National Garfield The Cat Day

Garfield is a fictional cartoon cat created by Jim Davis and appeared in the comic strip, Garfield. This tabby cat is famously known for his laziness and his love for lasagna. He is also known for his humorous interactions with his owner, Jon Arbuckle, and the other pet he shares the household with, Odie. The comic strip in which he appears was first published in 1976 under the name “Jon” and in 1978, it received nationwide syndication as Garfield. Garfield is also a character who has been honored with his own holiday—National Garfield the Cat Day—a holiday that falls on June 19th every year.

The History Of National Garfield The Cat Day

This holiday was first celebrated in 1998—on what would be the 20th anniversary of the comic strip. In other words, this day is actually Garfield’s birthday, and this holiday was proclaimed by Wanda Thayer, a Boca Raton City Council Member, during a surprise birthday party for Garfield.

Interesting Facts About Garfield The Cat

We thought that everyone observing this holiday would like to know more about Garfield the Cat, so we decided to put together this section. In this section, we’ll list everything that we know and have learned about Garfield and will list them below. Let’s dig into them together.

The Original Strip Was Supposed To Focus On Jon

Jim Davis had originally designed the comic strip to be about Garfield’s owner, Jon, but when he wrote the strip, the cat kept zinging Jon with one-liners. So he decided to change the focus to the cat instead, and that is how Garfield came to be.

Garfield Was Named After Jim Davis’ Grandfather

Yes, the name Garfield wasn’t pulled out of thin air. Instead, it was named after Jim Davis’ grandfather—James Garfield Davis, who was named after U.S. President James Garfield.

A Lot Of Garfield Merchandise Is Sold Every Year

At the time of this article, approximately 700 million to 1 billion dollars of Garfield merchandise are sold every year. Which, needless to say, has made Jim Davis quite wealthy. It’s been estimated that Jim Davis is worth approximately 800 million dollars today.

Garfield Has Different Names In Other Countries

Okay, first we should say that the name of this cat in most countries is Garfield. However, there are three countries where this lasagna-loving cat has a different name. He’s known as Gustav in Sweden, Finland, and Norway.

A Lot Of People Read Garfield

Back in 1978, Garfield debuted by appearing in only 41 newspapers. Since then, the readership of this comic strip has grown significantly. Garfield now appears in 2,600 newspapers and has an estimated readership of approximately 260 million people.

Observing National Garfield The Cat Day

In honor of National Garfield The Cat Day, we recommend that you take some time to enjoy Garfield in one of his forms. Either read a Garfield comic strip, read a book, or watch a Garfield movie or cartoon. You can also take the time to make yourself a lasagna and use the hashtag #NationalGarfieldTheCatDay on your social media accounts.

When is it?
This year (2024)
June 19 Wednesday
Next year (2025)
June 19 Thursday
Last year (2023)
June 19 Monday
Topic
Art & Entertainment, Fun & Joy