions among the three characters' conflicting personalities. For much of the strip's history, one recurring theme was Jon's unsuccessful attempts at [[dating]], particularly involving the pets' veterinarian, Dr. Liz Wilson, a character who also carried over from ''Jon''. However, after a 2006 story arc, the two engaged and started living together.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://screenrant.com/garfield-jon-liz-relationship-romance-history-explained/ |title=Garfield: The evolution of Jon and Liz's 'relationship' in comics explained |publisher=Screen Rant |date=July 31, 2024 |accessdate=July 12, 2025 |author=Joe Anthony Myrick}}</ref> Many strips feature Jon, Garfield, and Odie visiting Jon's unnamed parents and brother Doc Boy on their family farm. Other side characters include various mice and spiders within the house, both frequent targets of abuse and scorn from Garfield; Garfield's [[teddy bear]] Pooky; Garfield's girlfriend Arlene, a pink cat; Nermal, a gray striped kitten who enjoys tormenting Garfield over his perceived age; and various other pets who live in the neighborhood. | |||
Part of the strip's broad pop cultural appeal is due to its lack of [[social commentary|social]] or [[political commentary#Political cartoons|political]] commentary; though this was Davis's original intention, he also admitted that his "grasp of politics isn't strong", joking that, for many years, he thought "[[OPEC]] was a [[dental bonding|denture adhesive]]".<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/1998/06/19/garfield-20-years-later/|title='Garfield' 20 years later|first=Beth|last=Johnson|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|access-date=June 19, 2020|date=June 19, 1998}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://ecentral.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/11/5/movies/12462084&sec=movies |title=Everybody loves Garfield |work=[[The Star (Malaysia)|The Star]] |location=Malaysia |access-date=January 19, 2022|archive-date=August 11, 2011|date=November 5, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811140216/http://ecentral.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/11/5/movies/12462084&sec=movies |url-status=dead}}</ref> | Part of the strip's broad pop cultural appeal is due to its lack of [[social commentary|social]] or [[political commentary#Political cartoons|political]] commentary; though this was Davis's original intention, he also admitted that his "grasp of politics isn't strong", joking that, for many years, he thought "[[OPEC]] was a [[dental bonding|denture adhesive]]".<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/1998/06/19/garfield-20-years-later/|title='Garfield' 20 years later|first=Beth|last=Johnson|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|access-date=June 19, 2020|date=June 19, 1998}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://ecentral.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/11/5/movies/12462084&sec=movies |title=Everybody loves Garfield |work=[[The Star (Malaysia)|The Star]] |location=Malaysia |access-date=January 19, 2022|archive-date=August 11, 2011|date=November 5, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811140216/http://ecentral.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/11/5/movies/12462084&sec=movies |url-status=dead}}</ref> | ||
Originally created with the intentions to "come up with a good, marketable character",<ref name="wapocat">{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1982/12/12/lives-the-cat-that-rots-the-intellect/d6ed28c6-bee3-41ad-81f2-1839b34b87b1/|title=LIVES: The Cat That Rots the Intellect|access-date=June 23, 2019|last=Shapiro|first=Walter|date=December 12, 1982|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref> ''Garfield'' has spawned merchandise earning $750 million to $1 billion annually. In addition to the various merchandise and commercial tie-ins, the strip has spawned several animated television specials, two animated television series, two theatrical feature-length [[live-action animated]] films, three fully [[computer-animated]] [[direct-to-video]] films, and a theatrical computer-animated film. | Originally created with the intentions to "come up with a good, marketable character",<ref name="wapocat">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1982/12/12/lives-the-cat-that-rots-the-intellect/d6ed28c6-bee3-41ad-81f2-1839b34b87b1/|title=LIVES: The Cat That Rots the Intellect|access-date=June 23, 2019|last=Shapiro|first=Walter|date=December 12, 1982|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|archive-date=June 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190623024810/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1982/12/12/lives-the-cat-that-rots-the-intellect/d6ed28c6-bee3-41ad-81f2-1839b34b87b1/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Garfield'' has spawned merchandise earning $750 million to $1 billion annually. In addition to the various merchandise and commercial tie-ins, the strip has spawned several animated television specials<ref>{{Cite web |last=Howell |first=AJ |date=September 13, 2017 |title=The Attic of Animation: 'Garfield' TV Specials |url=https://www.rotoscopers.com/2017/09/13/the-attic-of-animation-garfield-tv-specials/ |access-date=April 25, 2026 |website=Rotoscopers}}</ref>, two animated television series<ref>{{Cite book |title=Garfield - Greatest. Cat. Ever. (Just ask him) |publisher=LIFE |year=2024 |pages=64-66}}</ref>, two theatrical feature-length [[live-action animated]] films<ref>{{Cite book |title=Garfield - Greatest. Cat. Ever. (Just ask him) |date=2024 |publisher=LIFE |publication-date=2024 |pages=70-71}}</ref>, three fully [[computer-animated]] [[direct-to-video]] films, and a theatrical computer-animated film.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sirani |first=Jordan |date=May 24, 2024 |title=How to Watch The Garfield Movie – Showtimes and Streaming Status - IGN |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/how-to-watch-the-garfield-movie |url-status=live |access-date=April 24, 2026 |website=IGN.com}}</ref> | ||
==Marketing== | ==Marketing== | ||
{{See also|Garfield merchandise|Garfield statues}} | {{See also|Garfield merchandise|Garfield statues}} | ||
As one of the world's most syndicated comic strips,<ref>{{cite news |first= Jerry |last= LaMartina |title= Garfield comic strip makes Guinness Book of World Records |url= https://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/stories/2002/01/28/daily4.html |work= Kansas City Business Journal |publisher= American City Business Journals |date= Jan 28, 2002 |access-date= December 3, 2019 |archive-date= September 20, 2002 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20020920074947/https://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/stories/2002/01/28/daily4.html |url-status= live }}</ref> ''Garfield'' has spawned a "profusion"<ref name="slatewhyhate"/> of merchandise including clothing, toys, games, books, Caribbean cruises, credit cards, dolls,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2003/04/08/stories/2003040800360200.htm|title=The Hindu : Grab your Garfield now|publisher=Hinduonnet.com|access-date=January 10, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100507134606/http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2003/04/08/stories/2003040800360200.htm|archive-date=May 7, 2010|url-status=usurped}}</ref> DVDs of the movies or the TV series,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-131895890.html|title=Article: Garfield's ready to share the lasagna. – The Dallas Morning News (via Knight-Ridder/Tribune NewsService)|date=April 26, 2005|access-date=January 10, 2010|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130125024924/http://www.highbeam.com/Search?searchTerm=Garfield's+ready+to+share+the+lasagna.&searchType=Article¤tPage=0&orderBy=|archive-date=January 25, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> and related media.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.commercebank.com/personal/cards/credit/garfield-visa/|title=Garfield Credit Card|publisher=[[Commerce Bancshares|Commerce Bank]]|access-date=August 8, 2008|archive-date=October 8, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101008233621/http://www.commercebank.com/personal/cards/credit/garfield-visa/|url-status=live}}</ref> In April 2024, [[Motel 6]] announced Garfield as their first "Chief Pet Officer" and Garfield-themed rooms for the release of ''[[The Garfield Movie]]''.<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 26, 2024 |title=Motel 6 in Biloxi now offering Garfield-themed room to guests |url=http://www.wlox.com/2024/04/27/motel-6-biloxi-now-offering-garfield-themed-room-guests/ |access-date=April 29, 2024 |work=WLOX}}</ref> | |||
==Media== | ==Media== | ||
===Books=== | ===Books=== | ||
Since 1980, the strip has been compiled in anthology books. The first, ''[[Garfield at Large]]'', was published in March 1980 by [[Ballantine Books]]. These books helped increase the strip's popularity through sales, leading to several of them reaching the top of the ''[[New York Times]]'' best | Since 1980, the strip has been compiled in anthology books. The first, ''[[Garfield at Large]]'', was published in March 1980 by [[Ballantine Books]]. These books helped increase the strip's popularity through sales, leading to several of them reaching the top of the ''[[New York Times]]'' best-seller list.<ref name="pauer">{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/407039982/ | title=The nine lives of Jim Davis | work=Dayton Daily News | date=June 19, 1988 | accessdate=January 8, 2023 | author=Frank Pauer | pages=6, 7, 10, 11, 15, 17}}</ref> For these compilation books, Davis devised a book layout which is considerably longer and less tall than the average book. This allowed the strip to be oriented in the same format as it appeared in the newspaper, as opposed to earlier comic strip anthologies which often stacked the panels vertically.<ref name="pauer"/> This book style has since been referred to in the publishing industry as the "Garfield format" and has been adapted by other publishers. Davis noted that it became popular for other comic strip anthologies in particular, such as those of ''[[The Far Side]]''.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/216476886/ | title=Happy birthday, Garfield: Celebrated cartoon character marks 10th year of cat naps, lasagna | work=The Town Talk | date=June 20, 1988 | accessdate=January 8, 2023 | author=Jim Smillie | pages=C1, C2}}</ref> | ||
===Internet=== | ===Internet=== | ||
Garfield.com was the strip's official website, which contained archives of past strips along with games and an online store. Jim Davis had also collaborated with [[Ball State University]] and [[Pearson Education|Pearson]] Digital Learning to create ProfessorGarfield.org, an educational website with interactive games focusing on math and reading skills, and with Children's Technology Group to create MindWalker, a web browser that allows parents to limit the websites their children can view to a preset list.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?id=14857#middle|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051016175332/http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?id=14857|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 16, 2005|title=Ball State University, Garfield Partner on New Website|date=August 22, 2005|access-date=July 25, 2008|publisher=Inside Indiana Business}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://san-diego-business-journal.vlex.com/vid/garfield-to-guard-web-sites-54313369|title=Garfield to Guard Web Sites|date=March 19, 2001|access-date=June 19, 2012|newspaper=[[San Diego Business Journal]]|first=Zion|last=Lee}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Garfield+Hangs+Ten+on+the+World+Wide+Wave(TM).-a073877177|title=Garfield Hangs Ten on the World Wide Wave|date=May 1, 2001|access-date=June 19, 2012|publisher=[[PR Newswire]]|archive-date=March 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305151405/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Garfield+Hangs+Ten+on+the+World+Wide+Wave(TM).-a073877177|url-status=dead}}</ref> | Garfield.com was the strip's official website, which contained archives of past strips along with games and an online store. Jim Davis had also collaborated with [[Ball State University]] and [[Pearson Education|Pearson]] Digital Learning to create ProfessorGarfield.org, an educational website with interactive games focusing on math and reading skills, and with Children's Technology Group to create MindWalker, a web browser that allows parents to limit the websites their children can view to a preset list.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?id=14857#middle|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051016175332/http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?id=14857|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 16, 2005|title=Ball State University, Garfield Partner on New Website|date=August 22, 2005|access-date=July 25, 2008|publisher=Inside Indiana Business}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://san-diego-business-journal.vlex.com/vid/garfield-to-guard-web-sites-54313369|title=Garfield to Guard Web Sites|date=March 19, 2001|access-date=June 19, 2012|newspaper=[[San Diego Business Journal]]|first=Zion|last=Lee}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Garfield+Hangs+Ten+on+the+World+Wide+Wave(TM).-a073877177|title=Garfield Hangs Ten on the World Wide Wave|date=May 1, 2001|access-date=June 19, 2012|publisher=[[PR Newswire]]|archive-date=March 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305151405/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Garfield+Hangs+Ten+on+the+World+Wide+Wave(TM).-a073877177|url-status=dead}}</ref> | ||
A variety of edited ''Garfield'' strips have been made available on the Internet, with some being hosted on their own unofficial, dedicated sites. Dating from 2005, a site titled the "Garfield Randomizer" created a three-panel strip using panels from previous ''Garfield'' strips.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Garfield Generator |url=https://www.bgreco.net/garfield/ |access-date=February 3, 2023 | A variety of edited ''Garfield'' strips have been made available on the Internet, with some being hosted on their own unofficial, dedicated sites. Dating from 2005, a site titled the "Garfield Randomizer" created a three-panel strip using panels from previous ''Garfield'' strips.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Garfield Generator |url=https://www.bgreco.net/garfield/ |access-date=February 3, 2023 |archive-date=February 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203215551/https://www.bgreco.net/garfield/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Another variation along the same lines, called "Realfield" or "Realistic Garfield", was to redraw Garfield as a real cat and remove his thought balloons.<ref name="tabby">{{cite web|url=http://www.thenational.ae/article/20081114/REVIEW/72206455/-1/ART|title=The tabby vanishes|access-date=December 25, 2008|last=Hamrah|first=A. S.|date=November 14, 2008|work=The National|publisher=thenational.ae|location=Abu Dhabi|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212203731/http://www.thenational.ae/article/20081114/REVIEW/72206455/-1/ART|archive-date=February 12, 2009}} Review of ''Garfield Minus Garfield'' (Ballantine Books, 2008)</ref><ref name="realfield">{{cite web|url=http://www.collegehumor.com/hotlink:180801|title=Continuing in the 'making fun of Garfield tradition' I give you Realistic Garfield|date=February 29, 2008|access-date=December 25, 2008|publisher=[[CollegeHumor]]|archive-date=July 29, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090729082402/http://www.collegehumor.com/hotlink:180801|url-status=live}} (hotlink)</ref> Still another approach to editing the strips involved removing Garfield and other main characters from the originals completely, leaving Jon talking to himself. While strips in this vein could be found online as early as 2006,<ref name="silentgarfield">{{cite web|url=http://www.truthandbeautybombs.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=4997&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0|title=Garfield|access-date=December 25, 2008|publisher=Truth and Beauty Bombs Forum|date=January 30, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081221160206/http://www.truthandbeautybombs.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=4997&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0|archive-date=December 21, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> the 2008 site ''[[Garfield Minus Garfield]]'' by Dan Walsh received enough online attention to be covered by news media. Reception was largely positive: at its peak, the site received as many as 300,000 hits per day. Fans connected with Jon's "loneliness and desperation" and found his "crazy antics" humorous; Jim Davis himself called Walsh's strips an "inspired thing to do" and said that "some of [the strips] work better [than the originals]".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/02/business/media/02garfield.html|title=Is the Main Character Missing? Maybe Not.|date=June 2, 2008|access-date=July 25, 2008|first=Cate|last=Doty|newspaper=The New York Times|archive-date=November 20, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231120112921/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/02/business/media/02garfield.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/03/AR2008040303083.html|title=When the Cat's Away, Neurosis Is on Display|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=April 6, 2008|access-date=July 25, 2008|archive-date=January 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230125213649/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/03/AR2008040303083.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Ballantine Books, which publishes the ''Garfield'' books, released a volume of ''Garfield Minus Garfield'' strips on October 28, 2008. The volume retains Davis as author and features a foreword by Walsh.<ref name="tabby" /> | ||
Another variation along the same lines, called "Realfield" or "Realistic Garfield", was to redraw Garfield as a real cat and remove his thought balloons.<ref name="tabby">{{cite web|url=http://www.thenational.ae/article/20081114/REVIEW/72206455/-1/ART|title=The tabby vanishes|access-date=December 25, 2008|last=Hamrah|first=A. S.|date=November 14, 2008|work=The National|publisher=thenational.ae|location=Abu Dhabi|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212203731/http://www.thenational.ae/article/20081114/REVIEW/72206455/-1/ART|archive-date=February 12, 2009}} Review of ''Garfield Minus Garfield'' (Ballantine Books, 2008)</ref><ref name="realfield">{{cite web|url=http://www.collegehumor.com/hotlink:180801|title=Continuing in the 'making fun of Garfield tradition' I give you Realistic Garfield|date=February 29, 2008|access-date=December 25, 2008|publisher=[[CollegeHumor]]}} (hotlink)</ref> Still another approach to editing the strips involved removing Garfield and other main characters from the originals completely, leaving Jon talking to himself. While strips in this vein could be found online as early as 2006,<ref name="silentgarfield" /> the 2008 site ''[[Garfield Minus Garfield]]'' by Dan Walsh received enough online attention to be covered by news media. Reception was largely positive: at its peak, the site received as many as 300,000 hits per day. Fans connected with Jon's "loneliness and desperation" and found his "crazy antics" humorous; Jim Davis himself called Walsh's strips an "inspired thing to do" and said that "some of [the strips] work better [than the originals]".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/02/business/media/02garfield.html|title=Is the Main Character Missing? Maybe Not.|date=June 2, 2008|access-date=July 25, 2008|first=Cate|last=Doty|newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/03/AR2008040303083.html|title=When the Cat's Away, Neurosis Is on Display|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=April 6, 2008|access-date=July 25, 2008}}</ref> Ballantine Books, which publishes the ''Garfield'' books, released a volume of ''Garfield Minus Garfield'' strips on October 28, 2008. The volume retains Davis as author and features a foreword by Walsh.<ref name="tabby" /> | |||
===<span class="anchor" id="Television"></span> Television=== | |||
=== | |||
<!-- redirect here from [[Garfield (TV series)]] --> | <!-- redirect here from [[Garfield (TV series)]] --> | ||
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="text-align:center;" | |||
|+Voice actors | |||
{| class="wikitable | |||
|- | |- | ||
! rowspan="3" | Characters | ! rowspan="3" | Characters | ||
! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | ''The Fantastic Funnies'' | ! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | ''The Fantastic Funnies'' | ||
! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | [[Garfield merchandise#Television|''Garfield'' Television Specials]] | ! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | [[Garfield merchandise#Television|''Garfield'' Television Specials]] | ||
! colspan=" | ! colspan="3" style="text-align:center;" | Television series | ||
! colspan="3" |Direct-to-DVD films | ! colspan="3" |Direct-to-DVD films | ||
! colspan="3" style="text-align:center;" | Theatrical films | ! colspan="3" style="text-align:center;" | Theatrical films | ||
| Line 175: | Line 91: | ||
! style="text-align:center;" | ''[[Garfield and Friends]]'' | ! style="text-align:center;" | ''[[Garfield and Friends]]'' | ||
! style="text-align:center;" | ''[[The Garfield Show]]'' | ! style="text-align:center;" | ''[[The Garfield Show]]'' | ||
! style="text-align:center;" | ''[[Garfield Originals]]'' | |||
!''[[Garfield Gets Real]]'' | !''[[Garfield Gets Real]]'' | ||
!''[[Garfield's Fun Fest]]'' | !''[[Garfield's Fun Fest]]'' | ||
| Line 186: | Line 103: | ||
! 1988–1994 | ! 1988–1994 | ||
! 2009–2016 | ! 2009–2016 | ||
! 2019–2020 | |||
!2007 | !2007 | ||
!2008 | !2008 | ||
| Line 196: | Line 114: | ||
| [[Scott Beach]] | | [[Scott Beach]] | ||
| colspan="2" | [[Lorenzo Music]] | | colspan="2" | [[Lorenzo Music]] | ||
| colspan=" | | colspan="1" | [[Frank Welker]] | ||
| colspan="1" | Gérard Surugue | |||
| colspan="3" | [[Frank Welker]] | |||
| colspan="2" | [[Bill Murray]] | | colspan="2" | [[Bill Murray]] | ||
| [[Chris Pratt]] | | [[Chris Pratt]] | ||
| Line 204: | Line 124: | ||
| [[Sandy Kenyon]] | | [[Sandy Kenyon]] | ||
| rowspan="2" | Thom Huge | | rowspan="2" | Thom Huge | ||
| colspan=" | | colspan="1" rowspan="2" | [[Wally Wingert]] | ||
| colspan="1" rowspan="2" | [[Bruno Choël]] | |||
| colspan="3" rowspan="2" | [[Wally Wingert]] | |||
| rowspan="2" colspan="2" | [[Breckin Meyer]] | | rowspan="2" colspan="2" | [[Breckin Meyer]] | ||
| rowspan="2" | [[Nicholas Hoult]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Grobar |first=Matt |date=2022-08-17 |title='Garfield': Ving Rhames, Nicholas Hoult, Hannah Waddingham & Cecily Strong Board Animated Feature From Alcon Entertainment |url=https://deadline.com/2022/08/garfield-adds-ving-rhames-nicholas-hoult-hannah-waddingham-cecily-strong-1235094576/ |access-date=2024-02-26 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}</ref> | | rowspan="2" | [[Nicholas Hoult]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Grobar |first=Matt |date=2022-08-17 |title='Garfield': Ving Rhames, Nicholas Hoult, Hannah Waddingham & Cecily Strong Board Animated Feature From Alcon Entertainment |url=https://deadline.com/2022/08/garfield-adds-ving-rhames-nicholas-hoult-hannah-waddingham-cecily-strong-1235094576/ |access-date=2024-02-26 |website=Deadline |language=en-US |archive-date=August 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220817175700/https://deadline.com/2022/08/garfield-adds-ving-rhames-nicholas-hoult-hannah-waddingham-cecily-strong-1235094576/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
|- | |- | ||
| Thom Huge | | Thom Huge | ||
| Line 212: | Line 134: | ||
! [[Odie]] | ! [[Odie]] | ||
| style="background:lightgrey;" | | | style="background:lightgrey;" | | ||
| colspan=" | | colspan="3" | [[Gregg Berger]] | ||
| colspan="1" | Antoine Schoumsky | |||
| colspan="3" | [[Gregg Berger]] | |||
| colspan="2" {{N/A|''Uncredited dog''}} | | colspan="2" {{N/A|''Uncredited dog''}} | ||
| [[Harvey Guillén]] | | [[Harvey Guillén]] | ||
| Line 219: | Line 143: | ||
| style="background:lightgrey;" | | | style="background:lightgrey;" | | ||
| colspan="3" | [[Julie K. Payne]] | | colspan="3" | [[Julie K. Payne]] | ||
| colspan="3" | | | colspan="1" rowspan="3" | Véronique Soufflet | ||
| colspan="3" style="background:lightgrey;" | | |||
| colspan="2" | [[Jennifer Love Hewitt]] | | colspan="2" | [[Jennifer Love Hewitt]] | ||
| Dev Joshi | | Dev Joshi | ||
| Line 226: | Line 151: | ||
| colspan="2" style="background:lightgrey;" | | | colspan="2" style="background:lightgrey;" | | ||
| [[Desirée Goyette]] | | [[Desirée Goyette]] | ||
| colspan=" | | colspan="1" | [[Jason Marsden]] | ||
| colspan="3" | [[Jason Marsden]] | |||
| [[David Eigenberg]] | | [[David Eigenberg]] | ||
| style="background:lightgrey;" | | | style="background:lightgrey;" | | ||
| Line 234: | Line 160: | ||
| colspan="2" style="background:lightgrey;" | | | colspan="2" style="background:lightgrey;" | | ||
| {{N/A|''Silent cameo''}} | | {{N/A|''Silent cameo''}} | ||
| colspan=" | | colspan="1" | [[Audrey Wasilewski]] | ||
| colspan="3" | [[Audrey Wasilewski]] | |||
| [[Debra Messing]] | | [[Debra Messing]] | ||
| colspan="2" style="background:lightgrey;" | | | colspan="2" style="background:lightgrey;" | | ||
|} | |} | ||
Garfield's animation debut was on ''The Fantastic Funnies'', which aired on CBS on May 15, 1980, voiced by actor [[Scott Beach]]. ''Garfield'' was one of the strips featured, introduced as a newcomer (the strip was only two years old at the time). From 1982 to 1991, twelve primetime ''Garfield'' cartoon specials and one hour-long primetime documentary celebrating the character's 10th anniversary were aired; [[Lorenzo Music]] voiced Garfield in all of them. A Saturday-morning cartoon show, ''[[Garfield and Friends]]'', aired for seven seasons from 1988 to 1994. This adaptation also starred Music as the voice of Garfield.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lorenzo Music |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0615718/?ref_=tt_ov_st |access-date=December 29, 2022 |website=IMDb |archive-date=December 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221229181930/https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0615718/?ref_=tt_ov_st |url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
''[[The Garfield Show]]'', a [[computer-generated imagery|CGI]] series, started development in 2007 to coincide with the strip's 30th anniversary in 2008.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.awn.com/index.php?ltype=top&newsitem_no=23758|title=New CG Garfield To Air On Cartoon Network|date=June 26, 2008|publisher=[[Animation World Network]]|access-date=January 5, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090305215116/http://news.awn.com/index.php?ltype=top&newsitem_no=23758|archive-date=March 5, 2009}}</ref> It premiered in France in December 2008 and made its U.S. debut on [[Cartoon Network]] on November 2, 2009. | |||
In March 2026, it was announced the Nickelodeon series was picked up by [[Paramount+]]. [[Lamorne Morris]] will voice the titular character.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Andreeva |first1=Nellie |title='Garfield' Animated Series Ordered By Paramount+ With Lamorne Morris |url=https://deadline.com/2026/03/garfield-animated-series-paramount-plus-lamorne-morris-1236744371/ |website=Deadline |access-date=7 March 2026 |date=6 March 2026}}</ref> | |||
[[ | |||
[[Garfield | ====Primetime specials==== | ||
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" | |||
|+{{sronly|Television specials broadcast in [[prime time]] featuring Garfield}} | |||
|- | |||
!scope="col"| Title | |||
!scope="col"| Broadcast date | |||
!scope="col"| Emmy result | |||
|- | |||
!scope="row"| ''[[Here Comes Garfield]]'' | |||
| {{Start date|1982|10|25}} || {{nom}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.emmys.com/shows/here-comes-garfield |title=Here Comes Garfield |website=[[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]] |access-date=October 27, 2016}}</ref> | |||
|- | |||
!scope="row"| ''[[Garfield on the Town]]'' | |||
| {{Start date|1983|10|28}} || {{won}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.emmys.com/shows/garfield-town |title=Garfield on the Town |website=[[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]] |access-date=October 27, 2016 |archive-date=October 28, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161028215648/http://www.emmys.com/shows/garfield-town |url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
|- | |||
!scope="row"| ''[[Garfield in the Rough]]'' | |||
| {{Start date|1984|10|26}} || {{won}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.emmys.com/shows/garfield-rough |title=Garfield in the Rough |website=[[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]] |access-date=October 27, 2016 |archive-date=June 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200622025538/https://www.emmys.com/shows/garfield-rough |url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
|- | |||
!scope="row"| ''[[Garfield's Halloween Adventure]]'' | |||
| {{Start date|1985|10|30}} || {{won}}<ref>{{Citation| title=1985–1986 Emmy Awards |work=Information Please Database |url=http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0151578.html |access-date=December 3, 2007 |archive-date=December 8, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071208050725/http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0151578.html |url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
|- | |||
!scope="row"| ''[[Garfield in Paradise]]'' | |||
| {{Start date|1986|5|27}} || {{nom}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.emmys.com/shows/garfield-paradise |title=Garfield in Paradise |access-date=December 10, 2016 |website=[[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]]}}</ref> | |||
|- | |||
!scope="row"| ''[[Garfield Goes Hollywood]]'' | |||
| {{Start date|1987|5|8}} || {{nom}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.emmys.com/shows/garfield-goes-hollywood |title=Garfield Goes Hollywood |access-date=December 10, 2016 |website=[[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]]}}</ref> | |||
|- | |||
!scope="row"| ''[[A Garfield Christmas]]'' | |||
| {{Start date|1987|12|21}} || {{nom}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.emmys.com/shows/garfield-christmas-special |title=A Garfield Christmas Special |website=[[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]] |access-date=November 6, 2016}}</ref> | |||
|- | |||
!scope="row"| ''[[Garfield: His 9 Lives#Television special|Garfield: His 9 Lives]]'' | |||
| {{Start date|1988|11|22}} || {{nom}}<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.emmys.com/shows/garfield-his-9-lives |title=Garfield: His 9 Lives |access-date=December 10, 2016 |work=[[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]] |archive-date=December 20, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220114120/http://www.emmys.com/shows/garfield-his-9-lives |url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
|- | |||
!scope="row"| ''[[Garfield's Babes and Bullets]]'' | |||
| {{Start date|1989|5|23}} || {{won}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.emmys.com/shows/garfield-babes-and-bullets |title=Garfield: Babes and Bullets |access-date=December 10, 2016 |work=[[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]]}}</ref> | |||
|- | |||
!scope="row"| ''[[Garfield's Thanksgiving]]'' | |||
| {{Start date|1989|11|22}} || {{nom}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.emmys.com/shows/garfields-thanksgiving |title=Garfield's Thanksgiving |access-date=December 10, 2016 |work=[[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]]}}</ref> | |||
|- | |||
!scope="row"| ''[[Garfield's Feline Fantasies]]'' | |||
| {{Start date|1990|5|18}} || {{nom}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.emmys.com/shows/garfields-feline-fantasies |title=Garfield's Feline Fantasies |access-date=December 10, 2016 |work=[[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]]}}</ref> | |||
|- | |||
!scope="row"| ''[[Garfield Gets a Life]]'' | |||
| {{Start date|1991|5|8}} || {{nom}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Terrace |first=Vincent |title=Television Specials: 5,336 Entertainment Programs, 1936–2012 |date=2013 |publisher=McFarland & Co |isbn=9780786474448 |page=162 |edition=2nd}}</ref> | |||
|} | |||
===Films=== | |||
{{Main|Garfield: The Movie|Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties|The Garfield Movie}} | |||
A [[Live action|live-action]]/[[Computer animation|computer animated]] film titled ''[[Garfield: The Movie]]'' was released in theaters on June 11, 2004, and a sequel titled ''[[Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties]]'' was released on June 16, 2006. Both films were released by [[20th Century Fox]] with actor [[Bill Murray]] voicing the character in both films. Despite receiving negative reviews from critics, the films were both commercial successes. Three direct-to-video films were released by [[Paws, Inc.]] in cooperation with [[Davis Entertainment]]: ''[[Garfield Gets Real]]'' on November 20, 2007, ''[[Garfield's Fun Fest]]'' on August 5, 2008, and ''[[Garfield's Pet Force]]'' on June 16, 2009.<ref>{{Cite book |last=McCance |first=Rodney |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1WA8zgEACAAJ |title=The Creation of Garfield |date=2021 |publisher=Pen & Sword Books Limited |isbn=978-1-5267-6834-6 |language=en}}</ref> | |||
On May 24, 2016, it was announced that [[Alcon Entertainment]] would develop a new CG-animated ''[[The Garfield Movie|Garfield]]'' film, with John Cohen and Steven P. Wegner producing, and [[Mark Dindal]] directing the feature.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2016/film/news/garfield-animated-movie-alcon-1201781160/|title='Garfield' Animated Movie in the Works at Alcon|date=May 26, 2016|access-date=November 27, 2016|archive-date=May 24, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160524192445/https://variety.com/2016/film/news/garfield-animated-movie-alcon-1201781160/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://movieweb.com/movie/garfield/|title=Garfield is Getting a Fully CG-Animated Movie Reboot|access-date=November 27, 2016|archive-date=November 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161127221835/http://movieweb.com/movie/garfield/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/mark-dindal-to-direct-all-animated-garfield-feature-for-alcon-166468.html|title=Mark Dindal To Direct All-Animated 'Garfield' Feature For Alcon|date=November 12, 2018|website=Cartoon Brew|access-date=November 16, 2018|archive-date=November 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181114045404/https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/mark-dindal-to-direct-all-animated-garfield-feature-for-alcon-166468.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In August 2019, [[Viacom (2005–2019)|Viacom]] acquired the rights to Garfield, leaving the status of the movie for the time uncertain, with Dindal confirming that the film was still in production in December 2020.<ref name="Steinberg" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laughingplace.com/w/articles/2020/12/18/wdfm-mark-dindal-event-recap/|title=Happily Ever After Hours with Animator and Filmmaker Mark Dindal|date=December 19, 2020|access-date=December 20, 2020|archive-date=February 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205124306/https://www.laughingplace.com/w/articles/2020/12/18/wdfm-mark-dindal-event-recap/|url-status=live}}</ref> On November 1, 2021, [[Chris Pratt]] was announced as the voice of Garfield, with animation being provided by [[DNEG]], a production company of the film. [[David Reynolds (screenwriter)|David Reynolds]] was announced as the screenwriter of the film, reuniting him with Dindal after they worked together on ''[[The Emperor's New Groove]]''. [[Sony Pictures]] will maintain global distribution rights for the film, apart from China.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2021/11/garfield-chris-pratt-to-play-title-character-in-alcon-animated-film-1234865972/|title='Garfield': Chris Pratt To Voice Title Character In Alcon Entertainment's Animated Film|last=Grobar|first=Matt|work=[[Deadline Hollywood|Deadline]]|date=November 1, 2021|access-date=November 2, 2021|archive-date=November 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104234544/https://deadline.com/2021/11/garfield-chris-pratt-to-play-title-character-in-alcon-animated-film-1234865972/|url-status=live}}</ref> On May 24, 2022, [[Samuel L. Jackson]] joined the voice cast as Vic, Garfield's father.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Grobar |first=Matt |date=2022-05-24 |title=Samuel L. Jackson Joins Chris Pratt In Alcon Entertainment's 'Garfield' |url=https://deadline.com/2022/05/samuel-l-jackson-joins-chris-pratt-in-alcon-entertainments-garfield-1235031537/ |access-date=2022-06-15 |website=Deadline |archive-date=May 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525150516/https://deadline.com/2022/05/samuel-l-jackson-joins-chris-pratt-in-alcon-entertainments-garfield-1235031537/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The movie was released on May 24, 2024, and was a success, bringing in a box office total of $255.4 million worldwide on a budget of $60 million. Pratt has been confirmed to return in the sequel, announced on July 8, 2025.<ref name="collider_com" /> | |||
=== | ===Video games=== | ||
''' | {{See also|Garfield merchandise#Video games}} | ||
A ''Garfield'' video game was developed by [[Atari, Inc.]] for its [[Atari 2600]] home [[video game system]] and appears in their 1984 catalog.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://atariage.com/catalog_page.html?CatalogID=67¤tPage=4|title=Atari (CO25618-001 Rev. A)|publisher=Atari, Inc.|work=AtariAge|date=1984|access-date=May 24, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615151625/http://atariage.com/catalog_page.html?CatalogID=67¤tPage=4|archive-date=June 15, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> However, after [[Atari Corporation|Atari's spinoff and sale]] of its home games and computers division, owner [[Jack Tramiel]] decided the character's [[royalties]] were too expensive given the [[Video game crash of 1983|declining state]] of the [[video game industry]] at the time, and the game was cancelled.<ref name="garfieldproto">{{cite web|url=http://www.atariprotos.com/2600/software/garfield/garfield.htm|title=Garfield|publisher=AtariProtos|access-date=May 24, 2018|archive-date=May 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180527120250/http://www.atariprotos.com/2600/software/garfield/garfield.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> A [[ROM image]] of the game was however released with Jim Davis' blessing.<ref name="garfieldproto"/> | |||
''[[Garfield: Big Fat Hairy Deal]]'' is a 1987 video game for the [[Atari ST]], [[ZX Spectrum]], [[Commodore 64]], [[Amstrad CPC]] and the [[Amiga]] based on the [[comic strip]]. Towa Chiki made ''[[A Week of Garfield]]'' for the [[Nintendo Entertainment System|Family Computer]], released only in Japan in 1989. [[Sega]] also made the 1995 video game ''[[Garfield: Caught in the Act]]'' for the [[Sega Genesis|Sega Genesis/Mega Drive]], [[Game Gear]] and Windows 3.1 computers. Other companies made games, such as ''[[Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (video game)|A Tale of Two Kitties]]'' for the [[Nintendo DS|DS]], published by Game Factory, ''[[Garfield's Nightmare]]'' for DS, ''Garfield's Funfest'' for DS, and ''[[Garfield Labyrinth]]'' for [[Game Boy]]. On PlayStation 2 were ''Garfield'' and ''Garfield 2'' (known in the US as ''Garfield, a Tale of Two Kitties''). ''[[Garfield: Lasagna World Tour]]'' was also made for PS2. ''Garfield: Saving Arlene'' was only released in Japan and in the United Kingdom. | |||
''Garfield, | |||
[[ | In 2012, a series of Garfield video games was launched by French publisher [[Anuman Interactive]], including ''My Puzzles with Garfield!'', ''Multiplication Tables with Garfield'', ''[[Garfield Kart]]'', ''[[Garfield Kart#Sequel|Garfield Kart: Furious Racing]]'', and ''Garfield's Match Up''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Farrugia|first=Nathan|url=http://www.capsulecomputers.com.au/2013/10/garfield-kart-new-details-and-pictures/|title=Garfield Kart New Details and Pictures – Capsule Computers|publisher=Capsulecomputers.com.au|access-date=May 24, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812130505/http://www.capsulecomputers.com.au/2013/10/garfield-kart-new-details-and-pictures/|archive-date=August 12, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> | ||
Garfield appears as a playable character in several Nickelodeon crossover games, including ''[[Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl]]'', ''[[Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3: Slime Speedway]]'', and ''[[Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/nickelodeon-all-star-brawl-garfield|title=Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl's First DLC Character is Garfield|last=Bailey|first=Kat|date=December 7, 2021|website=IGN|access-date=December 7, 2021|archive-date=December 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207170232/https://www.ign.com/articles/nickelodeon-all-star-brawl-garfield|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
===Stage=== | |||
[[Joseph Papp]], producer of ''[[A Chorus Line]]'', discussed making a Garfield stage musical, but due to some complications, it never got off ground. A full-length stage musical, titled "Garfield Live", was planned to kick off its US tour in September 2010, but got moved to January 18, 2011, where it premiered in [[Muncie, Indiana]]. The book was written by Jim Davis, with music and lyrics by Michael Dansicker and Bill Meade, and it was booked by AWA Touring Services. The opening song, "Cattitude", can be heard on the national tour's website, along with two more, "On the Fence" and "Going Home!".<ref>{{cite web|title=Garfield Live on Stage|url=http://garfieldthemusical.com/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091011093814/http://garfieldthemusical.com/|archive-date=October 11, 2009}}</ref> When the North American tour concluded in 2012, it toured throughout Asia. | |||
=== | ===Comic book=== | ||
''' | In agreement with Paws, [[Boom! Studios]] launched in May 2012 a monthly ''Garfield'' comic book, with the first issue featuring a story written by [[Mark Evanier]] (who has supervised ''[[Garfield and Friends]]'' and ''[[The Garfield Show]]'') and illustrated by Davis's long-time assistant Gary Barker.<ref>{{cite web|title=New Garfield Comic Book|url=http://www.garfield.com/news/stories.html?boom&boom|access-date=April 30, 2012|archive-date=October 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191026120952/https://garfield.com/news/stories.html?boom&boom|url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
{{ | ===Art book=== | ||
In 2016, [[Hermes Press]] signed an agreement with Paws, Inc to publish an art book on the art of author Jim Davis, titled ''The Art of Jim Davis' Garfield''.<ref name="Herman">{{cite web|last=Herman|first=Daniel|title=[SOLICITATIONS] THE ART OF JIM DAVIS' GARFIELD TO BE RELEASED BY HERMES PRESS|url=http://majorspoilers.com/2016/03/21/solicitations-art-jim-davis-garfield-released-hermes-press/|work=Major Spoilers|date=March 21, 2016|access-date=March 21, 2016|archive-date=April 2, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160402034011/http://majorspoilers.com/2016/03/21/solicitations-art-jim-davis-garfield-released-hermes-press/|url-status=live}}</ref> The book includes an essay by author [[R.C. Harvey]] and other original material, and was released in July 2016 for [[San Diego Comic-Con]].<ref name="Herman"/> | |||
===Restaurant=== | |||
In 2018, a [[ghost restaurant]] themed after the franchise known as [[GarfieldEats|GarfieldEATS]] was opened in [[Dubai]]. Customers order food through the official mobile app, which also contains games and allows users to purchase episodes of ''Garfield and Friends''. The restaurant serves lasagna, Garfield-shaped pizza, "[[Cappuccino|Garfuccinos]]", and Garfield-shaped dark chocolate bars. A second location opened in [[Toronto]] in 2019.<ref>{{cite web |last1=O'Kane |first1=Josh |title=Canadian entrepreneur behind GarfieldEATS wants to disrupt fast-food, one lasagna at a time |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-canadian-entrepreneur-behind-garfieldeats-wants-to-disrupt-fast-food/ |website=The Globe and Mail |access-date=20 June 2020 |date=5 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Bowman |first1=Lisa |title=There's a food delivery app only sells Garfield themed cuisine |url=https://metro.co.uk/2018/04/12/food-delivery-app-sells-garfield-themed-cuisine-7462293/ |website=Metro |access-date=20 June 2020 |date=12 April 2018 |archive-date=August 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801025800/https://metro.co.uk/2018/04/12/food-delivery-app-sells-garfield-themed-cuisine-7462293/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] and a dispute over rent, the restaurant closed in 2020.<ref>{{cite web |last=Brimstin |first=Chelsea |title=Toronto 'Garfield'-themed pizza restaurant GarfieldEATS has closed |website=Indie88 |url=https://indie88.com/toronto-garfield-themed-pizza-restaurant-garfieldeats-has-closed/ |date=12 Nov 2020 |access-date=November 13, 2020 |archive-date=November 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113062811/https://indie88.com/toronto-garfield-themed-pizza-restaurant-garfieldeats-has-closed/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
==Recurring subjects and themes== | ==Recurring subjects and themes== | ||
Many of the gags focus on Garfield's obsessive eating and obesity; his dislike of spiders; his hatred of Mondays, diets, and any form of exertion; his constant shedding (which annoys Jon); and his abuse of Odie and Jon as well as his obsession with mailing [[List of Garfield characters|Nermal]] to [[Abu Dhabi]], or simply throwing him ''through'' the front door. Though he will eat nearly anything (with the exception of [[raisin]]s and [[spinach]]), Garfield is particularly fond of [[lasagna]]; he also enjoys eating Jon's houseplants and other pets.{{citation needed|date=February 2026}} | |||
Many of the gags focus on Garfield's obsessive eating and obesity; his dislike of spiders; his hatred of Mondays, diets, and any form of exertion; his constant shedding (which annoys Jon); and his abuse of Odie and Jon as well as his obsession with mailing [[List of Garfield characters|Nermal]] to [[Abu Dhabi]], or simply throwing him ''through'' the front door. Though he will eat nearly anything (with the exception of [[raisin]]s and [[spinach]]), Garfield is particularly fond of [[lasagna]]; he also enjoys eating Jon's houseplants and other pets | |||
He also has odd relationships with household pests; Garfield generally spares mice, and even cooperates with them to cause mischief | He also has odd relationships with household pests; Garfield generally spares mice, and even cooperates with them to cause mischief, but will readily swat or pound spiders flat. Other gags focus on Jon's poor social skills and inability to get a date; before he started dating Liz, he often tried to get dates, usually without success.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://images.ucomics.com/comics/ga/1996/ga960614.gif|title=The Garfield Vault Strip|date=June 14, 1996|access-date=August 5, 2008|archive-date=September 27, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927191229/http://images.ucomics.com/comics/ga/1996/ga960614.gif|url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
Garfield's world has specific locations that appear normally on the comic strips, like the vet's office | Garfield's world has specific locations that appear normally on the comic strips, like the vet's office. Irma's Diner is another occasional setting. Irma is a chirpy but slow-witted and unattractive waitress/manager, and one of Jon's few friends. The terrible food is the center of most of the jokes, along with the poor management. Jon periodically visits his parents and brother on the farm. This results in week-long comical displays of stupidity by Jon and his family, and their interactions. There is a comic strip where Jon and his brother Doc Boy are watching socks floating in the washing machine and Doc Boy exclaims "There goes the red sock again!" as they sit together on a couch, watching it as if it were a television program.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 17, 1990 |title=Garfield by Jim Davis for July 17, 1990 |url=https://www.gocomics.com/garfield/1990/07/17 |url-status=live |access-date=April 25, 2026 |website=GoComics}}</ref> | ||
On the farm, Jon's mother will cook huge dinners; Garfield hugs her for this. Jon has a grandmother who, in a strip, once kicked Odie; Garfield subsequently hugged her. Jon's parents have twice visited Jon, Garfield, and Odie in the city. Jon's father drove into town on his [[tractor]] | On the farm, Jon's mother will cook huge dinners; Garfield hugs her for this. Jon has a grandmother who, in a strip, once kicked Odie; Garfield subsequently hugged her. Jon's parents have twice visited Jon, Garfield, and Odie in the city. Jon's father drove into town on his [[tractor]] and brought a rooster to wake him up. As Garfield has a love for food, they will often eat out at restaurants. Most trips end up embarrassing because Garfield will pig out, or Jon will do something stupid, including wearing an ugly shirt, which happened one night when he took Liz on a date. When Jon takes Liz on a date, Garfield occasionally tags along—once, he ate the bread and other food at an Italian restaurant they went to.<ref name="The Garfield Vault Strip">{{cite web|url=http://images.ucomics.com/comics/ga/2007/ga070819.gif|title=The Garfield Vault Strip|date=August 19, 2007|access-date=June 6, 2008|work=Garfield.com|archive-date=October 29, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091029015904/http://images.ucomics.com/comics/ga/2007/ga070819.gif|url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
Frequently, the characters break the [[fourth wall]], mostly to explain something to the readers, talk about a subject that often sets up the strip's punchline | Frequently, the characters break the [[fourth wall]], mostly to explain something to the readers, talk about a subject that often sets up the strip's punchline,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://images.ucomics.com/comics/ga/1992/ga920125.gif|title=The Garfield Vault Strip|date=January 25, 1992|access-date=June 21, 2008|work=Garfield.com|archive-date=September 27, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927191243/http://images.ucomics.com/comics/ga/1992/ga920125.gif|url-status=live}}</ref> or give a mere glare when a character is belittled or not impressed. Sometimes, this theme revolves around the conventions of the strip; for example, in one strip, Garfield catches a cold and complains about it, noting that his thoughts are stuffed up.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://images.ucomics.com/comics/ga/1978/ga781127.gif|title=The Garfield Vault Strip|date=November 27, 1978|access-date=June 21, 2008|work=Garfield.com|archive-date=August 17, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110817225127/http://images.ucomics.com/comics/ga/1978/ga781127.gif|url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
===Short storylines=== | ===Short storylines=== | ||
[[File:Garfield 1989-10-27 right panel.png|frame|Right panel of the October 27, 1989, strip]] | [[File:Garfield 1989-10-27 right panel.png|frame|Right panel of the October 27, 1989, strip]] | ||
One storyline, which ran the week before [[Halloween]] in 1989, is unique among Garfield strips in that it is not meant to be humorous.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/its-not-just-you-garfield-is-not-meant-to-be-funny-6199556/ |title=It's Not Just You: Garfield Is Not Meant to Be Funny |date=March 20, 2013 |access-date=April 29, 2018 |magazine=Smithsonian Magazine |last=Eveleth |first=Rose |author-link=Rose Eveleth}}</ref> | One storyline, which ran the week before [[Halloween]] in 1989, is unique among Garfield strips in that it is not meant to be humorous.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/its-not-just-you-garfield-is-not-meant-to-be-funny-6199556/ |title=It's Not Just You: Garfield Is Not Meant to Be Funny |date=March 20, 2013 |access-date=April 29, 2018 |magazine=Smithsonian Magazine |last=Eveleth |first=Rose |author-link=Rose Eveleth |archive-date=April 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180430113901/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/its-not-just-you-garfield-is-not-meant-to-be-funny-6199556/ |url-status=live }}</ref>It depicts Garfield awakening in a future in which the house is abandoned and he no longer exists. In Garfield's ''Twentieth Anniversary Collection'', in which the strips are reprinted, Jim Davis discusses the genesis for this series: | ||
{{blockquote|During a writing session for Halloween, I got the idea for this decidedly different series of strips. I wanted to scare people. And what do people fear most? Why, being alone. We carried out the concept to its logical conclusion and got a lot of responses from readers. Reaction ranged from 'Right on!' to 'This isn't a trend, is it?'}} | {{blockquote|During a writing session for Halloween, I got the idea for this decidedly different series of strips. I wanted to scare people. And what do people fear most? Why, being alone. We carried out the concept to its logical conclusion and got a lot of responses from readers. Reaction ranged from 'Right on!' to 'This isn't a trend, is it?'{{citation needed|date=February 2026}}}} | ||
One of the recurring storylines involves Garfield getting lost or running away. The longest one of these lasted for over a month (in 1986, from August 25 to September 28); it began with Jon telling Garfield to go get the newspaper. Garfield walks outside to get it, but speculates about what will happen if he wanders off – and decides to find out. Jon notices Garfield has been gone too long, so he sends Odie out to find him. He quickly realizes his mistake (Odie, being not too bright, also gets lost). Jon starts to get lonely, so he offers a reward for the return of Garfield and Odie. He is not descriptive, so animals including an elephant, [[monkey]]s, a [[Pinniped|seal]], a snake, a [[kangaroo]] and [[joey (marsupial)|joey]], and turtles are brought to Jon's house for the reward. After a series of events, including Odie being adopted by a small girl, both pets meeting up at a circus that they briefly join, and both going to a pet shop, Garfield and Odie make it back home. | One of the recurring storylines involves Garfield getting lost or running away. The longest one of these lasted for over a month (in 1986, from August 25 to September 28); it began with Jon telling Garfield to go get the newspaper. Garfield walks outside to get it, but speculates about what will happen if he wanders off – and decides to find out. Jon notices Garfield has been gone too long, so he sends Odie out to find him. He quickly realizes his mistake (Odie, being not too bright, also gets lost). Jon starts to get lonely, so he offers a reward for the return of Garfield and Odie. He is not descriptive, so animals including an elephant, [[monkey]]s, a [[Pinniped|seal]], a snake, a [[kangaroo]] and [[joey (marsupial)|joey]], and turtles are brought to Jon's house for the reward. After a series of events, including Odie being adopted by a small girl, both pets meeting up at a circus that they briefly join, and both going to a pet shop, Garfield and Odie make it back home.{{citation needed|date=February 2026}} | ||
Another story involved Jon going away on a business trip around Christmas time, leaving Garfield a week's worth of food, which he devoured instantly. Garfield then leaves the house and gets locked out. He then reunites with his mother, and eventually makes it back home in the snow on Christmas Eve (December 3–23, 1984). Part of this storyline was taken from the 1983 Emmy-winning special ''[[Garfield on the Town]]''. | Another story involved Jon going away on a business trip around Christmas time, leaving Garfield a week's worth of food, which he devoured instantly. Garfield then leaves the house and gets locked out. He then reunites with his mother, and eventually makes it back home in the snow on Christmas Eve (December 3–23, 1984). Part of this storyline was taken from the 1983 Emmy-winning special ''[[Garfield on the Town]]''.{{citation needed|date=February 2026}} | ||
==Paws, Inc.== | ==Paws, Inc.== | ||
{{main|Paws, Inc.}} | {{main|Paws, Inc.}} | ||
Paws, Inc.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.send2press.com/PRnetwire/pr04_101203-nypaws.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041020045311/http://www.send2press.com/PRnetwire/pr04_101203-nypaws.shtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 20, 2004|title=Running Paws, Inc. – The Evolution of Dog Walking Reaches 100th Client – Business News from Send2Press Newswire 10/12/04|publisher=Send2press.com|date=October 12, 2004|access-date=January 10, 2010}}</ref> was founded in 1981 by [[Jim Davis (cartoonist)|Jim Davis]] to support the Garfield comic strip and its licensing. It is located in [[Muncie, Indiana]], and has a staff of nearly 50 artists and licensing administrators. In 1994, the company purchased all rights to the Garfield comic strips from 1978 to 1993 from [[United Feature Syndicate]]. However, the original black and white daily strips and original color Sunday strips remain copyrighted to United Feature Syndicate. The full-color daily strips and recolored Sunday strips are copyrighted to Paws as they are considered a different product. Though rights to the strip remain with Paws, Inc., it is currently distributed by the [[Andrews McMeel Syndication]]. In August 2019, Davis sold Paws, Inc. to [[Paramount Global|Viacom]], who has placed Garfield under the [[Nickelodeon]] banner.<ref name="Steinberg"/> | Paws, Inc.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.send2press.com/PRnetwire/pr04_101203-nypaws.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041020045311/http://www.send2press.com/PRnetwire/pr04_101203-nypaws.shtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 20, 2004|title=Running Paws, Inc. – The Evolution of Dog Walking Reaches 100th Client – Business News from Send2Press Newswire 10/12/04|publisher=Send2press.com|date=October 12, 2004|access-date=January 10, 2010}}</ref> was founded in 1981 by [[Jim Davis (cartoonist)|Jim Davis]] to support the Garfield comic strip and its licensing. It is located in [[Muncie, Indiana]], and has a staff of nearly 50 artists and licensing administrators. In 1994, the company purchased all rights to the Garfield comic strips from 1978 to 1993 from [[United Feature Syndicate]]. However, the original black and white daily strips and original color Sunday strips remain copyrighted to United Feature Syndicate. The full-color daily strips and recolored Sunday strips are copyrighted to Paws as they are considered a different product. Though rights to the strip remain with Paws, Inc., it is currently distributed by the [[Andrews McMeel Syndication]]. In August 2019, Davis sold Paws, Inc. to [[Paramount Global|Viacom]], who has placed Garfield under the [[Nickelodeon]] banner.<ref name="Steinberg"/> | ||
== See also == | == See also == | ||
* | * ''[[Heathcliff (comic strip)|Heathcliff]]'' – another American comic strip featuring an orange cat | ||
* {{Portal inline|Comics}} | * {{Portal inline|Comics}} | ||
* {{Portal inline|Cartoon}} | * {{Portal inline|Cartoon}} | ||
==Bibliography== | ==Bibliography== | ||
===Primary sources=== | ===Primary sources=== | ||
* {{Cite book|last=Davis|first=Jim|title=20 Years & Still Kicking!: Garfield's Twentieth Anniversary Collection| | * {{Cite book|last=Davis|first=Jim|title=20 Years & Still Kicking!: Garfield's Twentieth Anniversary Collection |location=New York |publisher=Ballantine Books|year=1998|isbn=978-0-345-42126-5}} | ||
* {{Cite book|last=Davis|first=Jim|title=In Dog Years I'd be Dead: Garfield at 25|publisher=Random House | * {{Cite book|last=Davis|first=Jim|title=In Dog Years I'd be Dead: Garfield at 25|publisher=Random House |year=2004|isbn=978-0-345-45204-7}} | ||
===Secondary sources=== | ===Secondary sources=== | ||
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{{Wikiquote}} | {{Wikiquote}} | ||
{{Commons category}} | {{Commons category}} | ||
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20200618082915/https://www.garfield.com/ Archive of Garfield.com on its last day before conversion] | * [https://web.archive.org/web/20200618082915/https://www.garfield.com/ Archive of Garfield.com on its last day before conversion] | ||
* [http://toonopedia.com/garfield.htm ''Garfield''] at [[Don Markstein's Toonopedia]]. [https://archive.today/20161120200641/http://toonopedia.com/garfield.htm Archived] from the original on August 1, 2016. | * [http://toonopedia.com/garfield.htm ''Garfield''] at [[Don Markstein's Toonopedia]]. [https://archive.today/20161120200641/http://toonopedia.com/garfield.htm Archived] from the original on August 1, 2016. | ||
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[[Category: | [[Category:Media franchises]] | ||
[[Category:Nickelodeon]] | [[Category:Nickelodeon]] | ||
[[Category:Paramount | [[Category:Paramount Skydance franchises]] | ||
[[Category:Slice of life comics]] | [[Category:Slice of life comics]] | ||
[[Category:Comics about talking animals]] | [[Category:Comics about talking animals]] | ||
Latest revision as of 20:30, 28 May 2026
Garfield is an American comic strip and media franchise created by Jim Davis. Originally published locally as Jon in 1976 (later changed to Garfield in 1977), then in nationwide syndication from 1978, it chronicles the life of the title character Garfield the cat, Odie the dog, and their owner Jon Arbuckle. As of 2013, it was syndicated in roughly 2,580 newspapers and journals; the comic held the Guinness World Record for being the world's most widely syndicated comic strip.[1]
Though the strip's setting is rarely mentioned in print, the television special Happy Birthday, Garfield states that Garfield lives in Muncie, Indiana, the hometown of the creator Jim Davis. The strip frequently focuses on Garfield's appetite, laziness, and interactions with other characters.
Garfield has been adapted into various forms of media. Several half-hour television specials aired on CBS between 1982 and 1991, starting with Here Comes Garfield and ending with Garfield Gets a Life. Also airing on CBS from 1988 to 1994 was the animated series Garfield and Friends, which additionally adapted Davis's comic strip U.S. Acres. All of these featured Lorenzo Music as the voice of Garfield. The feature film Garfield: The Movie was released in 2004, followed by its sequel, Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties, in 2006. Both were live-action featuring a computer-animated Garfield voiced by Bill Murray. Another animated TV adaptation, The Garfield Show, aired on France 3 in France and Cartoon Network in the United States from 2009 to 2016. In addition, Garfield has been the subject of merchandise, video games, books, and other spin-off merchandise. The strip has also been re-published in compilations; the first of these, Garfield at Large (1980), developed what came to be known as the "Garfield format" for re-publication of newspaper comics in book form.
On August 6, 2019, New York City–based Viacom (now Paramount Skydance Corporation) announced that it would acquire Paws, Inc., including most rights to the Garfield franchise (the comic strip, merchandise and animated cartoons).[2] The deal did not include the rights to the live-action Garfield films,[3] which are still owned by The Walt Disney Company through its 20th Century Studios label, as well as The Garfield Movie (2024), released by Alcon Entertainment and Sony Pictures under its Columbia Pictures label.[4] A new animated series is in production for Paramount+.
History
Before Garfield
Cartoonist Jim Davis was born in Marion, Indiana, and raised on a farm in Fairmount, Indiana.[5] In 1973, while working as an assistant for T.K. Ryan's Tumbleweeds, he created the comic strip Gnorm Gnat, which ran in the Pendleton Times of Pendleton, Indiana, from 1973 to 1975 and met with little success. Davis had tried to syndicate the strip, but was unsuccessful; he noted that one editor told him that his "art was good, his gags were great, [but] nobody can identify with bugs."[6] Davis decided to review current comic strips to determine what types of animal characters might be more popular. He felt that dogs were well represented, but noticed that there were no prominent cat characters.[6]
The title character, Garfield, was inspired by the cats Davis grew up with. It was named after Davis' grandfather, James A. Garfield Davis, whose personality also influenced the character; Davis described him as "a large, cantankerous man".[7] Garfield's owner, Jon Arbuckle, was named after a 1950s coffee advertisement. Jon's roommate, Lyman, was introduced to provide Jon with a conversational foil and was named after a character from Davis' earlier comic strip, Gnorm Gnat.[6] Lyman's dog was originally named Spot, but was later renamed to Odie to avoid confusion with another comic-strip dog of the same name in Boner's Ark.
Jon
From 1976 to early 1978, these characters appeared in a comic strip titled Jon, which was published in the Pendleton Times. In 1977, the strip was renamed Garfield. For many years, Jon remained largely unavailable to the public until 2019, YouTuber Quinton Hoover found several microfilm archives of the Jon publications from the Pendleton Community Library and Indiana State Library.[8] Jon first appeared in the Pendleton Times on January 8, 1976, two weeks after Gnorm Gnat ended.
Syndication
In March 1978, United Feature Syndicate accepted the strip for national distribution (which had been retitled Garfield on September 1, 1977), and the last Pendleton Times strip ran on March 2, 1978. United Feature Syndicate debuted the first strip nationwide in 41 newspapers, starting on June 19, 1978. After a test run, the Chicago Sun-Times dropped the Garfield strip, only to reinstate it after readers' complaints.[1][9]
The strip underwent significant stylistic changes, evolving from the style of the 1976–83 strips, to a more cartoonish visual style from 1984 onward. This change has mainly affected Garfield's design, which underwent a "Darwinian evolution" in which he began walking on his hind legs, "slimmed down", and more expressive. According to creator Jim Davis, these changes made the character easier to animate and stage in visual gags, such as pushing Odie off a table or reaching for food.[10] The redesign was in part on the advice of Davis's mentor and erstwhile rival Charles M. Schulz. Although he regarded Garfield as less subtle than his own strip, Peanuts, he provided valuable guidance, particularly in licensing and merchandising. Davis later applied many of these strategies to the Garfield franchise[11]
Garfield quickly became a commercial success. By the beginning of 1981, less than three years after its nationwide launch, the strip was in 850 newspapers and had sold over $15 million in merchandise. To manage the merchandise, Davis founded Paws, Inc.[9] In 1982 the strip was appearing in more than 1,000 newspapers.[12]
By 2002, Garfield became the world's most syndicated strip, appearing in 2,570 newspapers with 263 million readers worldwide;[1] by 2004, Garfield appeared in nearly 2,600 newspapers and sold from $750 million to $1 billion worth of merchandise in 111 countries.[13] In 1994, Davis's company, Paws, Inc., purchased all rights to the strips from 1978 to 1993 from United Feature.
While retaining creative control and being the only person to whom the strip is credited in newspapers, Davis now only writes and usually does the rough sketches. Since the late 1990s most of the work has been done by long-time assistants Brett Koth and Gary Barker. Inking and coloring work is done by other artists, while Davis spends most of the time supervising production and merchandising the characters.[13]
Content
The strip's title character is Garfield, an obese orange tabby cat. Garfield's personality is defined by his sarcasm, laziness, and gluttony, with the character showing a particular affinity for lasagna. His owner is Jon Arbuckle, a man with an affinity for stereotypically nerdy pastimes. Jon's other pet is Odie, a dim-witted yellow dog. Most strips center around interactions among the three characters' conflicting personalities. For much of the strip's history, one recurring theme was Jon's unsuccessful attempts at dating, particularly involving the pets' veterinarian, Dr. Liz Wilson, a character who also carried over from Jon. However, after a 2006 story arc, the two engaged and started living together.[14] Many strips feature Jon, Garfield, and Odie visiting Jon's unnamed parents and brother Doc Boy on their family farm. Other side characters include various mice and spiders within the house, both frequent targets of abuse and scorn from Garfield; Garfield's teddy bear Pooky; Garfield's girlfriend Arlene, a pink cat; Nermal, a gray striped kitten who enjoys tormenting Garfield over his perceived age; and various other pets who live in the neighborhood.
Part of the strip's broad pop cultural appeal is due to its lack of social or political commentary; though this was Davis's original intention, he also admitted that his "grasp of politics isn't strong", joking that, for many years, he thought "OPEC was a denture adhesive".[15][16]
Originally created with the intentions to "come up with a good, marketable character",[17] Garfield has spawned merchandise earning $750 million to $1 billion annually. In addition to the various merchandise and commercial tie-ins, the strip has spawned several animated television specials[18], two animated television series[19], two theatrical feature-length live-action animated films[20], three fully computer-animated direct-to-video films, and a theatrical computer-animated film.[21]
Marketing
As one of the world's most syndicated comic strips,[22] Garfield has spawned a "profusion"[13] of merchandise including clothing, toys, games, books, Caribbean cruises, credit cards, dolls,[23] DVDs of the movies or the TV series,[24] and related media.[25] In April 2024, Motel 6 announced Garfield as their first "Chief Pet Officer" and Garfield-themed rooms for the release of The Garfield Movie.[26]
Media
Books
Since 1980, the strip has been compiled in anthology books. The first, Garfield at Large, was published in March 1980 by Ballantine Books. These books helped increase the strip's popularity through sales, leading to several of them reaching the top of the New York Times best-seller list.[27] For these compilation books, Davis devised a book layout which is considerably longer and less tall than the average book. This allowed the strip to be oriented in the same format as it appeared in the newspaper, as opposed to earlier comic strip anthologies which often stacked the panels vertically.[27] This book style has since been referred to in the publishing industry as the "Garfield format" and has been adapted by other publishers. Davis noted that it became popular for other comic strip anthologies in particular, such as those of The Far Side.[28]
Internet
Garfield.com was the strip's official website, which contained archives of past strips along with games and an online store. Jim Davis had also collaborated with Ball State University and Pearson Digital Learning to create ProfessorGarfield.org, an educational website with interactive games focusing on math and reading skills, and with Children's Technology Group to create MindWalker, a web browser that allows parents to limit the websites their children can view to a preset list.[29][30][31]
A variety of edited Garfield strips have been made available on the Internet, with some being hosted on their own unofficial, dedicated sites. Dating from 2005, a site titled the "Garfield Randomizer" created a three-panel strip using panels from previous Garfield strips.[32] Another variation along the same lines, called "Realfield" or "Realistic Garfield", was to redraw Garfield as a real cat and remove his thought balloons.[33][34] Still another approach to editing the strips involved removing Garfield and other main characters from the originals completely, leaving Jon talking to himself. While strips in this vein could be found online as early as 2006,[35] the 2008 site Garfield Minus Garfield by Dan Walsh received enough online attention to be covered by news media. Reception was largely positive: at its peak, the site received as many as 300,000 hits per day. Fans connected with Jon's "loneliness and desperation" and found his "crazy antics" humorous; Jim Davis himself called Walsh's strips an "inspired thing to do" and said that "some of [the strips] work better [than the originals]".[36][37] Ballantine Books, which publishes the Garfield books, released a volume of Garfield Minus Garfield strips on October 28, 2008. The volume retains Davis as author and features a foreword by Walsh.[33]
Television
| Characters | The Fantastic Funnies | Garfield Television Specials | Television series | Direct-to-DVD films | Theatrical films | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garfield and Friends | The Garfield Show | Garfield Originals | Garfield Gets Real | Garfield's Fun Fest | Garfield's Pet Force | Garfield: The Movie |
Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties |
The Garfield Movie | |||
| 1980 | 1982–1991 | 1988–1994 | 2009–2016 | 2019–2020 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2004 | 2006 | 2024 | |
| Garfield | Scott Beach | Lorenzo Music | Frank Welker | Gérard Surugue | Frank Welker | Bill Murray | Chris Pratt | ||||
| Jon Arbuckle | Thom Huge | Sandy Kenyon | Thom Huge | Wally Wingert | Bruno Choël | Wally Wingert | Breckin Meyer | Nicholas Hoult[38] | |||
| Thom Huge | |||||||||||
| Odie | Gregg Berger | Antoine Schoumsky | Gregg Berger | Uncredited dog | Harvey Guillén | ||||||
| Dr. Liz Wilson | Julie K. Payne | Véronique Soufflet | Jennifer Love Hewitt | Dev Joshi | |||||||
| Nermal | Desirée Goyette | Jason Marsden | Jason Marsden | David Eigenberg | Silent cameo | ||||||
| Arlene | Silent cameo | Audrey Wasilewski | Audrey Wasilewski | Debra Messing | |||||||
Garfield's animation debut was on The Fantastic Funnies, which aired on CBS on May 15, 1980, voiced by actor Scott Beach. Garfield was one of the strips featured, introduced as a newcomer (the strip was only two years old at the time). From 1982 to 1991, twelve primetime Garfield cartoon specials and one hour-long primetime documentary celebrating the character's 10th anniversary were aired; Lorenzo Music voiced Garfield in all of them. A Saturday-morning cartoon show, Garfield and Friends, aired for seven seasons from 1988 to 1994. This adaptation also starred Music as the voice of Garfield.[39]
The Garfield Show, a CGI series, started development in 2007 to coincide with the strip's 30th anniversary in 2008.[40] It premiered in France in December 2008 and made its U.S. debut on Cartoon Network on November 2, 2009.
In March 2026, it was announced the Nickelodeon series was picked up by Paramount+. Lamorne Morris will voice the titular character.[41]
Primetime specials
| Title | Broadcast date | Emmy result |
|---|---|---|
| Here Comes Garfield | October 25, 1982 | Nominated[42] |
| Garfield on the Town | October 28, 1983 | Won[43] |
| Garfield in the Rough | October 26, 1984 | Won[44] |
| Garfield's Halloween Adventure | October 30, 1985 | Won[45] |
| Garfield in Paradise | May 27, 1986 | Nominated[46] |
| Garfield Goes Hollywood | May 8, 1987 | Nominated[47] |
| A Garfield Christmas | December 21, 1987 | Nominated[48] |
| Garfield: His 9 Lives | November 22, 1988 | Nominated[49] |
| Garfield's Babes and Bullets | May 23, 1989 | Won[50] |
| Garfield's Thanksgiving | November 22, 1989 | Nominated[51] |
| Garfield's Feline Fantasies | May 18, 1990 | Nominated[52] |
| Garfield Gets a Life | May 8, 1991 | Nominated[53] |
Films
A live-action/computer animated film titled Garfield: The Movie was released in theaters on June 11, 2004, and a sequel titled Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties was released on June 16, 2006. Both films were released by 20th Century Fox with actor Bill Murray voicing the character in both films. Despite receiving negative reviews from critics, the films were both commercial successes. Three direct-to-video films were released by Paws, Inc. in cooperation with Davis Entertainment: Garfield Gets Real on November 20, 2007, Garfield's Fun Fest on August 5, 2008, and Garfield's Pet Force on June 16, 2009.[54]
On May 24, 2016, it was announced that Alcon Entertainment would develop a new CG-animated Garfield film, with John Cohen and Steven P. Wegner producing, and Mark Dindal directing the feature.[55][56][57] In August 2019, Viacom acquired the rights to Garfield, leaving the status of the movie for the time uncertain, with Dindal confirming that the film was still in production in December 2020.[2][58] On November 1, 2021, Chris Pratt was announced as the voice of Garfield, with animation being provided by DNEG, a production company of the film. David Reynolds was announced as the screenwriter of the film, reuniting him with Dindal after they worked together on The Emperor's New Groove. Sony Pictures will maintain global distribution rights for the film, apart from China.[59] On May 24, 2022, Samuel L. Jackson joined the voice cast as Vic, Garfield's father.[60] The movie was released on May 24, 2024, and was a success, bringing in a box office total of $255.4 million worldwide on a budget of $60 million. Pratt has been confirmed to return in the sequel, announced on July 8, 2025.[4]
Video games
A Garfield video game was developed by Atari, Inc. for its Atari 2600 home video game system and appears in their 1984 catalog.[61] However, after Atari's spinoff and sale of its home games and computers division, owner Jack Tramiel decided the character's royalties were too expensive given the declining state of the video game industry at the time, and the game was cancelled.[62] A ROM image of the game was however released with Jim Davis' blessing.[62]
Garfield: Big Fat Hairy Deal is a 1987 video game for the Atari ST, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC and the Amiga based on the comic strip. Towa Chiki made A Week of Garfield for the Family Computer, released only in Japan in 1989. Sega also made the 1995 video game Garfield: Caught in the Act for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, Game Gear and Windows 3.1 computers. Other companies made games, such as A Tale of Two Kitties for the DS, published by Game Factory, Garfield's Nightmare for DS, Garfield's Funfest for DS, and Garfield Labyrinth for Game Boy. On PlayStation 2 were Garfield and Garfield 2 (known in the US as Garfield, a Tale of Two Kitties). Garfield: Lasagna World Tour was also made for PS2. Garfield: Saving Arlene was only released in Japan and in the United Kingdom.
In 2012, a series of Garfield video games was launched by French publisher Anuman Interactive, including My Puzzles with Garfield!, Multiplication Tables with Garfield, Garfield Kart, Garfield Kart: Furious Racing, and Garfield's Match Up.[63]
Garfield appears as a playable character in several Nickelodeon crossover games, including Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl, Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3: Slime Speedway, and Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2.[64]
Stage
Joseph Papp, producer of A Chorus Line, discussed making a Garfield stage musical, but due to some complications, it never got off ground. A full-length stage musical, titled "Garfield Live", was planned to kick off its US tour in September 2010, but got moved to January 18, 2011, where it premiered in Muncie, Indiana. The book was written by Jim Davis, with music and lyrics by Michael Dansicker and Bill Meade, and it was booked by AWA Touring Services. The opening song, "Cattitude", can be heard on the national tour's website, along with two more, "On the Fence" and "Going Home!".[65] When the North American tour concluded in 2012, it toured throughout Asia.
Comic book
In agreement with Paws, Boom! Studios launched in May 2012 a monthly Garfield comic book, with the first issue featuring a story written by Mark Evanier (who has supervised Garfield and Friends and The Garfield Show) and illustrated by Davis's long-time assistant Gary Barker.[66]
Art book
In 2016, Hermes Press signed an agreement with Paws, Inc to publish an art book on the art of author Jim Davis, titled The Art of Jim Davis' Garfield.[67] The book includes an essay by author R.C. Harvey and other original material, and was released in July 2016 for San Diego Comic-Con.[67]
Restaurant
In 2018, a ghost restaurant themed after the franchise known as GarfieldEATS was opened in Dubai. Customers order food through the official mobile app, which also contains games and allows users to purchase episodes of Garfield and Friends. The restaurant serves lasagna, Garfield-shaped pizza, "Garfuccinos", and Garfield-shaped dark chocolate bars. A second location opened in Toronto in 2019.[68][69] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a dispute over rent, the restaurant closed in 2020.[70]
Recurring subjects and themes
Many of the gags focus on Garfield's obsessive eating and obesity; his dislike of spiders; his hatred of Mondays, diets, and any form of exertion; his constant shedding (which annoys Jon); and his abuse of Odie and Jon as well as his obsession with mailing Nermal to Abu Dhabi, or simply throwing him through the front door. Though he will eat nearly anything (with the exception of raisins and spinach), Garfield is particularly fond of lasagna; he also enjoys eating Jon's houseplants and other pets.[citation needed]
He also has odd relationships with household pests; Garfield generally spares mice, and even cooperates with them to cause mischief, but will readily swat or pound spiders flat. Other gags focus on Jon's poor social skills and inability to get a date; before he started dating Liz, he often tried to get dates, usually without success.[71]
Garfield's world has specific locations that appear normally on the comic strips, like the vet's office. Irma's Diner is another occasional setting. Irma is a chirpy but slow-witted and unattractive waitress/manager, and one of Jon's few friends. The terrible food is the center of most of the jokes, along with the poor management. Jon periodically visits his parents and brother on the farm. This results in week-long comical displays of stupidity by Jon and his family, and their interactions. There is a comic strip where Jon and his brother Doc Boy are watching socks floating in the washing machine and Doc Boy exclaims "There goes the red sock again!" as they sit together on a couch, watching it as if it were a television program.[72]
On the farm, Jon's mother will cook huge dinners; Garfield hugs her for this. Jon has a grandmother who, in a strip, once kicked Odie; Garfield subsequently hugged her. Jon's parents have twice visited Jon, Garfield, and Odie in the city. Jon's father drove into town on his tractor and brought a rooster to wake him up. As Garfield has a love for food, they will often eat out at restaurants. Most trips end up embarrassing because Garfield will pig out, or Jon will do something stupid, including wearing an ugly shirt, which happened one night when he took Liz on a date. When Jon takes Liz on a date, Garfield occasionally tags along—once, he ate the bread and other food at an Italian restaurant they went to.[73]
Frequently, the characters break the fourth wall, mostly to explain something to the readers, talk about a subject that often sets up the strip's punchline,[74] or give a mere glare when a character is belittled or not impressed. Sometimes, this theme revolves around the conventions of the strip; for example, in one strip, Garfield catches a cold and complains about it, noting that his thoughts are stuffed up.[75]
Short storylines
One storyline, which ran the week before Halloween in 1989, is unique among Garfield strips in that it is not meant to be humorous.[76]It depicts Garfield awakening in a future in which the house is abandoned and he no longer exists. In Garfield's Twentieth Anniversary Collection, in which the strips are reprinted, Jim Davis discusses the genesis for this series:
During a writing session for Halloween, I got the idea for this decidedly different series of strips. I wanted to scare people. And what do people fear most? Why, being alone. We carried out the concept to its logical conclusion and got a lot of responses from readers. Reaction ranged from 'Right on!' to 'This isn't a trend, is it?'[citation needed]
One of the recurring storylines involves Garfield getting lost or running away. The longest one of these lasted for over a month (in 1986, from August 25 to September 28); it began with Jon telling Garfield to go get the newspaper. Garfield walks outside to get it, but speculates about what will happen if he wanders off – and decides to find out. Jon notices Garfield has been gone too long, so he sends Odie out to find him. He quickly realizes his mistake (Odie, being not too bright, also gets lost). Jon starts to get lonely, so he offers a reward for the return of Garfield and Odie. He is not descriptive, so animals including an elephant, monkeys, a seal, a snake, a kangaroo and joey, and turtles are brought to Jon's house for the reward. After a series of events, including Odie being adopted by a small girl, both pets meeting up at a circus that they briefly join, and both going to a pet shop, Garfield and Odie make it back home.[citation needed]
Another story involved Jon going away on a business trip around Christmas time, leaving Garfield a week's worth of food, which he devoured instantly. Garfield then leaves the house and gets locked out. He then reunites with his mother, and eventually makes it back home in the snow on Christmas Eve (December 3–23, 1984). Part of this storyline was taken from the 1983 Emmy-winning special Garfield on the Town.[citation needed]
Paws, Inc.
Paws, Inc.[77] was founded in 1981 by Jim Davis to support the Garfield comic strip and its licensing. It is located in Muncie, Indiana, and has a staff of nearly 50 artists and licensing administrators. In 1994, the company purchased all rights to the Garfield comic strips from 1978 to 1993 from United Feature Syndicate. However, the original black and white daily strips and original color Sunday strips remain copyrighted to United Feature Syndicate. The full-color daily strips and recolored Sunday strips are copyrighted to Paws as they are considered a different product. Though rights to the strip remain with Paws, Inc., it is currently distributed by the Andrews McMeel Syndication. In August 2019, Davis sold Paws, Inc. to Viacom, who has placed Garfield under the Nickelodeon banner.[2]
See also
- Heathcliff – another American comic strip featuring an orange cat
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Bibliography
Primary sources
- Davis, Jim (1998). 20 Years & Still Kicking!: Garfield's Twentieth Anniversary Collection. New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-345-42126-5.
- Davis, Jim (2004). In Dog Years I'd be Dead: Garfield at 25. Random House. ISBN 978-0-345-45204-7.
Secondary sources
- Choron, Sandra; Choron, Harry; Moore, Arden (2007). Planet Cat: A Cat-alog. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-0-618-81259-2.
- Lang, J. Stephen (2004). 1,001 Things You Always Wanted to Know about Cats. Wiley. ISBN 978-0-7645-6926-5.
- Hoffmann, Frank W.; Bailey, William G. (1994). Fashion & Merchandising Fads. Haworth Press. ISBN 978-1-56023-031-1.
- Hurd, Jud (2004). Cartoon Success Secrets: A Tribute to 30 Years of Cartoonist Profiles. Andrews McMeel Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7407-3809-8.
- Inde, Vilis R. (1998). Art in the Courtroom: Piracy or Fair Use?. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-275-95971-5.
- Mansour, David (2005). From Abba to Zoom: A Pop Culture Encyclopedia of the Late 20th Century. Andrews McMeel Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7407-5118-9.
- Price, Nelson (1997). Indiana Legends: Famous Hoosiers from Johnny Appleseed to David Letterman. Emmis Books. ISBN 978-1-57860-006-9.
- Rogers, Katharine M. (2001). The Cat and the Human Imagination: Feline Images from Bast to Garfield. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 978-0-472-08750-1.
- Thomas, Phyllis (2007). Indiana: Off the Beaten Path: A Guide to Unique Places. Globe Pequot Press. ISBN 978-0-7627-4414-5.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Garfield Named World's Most Syndicated Comic Strip". Business Wire. January 22, 2002. Archived from the original on September 10, 2004. Retrieved July 26, 2008.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Steinberg, Brian (August 6, 2019). "Viacom Acquires Comic-Strip Cat Garfield". Variety. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
- ↑ Mullin, Benjamin (August 6, 2019). "Viacom, Hungry For Hits, Gobbles Garfield". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on August 12, 2019. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 O'Rourke, Ryan (September 16, 2022). "Garfield Release Date Moved to Spring 2024". Collider. Archived from the original on September 17, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
- ↑ Davis, Jim; Acey, Mark; Nickel, Scott (2002). Garfield at 25 : in dog years I'd be dead (1st ed.). New York: Ballantine Books. pp. 21–22. ISBN 0345455304.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Davis. 20 Years & Still Kicking!: Garfield's Twentieth Anniversary Collection. p. 14.
- ↑ Hall, Gerrard (October 6, 2000). "The cat's meow". CNN. Archived from the original on February 14, 2009. Retrieved July 26, 2008.
- ↑ "Newly Discovered – Davis' Pre-Garfield Garfield". The Daily Cartoonist. July 29, 2019. Archived from the original on August 19, 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Living: Those Catty Cartoonists". Time. December 7, 1981. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Barron, James (April 19, 2001). "Boldface Names". The New York Times. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ↑ Tardive, Ambrose (June 19, 2024). "Peanuts vs. Garfield: Charles Schulz Secretly Considered Jim Davis His Arch-Rival". ScreenRant. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
- ↑ DRD/KT. "Newswatch: Garfield Hits 1000th Newspaper", The Comics Journal 73 (July 1982).
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Suellentrop, Chris (June 11, 2004). "Why we don't hate Garfield". Slate. Archived from the original on December 7, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ↑ Joe Anthony Myrick (July 31, 2024). "Garfield: The evolution of Jon and Liz's 'relationship' in comics explained". Screen Rant. Retrieved July 12, 2025.
- ↑ Johnson, Beth (June 19, 1998). "'Garfield' 20 years later". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
- ↑ "Everybody loves Garfield". The Star. Malaysia. November 5, 2005. Archived from the original on August 11, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
- ↑ Shapiro, Walter (December 12, 1982). "LIVES: The Cat That Rots the Intellect". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 23, 2019. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
- ↑ Howell, AJ (September 13, 2017). "The Attic of Animation: 'Garfield' TV Specials". Rotoscopers. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
- ↑ Garfield - Greatest. Cat. Ever. (Just ask him). LIFE. 2024. pp. 64–66.
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