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Seniors
Whether Garfield is "punting"
his canine friend Odie,
or stealing his master's food,
America's most popular cat is
A four- Ie~~ed terror
H
e's the most famous cat in America.
Even more so than Sylvester,
Heathcliff, and Morris the Cat,
who have all made their marks in history.
Yes, he's Garfield, America's loveable,
dog-hating, pasta-loving puss.
Everybody loves Garfield. His name
has become a household word, and his
chubby figure, covered with orange fur
and black stripes can be found nearly
everywhere from Sunday comic sections
to local department stores. Familiar
quotes such as ''I'm fat, I'm lazy, and I'm
proud of it," "I never met a lasagne I
didn't like," and "Nap attack," have
become synonomous with the name Garfield.
Whether he is "punting" his dopey
canine friend Odie around or stealing
his master's food, this mischievous cat
represents to many Americans the gut
who can successfully c hallenge
authority. His popularity is especially
apparent among college students.
"I just love the little devil," says La Von
Smith, a Challis junior. "I'd love to be
able to do the things he does and get
away with them."
But Garfield is much more than the
trouble-making philisophical feline that
shreds furniture and terrorizes Girl
Scouts. Garfield is a business.
There are over 1500 Garfield products
on the market. Ranging from 69-cent
bookmarks, to $12 coffee mugs, to $200
stuHed cats, these novelties have earned
between $15 and $20 million. Plus,
close to seven million copies of Garfield
books have been sold, and at one time an
unprecedented six of his books hit the
best-seller list simultaneously. Garfield
has an estimated following of 55 million
readers. And, this year America's top cat
also made his television debut, backed
by 100,000 soundtrack albums. All of
this has happened in the short span of
four years, making Garfield the fastestgrowing
comic strip in history, and
bringing Jim Davis, the creator of the
fi.ury, four-legged terror, fame and fortune.
He may be a nuisance to Odie, John,
and the local Girl Scouts, but to students
who wake up to his witty antics every
day, Garfield means fun, entertainment,
and a good laugh. Clint Kendrick 0
Feline lever.
Large display racks of Garfield novelties
domlnated many stores. especlally during the
hollday season. Toys and More lll the Palouse Empire
Mall was one of many such establishments.
(photo by P. Jerome.)
44 Seniors