Jim Davis’Garfieldis a character that has been beloved for generations, from his love of lasagna to his hatred of Mondays. Many fans have been introduced to him in different ways, from cartoons, movies, or those plush toys people hang up on car windows. However, Garfield’s start was in the funny pages. Originally focusing on Garfield’s owner Jon, who was even the original title character, the famous feline would soon go from a minor character to the star of the series.
The Garfield Movie
Based on Jim Davis’s comic series, Garfield is a new imagining of the lasagna-loving cat and his friends, opting for a fully computer-animated approach. Chris Pratt voices the titular cat, with the film aiming to explore his early days and new misadventures for him, his friends, and his family.
Over the years, there have been plenty of hilarious Garfield comics. Some are so well-known that fans consider them to be milestones of the series. Often, they poke fun at Garfield’s ego or Jon’s perpetual unluckiness in life. Unlike some of the more family-friendly adaptations, someGarfieldcomics can actually make pretty dark and edgy jokes. Of course, sometimes fans often debate just what the intended punchline was supposed to be.
10Jon’s New Year’s Resolutions
July 08, 2025
Whenever a new year starts, people are bound to make resolutions, although they don’t always follow through. This is as true in theGarfielduniverse as it is in real life. Inone New Year’s-themed comic, Jon reveals to Garfield his whole list of changes he plans to make in the upcoming year. These include growing a mustache, working out, and growing out his hair, effectively giving himself a whole body transformation. He also plans to put Garfield on a diet.
In true comic strip fashion, Jon’s goals are visualized once he mentions each. He even gets to personalize his mustache. However, like many people, Jon decides all that work isn’t worth it and decides to just order a pizza. Garfield, horrified at the image of him wasting away on a diet, suggests ordering two.
9That Time Garfield Met a Ghost
June 01, 2025
Garfield is no stranger to ghosts, as seen inGarfield’s Halloween Adventure, where Garfield and Odie contend against pirate ghosts. However, Garfield’s other adventures with the supernatural have occasionally been more silly than scary. In one Halloween strip, opening up with a panel with Garfield in aHarry Potter-inspired wizard costume, Garfield meets a more cartoony bedsheet ghost saying, “Boo.”
However, Garfield is less than impressed, even after the ghost tries to explain what he is. In fact, Garfield doesn’t just find the spectre less than scary, he even describes the experience as pleasant. Hurt by this, the ghost breaks down sobbing, wishing they were dead. The punchline is that Garfield isn’t sure how to break it to the phantom that, by virtue of being a ghost, they should already be dead.
8The Time Garfield Talked To Doughnuts
August 19, 2025
In comic strips and cartoons, when a character is tempted, it is common to personify their conscious as an angel and a demon, usually serving as the person’s alter-egos. However, Garfield once did things a little differently. Once, when tempted to eat a pink-frosted doughnut, an angelic fritter appeared, pleading with the famous cat to leave the defenseless baked good alone. However, a demonic doughnut soon appeared, tempting Garfield to indulge in the pastry.
The angel continued to advise Garfield to listen to the goodness in his heart. After a brief pause, Garfield soon left an empty plate, complete with horns, wings, and a halo strewed along the counter, revealing Garfield ate all three.
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7Jon’s Disastrous Drive-In Date
June 12, 2025
Jon hasn’t been the luckiest character when it comes to his love life. While he had a long-running interest in Garfield’s vet Liz, they notably got together in the live-action film before they officially became a couple in the comics. Naturally, Jon has had a less-than-stellar dating record in the strip’s early years. However, ending up with Liz hasn’t changed things too much.
In one such strip, Jon comes home from a date with Liz. Recounting what happened, he revealed, during a romantic moment, he accidentally released the car’s lighter when turning on the radio. To cut the long story short, Jon bemoans how it was the first time he was thrown out of a drive-in movie. Garfield sarcastically muses his master has a “rare and special gift.”
6Garfield’s First & One True Love
July 01, 2025
Garfield has had a few love interests over the years, notably the pink cat Arlene. However, there is arguably someone Garfield will always love more than anyone. This character arguably isn’t just Garfield’s true love, but his first love as well. In one comic strip, Garfield addresses someone as “Good-Looking” and starts to flirt with them. He even starts to wax lyrical about falling in love at first sight.
The punchline is that Garfield is looking at his own reflection, asking where they’ve been all his life. In the end, Garfield is a character who knows the importance of loving oneself, leaving readers to wish they could be a confident as the famous orange cat.
5Garfield’s Favorite Movie
August 25, 2025
Cats and dogs are often considered the world’s first rivalry. This is highlighted throughout the Garfield series, as seen with his relationship with Odie, not that there aren’t times when he’s occasionally shown to care about his canine companion. However, Garfield has also been shown to dislike dogs in general, often putting them on equal footing with Mondays and viewing cats as superior.
When reading a fan-letter asking him about his favorite movie, Garfield explains it’sOld Yeller. Garfield follows up with the macabre explanation that he loves movies with “happy endings.” The joke is thatOld Yelleris infamous for its sad ending, in which the title dog is put down after contracting rabies. In fact, in popular culture, the film is often used as ashorthand for a tragic story.
4Garfield Using Bug Spray
June 04, 2025
One classic cat trope that Garfield doesn’t adhere to is chasing mice, much to Jon’s chagrin. Garfield’s reasons vary, with it usually being that he’s too lazy to catch them, has befriended them, or simply doesn’t like the taste. If there’s one thing that Garfield views as a pest, however, it’s a spider. Even learning how useful spiders can be won’t deter Garfield from splatting them.
In one such strip, Garfield is horrified at seeing a spider on the counter. He then pulls out a can of bug spray. However, instead of using the poison, he begins to bash the pest with it. While it makes sense that Garfield would prefer taking down something he dislikes the hard way, it’s tempting to think that “bug” spray wouldn’t work on an arachnid anyway.
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3Jon Having a Good Scream
June 07, 2025
While Jon seems to be doing pretty well, all things considered, being able to afford food for him and his pets on a cartoonist’s salary, things otherwise rarely go right for him. His own cat usually has the upper hand against him, his love life used to be non-existent, and his friend and roommate Lyman seemed to have disappeared under mysterious circumstances. It’s only natural for the stress of life to get to Jon at times.
In one strip, while reflecting on the day, Jon went from a calm expression to screaming loudly. Garfield is less than sympathetic, asking why Jon would do that to himself, either asking why Jon made such a scene or believing Jon really had himself to blame for most of his own problems.
2The Time Jon “Heard” Garfield
June 09, 2025
When it comes tothe world of talking animals, Garfield is a complicated case. He can technically “talk” with to to the audience, but this is always presented as thought bubbles. Occasionally, other animals, especially other cats, can converse with him, but humans are a bit more complicated. Jon often talks to Garfield as if he can understand him, but he rarely appears to be able to understand his cat in turn. Even adaptations go back and forth on whether or not Garfield ever moves his mouth.
However, one comic strip pokes fun at this. In this story, Jon is getting ready for a date, who he claims is the most beautiful woman on the planet. Garfield jokingly “asks” what planet he be talking to. Jon retorts that he heard what his cat just “said,” implying he must just be able to hear Garfield’s thoughts.
1That Time Jon Drank Something He Shouldn’t Have
July 17, 2025
It’s generally good advice to be careful with what you put into your mouth, especially at a veterinarian’s office, where all sorts of stuff could be lying around. Jon learned this the hard way when he drank what he assumed was a cup of coffee while Liz was giving Garfield a checkup.
Liz then sarcastically wishes Jon “Congratulations,” telling him he would soon give birth to a litter of puppies. Garfield is naturally horrified at the idea of new canine housemates. Infamously, the strip doesn’t outright state just what it was Jon just drank. Officially, however,Jim Davis once explainedthe joke was in reference to supplements given to cow to give birth to healthy calves, saying what Jon drank was a similar supplement meant for dogs.
