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Garfield is a comic strip created by Jim Davis, featuring the cat Garfield, the pet dog Odie, and their socially inept owner Jon Arbuckle. As of 2006, it is syndicated in roughly 2,570 newspapers and journals and it currently holds the Guinness World Record for being the world’s most widely syndicated comic strip. The popularity of the strip has led to an animated children’s cartoon show, several animated television specials and two feature-length live-action films, as well as a large amount of Garfield-related merchandise.

Overview

Garfield debuted on June 19, 1978, which fans consider Garfield's birthday. The strip pokes fun at pet owners and their relationship with their pets, often portraying the pet as the true master of the home. Garfield also struggles with human problems, such as diets, loathing of Mondays, apathy, boredom, and so on. Garfield is able to understand anything that Jon or other humans say. He doesn’t talk to humans but he does gesture like a human (and he communicates to the reader in thought balloons, and Jon occasionally reacts to Garfield’s thoughts). However, Garfield is able to talk in "thinking" to Odie and the other animals. Odie understands what Garfield says to him, but in general can not communicate back to Garfield except by barking because he is the only character that doesn't seem to have any normal way of communicating. Although, Odie did have two thought bubbles with words in the strip. In an earlier strip, Odie is shown poking his previous owner (Lyman) and it is written in his thought bubble "I'm hungry." In a second strip, Odie is on the fence in the alley with Garfield and it is written in his thought bubble "O sole mio." Most of the other animals (Arlene, Nermal, mice, and the other dogs) are capable of a two-way conversation with Garfield. Garfield apparently is able to type and a few times has written messages that Jon has read and understood (typically letters to Santa Claus), however, this happens very rarely.

Over the course of the strip, Garfield's behavior and appearance evolved. Initially, he was drawn extremely obese with flabby jowls and small round eyes. Later, his appearance was slimmed down and his eyes enlarged, basically, anything that shows emotion has grown bigger to allow the readers to understand Garfield’s emotions better. By 1981, Garfield started walking on his hind feet from time to time. By the middle of 1983, his familiar appearance—featuring oval-shaped eyes—had taken shape. By this time, Garfield was walking on two feet, and the strip emphasized sitcom situations such as Garfield making fun of Jon's stupidity and his inability to make social connections. Like many comic strips, Garfield is not exclusively drawn by its creator. Jim Davis still writes and makes rough sketches for the strip, but his company, Paws, Inc., employs cartoonists and assistants who do most of the work of drawing and inking, while Davis's final job is usually confined to approving and signing the finished strip. Otherwise, Davis spends most of his time managing the business and merchandising aspects of Garfield.

Learning from the indifference met with his previous comic strip creation Gnorm Gnat, Jim Davis has made a conscious effort to include all readers in Garfield; keeping the jokes broad and the humor general and applicable to everyone. As a result the strip typically avoids the social or political commentary present in some of Garfield’s contemporaries, such as Boondocks, Doonesbury, Dilbert, and Cathy. Although a couple of strips in 1978 addressed inflation and, arguably, organized labor, as well as Jon frequently smoking a pipe or subscribing to a “bachelor magazine,” these elements were ultimately pruned from the product with the intent of maintaining a more universal appeal. Davis adamantly disavowed social commentary in an interview published at the beginning of one of the book compilations, joking that he once believed that OPEC was a denture adhesive.

The characters and situations in Garfield have often been constant, with no change or development for the past several years. While this was not unique to Garfield, as Calvin in Calvin and Hobbes and the children of Peanuts never aged, other strips such as For Better or For Worse, Cathy, and Doonesbury maintain a continuity with characters who develop, age, and may even die as the strip proceeds. However, on July 17, 2006, a new storyline began with the promise of changing Garfield’s life forever according to the strip's official website, Garfield.com. During the next two weeks, Garfield and Jon accidentally spotted Garfield's vet Liz in a restaurant with another date. After an embarrassing meeting, Liz admitted that she actually liked Jon, and the date culminated with a kiss on July 28 (both Jon and Jim Davis's birthday), when Jon finally could say that he had a life.

The comic strip was turned into a cartoon special for television in 1982 called Here Comes Garfield. Actor Lorenzo Music, previously known as the voice of Carlton the doorman on the show Rhoda, was hired to portray the voice of Garfield. Soul singer Lou Rawls provided musical accompaniment. Twelve television specials were made (through 1991) as well as a television series, Garfield and Friends, which ran from 1988 to 1995.

A live-action movie version of the comic strip, Garfield: The Movie had its debut in the United States on June 11, 2004. The film employed a computer-animated Garfield and live-action Odie. Lorenzo Music had died prior to the filming of the movie, and Bill Murray was cast as the voice of Garfield. Murray’s laid-back, deadpan delivery has often been compared to Music’s; indeed, Music provided the voice of Murray’s Peter Venkman character in the cartoon version of Ghostbusters. Murray became the fourth actor to provide a voice for Garfield: Tommy Smothers voiced the role in a cat food commercial, and an unnamed Music sound-alike was used in another TV spot. Prior to Murray being cast, it was widely reported that actor John Goodman had been picked to provide Garfield’s voice for the film.

For his work on the strip, creator Jim Davis received the National Cartoonist Society Humor Strip Award for 1981 and 1985, and their Reuben Award for 1989.

In June 7, 1999, newspapers began to be offered full-color Garfield weekday strips.

Garfield's second live-action feature film, Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties, was released on June 16, 2006.

Main Characters

Garfield

First Appearance: June 19, 1978

Garfield is the central character. He is a lazy, overweight, orange tabby cat who enjoys eating and sleeping. He hates Mondays because he suffers bad luck on those days and considers himself to be more intelligent than humans or dogs. Garfield was born in the kitchen of Mama Leone's Italian Restaurant and developed a taste for lasagna the day he was born. Ever since then, it has always been his favourite food. According to the TV special Garfield Gets a Life, in the end of the episode, Jon’s car is shown driving away and his vehicle registration plate says Indiana on it, indicating that Garfield lives in Indiana. Jim Davis added this in possibly because he is from Indiana. In his cartoon appearances, Garfield usually causes mischief in every episode. In June 1983, comic strips introduced Garfield's alter-ego, Amoeba Man, yet he was only shown in 6 strips (6-20 through 6-25). It was revealed on 1 July, 1983 that he doesn’t like raisins. It has also been implied that they are his least favourite food in a comic strip where Garfield saves time by instead of making a list of things he wants for his birthday, he made a list of things he doesn’t want. The only thing on the list was raisins. His birthday is 1978-06-19.

Jon Arbuckle

First Appearance: June 19, 1978

Garfield's 30-year-old owner, as of 23 December, 1980 (although his birthday is July 28, the same as Jim Davis's). He has poor social skills and his attempts at dating women always fail, but Garfield is happy as long as he keeps him fed. His mother often refers to him as Johnny, and his full name was once revealed to be Jonathan Q. Arbuckle, but he usually just goes as Jon. Jim Davis got this name from an old coffee commercial. He thought the name fit the poor sap who would be stuck with a cranky feline with an overactive appetite. Even though he introduced himself as a cartoonist in the very first strip, Jon is never seen drawing cartoons, but his job was once referenced, as seen in the 1984 Christmas Sequence when Jon left for a cartoonists' convention. Jon seems to understand Garfield in some of the later comics, but only sometimes. In the July 13, 1998, comic, he even reacted to Garfield even though Garfield hadn't even thought anything. In recent comic strips Jon has had his first success in love and finally hit it off with Garfield’s vet, Dr. Liz Wilson (following the path of the first movie.)

Odie

First Appearance: August 8, 1978

Jon's pet dog (although technically owned by Jon's friend Lyman, who hasn’t been seen in the strip in over two decades). A yellow, long-eared Beagle who is always drooling and walks on all four legs. He is very stupid and naïve (although he has been shown on rare occasions to be the exact opposite). Because of his naïveté, Garfield likes to play tricks on him, particularly taking advantage to give him the boot—quite literally—when he is standing on the edge of a table. Odie is the only animal character who doesn't communicate with any form of dialogue (except in one comic where Odie actually speaks in Garfield's dream, and another when he sings on a fence "O sole mio" and another one, the June 15, 1980 comic where he's poking his original owner, Lyman, and saying he's hungry), solely communicating with body language and his enthusiastic barking. Also, Odie didn’t appear in the very first comics; he debuts on August 8, 1978, which is considered his birthday. Odie was originally going to be named Spot, but Davis thought the name “Odie” better indicated stupidity. Odie used to have black ears, but Davis was told that he looked a little like Snoopy; Odie’s ears are now brown. Sometimes Odie catches on to Garfield’s tricks; one time as Odie was sleeping on a rug, Garfield creeps up and pulls the rug out from under him, spinning him into the air. As Garfield settles in, Odie gets back by stamping his foot into the floorboard, shooting Garfield into the ceiling.

Supporting Characters

Arlene

First Appearance: December 17, 1980

Garfield's on-and-off girlfriend. She is a pink cat with a long neck and buck teeth. She wishes their relationship would take a few steps, but Garfield does not seem to notice. Garfield once quipped in the early strips that his and Arlene’s affair is an apparent love-hate relationship: Garfield loves himself, and Arlene hates that.

Nermal

First Appearance: September 3, 1979

"The world's cutest kitten." Garfield hates him and hates especially when he comes to show everyone how cute he is. Nermal especially does this on Garfield's birthdays to remind him of how he is getting older. Nermal is a male kitten, but his voice actress in the cartoon (Desirée Goyette) and long eyelashes have led to some confusion over his gender. He once mentioned that he is going to stay cute and small forever because he's a midget. In exasperation and feelings of being degraded for ugliness and advancement in age, Garfield ultimately attempts to ship Nermal to Abu Dhabi.

Dr. Liz Wilson

First Appearance: June 26, 1979

Garfield's veterinarian and Jon's biggest crush. Even though Garfield hates going to the vet, Jon often forces him to go. Sometimes the visit is just an excuse for Jon to ask Liz out for a date. They seldom go out, and only one has been successful so far (on December 19, 1981, they actually kissed.) Then, on July 28, 2006, Jon and Liz shared their second kiss after a slight date fiasco. Before, Liz had shown great dislike and little respect for Jon and her attempts to make him understand that she is not interested in him were generally futile, although she does deliver some pithy comments; once Jon asked her what she would suggest for an animal who is madly in love (referring to himself), Liz countered with "I usually prescribe neutering." However, on July 26, 2006, it was revealed that she does, in fact, have an attraction to Jon.

Pooky

First Appearance: October 23, 1978

Pooky is Garfield's teddy bear and best friend (Also considered by Garfield as his "Confidant") who Garfield discovered stuffed in a drawer. Despite being a stuffed animal, Garfield acts as though he can communicate with Pooky, although Garfield is just pretending to do so. When Pooky first appeared, his head was smaller, his eyes were larger and he had a smile stitched on his face as opposed to the current animation.

Lyman

First Appearance: August 7, 1978
Last Appearance: April 24, 1983

Once was Jon's roommate and Odie's owner. He stopped appearing in the strip after a few years, apparently because he was considered superfluous. Jim Davis explained how the character was created to give Jon someone to be friends with and talk to, but as Garfield’s character evolved and ended up holding the conversations through his thought bubbles, the conversations became more Garfield-Jon oriented. This made Lyman's character unneeded, so even though they don't explain why, he was written out. Jim Davis later gave humorous scenarios of what happened in the Garfield 25th Anniversary Book. One clue indicated "Don’t look in Jon's basement!" This was overly used in the online game "Scary Scavenger hunt" in which, Lyman's Head is found in the oven and under a cloth, he is found in the tub and when you find him, it plays the Psyco music, and his body is chained in the basement.

Mom

First Appearance: February 13, 1980

Jon’s mother; lives on a farm, and is known to be a great cook (she can make just about anything out of potatoes, proven in a 1980s strip when she creates five dishes of potatoes using five different techniques). Based on Jim Davis' mother Betty Davis. Jon's mother is also known for sending him and Garfield cooked meals in packages. Jon once got mashed potatoes and Garfield gravy, which started to leak from the corner of the envelope.

Dad

First Appearance: February 13, 1980

Jon's father; lives on a farm, and is completely useless when it comes to modern equipment. Calls Jon "Jon Boy". Based on Jim Davis' father, James William Davis.

Doc Boy

First Appearance: May 17, 1983

Jons brother who lives on a farm with his mother and father, and often fights with Jon, calling him a "city slicker". Based on Jim Davis' brother David "Doc" Davis, who's not nearly as goofy as his cartoon counterpart; he's goofier.

Spiders

Like most animals, spiders can communicate freely with Garfield. Unfortunately for them, he takes great pleasure in swatting, squishing, or smashing them. The spiders occasionally show a desire for revenge, but are usually friendly even though they know in the back of their minds that Garfield will pull out a rolled up newspaper and splatter their innards all over the table. (Despite the fact that they sometimes get up and walk away)

Mice

Garfield has had many mice friends (and some enemies). Most of them are nameless but there are a few that have been identified. Three mice named Herman, Floyd, and Squeak make occasional appearances. The mice usually get along with Garfield but they care little when they humiliate him. They know that Garfield doesn’t chase them (although there have been a few occasions) so they tend to take advantage of their freedom. As Jon expects Garfield to chase the mice, he gets upset when he catches them in mischievous acts and it results in Jon screaming Garfield’s name, or saying the magic word "Catch a mouse or you don't get dinner"..

Irma

First Appearance: October 19, 1979

The waitress and manager of a greasy diner (Irma's Diner), Irma takes no shame in the obvious low quality of her establishment, often oblivious to the disgusting foodstuff she serves Jon and Garfield and the chaos that goes on under her nose. She is a very obliging waitress: once, when Jon ordered what the guy next to him was having, she simply snatched the plate from the customer and gave it to Jon. Irma has one talent, though: she is the only person who can make Garfield lose his appetite.

Mrs. Feeny

Although she has never appeared physically or with a voice bubble, she and her little dog are constantly tormented by Garfield resulting in her calling Jon and complaining. Although Garfield has tormented the entire neighbourhood, Ms. Feeny is considerably Garfield's biggest target. Mr. Feeny was mentioned in a strip in 2005, but that was the only time he was mentioned. Other one-shot characters included Mr. Talbot.

Ellen

Of all of the women Jon calls for a date and ends up getting rejected, Ellen is the most common. She recently appeared in person after Jon convinced her to go on a date because she had amnaesia and couldn't remember how much she despised him.

Binky the Clown

One of the more recognizable local entertainers in the comic, Binky first appeared outside the context of television or Jon's coffee mug when Garfield ran away to be with the circus. Binky the Clown hired Garfield as an assistant before Garfield left, deciding that the circus life didn't agree with him.

Themes and settings

Usually, the standard setting is Garfield standing on a table or floor, always flat. Occasionally, Garfield ventures elsewhere and when he goes somewhere else, he usually spends a week or two in that area.

• The table The table is the most common setting in the strip. In some sub-settings, Garfield can be shown sleeping on his back, eating, drinking coffee (usually with Jon), kicking Odie off the table, sitting beside Jon who is calling women on the phone and asking for a date (mostly getting rejected) and other scenarios.
• The TV Chair is one of Garfield’s favorite places, where he entertains himself with shows like Binky the Clown and others. Many of the shows mentioned are absurd and stupid, and give Jim Davis an opportunity to comment on pop-culture.
• On the Lawn, Garfield has confrontations with various characters, such as dogs (more vicious than Odie), birds, worms, and even conscious flowers. "Beware of Dog" signs are abound, and Garfield often tries to torment the chained-up dogs as some kind of revenge. Garfield tries to capture birds in the birdbath, often unsuccessfully. Garfield does occasionally kill and consume his prey but not always. He finds it a lot easier to capture flowers though, and often eats them.
• Early in the strip, Garfield would spend time on the window ledge and sometimes get trapped in the roll-up blinds. One of these events culminated in a two-week storyline in which Garfield, Odie, Jon, two complete strangers, and even a street lamp all got trapped in the blinds. This was one of the few storylines in which a Sunday strip was part of the regular story arc. After this, Jon bought Venetian blinds (which Garfield, somehow, still manages to get stuck in).
• The Fence in the Alley is an area where Garfield often tells bad jokes or caterwauls, in a homage to vaudeville. Odie joins the act from time to time, once as a ventriloquist’s dummy, once as "Mr. Skins," who accompanied Garfield on the drums, and once as a cue card boy. Garfield is frequently the target of disgusted fans (usually dogs), who throw shoes, vegetables, and houseplants, and other things that would hurt, at him and once burned down his fence with burning arrows (Garfield’s temporary replacement, a plastic flamingo, just "didn’t feel the same"). Garfield, however, loves the attention he receives, and once complained that he thought a joke deserved more than a single shoe. He does sometimes get applause from his audience, though one time the audience consisted solely of his mother. He apparently has to be booked onto the fence by an agent (in one strip, his agent booked him a gig on a barbed wire fence).
• Up the tree is another area where Garfield often traps himself. Garfield knows not to climb, but ironically can never overcome the urge. A firefighter usually has to save him on the last day of the week. One time, Jon got stuck up the tree trying to rescue him. And once, Garfield tried to run down a tree, crashing into the ground.
• Occasionally, Garfield will be taken to the vet’s office, a place he loathes. In this setting, Jon always tries to get a date with Liz, the vet, and usually fails badly. Liz sometimes does go out with Jon. At the end of one date, Jon got a kiss, his first of only two so far in the comic. (However, with his having officially "gotten a life" as of July 28, 2006, when he received his second kiss, this could change.)
• Sometimes Jon takes Garfield to the park. Jon tries to meet girls in the park, but always fails miserably and humorously. ("She acknowledged my existence!" Jon joyfully declared after a female passer-by told him to "Shut up" before he could even say anything.)
• Vacations are taken by Jon and his pets every so often, usually to exotic places. Early in the series, Garfield had to sneak along in Jon’s suitcase (this tactic is also used in the second Garfield film, Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties). But at some point Jon gave up and took him along as an equal, albeit sometimes dressed as a child. Most often Jon will choose some undesirable tourist trap in a tropical setting. In a particular storyline, Jon takes Garfield to an isle called Guano Guano which actually means "bird feces" in Spanish. Although Jon does say "Aloha" to a native, therefore speaking Hawaiian it is not said where the isle is on the map. Greeting the native with "Aloha" was implied as ignorance that Americans have towards tropical cultures because when he greets the native, it is implied that the native gives Jon an obscene gesture.
• The Beach can be a sub-setting that falls under a vacation destination but it is implied that Jon takes Garfield to the local beach. This is yet another hot spot for Jon to try and pick up dates but he always fails. Garfield hates the beach simply because it has no TV, and is too hot. This theme will often show up in the summer.
• An Airliner is a sub-setting for vacations. Earlier in the strip, Jon & Garfield had to ride in third class but when they visited Guano Guano, it is not implied what section they were in. Garfield and Odie also had to be dressed as children so as not to ride with the luggage.
• Campsites would be on and off setting, sometimes accompanied by fishing in a small boat.
• Jon’s Car is common for when Jon is taking Garfield to his parents’ farm to visit, to the vet, or when Jon and Garfield go to a fast food drive through. Sometimes the destination is not implied.
• Irma's Diner is another off and on setting. Irma is a chirpy, but slow-witted and unattractive waitress/manager, and one of Jon’s few friends (although she is probably the only woman he has known that he hasn’t asked out). The terrible food is the center of most of the jokes, along with the poor management. Along with Irma's Diner, other no-name restaurants, from fancy to tourist trap, are sometimes used as a setting.
• 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.
• Stores & Shopping Lots are usually on and off settings where Garfield sometimes wreaks havoc. Some include the grocery store, the pet store, the furniture store, fancy restaurants, the florist, the refrigerator store, the Christmas tree lot and the used car lot.
• Cinemas are rare settings but appear on and off. In a particular setting where Jon reluctantly goes on a date with Liz, he takes her to see a film called Sludge Monster VII: The Oozing. As Jon asks Liz if she wants a bucket of popcorn, she insists on only the bucket, implying she will use it to vomit in.

Short storylines

Garfield comic strips have occasionally featured some members of Jim Davis's other cartoon strip, 'Orson's Farm.' Garfield often engages in one to two week-long interactions with a minor character, event, or thing, such as Nermal, Arlene, the mailman, an alarm clock, a talking scale, the TV, Pooky, spiders, mice, balls of yarn, dieting, shedding, pie throwing, fishing, Mondays (The Monday That Wouldn’t Die), birthdays, lasagna, the "Caped Avenger" (Garfield’s alter ego), Mrs. Feeny, colds, hallucinations with birthday displeasures or dietary complications, talks with his grandfather, etc.

Some more unique themes are things like "Garfield's Believe It or Don't," "Garfield's Law," "Garfield's History of Cats," which show the world, history, and science from Garfield's point of view. Another particular theme is the "National Fat Week," where Garfield spends the week making fun of skinny people. Most of December is spent preparing for Christmas, with a predictable focus on presents. Every week before June 19, the strip focuses on his birthday, which Garfield dreads because of his fear of getting older. This started happening after his sixth birthday. Occasionally the strip celebrates Halloween as well with scary-themed jokes. Jokes are introduced seasonally, with snow-related gags common in January or February and beach or heat themed jokes in the summer.

One storyline, often referred to as the Garfield Halloween Strips, is unique among Garfield strips in that it is not meant to be humorous. It depicts Garfield awakening in a future in which the house is abandoned and he no longer exists. In tone and imagery the storyline for this series of strips is very similar to the "Feline Fantasies" short from Allegro Non Troppo, which depicts a ghostly cat roaming around the ruins of the house it once inhabited. Fans hold various opinions and theories on the meaning behind this enigmatic storyline, varying from A Christmas Carol like interpretation to a theory that Garfield is actually dead or starving to death in the abandoned household. In Garfield's Twentieth Anniversary Collection, in which the strips are reprinted, Jim Davis discusses the genesis for this series of strips. His caption, in its entirety states:

"During a writing session for Halloween week, 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."

Criticism

Despite the widespread popularity of the comic strip, Garfield has been the subject of criticism over the years by some commentators. Tasha Robinson of the Onion A.V. Club, for example, considers Garfield to be an all-around poor character, unappealing and unfunny, no matter what the medium in which he happens to appear. Robinson used a review of the release of the first of two recent Garfield films on DVD as an opportunity to write that the film is guilty of numerous cinematic "crimes." Of these, one of the most egregious is, in Robinson's view, that the film continues "Garfield's run as a banal, unfunny, low-effort comic strip via a banal, unfunny, low-effort film".

Also, writing in PopMatters, Nikki Tranter has assailed the "Garfield & Friends" animated television series, writing that, "the one-note plots are tired". Although Tranter is quick to point out that Garfield remains the most syndicated comic strip in the world, it is no less true that Garfield, whether in his comic strip, TV, or cinematic incarnations is "always the same -- Garfield gets into strife, fixes said strife, sits down to eat." In Tranter's view, it is precisely this repetitious quality that renders Garfield's misadventures less entertaining than they would be under the circumstances that Garfield's behavior followed a less routinized and more unpredictable sort of modus vivendi.

One of the only well-known film critics to endorse both the Garfield film and its sequel, Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties, is Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times. For Ebert, the very predictability of the Garfield character appears to be his greatest asset, as the film critic implies when he writes that, "Yep, this is Garfield, all right." Ebert finds that the casting of Bill Murray as the voice of Garfield also provides both films with the means to strike a balance in its characterization of the eponymous feline, who was animated using Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) technology: "Murray's voice-over work finds the right balance for Garfield -- between smugness and uncertainty, between affection and detachment, between jealousy and a grudging ability to see the other point of view."

Marketing and products

As a result of the worldwide proliferation of the comic strip, Paws, Inc. has become a global licensing powerhouse, selling the characters’ images for production on a wide variety of products, including common objects like food, toys, and household items. A franchise of stores selling exclusively Garfield-brand products has become popular outside of North America, such as in China.

In North America, the most mainstream appearances of Garfield are traditionally compilations of the comic strip, as well as other entertainment media, such as television, as the franchise expanded over time.

Books

Compilations

These books, generally released twice a year, contain reprints of the comic as it appears in newspapers daily. These books were originally printed in black and white, but recent volumes have been in color. Each book collects approximately six months of comics, including the larger weekend comics (in black and white in all except the recent editions).

The titles of these books were styled as double entendres alluding to Garfield's weight or his habits. These books introduced the “Garfield format” in publishing, whereby the books are horizontally oriented to match comic strip dimensions; Davis has recalled having to invent the format in order to better fit the books on store shelves. They are currently being reprinted in a larger format, showing the Sunday strips to be formatted in a size as they usually are, instead of shrunken-down to meet the book size. Newer versions of the books will be released in paperback only, with every comic in full color, not just the Sunday strips. So far, the first twelve books have been reprinted.

1. Garfield At Large: His First Book (1980)
2. Garfield Gains Weight: His Second Book (1981)
3. Garfield Bigger Than Life: His Third Book (1981)
4. Garfield Weighs In: His Fourth Book (1982)
5. Garfield Takes the Cake: His Fifth Book (1982)
6. Garfield Eats His Heart Out: His Sixth Book (1983)
7. Garfield Sits Around the House: His Seventh Book (1983)
8. Garfield Tips the Scales: His Eighth Book (1984)
9. Garfield Loses His Feet: His Ninth Book (1984)
10. Garfield Makes It Big: His 10th Book (1985)
11. Garfield Rolls On: His 11th Book (1985)
12. Garfield Out to Lunch: His 12th Book (1986)
13. Garfield Food for Thought: His 13th Book (1987)
14. Garfield Swallows His Pride: His 14th Book (1987)
15. Garfield World Wide: His 15th Book (1988)
16. Garfield Rounds Out: His 16th Book (1988)
17. Garfield Chews the Fat: His 17th Book (1989)
18. Garfield Goes to Waist: His 18th Book (1990)
19. Garfield Hangs Out: His 19th Book (1990)
20. Garfield Takes Up Space: His 20th Book (1991)
21. Garfield Says a Mouthful: His 21st Book (1991)
22. Garfield By the Pound: His 22nd Book (1992)
23. Garfield Keeps His Chins Up: His 23rd Book (1992)
24. Garfield Takes His Licks: His 24th Book (1993)
25. Garfield Hits the Big Time: His 25th Book (1993)
26. Garfield Pulls His Weight: His 26th Book (1994)
27. Garfield Dishes It Out: His 27th Book (1995)
28. Garfield Life in the Fat Lane: His 28th Book (1995)
29. Garfield Tons of Fun: His 29th Book (1996)
30. Garfield Bigger and Better: His 30th Book (1996)
31. Garfield Hams It Up: His 31st Book (1997)
32. Garfield Thinks Big: His 32nd Book (1997)
33. Garfield Throws His Weight Around: His 33rd Book (1998)
34. Garfield Life to the Fullest: His 34th Book (1999)
35. Garfield Feeds the Kitty: His 35th Book (1999)
36. Garfield Hogs the Spotlight: His 36th Book (2000)
37. Garfield Beefs Up: His 37th Book (2000)
38. Garfield Gets Cookin’: His 38th Book (2001)
39. Garfield Eats Crow: His 39th Book (2003)
40. Garfield Survival of the Fattest: His 40th Book (2004)
41. Garfield Older and Wider: His 41st Book (2005)
42. Garfield Pigs Out: His 42nd Book (2006)
43. Garfield Blots Out The Sun: His 43rd Book (2007)

• In the UK, over 60 Garfield books, mainly “Pocket Books” or paperbacks, have been published by Ravette. The format is slightly different, as the strips are presented in a vertical style.

Other books

• Garfield: His 9 Lives (1984)—graphic novel, later made into a TV special.
• The Unabridged Uncensored Unbelievable Garfield (1986)
• Garfield Book of Cat Names (1988)
• Garfield How to Party Book (1988)
• Garfield Crazy About Numbers (1988)—(sticker book)
• Give Me Coffee and No One Gets Hurt (discontinued)
• Garfield and the Santa Spy (1989)
• Garfield's Ghost Stories (1990)—(storybook)
• Garfield's Judgment Day (1990)
• Garfield: The Me Book (1990) (motivational handbook)
• Garfield and the Truth About Cats (1991)
• Garfield's Christmas Tales (storybook) (1994)
• Garfield's Haunted House and Other Spooky Tales (storybook) (1994)
• Garfield's Stupid Cupid and Other Stories (storybook) (1995)
• Garfield Goes to Disobedience School (picture book) (1997)
• Garfield's Big Book of Excellent Excuses (2000)
• Garfield and the wicked wizard (graphic novel) (2002)
• Garfield and the beast in the basement (graphic novel) (2002)
• Garfield's Guide to Everything (2004)
• Odie Unleashed: Garfield Lets the Dog Out Book (2005)
• Lights, Camera, Hairballs: Garfield at the Movies (2006)

Additionally, adaptations of Garfield television specials have been published in comic format:

• Garfield as Himself (2004) collects the following books:

• Here Comes Garfield (1982)
• Garfield on the Town (1983)
• Garfield Gets a Life (1991)

• Garfield Holiday Celebrations (2004) collects the following books:

• Garfield in Disguise (Halloween special) (1985)
• Garfield’s Thanksgiving (1988)
• A Garfield Christmas (1987)

• Garfield Travel Adventures (2005) collects the following books:

• Garfield in the Rough (1984)
• Garfield in Paradise (1986)
• Garfield Goes to Hollywood (1988)

This early-reader adventure novels featuring Garfield were published in the late-1990s:

• Garfield and the Teacher Creature (1998)

Garfield’s Pet Force is another series of early-reader novels:

• #1: The Outrageous Origin (1997)
• #2: Pie Rat’s Revenge (1998)
• #3: K-Niner: Dog of Doom (1998)
• #4: Menace of the Mutanator (1999)
• #5: Attack of the Lethal Lizards (1999)

Garfield Extreme is a series of children’s picture books.

• Garfield’s Extreme Cuisine: Pigging the Way Out! (2003)
• Garfield’s Ironcat (2003)
• Garfield’s Awesome Ski Adventure (2002)
• Garfield’s Sumo Beach Bellyball (2002)

Television

• Garfield and Friends (animated cartoon series, 1988–1995)
• Garfield Gets a Life (animated special) 1991
• Garfield’s Feline Fantasies (animated special) 1990
• Garfield’s Thanksgiving (animated special) 1989
• Garfield’s Babes and Bullets (animated special) 1989
• Garfield: His 9 Lives (animated special) 1988
• Garfield Goes Hollywood (animated special) 1987
• A Garfield Christmas (animated special) 1987
• Garfield in Paradise (animated special) 1986
• Garfield’s Halloween Adventure (animated special) 1985
• Garfield in the Rough (animated special) 1984
• Garfield on the Town (animated special) 1983
• Here Comes Garfield (animated special) 1982

Video games

Garfield was also transported into video games, the first being a never-released Atari 2600 prototype, in 1983, and there was also an 8-bit NES game of Garfield made in Japan in 1989.

1. Garfield (1984) prototype for Atari 2600
2. Create With Garfield (1985) for Apple II and Commodore 64
3. Garfield: A Big Fat Hairy Deal (1987) for ZX Spectrum, Atari ST and Commodore 64
4. Garfield: A Winter’s Tail (1989) for Atari ST (will not work on Atari STe computers), Amiga, ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64
5. Garfield no Isshukan (A Week of Garfield) (1989) for the Famicom
6. Garfield Labyrinth (Unknown year) for Nintendo Game Boy
7. Garfield: Caught in the Act (1995), for Genesis, Game Gear and PC
8. Garfield’s Mad About Cats (2001), for PC
9. Garfield (2004), for PC and PS2(UK Only)
10. Garfield: The Search for Pooky (2005) for GBA
11. Garfield & His Nine Lives (2006) for GBA
12. Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (2006) for Nintendo DS
13. Garfield Bound for Home (2006) for Nintendo DS

Films

• Garfield: The Movie (2004)—Breckin Meyer, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Bill Murray as the voice of Garfield.
• Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (2006)—Breckin Meyer, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Bill Murray as the voice of Garfield.

Miscellaneous

• His album: Am I Cool or What?

• His suction-cupped kitties: "Stuck on You" were a phenomenon across America and took several years for production to meet the demand. The concept was created after an idea trade with Scott Adams in 1990, which involved what type of object could hold the thing other than sticky items. One such suction-cupped plush Garfield appears in a window of a room in the sci-fi film The Abyss during an external shot.

• His plush products and other toy replicas were licensed for production by the Dakin Company in the 1980s.

• Garfield’s merchandising approach has been criticized by a number of commentators including Calvin and Hobbes creator Bill Watterson, whose views against merchandising were explained at great detail in The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book. Watterson, when asked for his opinion of fellow cartoonists, including Jim Davis, once tactfully described Garfield as “consistent.” He also criticized Jim Davis’s U.S. Acres cartoon. Chris Sullentrop of Slate accuses Davis of creating Garfield merely for the merchandising.

• In 2000 Garfield was used as a mascot/recruiting tool for Cub Scouting, appearing on many items, including 4 plush Garfields in Cub Scout uniforms.

• Garfield and Odie also are featured on product packaging for the retail chain Meijer.

• At Kennywood, an amusement park in West Mifflin PA, Garfield is the mascot. There are two Garfield themed rides. They are Garfield’s Nightmare and a free-fall ride for kids. Lake Compounce, also run and owned by Kennywood, uses Garfield theming as well.

Notes and references

1. "Most Syndicated Comic Strip". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 2006-08-07.
2. "Garfield gestures". A Nice Gesture. 2006-04-20. Retrieved 2006-08-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
3. "The Garfield Vault Strip". Garfield.com. 2006-07-17. Retrieved 2006-08-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
4. ^ "The Garfield Vault Strip". Garfield.com. 2006-07-28. Retrieved 2006-08-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
5. "The Garfield Vault Strip". Garfield.com. 1983-07-01. Retrieved 2006-08-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
6. "The Garfield Vault Strip". Garfield.com. 2006-06-19. Retrieved 2006-08-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
7. "The Garfield Vault Strip". Garfield.com. 2005-06-19. Retrieved 2006-08-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
8. "The Garfield Vault Strip". Garfield.com. 1978-06-19. Retrieved 2006-08-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
9. ^ Davis, Jim: "Garfield: 20th Anniversary Collection"., page 21. Ballantine Books, 1998
10. "The Garfield Vault Strip". Garfield.com. 1998-07-13. Retrieved 2006-08-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
11. "The Garfield Vault Strip". Garfield.com. 1980-06-15. Retrieved 2006-08-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
12. "The Garfield Vault Strip". Garfield.com. 1978-08-08. Retrieved 2006-08-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
13. "The Garfield Vault Strip". Garfield.com. 1981-12-19. Retrieved 2006-08-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
14. "The Garfield Vault Strip". Garfield.com. 2006-07-26. Retrieved 2006-08-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
15. "Commentary Tracks of the Damned: Garfield". 2006-07-05. Retrieved 2006-08-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
16. "PopMatters TV Review: Garfield & Friends Season Three". 2006-07-05. Retrieved 2006-08-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Text "Work: PopMatters" ignored (help)
17. "Film Review: Garfield". 2005-06-11. Retrieved 2006-08-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Text "Work: Chicago Sun-Times" ignored (help)
18. "Garfield - Atari 2600 - Atari". AtariAge. Retrieved 2006-08-07.
19. "Create With Garfield!". Apple II archive. Retrieved 2006-08-07.
20. "Bill Watterson interview: Honk Magazine 1997". Retrieved 2006-08-07.
21. Suellentrop, Chris (2004-06-11). "Garfield: Why we hate the Mouse but not the cartoon copycat". Slate. Retrieved 2006-08-07. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

External links

• Official site
• Comic Vault Official Site of all daily comics since June 19, 1978
• Garfield on the Nintendo DS
• Garfield at Strefa Zrzutu—without ads and flash navigation
• Details on all of the Garfield-related food items of the ’80s and ’90s, with pictures
• Garfieldhome.org: the next best thing after lasagna

• Garfield
• Animation protagonists
• Anthropomorphic comics
• Comic strips
• Fictional overeaters
• Fictional cats
• Lazy fictional characters