Jon Arbuckle

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Jon Arbuckle

Jon Arbuckle as he appears in Garfield and Friends
First appearance Garfield comic strip (June 19, 1978)
Created by Jim Davis
Portrayed by Sandy Kenyon (voice in Here Comes Garfield)
Thom Huge (voice in all other animated appearances)
Breckin Meyer (in the live-action films)
Wally Wingert (voice in Garfield Gets Real)
Information
Species Human
Gender Male
Date of birth July 28, 1951 (1951-07-28)[1] (nevertheless, age 29[2])
Occupation Cartoonist
Family "Mom", "Dad", "Doc Boy","Grandma" and Aunt Gussie.
Relatives Tony Arbuckle (ancestor)

Jonathan Q. "Jon" Arbuckle is a character from the Garfield comic strip by Jim Davis. He has also appeared in the animated television series Garfield and Friends and two live-action feature films.

A nerdy and clumsy man, Jon is the owner of Garfield and Odie. He converses with Garfield and is often the butt of his jokes. In the animated Garfield and Friends, he was frequently portrayed as being incredibly gullible when faced with unscrupulous salesmen and rather dumb in general. He was also play as a cheapskate who would faint over the rates on a parking meter.

Contents

[edit] Background

It is rumored that Jon is based on Jim Davis, who in real life, also once failed while trying to date his cat's veterinarian. Jon's birthday is July 28, 1951 (the same month and day as that of Jim Davis). Jon tells Garfield that he is 29 years old in a December 23, 1980 strip (he makes a joke that he would be 30, but he was sick a year).

In the animated show Garfield and Friends, we learn that Jon has an Italian ancestor whose name was Tony Arbuccli. Some episodes of the show suggested that Jon and his pets live in Muncie, Indiana, which is also where Jim Davis lives. Jon wears contact lenses, his favorite music style is polka, and he plays the accordion. Some of his "fun" ways to cure boredom are buying new socks, clipping his toenails, or playing "Guess the Burp" with Garfield[3]. Jon often yells "GARFIELD!!!!" when he is annoyed with his furry pal.

Jon was raised on a farm and occasionally visits his mother, father, and brother Doc Boy.

Jon acquired Odie when Lyman, an old friend of his (and Odie's original owner) moved in with him and Garfield. After a few years, Lyman disappeared from the strip, never to be heard from again.

[edit] Dating

Jon is bad at dating, even though he believes himself to be a smooth-talking ladies' man. He has even been classified in his High School Yearbook as "Most likely to date a kitchen appliance", given that no one else will remain on a date with him. He is usually rejected when trying to get dates with women, perhaps because of his ridiculous pick-up lines, his loud and flashy outfits, or his habit of extolling the virtues of stamp collecting. He has resorted to many desperate measures in getting a date; begging, pleading, crying, and threats to his personal health are quite common while he is talking on the phone. His biggest crush is on Dr. Liz Wilson, Garfield and Odie's vet, who has gone out with him (unsuccessfully) a few times. Two of Jon's very rare dating successes were in TV specials: with Owooda in Garfield in Paradise and with Mona in Garfield Gets a Life.

In the comic strips, Jon finally got a date with his other long-time crush, Ellen (who was suffering from amnesia and forgot who Jon was). During their date, he saw Liz at the same restaurant with another man. Jon told Liz about his feelings for her, and she admitted she cared for Jon also. As of April 2008, they remain a couple.

[edit] Career

Jon somehow manages to make enough money to keep Garfield well fed, which is an amazing feat by itself. In the earlier strips, he makes his living as a cartoonist, but since then readers haven't seen him at work. The TV special Garfield and Friends does show him several times as a cartoonist. The current strips aren't clear about whether Jon is still a cartoonist, as one strip suggested he now works for an insurance company (Whether he was fired or not from his previous job is unclear).

[edit] Dieting

Jon frequently complains about Garfield's weight. When he does, it can continue for a whole week and angers Garfield. Jon can be very moody about Garfield's weight and will sometimes put the cat on a diet. During these diets, Garfield is subjected to eating vegetables, and usually ends up cheating.[citation needed]

[edit] Origins

The name Jon Arbuckle came from a 1950's radio commercial for Yuban coffee.

[edit] Other media

The comic changes dramatically when one removes the thought bubbles.

"Garfield" changes from being a comic about a sassy, corpulent feline, and becomes a compelling picture of a lonely, pathetic, delusional man who talks to his pets. Consider that Jon, according to Garfield canon, cannot hear his cat's thoughts. This is the world as he sees it. This is his story.

  • Similarly, Garfield Minus Garfield removes all the other characters completely and simply features Jon talking to himself.

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Garfield Vault Strip
  2. ^ The Garfield Vault Strip
  3. ^ The Garfield Vault Strip. Garfield.com (2006-02-28). Retrieved on 2007-06-14.
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