By Audrey Hsiao
He’s a wisecracking, nap-loving, coffee-gulping, lasagna-devouring, Monday-hating, dog-kicking, spider-whacking, mailman-mauling fat cat. He’s Garfield…the world’s funniest feline! Born in the kitchen of Mama Leone’s Italian restaurant on June 19, 1978, Garfield has grown into a worldwide (and in fact he is really wide) celebrity. His antics with his funny pals bring laughter to millions of people every day. Other humorous characters include Garfield’s feckless owner, Jon Arbuckle (first appearance: June 19, 1978), his drooling doggy pal, Odie (first appearance: August 8, 1978), his beloved teddy bear, Pooky (first appearance: October 23, 1978), the gap-toothed female cat, Arlene (first appearance: December 17, 1980), the self-proclaimed “World’s Cutest Kitten,” Nermal, the always mauled mailman (first appearance: January 28, 1984), the veterinarian Liz (first appearance: June 26, 1979), Mom (first appearance: February 13, 1980), Dad (first appearance: February 13, 1980), and Jon’s sibling, Doc Boy (first appearance: May 17, 1983). Garfield began syndication in only 41 newspapers. However, day by day, this fat tubby tabby has won hundreds of thousands of cat-loving and pasta-addicted fans, and beyond his creator’s imagination, now Garfield appears in over 2600 newspapers all around the world! But how can such a rude cat be so appealing? What makes Garfield so lovable? The reason is very simple— we all love Garfield because he is us. Just as his creator, Jim Davis, likes to say, “He’s a human in cat’s suit.” Everyone can relate to Garfield. What could be more human? He hates Mondays and loves TV. He prefers to pig out than work out. He is addicted to sleep and food (especially pasta), hates dieting and exercise. He’d like mornings if they started later; coffee, which is “strong enough to sit up and bark,” is the only way to start the day. Along with his human characteristics, Garfield is also very humorous, and quick-witted. He’s sassy, “tastefully outrageous!” His spicy-tongued talk makes people love him more. As Jim often says, “Number one, there are a lot of cat lovers who can relate to Garfield because their cats are big fat slobs, too. Number two, Garfield is an anti-hero. He defends our right to pig out, sleep in, and be selfish. He says and does the stuff we’d all like to say and do if we thought we could get away with it.” Jim Davis was born on July 28, 1945, in Marion, Indiana. He grew up on a small farm with his dad, Jim, Sr., who raised Black Angus cows, his brother Dave, and 25 cats who relied on the hospitality of Jim’s mother, Betty. When he was still a little boy, asthma forced him to be in bed a lot of the time, so his mom shoved a pencil and paper into his hands and told him to entertain himself. At first he drew so badly that he had to label each drawing to identify it. Young Jim spent plenty of time drawing pictures and characters, which he soon found were more interesting if accompanied with words and captions. Garfield is not Jim Davis’s first creation. His first comic strip was based on a bug, Gnorm Gnat. The strip ran in one Indiana newspaper, but when Davis tried to sell it to a national comic strip syndicate, he was told, “It’s funny. But bugs? Who can relate to a bug?” After five years of drawing Gnorm, Davis drew a giant foot that fell out of the sky, crushing Gnorm in his last comic appearance. After contemplating a long time, he noticed there were abundant comic strips about dogs, Snoopy, Belvedere, Marmaduke—but no cats! So he recalled all the cats in his own memories—including Betty’s 25 cats—and combined their traits with his grandfather, James Garfield Davis. And Voila! Garfield was born. Today, Garfield has become the world most famous feline, and won Jim numerous awards and fame. Nowadays Garfield is the most widely syndicated comic strip in the world with an estimated 263 million readers each day. He has been popular for twenty-five years. In fact, this year is Garfield 25th birthday, and Jim Davis is going to hold a party to celebrate his birthday. “Garfield’s the quintessential pleasure-seeker and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate his birthday than to give him a week in paradise on a luxurious cruise ship where the kitchen is open 24 hours a day.” If you are interested, surf it and have fun! http://www.garfield.com/25/bdaybash.html a
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May 2024
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