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Created by Jim Davis, Garfield is a biped orange tabby cat known for his extremely lazy, snarky, and snobby attitude, and his endless love of food. He gets his thrills from ridiculing the clumsy antics of Jon Arbuckle, his timid and geeky master, as well as Odie, Jon's slobbering dog.
He especially enjoys fighting with (or insulting) Odie, and makes fun of Jon's social awkwardness when it comes to women. Although he loves Odie and Jon, his favorite companion is his teddy bear Pooky, who he is constantly seen cuddling with.
His weight is frequently mocked throughout the strip, notably by his talking electronic scale. Generally, he does not accept criticism or orders from the scale — or from anyone else, for that matter — and will typically reply with some kind of snarky retort, or worse!
As mean and mischievous as he can be, he has always charmed his way into the hearts of readers, and in this article, we look at 10 Garfield facts you may not have known.
Did you know Garfield is called Gustaf in Sweden?
1) He is a tabby cat
He is an orange tabby cat. The term "tabby" refers to a specific pattern of fur. These patterns can be swirly, patchy, or occur as spots or stripes and a unique "M" pattern can be found on their forehead.
2) His very first comic came out in 1978
He was first introduced to fans in a three-panel comic published on June 19, 1978. Back then, the orange tabby had a distinctive look. He was quadruped and considerably larger in size. However, even back then, he had droopy eyelids, which have been a constant for over four decades.
3) He was born in a restaurant's kitchen
He was born in the kitchen of an Italian restaurant called Mamma Leoni's. This is possibly the only reason why, unlike other cats, he preferred Italian dishes such as fettuccini, ravioli and lasagne. He weighed five pounds and six ounces at birth, which is slightly on the overweight side. His huge appetite for pasta forced the restaurant owner to sell him to a pet shop.
4) Lasagne is his favourite food
As mentioned previously, he has a particular weakness for tasty Italian cuisine. Since his birth, he has had a particularly intense craving for lasagne. He spends lavishly on the dish, ordering over 50 boxes of it each week, and even more on his birthday.
5) He got his name from his creator's grandfather
Jim Davis named his infamous character after his grandfather James A. Garfield Davis, who was named after the 20th President of the United States. Jim often referred to his grandfather as being a "large, cantankerous man," traits which are clearly evident in the feline character as well.
6) In Sweden, his name is Gustaf
While it is hard to imagine calling him by any other name, in Sweden, he is addressed as Gustaf. There are only three countries where his name is not as we all know it: Sweden, Finland and Norway.
7) In the late 1980s, he had an existential crisis
In 1989, from October 23-28, the storyline of the comic strip took a strange path. He was seen facing his darkest fears, experiencing loneliness and living in a gloomy and empty house by himself.
8) He is a lot more than just a comic character
The comic strips have been extremely famous and has a whole franchise built around it. Movies, books, video games, television specials and animated series, you name it, and Garfield's in it. The first book was published in 1980, called Garfield at Large. It stayed at the top of the New York Times best sellers list for close to two years.
9) The comic has scored a great sum
Since its start, the franchise has been a commercial hit. The merchandise alone earned over $15 million in 1981, within a mere three years of its launch. Presently, it is said to bring in between $750 million and $1 billion each year.
10) The comic holds two Guinness World Record titles
The Guinness World Records title for the most syndicated comic strip is shared by Garfield and Jim Davis. It has almost 200 million readers today and on his 40th birthday in 2018, the GWR title for most high fives given by a mascot was set during a one-minute live broadcast in Japan. (He managed to give a total of 194 high fives.)
