Hey everybody. Welcome to Retell Seller, an ephemera podcast where I uncover forgotten stories and the ephemera people leave behind. I’m Angie a reseller of 10 years, and I’ll share one of those snippets with you. Let’s see what today’s find has to say.
Today’s find is a newspaper clipping from December 28, 1980. It ran in the Journal Star out of Peoria, Illinois. And instead of a hard news story… it’s about a cartoon cat we all know.
I wish I could remember where I picked it up but, I have a total of 3 clippings and I believe someone must have purchased 2 newspapers in order to get 2 images of the oversized Garfield.
The 2 images of Garfield are surrounded by 4 smaller drawings of him. One where he looks nervous or scared.
One where he’s doing a lunge for some food probably with his mouth wide open.
Another he’s whistling while getting ready for a bath and finally, an image where he’s just looking off
with a smile on his face.
The 3rd snippet is that of a short article about Jim Davis, the creator and on the other side of his story, is the image of the whiskey barrel cradle I talked about in a previous episode. So be sure to check that one out too.
The headline reads: “Garfield: Nasty Cat Takes Public’s Fancy.”
At the time the article was written, Garfield was going on it’s 2nd year and becoming a cultural personality.
Jim Davis who had worked on the Tumbleweeds strip and being virtually unknown at that time became somewhat of a sensation when it came to Garfield. He’d written the book “Garfield at Large” and went on a tour, was on NBC’s Today show & he admitted it was overwhelming.
When asked if there was a role model for Garfield, he said, “I suppose, perhaps subliminally, there was Morris the Cat, but that may be reaching. I think Garfield is just a composite of all the cats I’ve known. And a reaction against some of the more wish-washy animal strips that I grew up reading.”
He said there are no cat owners there are only “cat people” or “cat fanciers”
Davis talks about how Garfield’s love of lasagna became such a defining trait and joked that he really only put it in the strip because he himself loved it. He said, “Transference, you might say.”
Then he mentions receiving a letter from a reader who claimed her own cat craved lasagna and that she had done some investigating and found most cats are pasta lovers.
The article notes Garfield’s growing fan base with the top cities being Boston, Seattle, and San Francisco.
So, here’s a cat who refuses responsibility. Refuses growth. Refuses discipline. He just wants food and naps because there’s comfort in that.
I’m wondering if we really love Garfield because we see bits of ourselves in him and wish maybe we could get away with some of his antics?
I myself have been a dog owner my whole life but, I had cats when I was younger.
When I was in my early 20s or so I stayed overnight at a friends house and they’re cat slept with me which I was 100% fine with. That is until I woke practically the whole house because of my sneezing.
I guess some years passed after that and I forgot about the potential allergy so, we had a campfire at another friends house and I was petting their cat, letting it walk all over me. I realized my eyes were starting to itch & swell and in my inability to blame the cat, I thought, they had to be throwing stuff in the fire that shouldn’t be thrown in a fire. That was not the case so I had to wash my hands and my face and I went ahead and enjoyed the rest of the night.
Even after all that, I don’t shy away from petting cats, I just make sure I wash my hands after doing so.
So, are you a cat person, dog person, or just all around animal person? And why do you think Garfield was such a hit?
Thank you for joining me. As I shared a snippet of the past, I’d love to know if it connected with you in some way. Did it spark a memory or make you see something differently? If so, consider sharing it. Be sure to check out the show notes for additional info, links and ways to connect. It’s not nostalgia, it’s human.
Until next time, may you find something worth holding onto.
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PINNY PLEASE
