Garfield was born in the kitchen of Mamma Leoni's Italian restaurant, in 1978 and
he was 5 pounds 6 ounces (his birth in a Italian restaurant explains why Garfield
loves lasagna). The restaurant owner, forced to choose between Garfield and
closing his doors for lack of pasta, sold Garfield to a pet store.
Garfield thought he was a goner until Jon Arbuckle walked in the door and bought
him. Ever since he lives with his owner, Jon, his slobbery canine pal, Odie,
and his teddy bear, Pooky.
But why is Garfield called Garfield? Because when Jim Davis needed a name for
his character, he thought of his grandfather, James A. Garfield Davis, a big,
cantankerous, cynical man. The name just seemed to fit the personality and shape
of thew character. And so Garfield the cat was born.
The Garfield comic strip debuted in 41 newspapers on June 19, 1978. It now appears in more than 2300 newspapers around the world.
But what makes Garfield so lovable? It's simple...people relate to him because he is them. "He's a human in a cat suit," as creator Jim Davis likes to say. Garfield loves TV and hates Mondays. He'd rather pig out than work out; in fact, his passion for food and sleep is matched only by his aversion to spinach, diet and exercise. Very strong coffee is the only way to start the day. What could be more human?
People also identify with, and revel in, Garfield's sassy brand of humor. Garfield is quick-witted and he never hesitates to say the things that people -- young or old -- would like to say, in a way they'd like to say them. But he's never socially unacceptable....just tastefully outrageous!
But Garfield is not all sass and sarcasm; he also has a soft side. He really loves his teddy bear, Pooky, and deep down, he loves Jon and Odie, too.
It's easy to see that Garfield is a well-rounded character and a real classic. As the Official Garfield Website says, "Garfield is a classic and classics are always in style".
Favorite Pastimes
Kicking Odie off the table, Eating, Sleeping, Torturing the mailman, Eating ferns,
Raiding the fridge, Watching TV, Waking up Jon, Lasagna, Whacking Spiders, Guzzling Coffee, Naps.
Absolutely Hates
Spiders, Raisins, Dogs, Diets, Excercise, Camping, Vacations, Getting Wet, Farm Trips,
Vet Visits, Catching Mice, Waxed Dounuts, Nermal, Mailman.
With due respect to Will Rogers, I never met a lasagna I didn't like.