30th Anniversary of the fur ball favourite
There was a time during the 1980’s when every self respecting teenager wouldn’t be seen without a stuffed orange cat smiling out from their bedroom or parents car window.
June 19th 2008 sees the 30th Anniversary of the opinionated, lazy, rotund, pasta loving, caustic, marmalade coloured feline created by Jim Davis. One of the inspirations for Garfield came from Davis own Grandfather who apparently shared many of the same traits, along with certain aspects of Davis own life which parallel Jon’s character in the strip. Davis was brought up on a farm in Indiana but having asthma meant he was unable to help with many of the day to day routines, resulting in Jim spending many hours indoors sketching and doodling. This spark of interest led to him studying art and business at Ball State University, followed by a job assisting ‘Tumbleweeds’ cartoon strip creator Tom K Ryan. Davis looked at producing animal characters not previously explored and this led to ‘Gnorm Gnat’ a comical insect. Not a particular success, Davis needed something people would relate to a little more and having lived with over 25 cats during the years on the farm, he had plenty of material to explore this avenue, Garfield was born.
Like The Simpsons, the initial drawings and sketches seem unpolished, very linear, and comparatively raw compared to today’s versions. Garfield developed an expanding girth (possibly the lasagne), large youthful eyes and more human characteristics such as standing to appeal to the wider audience. Garfield’s world also expanded considerably from just Jon, Garfield’s owner (opps, companion – we all know cats cannot be ‘owned’) to including —
Pooky - Garfield’s best friend, his teddy bear
Odie - Ever exuberant, overly eager to please beagle dog
Nermal - Has the appearance of a cute, little grey kitten but appearances can be deceptive!
Arlene - Garfield’s ‘girlfriend’, a pink cat
The strip also features a host of other minor characters who Garfield comes into contact with on a daily basis. The success of the series meant a TV version followed with the lead role voiced by Lorenzo Music, whose distinctive voice had previously been heard as the doorman in the comedy ‘Rhonda’. When the action moved to the big screen in 2004 Bill Murray stepped in as Lorenzo had lost his battle with cancer a couple of years prior.
From the early years merchandising has helped the success of the character. Everything from stuffed toys, stationery, fabric, furnishings, books, cutlery, jewellery, jigsaws, luggage, clothing and toiletries were adorned with the vivid orange cat. Today these are in short supply and are worth looking out for in mint condition as they would make an interesting collection.
The comic strip is still one of the most popular in the world, currently appearing in over 2580 newspapers and is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as being the world’s most read cartoon.
Let’s all celebrate with Garf – anyone for a spot of lasagne??
Take a look at the Garfield toys we have for sale.
