Garfield's Thanksgiving

Garfield TV Specials #8

by Jim Davis

Leave it to Garfield to cook up an unforgettable Thanksgiving!

Genres: Comics, Humor, Thanksgiving, Fiction, Animals, Cats, Comic Strips

460 pages, Paperback

First published October 26, 1988

About the author

James Robert "Jim" Davis is an American cartoonist who created the popular comic strip Garfield. Other comics that he has worked on are Tumbleweeds, Gnorm Gnat, Slapstick, and a strip about Mr. Potato Head.

Jim Davis was born in Fairmount, Indiana, near Marion, where he grew up on a small farm with his father James William Davis, mother Anna Catherine (Carter) Davis, brother Dave, and 25 cats. Davis' childhood on a farm parallels the life of his cartoon character Garfield's owner, Jon Arbuckle, who was also raised on a farm with his parents and a brother, Doc Boy. Jon, too, is a cartoonist, and also celebrates his birthday on July 28. Davis attended Ball State University. While attending Ball State, he became a member of the Theta Xi fraternity. He earned the dubious honor of earning one of the lowest cumulative grade point averages in the history of the university, an honor incidentally shared with Late Show host David Letterman.

Davis as of 2007 resides in Muncie, Indiana, where he and his staff produce Garfield under his company, Paws, Inc., begun in 1981. He was married to Carolyn, a singer and elementary teacher whom he met while both were attending college, and has a son named James with her. However, the couple divorced, and Davis since 2000 has been married to Jill, Paws' senior vice president of licensing, who has worked there approximately 25 years.

Ironically, Davis did not own cats when he started Garfield because of Carolyn's allergies, but they owned a Labrador retriever named Molly. With Jill, the family has expanded to include children Ashley and Chris; three grandchildren, Chloe, Carly and Cody; cats, Spunky and Nermal; and a dog, Pooky.

Reviews

[Galy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5
Another fantastic Garfield comic!

This one is about Thanksgiving. Jon tries to impress the veterinarian and he makes a Thanksgiving dinner but it's a disaster.

This was hilarious, I really liked it!

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've sometimes wondered if it was worth it to hang on to my comic books all these years, and after reading this one to my kids, I'm glad I have. I read it aloud to my family during thanksgiving dinner and other than the 2 year old falling asleep, it seems to have been a big hit.

[Paht (Pat) Satji · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cranky cat has never made me feel more nostalgic. Reading Garfield as an almost 30 year old, I remind myself to be thankful of the little things. Also love the snarky comments "When it comes to insecurity, Jon's a heavyweight"

[Mattie Richards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Relatable

[Manda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book as a kid!

[Michela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this. Was fun to read.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Garfield!

[Chamini · Rating 5 out of 5]

i liked this comic a lot compared to most other garfield comics i've read. it had lots of humor and it was a typical life like story.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic Thanksgiving story with Garfield. Fun and enjoyable.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A childhood book that is a great, fun read.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute little Turkey Day tale based on a TV special I'm pretty sure I have never seen.

[wjkb · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really funny Garfield story of Thanksgiving!!!