Birthdays/Running Gags

Overview

Running Gags

Gallery

Several recurring gags have been made in reference to Garfield's Birthdays.

Garfield often experiences all of the pros and cons that come with birthdays. One of the most recurring cons is age jokes. The days leading up to Garfield's birthday, the cat get mocked for his age by Jon, Odie, Nermal, mice, and even spiders. Another thing he does not like about his birthday is his aging body. As he gets older, he experiences setbacks that people get as they age, like creaky bones, loss of memory, and gray hair.

Garfield has also shown to despise his birthday. More specifically, getting older, which is one of the reasons his friends take jabs at him year after year. He often feels down as his birthday draws closer, occasionally wishing he could go back in time and become younger. Another thing he dislikes is a more recent gag: birthday nightmares. These nightmares tend to be things like dentures, a bald spot, and an hourglass with sand quickly draining.

However, things are not all bad. Garfield loves birthdays mostly for the cake. As a lover of unhealthy food, he loves getting and eating cake for his birthday, often desiring a large cake and making this clear to Jon. Another thing he likes is receiving presents. He once pranced past Jon, excited to unwrap his birthday gifts, though not all of them are winners.

A few times, Jon and Odie have thrown surprise parties for Garfield, but this is not very common. More common is Garfield asking the common question, "Where did the time go?" At times, he cannot realize he is as old as he is, and other times, he wonders how much his age is, like he did for his 10th birthday.

Age Jokes

As Garfield's birthday approaches, he is often subject to ridicule from his friends, Jon and Odie, and his enemies, like Nermal.

6/17/2009 Jon teases Garfield about not making age jokes.

Jon

• 6/18/1986 Jon tells Garfield a couple of age jokes: the cake was crushed by the candles and the smoke detector would've gone off. Garfield calls him out.
• 6/18/1987 Jon mocks Garfield for "feeling [his] age" ahead of his ninth birthday. Garfield brings him closer, and then slaps him.
• 6/18/1993 Jon calls Garfield, "Old man", and Garfield reacts by getting him stuck in his shirt.
• 6/13/2006 Jon asks Garfield if his old bones ever moved.
• 6/10/2008 Jon calls Garfield's age, "A big honking number" to himself.
• 6/17/2009 Jon promises Garfield to not make any age jokes, and repeats it louder.
• 6/21/2015 Garfield leaps onto the table, but slips off of it. Jon jokes about the table getting higher every year..
• 6/19/2018 Jon sings that Garfield is 40, something the cat does not take lightly.
• 6/15/2020 Jon asks Garfield what goes up but never comes down. "Your age!" Jon answers.

6/17/1994 Odie grins evilly and sets a glass of dentures next to Garfield.

Odie

• 6/17/1994 Odie sets a glass with dentures next to a sleeping Garfield as a prank. His grin as he does this says it all.
• 6/17/1997 Odie makes a face like an elderly person at Garfield, irritating the cat, but pleasing the pup.
• 6/13/2000 Odie snickers after Garfield told him the latter is turning 22.
• 6/13/2008 Odie sends a pair of chattering teeth toward Garfield. He laughs at his prank.
• 6/14/2018 Odie gives Garfield a cocky smirk, a reminder that the pup is younger than him.

6/12/2002 Nermal mockingly asks what body part is first to go.

Nermal

• 6/15/1993 Nermal shows up to brag and flaunt his younger age in front of Garfield. Garfield grabs his neck.
• 6/16/1993 Nermal is stunned after finding out that Garfield is almost 15. He thought dirt was 12 at most.
• 6/17/1993 Nermal tells a grouchy Garfield that 15 is fine if you're an oak tree. Garfield shoves him head first into a knothole on a tree.
• 6/16/1998 Nermal arrives and tells Garfield, "I thought it smelled 'old' in here." and Garfield retaliates by throwing him through the wall.
• 6/12/2001 Nermal offers to decorate Garfield's walker.
• 6/13/2001 Nermal tells that Garfield will instead "waddle and wheeze," instead of running and laughing. Garfield beckons him closer.
• 6/12/2002 Nermal asks Garfield which is the first to go: the memory, eyes, or back. Garfield is not amused.
• 6/11/2004 Nermal says that Garfield must be extremely wise, implying that the cat is extremely old.
• 6/12/2004 Nermal tells Garfield that the former is cute and the latter is deteriorating.
• 6/17/2018 Nermal is skeptical of Garfield's claim that he is still young.
• 6/21/2018 Nermal is surprised to see how good Garfield looks at age 40.
• 6/20/2019 Nermal calls Garfield, "in massive denial" about being old.
• 6/13/2023 Nermal asks Garfield how it feels to be old. Garfield throws him through the door.

6/16/2021 A mouse offers to check Garfield's vitals ahead of his 43rd birthday.

Mice

• 6/16/1997 A mouse is shocked to learn Garfield is turning 19.
• 6/12/1998 A mouse offers to cut Garfield's food up for him.
• 6/13/1998 A mouse suggests Garfield try denial, since it is cheaper than wrinkle cream.
• 6/15/2000 A mouse then asks Garfield if he wants to reminisce about his gallbladder.
• 6/14/2002 A mouse asks if Garfield is going to wheeze a few candles out.
• 6/18/2005 A mouse thinks bigger/louder so Garfield can hear it.
• 6/12/2008 A mouse walks up to Garfield and informs him to put a new hip on layaway.
• 6/18/2008 A mouse anticipates playing Musical Wheelchairs for Garfield's birthday.
• 6/20/2009 A mouse asks Garfield how it is being old and feeble.
• 6/16/2010 A mouse tells Garfield that getting older is part of life, "like ear hair and wheezing!"
• 6/13/2012 A mouse asks Garfield how old he will be, and the cat replies that that question is impolite.
• 6/12/2017 A mouse is confused by the concept of a photo album. Garfield explains it to it.
• 6/13/2017 The mouse asks Garfield if old folks had to hunt dinosaurs.
• 6/20/2017 A mouse tells Garfield about its two-year-old grandmother, the oldest "person" it knows.
• 6/20/2018 A mouse asks Garfield if he remembers disco.
• 6/15/2019 A mouse asks if Garfield can still drive.
• 6/16/2021 A mouse appears before Garfield wearing a stethoscope.

6/17/2018 A spider calls Garfield old, emphasis on "old".

Spiders

• 6/17/2005 A spider calls Garfield "an old geezer..."
• 6/11/2008 A spider calls Garfield "geezer" and claims his cake will have a smoke alarm.
• 6/12/2012 A spider tells Garfield that as one gets wiser as one ages. Therefore, Garfield must be a genius.
• 6/17/2016 A spider thinks Garfield is old. Insulted, Garfield smacks it in response.
• 6/15/2021 A spider recommends Garfield gets handrails for his litter box.

6/18/2003 Garfield's 1978 self takes a jab at his current form.

Other

• 6/15/1998 RX-2 calls Garfield, "Old and fat,"
• 6/18/2003 Garfield 1978 says, "Age before beauty." to his 25-year-old counterpart.
• 6/16/2020 Garfield watches the "Geezer comedy channel", make age jokes.
• 6/16/2022 Garfield watches a TV show make age jokes. He is not amused.

Aging Body

Garfield, as he gets older, gets some side effects of aging on and inside his body.

6/18/1989 Garfield's toes creak as he gets out of bed.

Old Bones

• 6/21/1988 Garfield decides to think younger starting today, but as he sits up, his bones creak and pop.
• 6/18/1989 Garfield is on the verge of turning 11. As he gets up from his bed, the bones in his toes, knees arms, knuckles, neck, and back crack.
• 6/17/2001 Garfield throws his back out while bending down to pick up a kitty treat.
• 6/7/2004 Garfield pounds the table and injures his paw.
• 6/13/2004 Garfield is reminded of all the things birthdays bring. Among them are, creaky joints, aches, and pains.
• 6/13/2006 Garfield is asked about his aged bones.
• 6/19/2008 Garfield lists the pros and cons of birthdays. Among the cons are achy joints.
• 6/16/2009 Garfield bounces out of bed and throws his back out.
• 6/15/2014 Garfield struggles to pull himself out of bed. Jon hears this and asks the cat about it, who replies sarcastically.
• 6/17/2017 Garfield throws out his back while yawning.
• 6/21/2020 Garfield's bones crack as he wakes up and stretches.
• 6/13/2022 Garfield's bones crack and pop as he stretches.
• 6/14/2022 Garfield wants to sit in a chair all day, so he does not have to make the grunting sound of getting up.
• 6/14/2023 Garfield's bones creak and pop. "The soundtrack of aging"

6/15/2022 Nermal helps Garfield remember his lines in the strip.

Loss of Memory/Eyesight

• 6/17/1983 Garfield starts to lose his eyesight, as shown when he walks off the table. Perhaps he's just clumsy.
• 6/13/1995 Garfield learns one new thing and forgets two old things.
• 6/14/1997 Garfield forgets what he was talking about while talking to his reflection.
• 6/16/2000 Jon tries telling Garfield about his own 22nd birthday, but he can not remember it.
• 6/13/2004 Garfield is reminded of all the things birthdays bring. One of them is bad eyesight.
• 6/19/2004 Garfield forgets what he was talking about on his 26th birthday.
• 6/15/2008 Garfield whiffs a kick on Odie, so he goes and returns wearing a pair of glasses.
• 6/19/2008 Garfield lists the pros and cons of birthdays. Among the cons are loss of memory.
• 6/14/2009 An age nightmare is a pair of glasses with thick lenses.
• 6/17/2013 Garfield forgot what he was going to do.
• 6/13/2016 Garfield cannot remember why he walked into a room... twice.
• 6/14/2016 Garfield forgets why he entered a room right after walking into it.
• 6/15/2016 Garfield forgot why he got out of bed.
• 6/16/2016 Garfield slaps Jon in the head after forgetting why he walked into a room.
• 6/17/2016 Garfield cannot remember why he walked into a room, and tells a spider as such.
• 6/19/2016 Garfield finds a piece of paper reminding him why he walked into a room hard to read.
• 6/19/2020 Garfield forgot his prior 41 birthdays as he turns 42 years old.
• 6/12/2022 Garfield then forgets why he walked into a room, along with which room he was walking into.
• 6/15/2022 Garfield he forgets his line, which is, "Forgetfulness."

6/13/1998 A mouse recommends something "cheaper than wrinkle cream."

Wrinkles

• 6/15/1989 Garfield sits in a corner, depressed and counting his wrinkles.
• 6/10/1991 Garfield sees a wrinkle in the mirror. Considering he's covered with fur, that's impressive.
• 6/11/1991 Garfield finds a wrinkle, along with a gray hair, and a wrinkled gray hair on himself and gets panicked.
• 6/13/1998 A mouse tells Garfield to try denying his age, since it is cheaper than wrinkle cream.
• 6/19/2008 Garfield lists the pros and cons of birthdays. Among the cons are wrinkles.
• 6/14/2009 An age nightmare is a wrinkle.

Gray Hair/Loss of Hair

• 6/11/1991 Garfield finds a a gray hair, and a wrinkled gray hair on himself.
• 6/12/1991 Garfield, after finding his first gray hair, screams and panics.
• 6/13/1991 Garfield decides to use hair dye to conceal a gray hair. It does not quite work the way he anticipated.
• 6/18/1994 Garfield is scared because he sees his fur falling out, but Jon tells him that he's only shedding.
• 6/17/1998 Garfield shows Jon a gray hair when the latter tried calming the former down about his birthday.
• 6/13/2004 Garfield is reminded of all the things birthdays bring. One of them is gray hair.
• 6/19/2008 Garfield lists the pros and cons of birthdays. Among the cons are loss of hair, and more nose and ear hair.
• 6/14/2009 An age nightmare is a gray hair.
• 6/21/2023 Garfield presents his lack of gray hair to the readers. Nermal reveals that he has been using fur dye.

Other

• 6/16/1982 Garfield gets sleepy watching TV. He realizes he's getting older because the late show for him is the six o'clock news.
• 6/16/1983 Garfield looks in the mirror and sees how bad Father Time has been to him.
• 6/20/1987 Garfield looks at himself in the mirror. He concludes, "according to the rings under my eyes," he is nine.
• 6/14/1988 Jon tries to cheer up a depressed Garfield about his birthday, but Garfield, at that moment, feels like he's about 12 million years old.
• 6/16/1988 Garfield sees to have hallucinations of buzzards circling above him while lying in bed.
• 6/16/1991 Garfield worries that age is catching up and his vitality is gone, but then he remembers that he never was vital.
• 6/17/1991 Jon tells Garfield that he's getting slow with age. Garfield soon denies this.
• 6/18/1995 Garfield dreams of himself and Odie getting old and swapping dentures. After waking up, Garfield checks Odie's mouth to make sure that it was just a dream and not reality.
• 6/12/2000 Garfield sees ever-increasing bags under his eyes.
• 6/13/2004 Garfield is reminded of all the things birthdays bring. Among them are ear hair and bad teeth.
• 6/14/2004 Garfield feels his own strip getting longer, getting tired when reaching the end of it.
• 6/15/2009 Jon and Garfield imagine themselves with big ears and noses, and then agree to not grow old.
• 6/12/2023 It takes Garfield twice as long to do nothing, now that he is getting older.
• 6/15/2023 Garfield pulled a muscle during a nap.

Birthday Blues

Garfield is often depressed in the days leading up to his birthday.

• 6/19/1980 Garfield claims to hate birthdays and surprise parties, but he loves the attention.
• 6/14/1982 Garfield, after realizing his fourth birthday is coming up, figures it is time to lie about his age.
• 6/16/1986 Garfield relates birthdays to calendars, as both remind one that one's days are numbered.
• 6/17/1987 Garfield is displeased with Jon for reminding him about his birthday.
• 6/14/1988 Jon tries to cheer up a depressed Garfield, but the latter feels like he's 12 million years old.
• 6/20/1988 Garfield claims that he look like he's trying to convince himself he does not look his age.
• 6/15/1989 A bummed-out Garfield lies in the corner and counts his wrinkles.
• 6/18/1990 Garfield prepares to celebrate another birthday and claws the chair as he passes it.
• 6/15/1992 Garfield dumps sugar on Jon for reminding him about his birthday.
• 6/17/1993 Garfield stuffs Nermal head first into a tree's knothole.
• 6/18/1993 Garfield gets Jon stuck in his shirt after Jon called his cat, "Old man."
• 6/14/1994 Jon tries to uplift Garfield by claiming aging is a state of mind. Garfield sees the mind as first thing to go.
• 6/15/1996 Garfield shoves a calendar through Jon's ears when asked what is the matter by Jon.
• 6/16/1996 Jon asks Garfield if he's turning 18, and Garfield is displeased with the reminder of this.
• 6/13/1997 Garfield blames the calendar for telling Jon about his impending birthday.
• 6/13/1998 Garfield refuses to talk to a mouse about birthday #20.
• 6/14/1998 Garfield angrily yells that he is aware of his impending birthday to his friends--who were reminding him of it--and almost almost everything else in the living room.
• 6/19/1999 Garfield is not happy with Odie for the constant reminders about his 21st birthday.
• 6/14/2001 Jon tells Garfield that birthdays are gifts, though Garfield sees them gifts that he cannot return or exchange, despite his desire to.
• 6/18/2001 Garfield is depressed about turning 23rd birthday.
• 6/10/2002 Garfield calls his upcoming age, 24, "a nice, big, fat, incredibly huge, honking number."
• 6/11/2002 Garfield asks what he hates most about his birthday and gestures to Nermal, who walks in.
• 6/17/2002 Garfield tells his reflection that it is not helping him cope with his age.
• 6/9/2003 Garfield says that even though his birthday was not invited, it is still approaching fast.
• 6/8/2004 Garfield claims to hate aging, despite aging loving him.
• 6/15/2004 Jon tries cheering Garfield up ahead of the latter's 26th birthday with cliches.
• 6/13/2005 Garfield claims to hate aging despite not minding birthdays.
• 6/15/2005 Garfield claims that birthdays burst in unannounced as he grows older.
• 6/9/2008 Garfield glares at the calendar as his birthday approaches.
• 6/10/2008 Jon tries uplifting Garfield by saying, "age is just a number... right?" It does not work.
• 6/16/2008 Garfield denies that he is turning 30 in mere days.
• 6/16/2010 A mouse tries cheering Garfield up about his upcoming 32nd birthday.
• 6/14/2011 Jon tells Garfield that wisdom comes with age, though the cat is uninterested in that.
• 6/14/2012 Jon cheers Garfield up by telling him there will be cake.
• 6/15/2012 Liz tells a bummed-out Garfield that cats have nine lives. This uplifts the cat.
• 6/19/2014 Garfield changes the year on the calendar to make himself younger. It is successful.
• 6/19/2015 Garfield declines to answer Nermal's question about how old he is.
• 6/18/2018 Garfield is depressed about turning 40.
• 6/16/2019 Garfield is asked to input his birth year for to log into a website. He eventually tosses his phone away after a lot of scrolling.
• 6/17/2019 Jon smiles at Garfield, reminding him of his birthday. Garfield is not amused.
• 6/18/2019 Garfield sees Pooky in a birthday hat, something he is not keen on.
• 6/14/2021 For Garfield not getting older is what is important to him.
• 6/19/2021 Garfield thinks he'll be safe in bed, but he gets decorated by a hat, balloons, and cake.

Birthday Nightmares

Birthday nightmares are a relatively new recurring gag, with the first one appearing in 2006 ahead of the cat's 28th. Ever since then, they have been one of the more recurring birthday jokes, sometimes appearing several times in a given year. Garfield is tends to be annoyed, depressed, or unimpressed with them, often hiding in his bed when dealing with them.

• 6/14/2006 Several candles.
• 6/15/2006 Garfield's memory, which is leaving.
• 6/16/2006 A certificate for a new hip.
• 6/17/2006 An hourglass, running out of sand.
• 6/14/2009 A gray hair, a wrinkle, a liver spot, and a thick pair of glasses.
• 6/15/2011 A birthday present with a senior citizen's discount card.
• 6/16/2011 A pair of dentures inside a glass.
• 6/17/2011 A comb-over.
• 6/18/2011 A universal remote control, and the garage door opener.
• 6/16/2012 A hearing aid.
• 6/17/2012 A line of birthday candles.
• 6/18/2012 A brain-looking object.
• 6/13/2013 A bald spot.
• 6/14/2013 A vinyl record.
• 6/15/2013 A sieve, representing Garfield's memory.
• 6/16/2013 Reading glasses, and the chain used to keep the glasses around one's neck.
• 6/19/2013 A birthday cake with only one candle.
• 6/13/2014 A menu that he cannot read without his reading glasses.
• 6/14/2014 An iPod, representing the awful music kids listen to.
• 6/16/2014 A cup of decaf coffee with nonfat milk and artificial sweetener.
• 6/17/2014 Fine print.
• 6/18/2014 A jar of pickles and a package of batteries.
• 6/15/2015 A pair of dentures wearing a party hat.
• 6/16/2015 Garfield's lightning-quick reflexes
• 6/17/2015 The middle-aged gut.
• 6/18/2015 A frown, representing his youthful optimism.
• 6/20/2015 An ear chart that reads, "A?"
• 6/16/2018 A mirror.
• 6/14/2019 A candle, which yells at Garfield for threating to make them extinct.
• 6/17/2020 Garfield's cake.
• 6/18/2020 A multitude of candles.
• 6/13/2021 A password Garfield cannot remember.
• 6/18/2023 Extra fat. and a pair of dentures wearing a party hat.

Let Him Eat Cake!

Garfield, a lover of all things food, loves birthday cake. It is one of his favorite aspects of his birthday.

• 6/19/1979 Garfield blows out the one candle on his cake so hard it falls on Odie's head.
• 6/19/1980 Jon, Odie, and Lyman give a sour Garfield a cake to celebrate his 2nd birthday.
• 6/19/1981 Garfield hears his friends, Jon, Odie, and Lyman, behind him. They wish him a happy birthday and give him cake.
• 6/19/1982 Garfield swallows his cake, candles and all. He, however, did not blow out the candles, and smoke from the still-lit candles billows from his ears.
• 6/19/1985 Jon gives Garfield his birthday cake for his surprise 7th birthday party.
• 6/19/1986 Jon and Odie wish Garfield a happy birthday and tell him that they love him as they present him his 8th birthday cake.
• 6/19/1987 Garfield is surprised by the number of candles on his cake. Nonetheless, he blows them out and Jon serves him a piece.
• 6/19/1989 Garfield lets the reader be his 11th birthday cake. He blows them out like candles.
• 6/19/1990 Garfield sneaks toward the fridge and opens it. He finds a large cake inside.
• 6/18/1991 Garfield measures how big his mouth is and then asks Jon to make a cake as big as his mouth.
• 6/19/1991 Garfield eats his cake whole, without the candles, and than considers taking a nap afterward.
• 6/14/1992 Garfield imagines the kind of cake he wants: "a two-layer cake with strawberry icing and a cherry on top." It also has to be bigger than he is.
• 6/19/1992 Garfield uses a hairdryer to blow out the candles on his cake.
• 6/19/1993 Garfield for his 15th birthday, throws the cake in his mouth while shouting his iconic phrase, "Feed me!"
• 6/19/1994 Garfield is surprised by his friends in his bed, offering him his 16th birthday cake.
• 6/19/1995 Garfield was unable to blow out any candles on his cake. Jon and Odie wish him a happy 17th, but Garfield claimed that his first blow was practice.
• 6/19/1996 Garfield tries to decide what wish to make for his 18th birthday while the smoke from the candles covers Jon and Odie.
• 6/19/1997 Jon and Odie give Garfield his 19th birthday cake.
• 6/19/1998 Jon and Odie wish Garfield a happy 20th birthday and give him his cake.
• 6/15/1999 Jon asks Garfield if he wants to invite his friends to his birthday party. Garfield says no, since that means more cake for him.
• 6/19/2000 Jon and Odie give Garfield his 22nd birthday cake.
• 6/16/2002 Garfield flees and hides around from his anthropomorphic birthday cake.
• 6/19/2002 A mouse runs up to Garfield while inside a cupcake and bursts out of it.
• 6/19/2003 Garfield sits next to his cake, which reads, "25 years" with help from the candle.
• 6/13/2004 Garfield is excited for his upcoming birthday cake.
• 6/18/2006 Three mice present Garfield with a cake, which Garfield promptly eats, unaware of another mouse hiding inside.
• 6/19/2006 Jon and Odie crush Garfield's cake with a mammoth candle.
• 6/19/2007 Jon, Odie, and Liz give Garfield a cake, and alleviation from his diet.
• 6/11/2008 A spider mentions cake while mocking Garfield.
• 6/14/2008 Garfield wants a large cake when asked by Jon what kind of cake he wants.
• 6/19/2008 Garfield lists the pros and cons of birthdays. The cake outweighs the negatives by itself.
• 6/18/2009 Garfield counts cake slices on his fingers after Jon tells him Liz is coming over for the cat's birthday.
• 6/19/2009 Liz made a lasagna shaped cake for Garfield's 31st birthday.
• 6/13/2010 Garfield shows Jon with a blueprint for a cake bigger than he is.
• 6/14/2010 Jon tells Garfield that birthdays are more than just cake... and then retracts that.
• 6/17/2010 Garfield shows him Jon a picture of a cake, a big cake, with help from a magnifying glass.
• 6/18/2010 As Jon, who is ices a cake, Garfield licks the icing from the bowl.
• 6/19/2010 Jon and Odie present Garfield his cake, and then Liz delivers another cake for him.
• 6/19/2011 Garfield's wish comes true when his birthday cake becomes super-sized.
• 6/14/2012 Jon tells Garfield that there will be cake, which pleases him.
• 6/19/2012 Garfield turns around and sees his birthday cake, and warns Jon to stand back in case he explodes from overeating.
• 6/19/2013 Garfield's birthday nightmare is a cake.
• 6/18/2016 Jon shows Garfield an idea for his birthday cake, but Garfield wants a bigger cake.
• 6/16/2017 Garfield wants a massive cake, though he does not want to make a big deal of his birthday.
• 6/18/2017 Garfield blows into his friends' faces, preparing to blow out candles on his cake.
• 6/19/2017 Garfield gets drilled in the face with his birthday cake.
• 6/12/2018 Garfield sees a birthday cake in an easily avoidable trap.
• 6/19/2018 Jon sings the happy birthday song to Garfield, and offers him his cake.
• 6/13/2019 Garfield's cake is follows him when he feels his birthday creeping up.

Presents

Birthday presents are usually one of Garfield's favorite aspects of birthdays, so long as they're good.

• 6/20/1978 Jon gives Garfield a rubber mouse for his birthday, which is promptly eaten by the fat cat.
• 6/18/1979 Jon asks Garfield what he wants for his birthday, which is a scratching post, but Jon considers getting him a toy mouse. Garfield claws Jon's sleeve, which gets the point across to him.
• 6/16/1980 Jon offers to get Garfield a ball of yarn, or to keep him in sweaters for his birthday, despite the cat wanting nine more lives.
• 6/19/1984 Jon gives Garfield a rubber chicken for his birthday, which gets his approval since he can whack Odie with it.
• 6/21/1986 Jon gives Garfield a diet book for his birthday. He uses it to reach the cookie jar.
• 6/16/1989 Garfield emerges from the closet covered in coat hangers after searching for his birthday present inside it.
• 6/16/1992 Jon gives Garfield a tie, followed by cuff links from his mom. Garfield hates them.
• 6/17/1992 Jon gives Garfield a set of golf clubs for his birthday. Garfield chases Jon with one of the clubs.
• 6/20/1992 Garfield got racing stripes on his bed, a present he actually likes.
• 6/16/1994 Garfield has some crazy ideas for birthday gifts, but Jon offers getting him a large pizza with the works, which is even better.
• 6/18/1996 Garfield shows Jon a can opener in a catalog that he wants for his birthday, but Jon refuses.
• 6/18/1998 Garfield receives a gift from a spider wrapped in web.
• 6/18/1999 Garfield got into his already wrapped present.
• 6/14/2000 Garfield asks Jon for a massive can opener for his birthday.
• 6/17/2000 Garfield got glued inside his birthday gift.
• 6/16/2001 Garfield gives Jon a list of things he does not want, which simply reads, "raisins".
• 6/9/2004 Garfield desires a canary without feathers for his birthday.
• 6/18/2007 Garfield demands that a compliment not be his birthday gift.
• 6/9/2008 Garfield desires a time machine, and is frustrated by the fact that they have not been invented.
• 6/17/2008 Garfield runs by Jon, hyped for presents.
• 6/14/2010 Jon tells Garfield that birthdays are more than just presents... and then retracts that.
• 6/18/2013 Garfield carries an unwrapped that Jon got him, albeit without the latter's knowledge.
• 6/16/2017 Garfield wants, "A dump truck full of presents..."
• 6/19/2019 Odie is dressed in a present. Garfield kicks him off the table, which he calls his best present yet.
• 6/17/2021 Garfield wants a tummy rub for his birthday. Jon happily complies.
• 6/17/2022 Garfield steals Jon's donut, which is what he wanted for his birthday.
• 6/16/2023 A mouse gives Garfield a birthday present. which is cheese.
• 6/19/2023 Garfield dances over to Jon, who has a present waiting for him.

Birthday Cards

Garfield over the years, has gotten a number of cards from his friends.

• 6/18/1983 Jon gives Garfield a card with Jon's signature inside. Garfield shoves the card into Jon's mouth.
• 6/18/1992 Garfield reads his birthday card. After opening it, he gets hit with a pie.
• 6/15/1994 Jon's mother crocheted Garfield a birthday card.
• 6/17/1995 A mouse gave Garfield birthday card.
• 6/18/2021 Jon got Garfield a talking birthday card. It says, "You're old!"

Surprise Parties

Garfield is sometimes surprised by parties, other times he sees it coming.

• 6/19/1980 Garfield is grouchy since it is his birthday, but when Jon, Odie, and Lyman shower him with cake, attention, and a surprise party, he soaks up the attention.
• 6/19/1981 Garfield hears someone coming up behind him. It is his friends wishing him a happy birthday.
• 6/19/1985 Jon shouts, "Surprise!" and gives Garfield his birthday cake. Garfield saw it coming, since he was wearing sunglasses.
• 6/19/1994 Garfield goes to his bed, only to be surprised by Jon, Odie, and Pooky hiding there, all celebrating his Sweet 16.
• 6/19/2022 Garfield's friends threw him a surprise birthday party for his 44th.

Where'd the Time Go?

Garfield is often surprised at his impending birthday. Time sure seems to fly.

• 6/14/1982 Garfield looks at the calendar and sees he's turning four in a matter of days. This is the time to lie about his age.
• 6/18/1982 Garfield, while eating, is surprised he's turning four. After Odie barks, causing him to faceplant into his food bowl, Garfield says, "Time flies when you're having fun."
• 6/14/1983 Garfield realizes his fifth is coming up. After saying several words, he claims he'll have to watch his language.
• 6/18/1984 Garfield is shocked to learn he's turning six. He decides to take a nap and then do something about his age.
• 6/16/1986 Garfield looks at the calendar and sees his eighth birthday coming. He relates birthdays to calendars: your days are numbered.
• 6/17/1987 Jon reminds Garfield that he'll be nine soon. Jon says he's approaching the golden years, while Garfield insists him is five.
• 6/13/1988 Garfield goes to bed for the night. After hearing a shuffling, he turns the light on and sees the calendar closer to him. His birthday is creeping up on him.
• 6/15/1988 Garfield wonders what 10 is days before his 10th birthday. He counts to 10 on his fingers and toes.
• 6/14/1989 Garfield walks up to his food bowl, days away from turning 11. He wonders if he'll be older and wiser, but he figures that he'll be just older after being unable to catch his food in his mouth.
• 6/18/1993 Garfield cannot comprehend the fact that he's turning 15.
• 6/13/1994 Garfield cannot believe he's turning 16 and wonders years have gone as he pats his stomach.
• 6/13/1997 Jon tells Garfield about the cat's 19th birthday. Garfield accuses the calendar for telling.
• 6/14/1998 Irritated, Garfield yells that he is aware of his birthday to the entire living room.
• 6/14/1999 Garfield kills a spider on a calendar to mark his birthday.
• 6/14/2003 Garfield wonders where the past 25 years of his life have gone.