The Real Reason Why Garfield Isn't Funny...

TL;DR

Garfield was created as a relatable and marketable character, leading to its immense success as the most widely syndicated comic strip in history and a billion-dollar merchandise industry.

Transcript

There are generally three things everyone knows about Garfield- it’s all about a cat that hates Mondays, loves lasagna, and that it’s not really that funny. While the latter point may seem subjective, according to Garfield creator Jim Davis, the point of Garfield was never for the comic to be hilariously funny, but rather be relatable and, with tha... Read More

Key Insights

• 🚙 Garfield was created to be a marketable character and a vehicle for merchandise sales, rather than a comic aimed at being hilariously funny.
• 😺 The absence of popular cat-themed comics and the popularity of dog-themed strips influenced Jim Davis to create Garfield.
• 🌍 Jim Davis strategically made Garfield relatable and avoided social or political commentary to appeal to a broad international audience.
• 🥺 Garfield's immense success led to a billion-dollar merchandise industry, making Jim Davis one of the most successful comic creators in history.
• 👨‍💼 Davis managed the merchandising and business side of Garfield with careful consideration to avoid overexposure and harm to the brand.
• 🃏 The longevity of Garfield and its appeal were ensured by designing the comic to be repetitive and constantly recycling jokes.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did Jim Davis come up with the idea for Garfield?

Jim Davis created Garfield as a marketable character by studying popular comic strips and recognizing the gap in the market for a popular cat-themed comic.

Q: How did Jim Davis ensure that Garfield would appeal to a broad audience?

Jim Davis made Garfield an internationally relatable character by avoiding rhyming gags, plays on words, and culturally specific references.

Q: How did Jim Davis manage to successfully market Garfield?

Jim Davis leveraged Garfield's popularity by extensively merchandising the character, including plush toys, books, cartoons, and even licensing for educational material.

Q: How did Jim Davis ensure the longevity of Garfield and its appeal?

Jim Davis purposely designed Garfield to be repetitive, allowing for endless recycling of jokes while maintaining the character's popularity.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Garfield was created by Jim Davis as a marketable character rather than a hilariously funny comic, with the aim of selling merchandise.

• The comic was inspired by the popularity of dog-themed comic strips and the absence of a popular cat-themed comic.

• Davis strategically made Garfield an international, relatable character and avoided political or social commentary to appeal to a broad audience.