In the books, there are numerous 'extras' at the front and/or back. For example, in the 10th Birthday book, the beginning has an extract of a newspaper, stating "JIM DAVIS A FRAUD", with Pooky revealing Garfield has in fact been writing the strips. Garfield states "I hired some down-and-out hack cartoonist to take all the credit." denying several criticisms, which accused Davis was actually using ghostwriters, and not working on the strip at all. There was a bonus strip, which features a single panel at the end page of Garfield At Large showing Garfield walking in the sunset. There was also a bonus strip to fill in the book Garfield Gains Weight, which features a single panel with Garfield holding his face down in front of the TV.
These books, generally released twice a year by Ballantine Books, contain reprints of the comic as it appears in newspapers daily. These books were originally printed in black and white, but volumes 37 and later have been in full color. Each book collects approximately six months of comics, including the Sunday comics (in black and white in all except the recent editions).
The titles of these books were styled as double entendres alluding to Garfield's weight (Note: an extra at the end of a Garfield compilation advertised "rejected book titles"). These books introduced the "Garfield format" in publishing, whereby the rectangular books are horizontally oriented to match comic strip dimensions; Davis has recalled having to invent the format in order to better fit the books on store shelves. Volumes 37 and later introduced a new, larger square book in full color, showing the Sunday strips to be formatted in a size as they usually are, instead of shrunken-down to meet the book size. However, this means that the first panel after the logo box (called the drop panel because newspapers can drop it without ruining the point of the strip) is no longer printed in the compilation books.
Each of the original 36 books will be re-released in the new larger format, dubbed "Garfield Classics". So far, the first 30 books have been reprinted in this format.
The Garfield Classics imprint has been in print since 2001, and reprints Garfield's first 36 books in a "remastered" format, with increased page size, bolder lines, and each strip in full-color format. So far, the first 32 have been printed in this format.
Newer books are only available in a similar format, starting with book #37.
In the UK, over 60 Garfield books, mainly "Pocket Books" or paperbacks, have been published by Ravette. The format is slightly different, as the strips are presented in a vertical style. In the Garfield 20th anniversary book, however, Davis said vertical stacking was the one type of comic anthology layout he wanted to avoid the most when compiling the above collections.
Additionally, adaptations of Garfield television specials have been published in comic format:
Garfield as Himself (2004) collects the following books:
Here Comes Garfield (1982)
Garfield on the Town (1983)
Garfield Gets a Life (1991)
Garfield Holiday Celebrations (2004) collects the following books:
Garfield in Disguise (Halloween special) (1985)
Garfield's Thanksgiving (1988)
A Garfield Christmas (1987)
Garfield Travel Adventures (2005) collects the following books:
Garfield in the Rough (1984)
Garfield in Paradise (1986)
Garfield Goes Hollywood (1987)
Each Fat Cat volume contains the contents of three successive compilations stacked back to back.
There are two types of Fat Cat books, one features black and white strips and one featuring full color strips.
Volumes 1 to 12 have been released in black and white, but most have since been reissued in full color.
The black and white strips were published semiannually up to Vol. 11 (compilations 31–33) in 1999. Since then, the publication schedule has slowed: Vol. 12 (compilations 34–36) was published in 2001, followed by Vol. 13 (compilations 37–39) in 2006.
Black and white strips
Vol. 1 (1,2,3) was released on March 16, 1993.
Vol. 2 (4,5,6) was released on August 9, 1994.
Vol. 3 (7,8,9) was released on January 30, 1995. ISBN * 978-0-345-39493-4.
Vol. 4 (10,11,12) was released on August 15, 1995. ISBN 978-0-345-40238-7.
Vol. 5 (13,14,15) was released on January 30, 1996. ISBN 978-0-345-40404-6.
Vol. 6 (16,17,18) was released on September 3, 1996. ISBN 978-0-345-40884-6.
Vol. 7 (19,20,21) was released on April 7, 1997. ISBN 978-0-345-41449-6
Vol. 8 (22,23,24) was released on January 20, 1998. ISBN 978-0-345-42601-7
Vol. 9 (25,26,27) was released on August 25, 1998. ISBN 978-0-345-42903-2
Vol. 10 (28,29,30) was released on February 2, 1999. ISBN 978-0-345-43458-6
Vol. 11 (31,32,33) was released on September 7, 1999. ISBN 978-0-345-43801-0
Vol. 12 (34,35,36) was released on April 3, 2001. ISBN 978-0-345-44581-0
The first ten Fat Cat volumes have been reissued in larger, colorized versions. Starting from Fat Cat Vol. 13 (2006), the larger, full-color format of the reissued volumes has also been used.
Vol. 1 (1,2,3) was released on August 26, 2003. ISBN 978-0-345-46455-2
Vol. 2 (4,5,6) was released on August 30, 2005. ISBN 978-0-345-46465-1
Vol. 3 (7,8,9) was released on September 25, 2007. ISBN 978-0-345-48088-0
Vol. 4 (10,11,12) was released on March 24, 2009. ISBN 978-0-345-49171-8
Vol. 5 (13,14,15) was released on October 26, 2010. ISBN 978-0-345-49180-0
Vol. 6 (16,17,18) was released on March 22, 2011. ISBN 978-0-345-52420-1
Vol. 7 (19,20,21) was released on April 24, 2012. ISBN 978-0-345-52588-8
Vol. 8 (22,23,24) was released on March 4, 2014. ISBN 978-0345525994
Vol. 9 (25,26,27) was released on April 28, 2015. ISBN 978-0345526076
Vol. 10 (28,29,30) was released on November 25, 2016. ISBN 978-0425285589
Vol. 13 (37,38,39) was released on August 29, 2006. ISBN 978-0-345-46460-6
Vol. 14 (40,41,42) was released on October 27, 2009. ISBN 978-0-345-49175-6
Vol. 15 (43,44,45) was released on October 25, 2011. ISBN 978-0-345-52585-7
Vol. 16 (46,47,48) was released on February 12, 2013. ISBN 978-0-345-52592-5
Vol. 17 (49,50,51) was released on October 28, 2014. * ISBN 978-0-345-52603-8
Vol. 18 (52,53,54) was released on June 7, 2016. ISBN 978-0-399-59440-3
Vol. 19 (55,56,57) will be released on March 14, 2017. ISBN 9780425285619
10 Garfield Treasury compilations have been released featuring the Sunday strips in the large color format.
Garfield Treasury was released on June 12, 1984, Features comic strips from: June 25, 1978 to July 13, 1980
The Second Garfield Treasury
The Third Garfield Treasury was released on October 12, 1985
The Fourth Garfield Treasury
The Fifth Garfield Treasury
The Sixth Garfield Treasury
The Seventh Garfield Treasury was released on October 19, 1993, Features comic strips from: February 3, 1991 to March 7, 1993
The Eighth Garfield Treasury was released on October 31, 1995, Features comic strips from: March 14, 1993 to April 16, 1995
The Ninth Garfield Treasury was released on November 11, 1997, Features comic strips from: April 23, 1995 to May 25, 1997
The Tenth Garfield Treasury was released on October 5, 1999, Features comic strips from: May 25, 1997 to July 25, 1999
Garfield: His 9 Lives (1984), graphic novel, later made into a TV special.
Garfield: Big Fat Book of Jokes and Riddles (1985)
The Unabridged Uncensored Unbelievable Garfield (1986)
Garfield Book of Cat Names (1988)
Garfield How to Party Book (1988)
Garfield Crazy About Numbers (1988) – (sticker book)
Give Me Coffee and No One Gets Hurt (discontinued)
Garfield the Easter Bunny? (1989)
Garfield and the Santa Spy (1989)
Garfield's Judgment Day (1990)
Garfield: The Me Book (1990) (motivational handbook)
Garfield and the Truth About Cats (1991)
Garfield's Insults, Put-Downs & Slams (1994)
Garfield Discovers America (1994)
Garfield Jolly Holiday 3-pack (1997) – Renamed to Garfield Holiday Celebrations in (2004)
Garfield's Book of Jokes and Riddles (1997)
The Garfield Game Book (1998)
Garfield's Big Book of Excellent Excuses (2000)
Garfield: The Grudesome Truesome 2 in 1 Book (2002)
I'm in the Mood for Food: In the Kitchen with Garfield (2003)
Garfield at 25: In Dogs Years I'd Be Dead (2003)
How to Draw Garfield and the Gang (2004)
Garfield's Guide to Everything (2004)
Odie Unleashed: Garfield Lets the Dog Out Book (2005)
The Garfield Journal (2005)
Lights, Camera, Hairballs: Garfield at the Movies (2006)
30 Years of Laughs & Lasagna (2008)
Garfield Minus Garfield (2008)
Garfield from the Trash Bin: Rescued Rejects & Outrageous Outtakes (2010)
Garfield Left Speechless (2012)
My Laughable Life with Garfield: The Jon Arbuckle Chronicles (2012), a collection of various comic strips throughout the years)
Early-reader adventure novels featuring Garfield
Garfield's Night Before Christmas (1988)
Garfield's Furry Tales (1989)
Garfield and the Haunted Diner (1990)
Garfield Goes Camping (1991)
Garfield's Haunted House and Other Spooky Tales (1994)
Garfield's Stupid Cupid and Other Stories (1995)
Garfield Goes to Disobedience School (1997)
Garfield's Christmas Tales (1994)
Garfield's Ghost Stories (1990)
Garfield and the Beast in the Basement (2002)
Garfield and the Mysterious Mummy (1997)
Garfield and the Teacher Creature (1998)
Garfield and the Wicked Wizard (2002)
Garfield's Pet Force, series of early-reader novels:
#1: The Outrageous Origin (1997)
#2: Pie Rat's Revenge (1998)
#3: K-Niner: Dog of Doom (1998)
#4: Menace of the Mutanator (1999)
#5: Attack of the Lethal Lizards (1999)
Garfield Extreme, a series of children's picture books.
Garfield's Extreme Cuisine: Pigging the Way Out! (2003)
Garfield's Ironcat (2003)
Garfield's Awesome Ski Adventure (2002)
Garfield's Sumo Beach Bellyball (2002)
Garfield As Himself (June 29, 2004)
Garfield and Friends: Volume 1 (July 27, 2004)
Garfield: the Movie (October 19, 2004)
Garfield's Holiday Celebrations (October 26, 2004)
Garfield and Friends: Volume 2 (December 7, 2004)
Garfield's Travel Adventures (February 15, 2005)
Garfield and Friends: Volume 3 (April 19, 2005)
Garfield's Fantasies (May 24, 2005)
Garfield and Friends: Volume 4 (August 23, 2005)
Garfield Cat Tales (October 18, 2005)
Garfield and Friends: Volume 5 (December 6, 2005)
Garfield The Movie: The Purrrfect Collector's Edition (June 17, 2006)
Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (October 10, 2006)
Garfield Two-Movie Box set (October 12, 2007)
Garfield and Friends: Behind the Scenes (December 4, 2007)
Garfield and Friends: An Ode to Odie (March 20, 2008)
Garfield and Friends: Dreams & Schemes (September 4, 2008)
Garfield Gets Real (November 20, 2007)
Garfield and Friends: A Cat and His Nerd (May 13, 2009)
Garfield's Fun Fest (August 5, 2008)
Garfield's Pet Force (June 16, 2009)
The Garfield Show: Odie Oh! (October 5, 2010)
The Garfield Show: All You Need Is Love (And Pasta)
TV series (1988–1994, 2008–TBA)
Garfield and Friends (animated TV series, 1988–1994)
The Garfield Show (animated TV series, 2008–TBA)
TV specials (1982–1991)
Here Comes Garfield August 5, 1982
Garfield on the Town September 14, 1983
Garfield in the Rough October 27, 1984
Garfield's Halloween Adventure October 30, 1985
Garfield in Paradise June 9, 1986
Garfield Goes Hollywood July 25, 1987
A Garfield Christmas December 21, 1987
Happy Birthday, Garfield June 19, 1988
Garfield: His 9 Lives June 23, 1988
Garfield's Babes and Bullets September 5, 1989
Garfield's Thanksgiving November 24, 1989
Garfield's Feline Fantasies April 16, 1990
Garfield Gets a Life May 1, 1991
Garfield was also transported into video games, the first being a never-released Atari 2600 prototype in 1984, and there was also an 8-bit Famicom game of Garfield made in Japan in 1989. A Garfield game was also being worked on for the Atari 5200, but the game was cancelled when Atari was taken over by Jack Tramiel.
Garfield: The Movie (2004) — Breckin Meyer, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Bill Murray as the voice of Garfield.
Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (2006) — Breckin Meyer, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Bill Murray as the voice of Garfield.
Garfield Gets Real (2007) [1] [2]
Garfield's Fun Fest (2008)
Garfield's Pet Force (2009)
Figurines and toys
Danbury Mint has made numerous products for avid Garfield lovers. All but two (Bedtime for Garfield and Bedtime for Odie) are not plush, and all but seven have Garfield with another character.
Small Figurines (no larger than 4" × 4" × 4"): Catnap, Crowning Achievement, Easy Rider, Here's Lookin' at Me, Gourmet Picnic, Love in Bloom, King of the Jungle, Open House, Midnight Serenade, On Vacation, Return to Sender, Sittin' Pretty
Musicals (10" wood base with figurine atop): Anchors Aweigh, La Cucaracha, Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay; Oh, What a Beautiful Morning
Garfield's Christmas Village (11 pieces in all, including): Garfield's House, Post Office, Movies, Toy Shoppe, Candy Store, Courthouse, Church, Bakery, and more.
Large Figurines: Garfield's Retreat, Garfield's Poolside Resort, Garfield's Golf Course, Garfield's Garden
Other: Garfield's Carousel and Garfield's Christmas Train
Plush (2' tall): Bedtime for Garfield and Bedtime for Odie
Diecast Vehicles: Both Ertl and Esci have made a range of diecast toys featuring Garfield driving various vehicles
The album Am I Cool or What?
Suction-cupped plush toys of Garfield, known as "Stuck on You", were a phenomenon across America and it took several years for production to meet the demand. In the Twentieth Anniversary book, it states that these car hangers came out in 1988. One such suction-cupped plush Garfield is seen in the 1996 introduction for the original format for the British motoring show Top Gear. Additionally, Garfield mimics the concept one night while tailing Jon on his date with Liz; this can also be seen in Garfield: The Movie under similar circumstances.
His plush products and other toy replicas were licensed for production by the Dakin Company in the 1980s.
Garfield was featured in a 1988 advertising campaign for Maple Leaf Village Amusement Park.
Garfield's merchandising approach has been criticized by a number of commentators including Calvin and Hobbes creator Bill Watterson, whose views against merchandising were explained at great detail in The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book. Watterson, when asked for his opinion of fellow cartoonists, including Jim Davis, once tactfully described Garfield as "consistent." He also criticized Jim Davis's U.S. Acres cartoon. Chris Suellentrop of Slate accuses Davis of creating Garfield merely for the merchandising.
In 2000 Garfield was used as a mascot/recruiting tool for Cub Scouting, appearing on many items, including 4 plush Garfields in Cub Scout uniforms.
Garfield and Odie also are featured on product packaging for the retail chain Meijer.
Baby Garfield is featured on Sam's Club brand diapers.
At Kennywood, an amusement park located near Pittsburgh, Garfield is one of the mascots. There are two Garfield themed rides. They are "Garfield's Nightmare" a haunted house ride, and a free-fall ride for kids, the "Pounce Bounce". Lake Compounce, also run and owned by Kennywood, uses Garfield theming as well.
Silverwood Theme Park, the Northwests largest theme park near Coeur d'Alene Idaho, has Garfield as the official mascot.
There is a computer program called "Scholastic's Comic Book Maker Featuring Garfield" which allows users to make their own Garfield comics by using different characters, objects, and scenery from the strip.
A frozen lasagne featuring Garfield on the packaging was briefly for sale in the United Kingdom in the late 1980s.
When Microsoft released the Windows 98 edition of Microsoft Plus!, they included in it many brand new desktop themes, some of which were based on popular comics. Garfield was one of them.
More recently, "Get the comic strip on products" with 3 pictures of comic, have been appearing on the main page. It was on the comics page
Garfield has also done promotions for food or shops. In 1989, he did a promotion for the fast food restaurant McDonald's. Here, McDonald's sold 4 Happy Meal toys, 4 collectible glasses, and a limited edition stuffed Garfield employee. He also did promos for the Yum! Brands properties KFC and Taco Bell. In 2000, he did a Kid's Meal promotion for Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers, where 6 toys were sold. He did many promos for his film, including 3 Goldfish figures, and 5 Wendy's toys, including a card game, magnet doll, wind up toy, play clock, and a pair of sunglasses.a successful Dairy Queen Kid's Meal promo, with many toys. His most recent promotion was at Kmart where 3 toys were sold in the dining area.
April 10, 1986 – American Express
May 29, 1986 – McDonald's Stuck on You
January 14, 1987 – Kellogg's
November 19, 1987 – Alpo Cat Food
December 12, 1987 – Kellogg's
1989 - Cadbury Garfield chocolates (Australia)
July 23, 1989 – PURR Cat Food (Canada)
December 13, 1989 – General Mills Fruit Snacks
August 13, 1990 – Garfield Fruit Snacks
December 15, 1990 – Alpo Cat Food
September 30, 1991 – Embassy Suites
March 13, 1994 – Campbell's
Garfield has also recently been in a commercial for Chia Pet
