Arlene is a major character in the Garfield franchise, and Garfield's girlfriend, featuring in the comic strip, movies, and The Garfield Show.
History
Arlene first appeared on December 17, 1980, and her name was first mentioned a day afterward. She regularly appeared in the strip in the 1980s, with less frequent appearances since. Arlene was to have appeared in what was supposed to be Garfield's first animated feature film, Garfield's Judgment Day; it was canceled due to no company interested in funding the production. She later appeared in the Garfield movies and The Garfield Show as a major recurring character.
Physical appearance
Arlene is generally described as a slender, long-tailed, pink-furred cat with a long, narrow neck and large, red lips. She also has a big gap between her two front teeth, which Garfield often ridiculed in her earlier appearances (from December 1980 to June 1988). In the comic strips, she initially had three fingers (including her thumb) and two toes, much like Odie. In the DTV movies and The Garfield Show, she is depicted as having four fingers and four toes, which led to her appearance in the comics, other media, and merchandise being changed to match this newer rendition.
In Garfield: The Movie, Arlene is played by a Russian blue cat.
Personality
Comic strip
Arlene is Garfield's on-and-off girlfriend, who can successfully crack jokes at the expense of Garfield on a regular basis. She loves to make smart remarks about him, most likely due to his enormous ego. Garfield would likewise make fun of Arlene's teeth, sometimes resulting in physical retribution.
Arlene is often interested in a deeper relationship with Garfield, which is complicated by Garfield's love for himself (and food) over her. Another factor straining their relationship is Garfield's tendency to be thrifty with their dates; they have often eaten food from the trash can, for example.
Since 2007, Garfield and Arlene's relationship has become a bit more serious than before, although their conflicting personalities remain. They have some things in common, such as their love of fish and donuts.
Garfield: The Movie
Arlene plays a major role in Garfield: The Movie, being depicted as a more casual friend to Garfield. She was among those disapproving of Garfield letting Odie run away.
DTV movies
Throughout the DTV movies, Arlene is shown to be nicer towards Garfield, being less inclined to make witty remarks about him. Although Garfield appears to be more romantically interested in her, Arlene does find room for him to improve. She once teamed up with someone else for the Fun Fest when Garfield went for a comedy act in lieu of the tango.
The Garfield Show
Arlene remains as Garfield's potential love interest, and the two often interact casually. She mainly appears in Garfield's fantasy world. Arlene has also shown concern with Garfield's attitude toward others, such as Odie or those less fortunate than them. In "World Without Me", it is revealed that she actually enjoys Garfield's dry sense of humor and wit.
Trivia
- She has appeared more than 185 times in the comics as of May 2024.
- Neferkitty's physical appearance is similar to that of Arlene, but with different coloring.
- Arlene was entirely absent from the strip (aside from a few logo boxes) from March 14, 1999 until May 12, 2008. She has since appeared more than 50 times.
- It is revealed in Garfield's Judgment Day that she is an alley cat. This was later confirmed within the main strip on May 16, 2008, two decades following the development (and abandonment) of Judgment Day.[1]
- In the logo box of the April 24, 1988 comic strip, Arlene falls in love with a bigger muscular cat, making Garfield jealous.[2]
- Arlene was mostly absent from Garfield and Friends (and the television specials) due to the dearth of satisfactory ideas involving her character, the number of other characters appearing in the show, and the short length of each cartoon segment. Additionally, Jim Davis, at the time, had specific plans on what projects could feature her.[3] When The Garfield Show was in development decades later, Mark Evanier wanted Arlene to appear, thus making her a recurring character in the show.[3]
- Despite her absence, Arlene would still appear on cover art for re-releases of the show.[4]
- Arlene is not completely absent from the show. A prehistoric cat that resembles her appeared in "The Legend of the Lake" and she made a cameo appearance in "Remote Possibilities".
Appearances
Garfield and Friends
Total: 2
Season 2
- "The Legend of the Lake" (as a prehistoric cat)
Season 4
- "Remote Possibilities" (cameo)
The Garfield Show
Season 1
- "Freaky Monday"
- "Agent X"
- "Odie in Love"
- "It's a Cat's World" (alternate universe version)
- "Out on a Limb"
Season 2
Season 3
- "Furry Tales"
- "Furry Tales Part 1" (cameo)
- "Furry Tales Part 2" (cameo)
- "Furry Tales Part 4"
- "The Golden Lasagna Awards"
- "The Control Freak" (cameo)
- "The Garfield-Only Show"
- "My Friend, Nermal" (cameo)
Season 4
- "Glitter Gulch"
- "Garfception" (dream sequence)
- "World Without Me"
- "Fraidy Cat"
KaBOOM! comics
Overall appearances: 24
References