Welcome to RetroFitted, a new feature that focuses on pop culture phenomena from the '70s, '80s and '90s, and assesses whether they stil
l resonate with today's kids.
First up: "Garfield."
The comic strip about an overweight cat and his dork of an owner made its debut in 1978. In the early 1980s -- when "Garfield" creator Jim Davis founded the company Paws Inc., effectively launching the "Garfield" brand -- Jon Arbuckle's best friend transformed from mere cartoon to full-on feline franchise. The cat was everywhere: On the cover of best-selling books, in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, in animated TV specials and stuck to a hell of a lot of back windshields in the form of a stuffed animal with suction cup feet.
I was in elementary school when Garfield first got hot. I adored him, and I have the plush Pookie and an original copy of "Garfield Weighs In" to prove it. My friends and I traded stickers with Garfield and Odie on them. We lovingly referred to that sarcastic puss as "Garry." We thought every one of his lasagna jokes was freakin' high-larious.
As the '80s wore on, I, like many of my peers, grew up and realized that "Garfield" wasn't high-larious. He was actually repetitive, corny and kind of dull. While the comic and its numerous related products were still prominent on the cultural scene, the trend seemed to have passed its prime.
Yet here we are, 30 years later, and "Garfield" is not only still around -- the comic holds the Guiness World Record as most syndicated strip -- its popularity, or at least profitability, is still strong. In 2004, "Garfield: The Movie" (I can't say this too many times: Shame on you, Bill Murray) came to theaters and earned almost $200 million worldwide. A 2006 sequel, "Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties," brought in $141 million worldwide; last year a direct-to-DVD movie, "Garfield Gets Real," was released. The cat has inspired multiple video games. A new "Garfield" TV show is poised to launch in France. And so help me, sweet Mother of Mothers, there is actually an annual convention called the Garfield Gathering, where collectors get together each year in search of obscure Nermal-related items they don't already own.
According to this Slate story from 2004, the "Garfield" corporate machine generates between $750 million and $1 billion each year. In other words, someone is still buying this stuff and it's fair to assume that at least some of them are parents with tabby cat-obsessed kids. "Garfield" does still resonate and there is one simple reason: Because new children are born every day. And some of those new children will eventually go through a stage where they, too, think lasagna jokes are terribly witty. Like Slate suggests, Garfield continues to stick around because he keeps on doing the same old crap.
With one exception: In what might be the best thing to happen to "Garfield" ever, a repurposed version of the strip has recently developed its own following on the Internet. It's called "Garfield Minus Garfield," and it's exactly what it sounds like: The daily strip, but with the familiar feline removed from every panel. It's twisted, disturbing and often gutbustingly funny, finally making Davis's comic appealing to adults. Wow. There really is no stopping that darned cat.
RetroFitted appears on Strollerderby every Thursday morning.
Photo: Ty
