Garfield (franchise)

Garfield is a multi-million dollar franchise created by Jim Davis and currently owned by Paramount Global, consisting of numerous properties ranging from forms of visual media to thousands of products of merchandise. The franchise was spawned from a comic strip of the same name.

History

A brief history on the ownership of Garfield is given below. For information on properties relating to the franchise, visit their respective pages.

Looking to get syndicated, and prior to approaching United Feature Syndicate, Jim Davis approached King Features Syndicate and Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate, both of whom rejected the strip. On January 24th, 1978, Garfield was accepted by United Feature Syndicate, and would remain as a property until 1994, when PAWS Incorporated would purchase the ownership rights of Garfield for an undisclosed amount. PAWS would retain the Garfield IP until 2019, when Paramount Global (then Viacom) would purchase PAWS for an undisclosed amount, valued however in the hundreds of millions.

Not all properties relating to Garfield are owned by Paramount Global. The live-action films are owned by 20th Century Studios of The Walt Disney Company, and The Garfield Show is owned by Ellipsanime of Média-Participations.

Marketing and Appeal

Over the decades, Paws Incorporated has reported that Garfield's Q-Score, a system used for measuring the popularity and familiarity of licensed products and people, has shown Garfield to be one of the most recognized and popular characters in media.

PAWS has reported that in 1988, the Q-Score across various demographics including age, race, and ethnicity, gave Garfield a total Q-Score of 44, as compared to the average combined comic and cartoon character score of 21. By 2015, it was reportedly at 38. This total score is compounded by various other reported statistics. In January 2002, the Guinness World Records awarded Garfield the title of the Most Widely Syndicated Comic Strip, appearing in over 2,500 journals. One example of Garfield's worldliness is The Garfield Show, having been aired across 131 territories.

Jim Davis has attributed the extreme success of Garfield to Garfield embracing a selfish, hedonistic attitude, frowned upon in general society, saying that "If he were human, people would despise him. But a cat can get away with much more.". In spite of this, Jim Davis acknowledged in a 1982 interview with The Washington Post that various steps are taken to ensure Garfield remains inoffensive and open to be marketed, stating that Garfield's inception was "...a conscious effort to come up with a good, marketable character.", and that "I saw licensing down the road.". The aims are outlined as simple wording and art, avoidance of social or political commentary, and easy-to-understand humor. These principles have become more present in recent years, seen as Garfield's personality adapting to meet a wider array of markets, such as international, children, and paraphernalia labeled as "cute", the latter of which Davis was initially reticent to explore.. In 1993, Jim Davis would be inducted into the Licensing Industry Merchandisers' Association (LIMA) Hall of Fame for his outstanding contribution to the licensing industry.

As such, Garfield has become a multi-million dollar franchise, reaching an unprecedented peak in the 1980s. In November 1982, People Magazine reported that Garfield products had earned between $15 and $20 million. Starting in 1987, Forbes began publishing an annual list of the 40 highest-paid entertainers, detailing the annual projected earnings of celebrity singers, actors, television presenters, directors, and authors. Jim Davis was present on the list in the first four years. In 1987, Davis placed 13th at $31 million. In 1988, Davis placed 15th at $36 million. In 1989, Davis placed 30th at $25 million. Finally in 1990, Davis placed 36th at $21 million. Releasing in 1987, the Stuck-on-You! toys would sell over a million units in seven months, and in total, generate $50 million worth in sales. The toy was reportedly popular enough, that it led to a fad in which hoodlums would break car windows to steal only the toy. In 2003, the franchise was estimated to make $750 million a year. The 2004 and 2006 live-action films would earn internationally a combined amount nearly $350 million. In 2018, VICE News reported that the franchise earns between $800 million and $1 billion annually.

The franchise has had a long-running negative reception, often relating to the shallowness of its characters, and its usage as a convenient, yet successful marketing gimmick, with the principles of Bill Watterson, the author of Calvin & Hobbes often cited as a counter to the perceived excessiveness. In 1990, Time Inc. Magazine Co. rated comic strips on creativity and economic success, grading Garfield a "C", describing it as "now more a marketing phenomenon than a comic strip.", and the aforementioned Calvin & Hobbes an "A+".

Media

Comic Strip

Main articles: Jon (comic strip) & Garfield (comic strip)

With the conclusion of Gnorm Gnat, Jim Davis created in 1976 the prototype of the Garfield franchise, Jon, published in the Pendleton Times newspaper. Eventually, the United Feature Syndicate would buy the strip's rights in January 1978, and Garfield would first be syndicated on June 19, 1978.

Films

Live-Action

Main articles: Garfield: The Movie & Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties

Garfield: The Movie was the franchise's first feature-length film. The film released on June 11, 2004 to a largely negative reception. The film was distributed by 20th Century Studios, was directed by Peter Hewitt, and was produced by John Davis.

Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties, a sequel to Garfield: The Movie, was released on June 16, 2006. Like the first film, the movie garnered negative reception. The film was distributed by 20th Century Studios, was directed by Tim Hill, and was produced by John Davis.

DTV Films

Main articles: Garfield Gets Real, Garfield's Fun Fest & Garfield's Pet Force

Garfield Gets Real was the first film of a CGI trilogy. The film was released on August 9, 2007, with largely negative ratings. The film was distributed by 20th Century Studios, was directed by Mark A.Z. Dippé, and was produced by Jim Davis and John Davis.

Garfield's Fun Fest was the second film in the trilogy, released on August 5, 2008. The film's reception was comparable to that of its predecessor. The film was distributed by 20th Century Studios in the United States, was directed by Mark A.Z. Dippé, and was produced by Jim Davis.

Garfield's Pet Force was the final film of the trilogy. The film released on June 16, 2009. Yet again, the film's reception was negative. The film was distributed by 20th Century Studios in the United States, was directed by Mark A.Z. Dippé and Kyung Ho Lee, and was produced by Daniel Chuba, John Davis, and Ash R. Shah.

Sony Pictures Film

Main article: The Garfield Movie

The Garfield Movie was released on May 24, 2024. Despite mostly negative reception from critics, the film had a more positive response from audience. The film was distributed by Sony Pictures Entertainment. The film is directed by Mark Dindal, and produced by a number of individuals: John Cohen, Steve Wegner, Broderick Johnson, Andrew Kosove, Namit Malhotra, Tom Jacomb, Jim Davis, Bridget McNeel, and Craig Sost.

Television

Television Specials

Main articles: TV specials and Happy Birthday, Garfield!

Airing on CBS, twelve primetime television specials were produced, spanning nearly a decade from October 25, 1982 to May 8, 1991.

A one hour primetime documentary, Happy Birthday, Garfield!, celebrating Garfield's tenth year anniversary, and detailing its history, was aired on May 17, 1988.

Television Series

Main articles: Garfield and Friends, The Garfield Show, Garfield Originals and Untitled Nickelodeon series

Garfield and Friends was Garfield's first television series. The series lasted seven seasons, airing every Saturday morning on CBS, starting from September 17, 1988, and concluding on December 10, 1994.

The Garfield Show was the second series produced. The CGI series spanned five seasons, first premiering in France on December 22, 2008, with a US debut on November 2, 2009. Ultimately the show would conclude in France on April 27, 2015, and in the US on October 24, 2016.

Garfield Originals was a series consisting of mini thirty second segments, bundled into twenty-four episodes. Its premiere in France was on December 6, 2019, with the series ending on June 17, 2020.

With the acquisition of Paws Incorporated by Paramount Global (then Viacom), an untitled television series was announced on August 6, 2019. However, details have been nonexistent.

Books & Comic Books

Main article: Garfield books, Garfield books/Others, and Garfield (comic book)

Over the decades in many different countries, Garfield has had a wide array of books released, ranging from comic strip compilations to storybooks to cookbooks to a monthly comic book series.

Video Games

Main article: Garfield Video Games

While two video games were in development for the Atari 2600 and Atari 5200 prior to the 1983 video game crash, the first official Garfield release was Garfield, Eat Your Words in 1985. Since then, a number of different video games and apps relating to the franchise have been released. Notable video games include Garfield: Caught in the Act, Garfield Kart, and the crossover game, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl.

Merchandise

Main article: List of Garfield merchandise