Lasagna, Laughs, and Longevity: Garfield’s Comic Reign Hits 47 Years

On June 19, 1978, a lasagna-gobbling, chubby orange cat named Garfield debuted in 41 U.S. newspapers—and the comic world was forever changed. Today, almost half a century later, Garfield is still one of the world's most popular and syndicated comic strips, still making millions laugh with his hatred of Mondays and affection for naps.

 

Key Highlights
Historic Premiere: Garfield, the brainchild of Jim Davis, first appeared on June 19, 1978, and soon captured readers' hearts with his attitude and affectionate laziness.

 

Fan Power: When the Chicago Sun-Times canceled the strip after three months, more than 1,300 fans protested, and Garfield returned in triumph.

 

Record-Breaking Reach: By the early 1980s, Garfield was running in over 1,000 newspapers. The strip at one point was running in over 2,500 papers worldwide and was read daily by 200 million people and was awarded a Guinness World Record as the world's most syndicated comic strip.

 

Cultural Icon: Garfield's fame gave rise to best-seller books, a "Garfield format" for comic strip books, Emmy-winning television specials, hit television shows, blockbusters, and a mountain of merchandise.

 

Lasting Legacy: Jim Davis, fueled by the countless cats on his rural childhood farm where he was raised, still has his paws on Garfield's shenanigans. Although his production team does the bulk of the daily work now, Davis is still in charge, keeping Garfield's humor and charm alive.

 

Recent Discoveries: Even decades later, the presence of early and rare Garfield comics continues to surface, surprising readers and historians with glimpses into the comic's origins and evolution.

 

The mixture of Garfield's sarcasm, laziness, and lasagna love has won over the world's hearts—well, with his 47th birthday, clearly this fat cat isn't going anywhere soon.

 

Source: Andrews McMeel Syndication, The Daily Cartoonist, Wikipedia