Garfield Debut: Jim Davis Launches World's Most Popular Comic
Jim Davis launched the Garfield comic strip on June 19, 1978, in 41 newspapers. Davis had previously created a strip called Gnorm Gnat, which failed. He analyzed the comic market and noticed there were many dog strips but few cat strips, and that cat owners were a large untapped audience. Garfield was designed as a cynical, lazy, lasagna-obsessed orange tabby who bullies his owner Jon Arbuckle and fellow pet Odie the dog. The strip became the world's most widely syndicated comic, appearing in over 2,500 newspapers across 80 countries. Garfield merchandise generates over $750 million annually. Davis has been criticized for the strip's formulaic repetitiveness, but its consistent popularity has made it one of the most commercially successful creative properties in media history.
June 19, 1978
48 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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