It can go without saying Garfield is one of the most iconic cats of all time. His comic strip dates all the way back to the 1970’s and yet he still retains large popularity. There was even an animated movie released this year. He has many adoring fans everywhere; one of them being me.

Ever since I was young, I have loved Garfield. I grew up reading the comics. I watched the TV show, The Garfield Show, and earlier movies. A lot of things drew me to him. I loved his bright colors and exaggerated features. It also helped that he was a cat, which was the animal I was obsessed with when I was a kid. I inherited many Garfield memorabilia from my father, who was a huge Garfield fan back in the 1980’s. It just goes to show how huge his popularity is, as his popularity goes on for generations. This is where I got all my comics and how I discovered Garfield. He had several Garfield stuffed animals, an old comic in a newspaper from the early 80’s, and other little knick knacks. He even got a personalized Garfield comic featuring his name in it.

I have added many other items to this collection; a set of posters, some stuffed animals, a couple figures, a pair of earrings, several shirts, and many Garfield stickers. The most prized item I have is my Garfield telephone: the iconic one with eyes that open and close as you pick up the telephone. I bought it off of Ebay. Another item I acquired recently was a Garfield squishy from the Garfield movie.

In reference to The Garfield Movie, I thought I should probably give a review. I went to an early screening of the movie, which had a special limited edition squishy for those who bought tickets.  Coming into it, I did not take the movie too seriously. Overall, the movie was better than I expected, but it was a bit boring at times. It was simply an average adventure story that had sweet and silly moments. I would have liked if Garfield had a different voice actor, as I did not like the choice of Chris Pratt, since his voice did not fit the character well. I also was not the biggest fan of the character designs. They strayed too far from his original look. I feel like what this movie suffered from stylistically, The Garfield Show did well. The designs kept close to the original look and Garfield’s voice felt very fitting for his personality.

I am also just like Garfield. He hates Mondays and sleeps all the time. He also eats lots of lasagna, although I never actually liked lasagna. When The Garfield Movie came out Stouffer’s released their lasagna with special Garfield packages. With my love for Garfield, I tried one out, and it surprised me how much I enjoyed it.

A final reason I love Garfield is his cast of animal characters. I love Pooky, his stuffed bear. There is Odie, the dopey and friendly dog, who is the best friend of Garfield. I never liked Nermal though. He is another cat and an antagonist to Garfield. He is exactly the opposite of Garfield’s traits. I just prefer Garfield much more than him.

In short, I just wanted to share my love for the lazy, lasagna-eating, orange cat, Garfield.