List of Garfield characters
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of characters in the comic strip and cartoon show Garfield.
Contents |
[edit] Primary characters
[edit] Garfield
Garfield is the main central character in the Jim Davis comic strip Garfield. He is a lazy, selfish, overweight, orange tabby cat who enjoys eating, sleeping, stealing Jon's dinner, and tormenting Odie by kicking him off the table. He loves lasagna and enjoys entertaining (or annoying) an unseen neighboring audience on top of a fence in the middle of the night (and gets bombarded by various objects by the agitated audience for it). He hates spiders, and often splats them until they are as flat as a pancake with a rolled up newspaper.
[edit] Jon Arbuckle
Jon is the owner of Garfield and Odie, a total nerd, and a clumsy individual. He is the primary fodder and conversation partner to Garfield and is often the butt of his jokes. He makes his living as a cartoonist. This reference has not been seen in the comic strip since its early days, but the animated show Garfield and Friends does show him several times in his job as a cartoonist. Jon manages to make enough money to keep Garfield well fed — no easy feat. Often, Jon, as well as Garfield, gets bored, and comes up with "fun" ways to cure boredom (such as buying new socks, clipping his toenails, or playing "Guess the Burp" with Garfield). His full name has been revealed as Jonathan Q. Arbuckle (the "Q" might stand for "Quack") in a Christmas strip. He is played by Breckin Meyer in the Garfield films.
[edit] Odie
He is a lovable but intellectually challenged yellow-furred, brown-eared beagle constantly panting with his very large tongue, and the only character without a "voice" as he was portrayed as a "normal" house dog. However, he was once shown to be thinking "I'm hungry". He also says "I don't know, I'm kinda scared," as a "mistake" in the cartoon episode "Mistakes Will Happen". More recently, he was seen actually speaking in one of Garfield's dream sequences. [1] He also sometimes thinks like Garfield. [2]; he sometimes says minor things in episodes such as "Ta-da!", "Huh?", or more commonly, panting "Yeah, yeah, yeah!". In the live-action films based on the strip, Odie was a real-life dachshund.
[edit] Arlene
Garfield's on-and-off girlfriend. A thin pink cat who seems to be the only one living thing in the world who can successfully crack jokes at Garfield on a regular basis. Earlier in the series she also had a gap between her teeth, which Garfield pointed out as much as possible, being usually the only "ammunition" he had against Arlene's wisecracks at his expense. Arlene appeared far more often in the early years of the strip than in recent times, as the strip seemed to gravitate more towards Garfield and Jon as bachelors. She first appeared on December 17, 1980. Although she never appeared on the animated series (with the exception of a cameo appearance in the fourth season), she appeared in the film version as well, where she was voiced by Debra Messing. Arlene, whom is never shown talking in animation, will possibly have a speaking line in the 2007 direct to video movie, Garfield Gets Real.
In the book Garfield's Judgment Day, it was revealed she was a stray cat, which she had never revealed to Garfield until emergency situations brought it to light.
[edit] Pooky the Teddy Bear
Garfield's huggable teddy bear. First appearance was October 23, 1978. The strip shows Garfield searching through Jon Arbuckle's bottom drawer, finding Pooky, and adopting him as his own. Once, Pooky lost an eye for several comic strips. It was replaced the following Christmas. In addition, Pooky was over-squeezed by Garfield and had an inflated head. Afterwards, Garfield tried to squeeze him back but made his head thin and body thick. Then, Jon "completely restuffed" Pooky and made him fat on both ends. Also, Pooky had lost his arm on one occasion on the week of January 1, 1983, but was sewn back on. Garfield looks at Pooky as the only one that he can truly trust. Outside of dream sequences and the like, Pooky has never been "brought to life" (as in the case of Hobbes of the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes) "on camera" in the strip, but on rare occasions, the possibility that Pooky is more than just a stuffed bear is brought up, though never confirmed or denied. (Garfield was pretending to teach him to jump through a hoop. Jon asked what was happening. Garfield looked away for a moment. Pooky appeared on the other side of the hoop). In the Spanish translation of the strip, Pooky was initially named "Doggy" ("perrito") but suddenly changed name to Pooky in further lines. In a few strips, he is referred to as "Pookie" but "Pooky" is clearly used more often.
[edit] Nermal
Cute gray kitten who flaunts his cuteness (the self-proclaimed cutest kitten in the world), which annoys Garfield immensely. Nermal also has a very sarcastic and insulting attitude, usually resulting in Garfield trying to ship Nermal to Abu Dhabi. In the comic strip it's revealed that he is a model for cat calendars and posing for greeting cards, and when asked by Garfield how he keeps his kittenish looks year after year, Nermal said it was because he's a midget (and one time joked that he just "thinks small"). He often comes in unannounced, much to Garfield's chagrin, particularly by waking him up by shouting hello so loud that he jumps out of his bed. When he first appeared, he was owned by Jon's parents, but that was never mentioned again. When we see him, it is usually because Jon has to babysit him. He is not seen on Jon's parents' farm. Because of his eyelashes and seemingly effeminate personality, fans have often mistaken him as a female; viewers of the television series will know that Nermal's voice sounded like a woman (he was in fact voiced by Desirée Goyette). He first appeared on September 3, 1979. However, in Garfield: The Movie, Nermal appears as an adult Siamese rather than as a cute kitten, and is voiced by David Eigenberg. The Spanish-dubbed version of the TV series changed Nermal's name to Thelma during some seasons.
[edit] Mom
Jon's mother who's always cooking up a large and humorously varied meal (often having more than five kinds of potato dishes), and sending Garfield the most uncomfortable sweaters. She calls Jon "Johnny". In A Garfield Christmas Special and the Garfield episode, "Feeling Feline", she was voiced by Julie Payne.
[edit] Dad
Jon's father who tends the family farm. In his sole animated appearance, A Garfield Christmas Special, he was voiced by Pat Harrington Jr.
[edit] Doc Boy
Jon's only brother who tends to the pigs on the farm, and who is as much a loser as Jon (maybe even more so, having never moved out on his own as Jon did, and living an isolated life with their parents on the farm). Resents being called Doc Boy. He is apparently younger than Jon despite his receding hairline (inherited from their father, a "genetic bullet" that Jon somehow managed to "dodge"). In A Garfield Christmas Special, he was voiced by David Lander.
[edit] Grandma
Jon and Doc Boy's grandmother. She is a Harley-riding, leather-wearing old lady who carves turkey with a chainsaw. She loves Jon, Garfield, and Odie, and occasionally makes appearances throughout the series. The most is revealed about her in Garfield's Christmas special, where it is revealed that her husband has died and she talks about her life with him. She is undoubtedly Garfield's favorite of Jon's family. In the strip, Grandma was originally depicted as a stereotypical elderly woman, wearing a shapeless, plain dark dress and her hair in a tight bun; her animated appearances outfit her as a more modern-looking woman. In A Garfield Christmas Special and Garfield's Thanksgiving, she was voiced by Pat Carroll. She also appears as the DVD seller on the DVD store on the Garfield website.
[edit] Lyman
Friend of Jon's who lived with him for a while and was the original owner of Odie. He first appeared on August 7, 1978. However, he disappeared from the comic on April 24, 1983 and his disappearance was never fully elaborated upon. His last appearance in the strip was a cameo on Garfield's 10th Birthday June 19, 1988 where he appears in the title panel seated between Jon's Dad and Liz, he also appears in a flashback panel within the strip. Recently, Davis was forced to directly address the issue of 'What happened to Lyman?'. According to Davis, Lyman's original purpose was to be someone who Jon could actually talk to and express other ideas—a role more and more taken over by Garfield himself. Hence, he was removed without explanation. The closest thing Davis has ever given to explain his absence is "Don't look in Jon's basement". In the Web game "Scary Scavenger Hunt", Lyman is shown chained onto the wall in the basement of a haunted mansion, as well as screaming in a bathtub upstairs (in a scene clearly referencing the "shower scene" in the film Psycho; even the screeching violins from the infamous scene are played here) and his head is also shown in a room under a blanket. In "Scary Scavenger Hunt 2", his head is found inside the kitchen oven. This "in the basement" joke was revealed by Mr. Davis to not be entirely true. In an interview he mentioned that the real reason that Lyman disappeared was that he joined the Peace Corps and was never heard from again. Lyman has appeared on the Garfield website as the seller at the bookstore.
[edit] Irma
Waitress and owner of "Irma's Diner", a diner occasionally patronized by Jon and Garfield. Her first appearance was on October 19, 1979. The food, service, and mental stability of both Irma and her restaurant are all questionable. For instance, her idea of a "chicken surprise" is her coming up to the table wearing a rubber chicken mask and saying "SURPRISE!" She also referred to "your choice of potatoes" as "cooked" and "raw." However, this may be attributed to her operating the diner 24 hours a day with no help (though in other comics, she is shown to speak to other diner employees). Although her main and most memorable appearances took place earlier in the strip, in 1999 she appeared (updated to match the most recent style of the strip), once again doing wacky things at the diner.
[edit] Dr. Liz Wilson
Garfield's veterinarian and long-time crush of Jon Arbuckle. She occasionally dates him, but these outings always become disasters, and Liz herself has little regard for Jon. She vainly tries to make him understand that she is not interested, but Jon is persistent in his efforts. More recently, she met Jon in a restaurant. The two appeared to have fallen in love after Liz admitted that she liked Jon, which means Liz has become Jon's girlfriend. [3] In one strip, she reveals she has a boyfriend named Nick "The Mangler" Scarlotti, however, he has never been mentioned again. She first appeared on June 26, 1979. In the live-action films, she became Jon Arbuckle's "girlfriend/partner". In animation, she was voiced by Julie Payne. On Garfield and Friends, she appeared occasionally in the first two seasons only. In the live-action movies, she is played by Jennifer Love Hewitt.
[edit] Herman Post
Jon Arbuckle's mailman. Garfield constantly torments him by ripping off his pants and leaving him shredded and scratched, and he perpetually tries to find a way to deliver the mail safely, but almost never succeeding (although the mail always makes it). In Garfield and Friends, the mailman was voiced by Gregg Berger.
[edit] Secondary characters
- The sock is another superhero alter-ego of Garfield. His sidekick Stinky (Odie with smelly socks) is shown to be worst as Garfield can realize.
- Hubert and Reba are Jon's stereotypical "grumpy old neighbors." Hubert is mostly outside on his porch yelling "REBA!" when Garfield, Jon, Odie, and other characters are doing something crazy. Reba is mostly inside doing something unseen. In an earlier comic, Reba is called "Thelma." Their only Television appearance was on "Here Comes Garfield."
- Mrs. Feeny is another neighbor, who has never appeared in the strip. Garfield routinely torments her, her little dog, and Mr. Feeny (who have never appeared as well) and as such Mrs. Feeny is always complaining to Jon about Garfield over the phone, or occasionally, vent her revenge on Jon.
- Ellen is a local woman whom Jon often tried to go out with. For years she never appeared in the strip, but many strips focused on Jon phoning Ellen asking for a date. She usually asked him sarcastically to do something very stupid first, before refusing. Once Jon received a restraining order from her on November 22, 1996, but despite that has asked her out many times since then (to no success). On July 17, 2006, Ellen had a case of amnesia, and did not remember Jon or any of his bad qualities. She was persuaded to go on a date with him, and on July 20th, 2006, the strip finally showed her as a blond woman with a striped dress. [4] Jon fell in love with Liz who admitted that she did like Jon - and Ellen, still having amnesia, went with the man that Liz initially dated that night.
- Sonja: Garfield's mother, Garfield's most influential family member. His mother is a stray, and he hardly sees her. But when they do meet, such as in the television special Garfield on the Town and a loose adaptation that ran in the strip in December 1984, she showers him with the love that she can rarely give. She also appeared in the television special Garfield: His 9 Lives,, and in the November 5, 1994 strip, in which she's the only one watching Garfield's representation on the fence. Sandy Huge provided her voice in the specials. It is confirmed Garfield's mother will appear in the third movie[citation needed].
- Garfield's grandfathers have both appeared. His maternal grandfather, Wilfrid, is a strict, demanding stray, who insists (with extreme futility, of course) that Garfield must become a mouser. His paternal grandfather, Garfield I, is a cynical, bitter and sarcastic character with a habit of telling long (and often completely made up) stories. He holds his grandson in mild contempt and threatens Jon with physical harm when he claims to see a family resemblance.
- Jon's house is also inhabited by mice (usually unnamed, though one of their first appearances shows one of them giving Garfield a business card for Herman Vermin), enjoying a quite full social life—to much annoyance of Jon. Garfield, however, cannot be bothered to chase them, and according to him they tend to either bribe or blackmail him to stay so. One particular mouse in the comic strip started appearing in 1984, and was named Squeak by Garfield, but he looked no different from the other mice. (The way you know Garfield is talking to Squeak in particular is when there are no other mice around to confuse him with.) Squeak made a cameo appearance in 1997, a few days before Garfield's 19th birthday. In the cartoon show, there was a significant mouse with a similar role named Floyd, who could be told apart by the fact that he was drawn with oval eyes like the other regulars, had a pink nose (an animation goof in "Good Mousekeeping" shows another mouse briefly with Floyd's nose), and was voiced by Gregg Berger. A running gag with Floyd was his annoyance with the fact that he didn't appear often (he often says he wishes he'd be on more than once a season; it's unclear whether Floyd really does only appear once a season).
- Garfield's otherwise boring life is occasionally enriched by spiders, who sometimes walk around the house or dangle from the ceiling—and whom he squishes with rolled-up newspapers. This, of course, leads to several attempts by the spiders to get back at Garfield—unsuccessful in most cases. Garfield does occasionally obtain help from the spiders, such as to get rid of an annoying fly. A spider by the name of Guido has been introduced. Guido is apparently a hitman (well, spider).
- When dieting, Garfield often has hallucinations. One common hallucination features walking food which encourages Garfield to eat it.
- Three trusty household appliances in the comic are the talking bathroom scale, the alarm clock and the TV. The three objects have quite different personalities: The scale, sometimes known as RX-2, usually allows itself to be quite cynical and crude about Garfield's overweight state. But sometimes when it does so, it gets smashed or thrown into a trash can. A cover on one of the Garfield paperbacks show Garfield putting a foot on the scale and it heaving with agony. The clock usually retracts from ringing loud and waking Garfield, since he tends to smash it into pieces and was once flushed down a toilet because it woke Garfield. The TV also speaks to Garfield by itself on occasion, usually trying to persuade Garfield into continuing to watch it or turning it off. Once, when Garfield fell asleep in front of the TV, the TV yelled at him to turn it off. On an episode of Garfield TV show there was a Twilight Zone-like episode with Garfield trapped in the TV set.
- Clive is Garfield's invisible friend. He is another way through which Garfield plays pranks on and irritates Jon and Odie.
- Binky the Clown is a television personality noted for his extremely loud and piercing greetings, most notably "HEEEEEEEY, KIDS!" First seen in Garfield's Halloween Adventure, the character made his appearance in the strip's longest-running continuing storyline. On Garfield and Friends, Binky became more of a regular, and would modify his greeting to suit who it was he was greeting, such as "HEEEEEEEY, CAT!" He also had his own segment on the show during the second and third seasons, called Screaming With Binky, in which he showed up in the midst of a certain activity and then perform his trademark greeting, ruining said activity. Most of these segments were cut in syndication, but have been restored for the DVD releases. Like Jon, Binky was voiced by Thom Huge.
- Stretch is Garfield's rubber chicken, who was given to Garfield on his 6th birthday. It only appeared for a week after, yet makes cameo appearances from time to time, mainly used as a weapon against Jon. Stretch was last seen on December 31, 2000.
- Garfield loves to eat sparrows, and has many attempts to catch them (most of the time failing), most notably his "barbeque bird bath" and his various bird disguises.
- A tree is always trying to encourage Garfield to climb him, always ending in Garfield falling for its "same old lies". In the beginning, he sits on a tree branch, but more recently finds himself gripping the branch by his front paws and dangling. Once while stuck up a tree, he meets a cat named Ed who was raised by squirrels and had never walked on the ground before.
- A recurring plot in the strip is Garfield eating Jon's various pet fish, which causes Jon to get mad. In an attempt to prevent Garfield from eating his second pet fish one week, he lets Garfield name it. Ironically, Second Helping (the fish Garfield named) lasted to the end of the strip, an event very rare in a Garfield comic. Another time, he named a fish Sushi. It is mentioned that Jon owned 323 fish. Garfield thought it was 321, but then remembered that "two died of natural causes".
- A little chick that looks up to Garfield and calls him "Daddy" (it was originally "Mommy" until Garfield explained to the little guy what gender was). He is a nuisance to Garfield who, oddly enough, is reluctant to eat the little guy (for some strange reason, the thought just never crossed his mind). The chick doesn't like lasagna. At the end of the week long strips, Garfield has a tear rolling down his eye.
- A big, vicious dog often enjoys barking at Garfield. His rear end is rarely seen. He is almost always seen next to a "Beware of Dog" sign, hence the name he's been given by several fans (another one is Chain Dog). Garfield isn't usually afraid of this dog, and makes fun of him and even chats with him. Once in a while, he'll be afraid of him. There are several regular "Beware of Dog" dogs, the main one has either brown or blue fur.
- The Caped Avenger is Garfield's alter ego, a superhero who fights with only a cape. (His blanket.) He once had a sidekick named Slurp, (Odie) and also once lost his blanket and became the "Paisly Avenger." Some early strips show his superhero name as "Freedom Fighter". In one episode he refers to Jon as his archnemesis "The Infamous Doctor Dweeb".
- Mondays are another nemesis of Garfield's. Often, they are shown off-panel but causing things to happen in-panel (such as throwing a pie at Garfield). When they are shown, they are drawn as ugly monsters. The most prominent theme was "The Monday That Wouldn't Die", in which every day in the month after a certain Monday was also Monday.
- The Spluts are slapstick-comedy flying pies which strike Garfield upon random occasions, making the sound "splut!" when they hit. Typically the Spluts are used for shock humor or as a running gag ('Garfield: (checks the calendar) "Yep... it's 'Splut week.'")
- The People Who Throw Heavy Objects at Garfield when he sings on the Fence are usually known to be unseen characters. The very first strip to show Garfield on a fence had an irate old man in a night shirt toss an alarm clock. However, in later strips, many of the (normally unseen) throwers are implied to be dogs. Once Garfield's mother was in the audience (she WAS his audience). At one point, he was hit by a wrecking ball after claiming he was "ready for anything". In a Sunday strip, people from the fictional island of booga-booga were in the audience. He tells them that they should "throw money", forgetting the currency was giant chariot wheels (a tribute to the currency of the real-life island of Yap). Needless to say, he was knocked flat.
- There's occasionally a dog who usually pops up at the final panel of a strip and harming Garfield in the process, always exclaiming, "____ DOOOGGGG!" with the blank word being his way of entrance. He is dressed in a pilot's cap, a cape, and a shirt that reads the initials of his name, which varies between his appearances. Examples include, "Trapdoor Dog", "Slingshot Dog", and "Bungee Dog".
- Santa Claus is portrayed as a real, rather than fictional, character in the Garfield strip. This is a rarity as most newspaper comics do not show Santa as someone who actually exists. Belief in Santa is unquestioned, both Garfield and Jon believe in him and Garfield has witnessed him flying in his sleigh, coming down the chimney, and distributing presents. Somehow despite all of the trouble that Garfield gets into he remains on Santa's nice list. On Garfield's first Christmas Eve (December 24, 1978), he received 20 pounds of lasagna, a request which Santa notes nobody else in the world asked for.
- Herbie was Jon's pet frog, but was later inevitably eaten by Garfield. He appeared in 1980. In a October 30, 1994 strip, all of the pets Garfield ate were in one of Garfield's nightmares. Herbie is there underneath a white blanket that represents a ghost. He has never been heard from again.
- The contents of Jon's fridge, due to his negligent bachelor lifestyle, have been left alone for so long that many of them have evolved into sinister intelligent lifeforms. The most sinister of all was the Mystery Meat, which attempted to embark on a plan for world domination. Some were not sinister or intelligent, and simply became life forms (Bacon grazing on lettuce, etc.)
- Guido and Fluffy were a cat and dog who help Garfield escape from the city pound in a comic strip of January 1981. Fluffy was a Dog who like a huge blue Garfield. In Here Comes GarfieldThere is another cat and dog named Fast Eddy and Fluffy.
- Wheezer is Jon's old school friend. He calls Jon "Carp Face". Wheezer visited Jon at his house April 23, 1990 through April 29, 1990. He asked Jon if he remembers the "Reptile", which is a dance they did together on the floor. Wheezer and Jon did silly noises like Booga, Honk, Whoop, Yadda, Wheedie, Ooga, Nyahh, and Hoogie. Later in the comic, Jon saw Wheezer at his high-school reunion.
- Aunt Gussie is Jon's good Aunt. She first appeared On August 14 through August 15, 1981 for baby sitting Garfield while Jon took a vacation. She didn't know Garfield left. She later appeared on November 8 through November 12, 1983 she became mean and had glasses. She was supposed to baby-sit Garfield on the week of April 25, 1988 while Jon was having his tonsils removed, but she did not show up. She has a crush on John Travolta.Garfield said she double dated with Lizzie Borden.
- The Stump is where Garfield once went in August 8 to August 14, 1982.He heard strange noises in the stump. Garfield threw a stone in the stump and a bone came out. Garfield saw that a mouse live in the Stump. Garfield was about to attack the mouse for scaring him, But was attacked by the mouse's pet human, Guido. When Garfield left he heard the noises Guido made in his bed and food dish.
- The Sludge Monsteris a monster made of mudlike goo. He is never seen in the comics, but Jon and Liz often go out to see "Sludge Monster" movies at theatres. The Garfield cartoon "Sludge Monster" is all about him. The creepy motel owner calls him "Maurice." There is a song about him that Jon sings to Garfield and Odie. He is only seen at the end of that episode and suggests the motel needs cable TV. There is a huge amount of Sludge Monster movies in the comics.
- Vermin Man is a character that was mentioned in Garfield comic strip in April 25,1980.He Starred in a Movie called "The Sluge Monster meets Vermin Man" when Jon took Liz on a date to a Drive in Theater.
- Lyle is Garfield's pet ant. Garfield later squashed him for eyeballing his lasagna.
- Loretta is one of the Mouse's sisters. Garfield was going to fight her. When the Mouse called her name, Garfield didn't want to fight her. She was a Giant Mouse.
- Garfield's conscience is an entity whose job is to "make you feel bad about the things that make you feel good." He is described as resembling "everyone's mother." When not working, he shares Garfield's sense of humour. He told Garfield to back up a little, and Garfield fell of the table. He is quite annoying, to the point that Garfield bottled him. Jon unfortunately took the cork out, wherupon he was told to "get a haircut". He has been shown as Garfield's bed, food dish, clock and a bottle. The cricket from television may be one of his forms, or a different conscience.
- Biff was Garfield's colleague intern that he taught how to be a good cat -according to Garfield's standards.[5]
- A talking scale that usually insults Garfield's weight... and usually gets severely damaged.
- Mrs. Lillian is an extremely near-sighted old lady, who John has hired as a pet sitter to go out on a date with Liz.[6]
[edit] Television series only
- Cactus Jake is the foreman of the Polecat Flats ranch, and a friend of Jon. He was seen only in the TV series and had a habit of saying Garfield's name wrong. Whenever Garfield wore a cowboy outfit, Jake always believed that he really was a cowboy named "Shorty" (Jon would always recognize "Shorty" as Garfield, however). Jake's voice was provided by Pat Buttram.
- Dr. Garbanzo Bean is a mad scientist who invented a mechanical Odie dubbed the "Robodie." This proved popular enough for him to return in a sequel, appropriately enough called "Robodie 2." He was voiced by Frank Welker.
- Al G. Swindler is, as his name suggests, a Confidence trick, often conning Jon whenever he can, not to mention mispronouncing his last name. He only appeared in the TV series, usually getting outsmarted by Garfield shortly after tricking Jon enough times, and at the end of the episodes he was in, he would usually say, "It's getting tougher and tougher to make an honest buck these days." He was voiced by Carl Ballantine.
- The Buddy Bears are a trio of annoying singing bear cubs who encourage viewers to "always agree with the group" (similar to The Get-Along Gang). Their names are Bobby, Billy, and Bertie. The only disagreement they've ever had was over pizza toppings, which supposedly no one can agree on. Their show once replaced Binky's, and Roy Rooster from U.S. Acres has twice been stuck as their fall guy. Garfield has remarked that he "hates Buddy Bear episodes". In the episode "The Garfield Opera", the bears' full names are revealed to be Robert, William, and Bertram respectively. In one episode, they are accompanied by their sister, Betty Buddy Bear. In one episode, the Buddy Bears are hired to provide factual explanations for everything Garfield does, i.e., appearing spontaneously to say "Bananas are a very good source of potassium" when Garfield mentions bananas. Eventually Garfield tricks them into leaving by asking them about "gazorninplats," which they know nothing about (since Garfield made it up), and, admitting defeat, they leave. The trick backfires, however, when a TV producer notifies Garfield that he is so taken with the name "Gazorninplat" that he is going to replace Garfield's show with new Gazorninplat show.
- Madman Murray is a caricature of the type of ecstatic salesmen seen advertising used cars on television. Somewhat like Swindler, Madman is continually conning Jon out of his money. However, Madman's appearances on the show do not typically end with Garfield outsmarting him as often. He is voiced by Gregg Berger.
- Mr. Burnside is Jon's next-door neighbor, who is constantly annoyed by Garfield stealing his food. Early on in the sixth season, he was pushed so far as to rent his house out. Shortly after moving, Burnside found out that without Garfield stealing his food, he and his wife were getting overweight, so they agreed to move back. He is voiced by Gregg Berger.
- Penelope Pussycat served as another love interest for Garfield, appearing only in the show's last three seasons, quickly becoming a regular even with only three episodes being labeled by their titles as "Penelope episodes". She lives in an Italian restaurant, which is no doubt the main reason that Garfield goes out with her. The fact that Garfield enjoys eating more annoys Penelope, but she willingly goes out with him anyway, because as she says, "It doesn't matter what we do so long as we do it together." She is voiced by Victoria Jackson. Penelope was not a character creation by Jim Davis or 'Garfield & Friends' writer, Mark Evanier. Penelope was a conception of Dallas, TX resident and Garfield fanatic by the name of Chris Miller. Penelope was included as part of a spoof newspaper submission to Paws Inc in 1989. Because Miller did not have his creation copyrighted or trademarked, Penelope was fair use for the Garfield shows. Another character of Miller's appeared in an episode of the series by the name of "Gwendolyn".
- Ludlow is a young sparrow who appeared during the last two seasons, and who sounded somewhat like Augie Doggy. Being young and impressionable, he believes that Garfield is his friend, and as a result, Garfield cannot bring himself to eat him. Ludlow's dad distrusts cats, and therefore is aggressive to Garfield. He was voiced by Don Messick.
- The Singing Ants are a group of black ants who showed up to ruin Jon's picnic in the season five episode "The Picnic Panic". They are referred to as the Singing Ants because they make their appearance announcing what they do, which is to steal food from picnics, by way of song ("we're the ants who ruin your dinner"). The ants proved to be so popular with viewers that two seasons later, the ants reappeared in the aptly-titled "Another Ant Episode". This time, though, they were red ants, and they had come to steal all the food in Jon's house. At the end of their second episode, Jon's house was destroyed by the exterminator, Mr. Leo Crater's robot. The ants sang "We'll be back after you rebuild here, cause by then it'll be time for a Third Ant Episode". But because of the show's cancellation, there never was a third one, although they also made a cameo in "A Vacation From His Senses". The Ants are perhaps the only antagonistic characters whom Garfield cannot succeed in outsmarting.
- Ichabod Cricket served as Garfield's conscience in A Matter of Conscience. The episode is based off Pinocchio. He later gets squished which Garfield says "was not in the Disneyfilm". He later gives Jon bad advice on Half- Baked Alaska
- Esmeralda, or, The Fairy Dogmother is a clumsy Godmother that grants wishes to cats and dogs. She first appeared on the episode The Fairy Dogmother. She always wished someone would wish for an exit in her office place since there is none there. She first made Odie fly so no dogs would tease him. Later, she forgot what Garfield wished for so she made all of Jon Arbuckle, Odie, and Garfield's wishes come true. For example: When Jon was singing in the shower about Dixieland he sings "I wish I were and Dixieland" and he was naked in Dixieland and he was arrested. When he wished he was home, he was in bed. That episode was called Dogmother II. Both episodes were in the 7th season, and she was never heard from again.
| Garfield |
|---|
| Characters |
| Garfield | Jon Arbuckle | Odie | List of Garfield characters |
| Television specials |
| Here Comes Garfield | Garfield on the Town | Garfield in the Rough | Garfield's Halloween Adventure | Garfield in Paradise | A Garfield Christmas | Garfield Goes Hollywood | Garfield: His 9 Lives | Garfield's Babes and Bullets | Garfield's Thanksgiving | Garfield's Feline Fantasies | Garfield Gets a Life |
| Video games |
| Garfield: Big Fat Hairy Deal | Garfield: A Winter's Tail | Garfield: A Week of Garfield | Garfield Labyrinth | Garfield: Caught in the Act | Garfield: The Search for Pooky | Garfield & His Nine Lives | Garfield Bound for Home |
| Films |
| Garfield | Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties |
| Other media |
| Am I Cool or What? | Garfield As Himself | Garfield and Friends | List of Garfield and Friends episodes | Garfield's Holiday Celebrations |
| Other |
| Jim Davis | U.S. Acres | Gnorm Gnat |
