Garfield the Cat was born on June 19, 1978, the creative brainchild of master cartoonist, Jim Davis. The fastest growing and most widely syndicated comic strip ever was originally featured in just 41 newspapers. Today, it appears in over 2,570 newspapers and is read daily by 263,000,000 people around the globe! This innovative and humorous strip centers on the life of one fat and very cynical orange tabby that prefers lasagna and his remote control to catnip and jaunts with mice and other creatures. He loves caffeine and does all but smoke and drink. He tests the patience and unconditional love of his harried owner, Jon Arbuckle, and his friend through thick and thin, sweet Odie, the dog.
Perhaps his popularity lies in his foibles, which are precariously human in concept. He has, in fact, been called “ a cat in a human suit,” equipped with sharp witticisms and commentary about the incurable condition known as “life.” He loves television and hates Mondays, claims that he will “rise but not shine” and that the word “diet’ is really die with a “t” added at the end. He prefers lay downs to sit-ups and would like mornings better if “they started a bit later.” People relate to Garfield because, alas, he is them.
It didn’t exactly put a damper on his success to become an animated television show known as “Garfield and Friends,” which aired on CBS from 1988-1995 and is currently in worldwide syndication. There are also thousands of products on the market that are associated with the name of this famous feline. In 2004, Garfield made his first feature film, “Garfield: The Movie” an d is slated for a sequel, “A Tale of Two Kitties.”
Creator Jim Davis hails from Marion, Indiana, and is the founder and president of Paws Inc, which is a licensing studio designed to support Garfield’s many global business ventures.
For a domestic shorthaired cat with no pedigree and a big mouth, Garfield has not only achieved the American dream, but has surpassed it!
What are some of YOUR favorite Garfield moments? Please share.
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