Garfield facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Garfield
Center: Garfield (clockwise from bottom-left: Nermal, Odie, Arlene, and Pooky)
Author(s)	Jim Davis
Owner	Paws, Inc. (Viacom) (2019–2022) (Paramount Global) (since 2022)
Website	www.nick.com/garfield www.gocomics.com/garfield
Current status/schedule	Running/daily
Launch date	June 19, 1978; 47 years ago (1978-06-19)
Syndicate(s)	Universal Press Syndicate/Universal Uclick/Andrews McMeel Syndication (1994–present) United Feature Syndicate (1978–1994)
Publisher(s)	Random House (under Ballantine Books), occasionally Andrews McMeel Publishing
Genre(s)	Gag-a-day Humor
Preceded by	Jon (1976–1977) and Garfield (1977–1978), locally published strips in the Pendleton Times-Post

Garfield is a super popular American comic strip created by Jim Davis. It started out in 1976 as a local comic called Jon. Then, in 1978, it began appearing in newspapers all over the country! The comic is about a lazy, lasagna-loving cat named Garfield, his goofy dog friend Odie, and their owner, Jon Arbuckle.

By 2013, Garfield was in about 2,580 newspapers and magazines. It even holds a Guinness World Record for being the most widely published comic strip in the world!

Even though the comic doesn't often say where it takes place, Jim Davis has said it's in his hometown of Muncie, Indiana. The comic often shows Garfield being lazy, eating a lot, loving coffee and lasagna, hating Mondays, and trying to avoid dieting. Garfield is also pretty good at tricking people to get what he wants! The main focus is usually on Garfield, Jon, and Odie, but other fun characters pop up too.

Garfield has been turned into many other cool things. There were several TV specials on CBS from 1982 to 1991. An animated TV show called Garfield and Friends also aired on CBS from 1988 to 1994. In these shows, Lorenzo Music was the voice of Garfield. Later, two live-action movies came out: Garfield: The Movie in 2004 and Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties in 2006. In these movies, Garfield was a computer-animated character voiced by Bill Murray.

Another animated TV show, The Garfield Show, aired from 2009 to 2016. Besides shows and movies, Garfield has appeared on tons of merchandise, in video games, and in books. The comic strips have also been collected into books, starting with Garfield at Large in 1980. This book even created a new way to publish comics in book form, now called the "Garfield format"!

In 2019, a company called Viacom (which is now Paramount Global) bought most of the rights to the Garfield comics and cartoons from Paws, Inc.. However, the rights to the live-action movies are still owned by The Walt Disney Company. Jim Davis still creates the comics, and a new Garfield animated series is being made for Nickelodeon.

The Story of Garfield: How It Began

Cartoonist Jim Davis is the creator of Garfield

The amazing cartoonist Jim Davis grew up in Muncie, Indiana. In 1973, he created a comic strip called Gnorm Gnat, but it wasn't very successful. Editors told him that while his drawings and jokes were good, people just couldn't relate to bugs!

So, Jim Davis looked at other popular comic strips to see what kind of animal characters were doing well. He noticed that dogs were popular, but there weren't many famous cats. Since he grew up on a farm with about 25 cats, he decided to create a cat star! And that's how the character of Garfield was born.

The first Jon strip, which ran in the Pendleton Times on January 8, 1976

Garfield the cat was inspired by the cats Jim Davis knew. Garfield even got his name and grumpy personality from Jim's grandfather, James A. Garfield Davis! Garfield's human owner, Jon Arbuckle, got his name from an old coffee commercial.

Before Garfield became famous, these characters appeared in a comic strip called Jon, which started in the Pendleton Times newspaper on January 8, 1976. In 1977, the strip's name officially changed to Garfield.

In March 1978, a company called United Feature Syndicate decided to publish Garfield all across the country. The first national Garfield strip appeared in 41 newspapers on June 19, 1978. Some newspapers, like the Chicago Sun-Times, even brought the strip back after readers complained when it was removed!

The appearance of the characters gradually changed over time; the left panel is from the March 7, 1980, strip; the right is from the July 6, 1990, strip

Over time, the way the characters looked in the comic strip changed. Garfield became more cartoon-like, started walking on his back legs more, and looked a bit slimmer. Jim Davis said these changes made it easier for Garfield to do things like "push Odie off the table" or "reach for a piece of pie." This redesign was partly suggested by another famous cartoonist, Charles M. Schulz, who created Peanuts. Schulz gave Jim Davis lots of advice on how to make Garfield a huge success with merchandise, just like his own character, Snoopy.

Garfield quickly became a big hit! By 1981, less than three years after it started, the strip was in 850 newspapers and had sold millions of dollars in merchandise. To handle all the merchandise, Jim Davis started his own company, Paws, Inc.. By 2002, Garfield was the most published comic strip in the world, appearing in 2,570 newspapers and reaching 263 million readers!

Today, Jim Davis still writes the comics and does the rough drawings. But most of the detailed work is done by his long-time assistants, Brett Koth and Gary Barker. Jim Davis spends most of his time overseeing everything and making sure Garfield merchandise is awesome!

Meet the Garfield Characters

The comic strip's main character is Garfield, a big, orange cat. Garfield is known for being sarcastic, lazy, and loving food, especially lasagna. His owner is Jon Arbuckle, a man who enjoys nerdy hobbies. Jon's other pet is Odie, a silly yellow dog. Most of the comics are about the funny interactions between these three characters.

Common themes include Jon getting annoyed by Garfield's tricks, Garfield not liking Odie, and Jon trying to get a date with the pets' veterinarian, Dr. Liz Wilson. Many strips also show Jon, Garfield, and Odie visiting Jon's family farm. Other characters include mice and spiders (who Garfield often bothers), Garfield's teddy bear Pooky, Garfield's girlfriend Arlene (a pink cat), and Nermal (a gray kitten who loves to tease Garfield about his age).

Part of why Garfield is so popular is that it doesn't usually talk about serious social or political topics. Jim Davis wanted to create a fun character that everyone could enjoy.

Garfield has led to tons of merchandise, earning millions of dollars every year! Besides toys, clothes, and games, there have been many animated TV specials, TV series, movies, and even direct-to-video films.

Garfield: The Star of the Show

First appearance: June 19, 1978

Garfield is an orange, fluffy tabby cat. He was born in an Italian restaurant and immediately ate all the pasta and lasagna he could find, which is why he loves lasagna and pizza so much!

Many jokes in the comics are about Garfield being overweight (he once joked: "breathing is exercise!") and how much he hates doing any work. Even though Garfield can be very sarcastic, he has a soft spot for his teddy bear, Pooky, and he loves food and sleep. He once said, "They say I have to get up early, be nice to people, skip breakfast… I wish it would never end," showing his love for Christmas.

Sometimes, readers wonder if Jon can actually understand Garfield's thoughts. In the comics, it's usually shown that Jon can't understand Garfield's thought bubbles. However, in the Garfield Gets Real movies, Garfield and the other animals can talk and be understood by humans.

June 19 is celebrated as Garfield's birthday in the comic strip. This date is actually the anniversary of when the comic strip first appeared in newspapers!

Jon Arbuckle: Garfield's Human Friend

First appearance: June 19, 1978

Jon (full name: Jonathan Q. Arbuckle) is Garfield's owner. He's often shown as a bit awkward and clumsy, and he has trouble finding dates. Jon used to have a big crush on Liz, Garfield's veterinarian, and now they are dating!

Jon often tries to get Garfield interested in the world, but Garfield usually just makes a funny, logical remark. Even though Garfield causes a lot of trouble, Jon is very kind and patient with him, and Garfield often takes advantage of this! Jon's birthday is July 28.

Jon loves all cats, especially Garfield. Many jokes are about his struggles to get a date, often because of his lack of social skills, his strange fashion sense, or his unusual hobbies, like collecting stamps or watching movies about "polka ninjas." Sometimes, he's shown as not being very smart.

Jon grew up on a farm that didn't have many modern things. He sometimes visits his parents, brother, and grandmother there. In the very first comic strips, Jon was a cartoonist, just like Jim Davis himself!

Odie: The Happy Dog

First appearance: August 8, 1978

Odie is a yellow beagle with long ears and a big, drooling tongue. He usually walks on all four legs, but sometimes he walks on two, like Garfield. Odie was first owned by Jon's friend Lyman, but Jon adopted him later.

Odie is younger than Garfield and is usually shown as innocent, happy, and loving. He doesn't seem to notice Garfield's sarcastic or sometimes mean behavior.

Dr. Liz Wilson: The Vet

First appearance: June 26, 1979

Dr. Liz Wilson is Garfield and Odie's veterinarian. She's often sarcastic and usually reacts negatively to Jon's silly behavior, but sometimes she finds it charming. Jon often tried to ask her out on dates, but it rarely worked. However, in a series of comics in 2006, Liz and Jon finally kissed and have been a couple ever since!

Liz first appeared in a 1976 Jon strip, where Jon bumped into her at a laundromat. This became a running joke, with Jon often trying to "accidentally" meet her. It wasn't until Garfield became nationally published that Liz became a vet.

Garfield in Other Media

Garfield graffiti in Berlin (Germany)

Books and More

Starting in 1980, the comic strips were collected into books. The first one, Garfield at Large, became a bestseller! These books helped make the comic strip even more popular. Jim Davis designed a special book layout that was wider and shorter, so the comic strips could look just like they did in the newspaper. This style is now called the "Garfield format" and is used by other publishers for comic strip collections.

Garfield Online

Garfield.com used to be the official website for the comic strip. It had old comics, games, and an online store. Jim Davis also worked with a university to create ProfessorGarfield.org, an educational website with games to help kids with math and reading.

Fans have also created many funny edited Garfield strips online. Some sites would mix panels from different strips, or remove Garfield's thought bubbles to make Jon seem like he's talking to himself. One popular site, Garfield Minus Garfield, showed strips where Garfield was completely removed, leaving Jon talking to himself. People loved it because it made Jon seem lonely and funny! Jim Davis himself thought it was a great idea, and a book of Garfield Minus Garfield strips was even published.

In 2020, the official Garfield website was shut down after Paramount bought the rights. Now, it sends you to Nick.com or GoComics.

Garfield on TV

Garfield first appeared in animation on a TV show called The Fantastic Funnies in 1980. From 1982 to 1991, there were twelve special Garfield cartoon episodes shown in prime time, and Lorenzo Music voiced Garfield in all of them. A Saturday morning cartoon show, Garfield and Friends, aired for seven seasons from 1988 to 1994, also with Lorenzo Music as Garfield's voice.

A CGI series called The Garfield Show started in 2007 and premiered in the U.S. in 2009. Now, a new Garfield series is being developed for Nickelodeon!

Garfield TV Series

Garfield TV Specials

Garfield Movies

Two live-action/computer-animated Garfield movies were released: Garfield: The Movie in 2004 and Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties in 2006. Bill Murray voiced Garfield in both films. Even though critics didn't love them, the movies made a lot of money!

Three direct-to-video animated films were also released: Garfield Gets Real (2007), Garfield's Fun Fest (2008), and Garfield's Pet Force (2009).

A new computer-animated Garfield film is coming out in 2024! Chris Pratt will be the voice of Garfield, and Samuel L. Jackson will voice Vic, Garfield's dad.

Garfield Video Games

There have been many Garfield video games over the years! An early game for the Atari 2600 was planned but never released.

Some popular Garfield games include:

• Garfield: Big Fat Hairy Deal (1987) for various computers.
• A Week of Garfield (1989) for the Nintendo Family Computer (Japan only).
• Garfield: Caught in the Act (1995) for Sega Genesis and Game Gear.
• Games for the Nintendo DS like A Tale of Two Kitties, Garfield's Nightmare, and Garfield's Funfest.
• Games for PlayStation 2 like Garfield and Garfield 2.
• Mobile games like "Garfield's Diner" and "Garfield's Zombie Defense".

More recently, French publisher Anuman Interactive released games like My Puzzles with Garfield!, Multiplication Tables with Garfield, Garfield Kart, and Garfield Kart: Furious Racing. Garfield also appears as a playable character in several Nickelodeon crossover fighting and racing games!

Garfield on Stage

There was even a plan for a Garfield stage musical! A full musical called "Garfield Live" started its U.S. tour in 2011 in Muncie, Indiana. Jim Davis wrote the story, and it later toured throughout Asia.

Garfield Comic Books

In 2012, Boom! Studios started publishing a monthly Garfield comic book. The first issue was written by Mark Evanier (who worked on Garfield and Friends) and drawn by Jim Davis's assistant, Gary Barker.

Garfield Art Book

In 2016, a special art book called The Art of Jim Davis' Garfield was released. It shows off the amazing artwork behind the comic strip.

Garfield Restaurants

In 2018, a special restaurant called GarfieldEATS opened in Dubai. Customers could order food like lasagna and Garfield-shaped pizza through a mobile app that also had games! A second location opened in Toronto in 2019, but unfortunately, both closed in 2020.

Who Voices the Main Characters?

See also

In Spanish: Garfield para niños