List of Garfield characters

"Odie" redirects here. For the given name and nickname, see Odie (given name). For the footballer with that surname, see John Odie.

This is a list of characters in the Garfield comic strip, created by Jim Davis, organized by category and date of first appearance.

Main characters

Garfield

Main article: Garfield (character)

First Appearance: June 19, 1978

Garfield is Jon's orange tabby cat. Some of his personality traits include laziness, cynicism, sarcasm, a hatred of Mondays, a tendency to be annoyed by Jon's dog Odie, active imagination, a love for lasagna, and a hatred for Nermal.

In February 2017, a dispute arose on the talk section of the character's Wikipedia page regarding Garfield's gender. Although other characters have persistently referred to Garfield with male pronouns, owing to comments that the character's creator, Jim Davis, made in 2014 to Mental Floss, the matter of Garfield's gender remains ambiguous. He said, "Garfield is very universal. By virtue of being a cat, really, he's not really male or female or any particular race or nationality, young or old. It gives me a lot more latitude for the humour for the situations."

Jon Arbuckle

Main article: Jon Arbuckle

First Appearance: June 19, 1978

Jon Arbuckle is Garfield and Odie's dorky owner.

Lyman

First Appearance: August 7, 1978

Last Appearance: April 24, 1983

Cameos:

• Cameo in the tenth anniversary strip: June 19, 1988
• Cameo in a newspaper: April 2, 2013 and June 23, 2024

Lyman is Jon's former roommate and Odie's former owner. He was a main character along with Jon, Odie, and Garfield during the strip's early years. He was one of Jon's best friends from high school and was taken in by Jon when he needed a place to stay. Lyman, not aiming to trouble Jon too much, brought two things with him: a suitcase and Odie, much to Garfield's dismay. However, after the first few years of the strip, Lyman was gradually phased out of the main cast, mainly due to his role as the person that Jon would talk to being taken over by Garfield and Odie before disappearing from the strip entirely. His last regular appearance was in 1983 and he made a final cameo in the tenth anniversary strip. Lyman's fate was left ambiguous by Jim Davis, who offered a variety of often humorous explanations for Lyman's disappearance over the years (such as "don't look in Jon's basement"). Lyman would eventually reappear in the online games Garfield's Scary Scavenger Hunt and Garfield's Scary Scavenger Hunt 2: Donuts of Doom in the early 2000s. In 2012, almost 30 years after his last main appearance in the strip, Lyman's true fate was revealed in The Garfield Show episode "Long Lost Lyman" (season 3) where Lyman is revealed to have become a wildlife photographer who left Jon and his home to go to a country called Franistan. When Jon learns that Lyman disappeared while searching for a mythical Bigfoot-like creature called the Zabadu, Jon, Garfield, and Odie travel to the jungle to find him. Lyman is revealed to in fact be the Zabadu and used the guise of the Zabadu (the Zabadu mantle was passed to Lyman by its creator, an elderly retired doctor named Sam who had since passed away from natural causes who needed someone to take his place) to scare poachers away from the area and takes in Odie again, however, he realizes that Odie misses Jon, Garfield, and the rest of his friends and returns to Jon and Garfield's home to give Odie back to Jon. The episode ends with the quartet hanging out with each other and Lyman promises to visit when can. The "Long Lost Lyman" version of Lyman has round eyes resembling Jon's, rather than the dot-eyes of his traditional comics design, and is voiced by Frank Ferrante.

Odie

First Appearance: August 8, 1978

Odie is a yellow-furred, brown-eared dog described by Garfield to be a purebred clown and a dachshund in the live-action movies that resides with Jon and Garfield and is, at times, Garfield's best friend. The name came from a commercial written by Davis, which featured Odie the Village Idiot. Davis liked the name and reused it. Odie's main characteristic is his general "lack of intelligence and naiveté", which allows for Garfield to triumph over him in their prankings. In "one glimpse at Odie's secret life", the dog is shown to be much more sophisticated when alone, and Davis lets "Odie get Garfield back every few months." While Garfield's "playful mistreatment" of Odie is a persistent element of the comic, some strips make it clear that "deep down he knows he loves the little scamp". Odie has been considered a "much-loved", "lovable and adorable" and "fan-favourite" character. Jessica Jalali from Screen Rant saw in Odie and Garfield "an iconic duo that made it hard to separate one from the other". Librarian and cartoonist Katy Kavanagh saw Odie as "the comic relief" used to create humor in opposition to Garfield, who is "represented as the curmudgeon".

In most of his animated appearances, he is voiced by Gregg Berger. In The Garfield Movie, he is voiced by Harvey Guillén.

Pooky

First Appearance: October 23, 1978

Pooky is Garfield's teddy bear that was found in a drawer by Garfield. Garfield often carries Pooky around and makes him interact with Jon.

Dr. Liz Wilson

First Appearance: June 26, 1979

A veterinarian, Liz is Jon Arbuckle's love interest. Jon has attempted to ask her out on dates numerous times over the years, but rarely succeeded. When she did accept, the outings normally became disastrous (commonly because of Garfield coming on the date or Jon doing something embarrassing). Eventually in 2006 whilst on a date with an amnesiac Ellen, he discovers that Liz is at the same restaurant dating someone else. After an awkward encounter with each other, Liz finally admitted that she had feelings for Jon. The two have been portrayed as a couple since, though Jon's trademark geekiness continues to both amuse and embarrass Liz.

On Garfield and Friends, Dr. Liz Wilson was voiced by Julie K. Payne, occasionally appearing in the first two seasons and once in the fourth season. In the live-action/animated movies, she is played by Jennifer Love Hewitt. Her first, albeit brief, television appearance was on the second TV special, Garfield on the Town.

In The Garfield Show, she is once again voiced by Julie Payne. In The Garfield Movie, she is voiced by Dev Joshi.

Nermal

First Appearance: September 3, 1979

Nermal is smaller than most and prefers to call himself "the world's cutest kitten". Nermal was first introduced as Jon's parents' kitten. A recurring theme is Nermal's persistent annoyance at Garfield, which usually results in Garfield retaliating, mostly by physical assault, including strangulation, severe beating and as a recurring gag, mailing Nermal to Abu Dhabi, which he has done over 74 times.

In Garfield and Friends, he is played by Desirée Goyette. In Garfield: The Movie, Nermal is portrayed as a Siamese cat in the neighborhood, and is voiced by David Eigenberg. Nermal is voiced by Jason Marsden in The Garfield Show, as well as in the films Garfield Gets Real, Garfield's Fun Fest, and Garfield's Pet Force.

Arlene

First Appearance: December 17, 1980

Arlene is a female pink-furred cat with thick eyelashes, large lips, and a gap between her two front teeth (a short-haired pinkish white Turkish angora in the comics and most animated media and a Russian Blue cat in the live-action movies). She is Garfield's main love interest and his official girlfriend since 1980. (Jim Davis confirmed in February 2017 that the two were in an official relationship). Prior, Davis called Garfield & Arlene's relationship a 'love-hate': "Garfield loves himself, and Arlene hates that."

In Garfield: The Movie, she appears as a Russian Blue cat, voiced by Debra Messing. In Garfield Gets Real, Garfield's Fun Fest, Garfield's Pet Force, and The Garfield Show, she is played by Audrey Wasilewski.

Squeak

First Appearance: October 30, 1984

Squeak is one of the many mice who live in Jon, Garfield, and Odie's house. He and the rest of the mice in Jon's house are close friends of Garfield's, with Garfield even being the one to give Squeak his name. Garfield and the mice often assist each other with their problems, Garfield often keeping them safe from Jon and other cats and the mice often helping Garfield's various schemes.

Squeak is replaced as Garfield's main mouse friend on Garfield and Friends, by a mouse named Floyd (voiced by Gregg Berger) and in the 2004 film by a mouse named Louis (voiced by Nick Cannon). Squeak appears fully in The Garfield Show, voiced by Berger.

Arbuckle Family

Mom

First Appearance: February 13, 1980

Jon's unnamed mother who runs the Arbuckle farm with Jon's father. She is based on Jim Davis' own mother. She most commonly appears when Jon, Garfield, and Odie visit Jon's childhood home/the Arbuckle family's farm. In early appearances, she'd repeatedly say "Eat, eat, eat", and she likes to try to set personal records on how many variations of potatoes and pie she can make. She also often dotes on Jon, sometimes overbearingly.

Dad

First Appearance: February 13, 1980

Jon's unnamed father who runs the Arbuckle farm with Jon's mother. He is based on Jim Davis' own father. In The Garfield Show, he is voiced by Frank Welker. He most commonly appears when Jon, Garfield, and Odie visit Jon's childhood home/the Arbuckle family's farm. He struggles with accepting or even understanding modern technology, even indoor plumbing.

Aunt Gussie

First Appearance: August 14, 1981

Aunt Gussie was a relative of Jon's who he and Garfield would occasionally visit. Although portrayed as a stereotypical old woman, Gussie often indicates that she lives a less-than-reserved lifestyle, such as teaching slamdancing for extra money. She is often mean towards Garfield (calling him "blubber butt" and "rodent breath"), at which Garfield comments that Gussie used to double-date with Lizzie Borden. Gussie also harbors a crush on John Travolta.

Grandma Arbuckle

First Appearance: January 25, 1982

Jon's grandmother appears in Garfield's Thanksgiving and A Garfield Christmas Special, in which she is voiced by Pat Carroll. In an early appearance, Grandma seems to be portrayed as a more traditional old lady, but in following appearances, she's portrayed as being more active and energetic for her age. She has a bit of a rivalry with Jon's mom as to whose cooking is better.

Doc Boy

First Appearance: May 17, 1983

Doc "Doc Boy" Arbuckle is Jon's younger brother (and only known sibling). He is named after and based on Jim Davis' own younger brother Dave "Doc Boy" Davis. In his first appearance, his mother mentions that Doc Boy recently moved back in with his parents and works on the farm as a hired hand. In The Garfield Show Doc Boy is shown to have moved out and now has his own farm, with a comic appearance in 2022 implying that he still now lives alone (Doc Boy appears in a video call with Jon, Odie, Garfield, & Liz, Arlene, Nermal, Squeak & Guido, and his and Jon's parents on his own camera, implying he no longer lives with his parents as they appear on a separate webcam). He also starts dating another woman named Gloria.

In both A Garfield Christmas Special and The Garfield Show, he is voiced by David Lander.

Minerva and Drusilla

Jon's nieces Minerva and Drusilla only appear in the Garfield Show and some Garfield Books (e.g., Snack Packs). Their only distinctive catch phrases are "We want to play with the kitty cat!" and "We want to play with the puppy dog!" They always want to dress Garfield and Odie up and frankly Garfield and Odie find them as an annoyance.

Long Jon Arbuckle

Jon Arbuckle's pirate ancestor mentioned in Garfield and Friends was also the owner of Garfield's ancestor, Orange Beard.

Garfield's family

Sonja

First Appearance: December 11, 1984

Sonja first appeared in the animated specials Garfield on the Town and Garfield: His 9 Lives. She has since made several cameos in the comic strip, including a December 1984 story that is a loose adaptation of Garfield on the Town. She also appeared once on Garfield and Friends, in an episode called "The Garfield Rap". Sandi Huge provided her voice in the specials.

Vic Cat

Victor "Vic" Sr. is the father of Garfield, who was introduced in The Garfield Movie. Unlike his son, Vic is more of an outdoor cat who's very adventurous, with his voice provided by Samuel L. Jackson.

Grandfather Garfield Feline

First Appearance: November 10, 1980

Garfield's grandpa first appeared in the strip on November 10, 1980.

In Garfield on the Town, a different-looking, rougher maternal grandfather is seen living with his daughter. Whether the comic strip's version is Garfield's paternal grandfather has not been explicitly clarified.

Raoul Cat

Raoul is Garfield's cousin and only appears in the movie Garfield on the Town. He looks a lot like Guido (see below for one-time characters).

Arno, Barney / Bernice, Berie, Bernie, Bob, Ed, Edna, Evelyn, Harry, Hubert, Nick, Patrick, Reba, Roy

These are all of Garfield's aunts and uncles. They are all his mom's brothers and sisters.

Buchanan Feline

Garfield's grandfather's brother was the first cat on the moon and is featured in a flashback Garfield and Friends episode, called "Astro Cat."

Oslo Feline

First Mentioned: January 30, 1994

Garfield mentions that his great grandfather is named Oslo. In the comic, Garfield says Oslo was a pioneer, but crazy. He moved his family thousands of miles across uncharted territory while he kept saying "I hear a can opener."

Orange Beard

Orange Beard the Pirate Captain is an ancestor of Garfield's mentioned in a Garfield and Friends episode. He is the cat of Long Jon, a relative of Jon's.

Don Pedro Garfield

First Appearance: Garfield Discovers America, published January 1, 1994

In the book "Garfield Discovers America", Garfield's ancestor Don Pedro Garfield serves as Christopher Columbus' cat onboard the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria. While onboard, he and not Christopher Columbus, discovers the New World.

Rolo Polo

First Appearance: August 9, 1979

Rolo Polo was an ancestor of Garfield's who was set to go sailing with Marco Polo. He didn't end up going to the Orient because motels wouldn't accept pets then.

"Long-tooth Cave Cat"

Garfield's stone age relative mentioned in Garfield: His 9 Lives is the Cave Cat with sabretooth tiger-like long teeth. His girlfriend was a stone age member of Arlene's family, named Girl Cat.

For you who are reading this, you know that all cats of this section have the last name "Cat" or "Feline".

Odie's family

Big Bob

While most of Odie's ancestry, including his parents, is unknown, in Garfield: His 9 Lives, Cave Cat Garfield, a Stone Age ancestor of Garfield is friends with Big Bob, the Stone Age ancestor of Odie.

Bonzo Wag

First Appearance: September 2, 1980

Bonzo Wag was a late Stone Age ancestor of Odie (a descendent of Big Bob) who realized that wagging his tail endeared him to humans. Unfortunately, he also invented slobbering, but that didn't go very well.

Minor recurring characters

Herman Post

First Appearance: July 19, 1978

Jon Arbuckle's mailman is a character seen in the first four seasons of Garfield and Friends. In "The Mail Animal", he is fired because his boss, the postmaster, perceives him as being weak-willed. However, Garfield treats the postmaster even worse, resulting in the postmaster begging Post to return to work.

In The Garfield Show episode "Mailman Blues", he goes on vacation to Hawaii. Before Post goes on vacation, he warns his replacement, Stu, about Garfield, describing him as a "monster". While Herman Post is on his vacation, Garfield torments Stu. However, Stu quits, and Herman returns early only after receiving a raise. He reveals that this has happened every year for 13 years.

In Garfield and Friends, the mailman is voiced by Gregg Berger.

Irma

First Appearance: June 9, 1979

Irma owns an unnamed diner in which Jon and Garfield often eat. Working 24-7 with no help, she is famous for food that is not good for you and has unnamed ingredients that even Garfield doesn't want to know. Garfield is quoted as saying, ¨She's the only person who could put me off food¨.

Binky the Clown

First Animated Appearance: October 30, 1985

First Appearance: September 17, 1986

A television personality noted for his extremely loud and piercing greetings, most notably "HEEEEEEEY, KIDS!" He appears to be a parody of Bozo the Clown, and in the cartoons shares an exaggerated raspy voice with the Bob Bell portrayal of Bozo. He is often compared to Krusty the Clown from The Simpsons, who is also portrayed with an exaggeratedly raspy voice, based on Bell's.

The character first appeared in the animated TV special Garfield's Halloween Adventure.

He was first mentioned in the comic strip on March 13, 1985. Other clowns are seen prior to this mention, but appear to be different characters. Binky was first seen in the comics on September 15, 1986, then appeared in person on September 17, 1986.

The Big Vicious Dog/Luca

First Appearance: September 12, 1995 A large guard dog who lives in Garfield's neighborhood who despite often coming into conflict with and harassing Garfield, is shown to be friendly with him. In the 2004 movie, he is a black Doberman Pinscher named Luca and voiced by Brad Garrett and has the same frenemy relationship with Garfield that he does in the comic.

Herman Vermin

First Appearance: July 29, 1998

Herman Vermin is a second mouse in the Garfield comic strip who might be friends with Squeak Mouse, but never appears with him. He has a curly tail with one loop in it. When he moves in, he invites Garfield to his "hole-warming party."

Hubert and Reba

Hubert and Reba are an elderly couple who live near Jon. Hubert is often portrayed as an older man, while Reba is often either unseen or tending to household chores. The couple made an appearance in Here Comes Garfield. In the animated cartoon, Hubert is portrayed as hostile towards Garfield and Odie, after Garfield tore up their yard and knocked flowers and dirt on Hubert's head. He calls the animal shelter personnel to remove them. In the strips, Hubert is less hostile towards Garfield.

Kimmy

First Appearance: November 23, 1990

Kimmy meets Jon at a pottery class and she actually asks Jon to ask her out. Garfield knows that's bad. And later Jon finds out she was raised by wolves when she has an itch on her back and uses her foot to scratch it. Jon stops seeing her, but out of desperation he calls her on the phone in a future comic.

The Buddy Bears

A trio of bears that sing and appear in multiple episodes of Garfield and Friends. They are named Billy, Bobby and Bertie Buddy Bear. Their appearances usually involve them trying to educate their viewers and other characters, such as agreements, friendship and sweetness, but they are usually disturbing and contradictory at best. They have their own in-universe TV show called The Buddy Bears Show.

Vito

Vito owns the Italian restaurant where Garfield was born. It's because he was born in an Italian restaurant that Garfield loves Italian food so much, especially lasagna and pizza forever and ever.

One appearance characters

Guido and Fluffy

First Appearance: January 25, 1981 (Guido), January 26, 1981 (Fluffy)

Guido and Fluffy meet Garfield in the pound. Garfield says about them, "I met them when I had a brief stay behind bars." Both Guido and Fluffy help Garfield escape.

Biff

First Appearance: May 4, 1998

Garfield hires an intern named Biff Cat who he uses to do work for him. Unfortunately, Biff is too nice. When Garfield tells him to, "Go practice your menacing glare," Biff stares at Jon and says, "Fear me, sir," while smiling.

Ellen

First Appearance: July 21, 2006

Ellen is a woman who Jon asks out many times on the phone before he meets Liz. She finally agrees to go out with him because she has amnesia and appears for the first time on July 21, 2006. In the same fortnight of strips, Jon realizes he really wants Liz when he sees her on a date with someone else. And Liz decides she really wants Jon. It's the start of a beautiful relationship. Luckily for the guy who was on a date with Liz, he takes Ellen out instead as Jon and Liz get together.

Janice

First Appearance: February 2, 2011

Janice is sometimes referred to as Odie's girlfriend. She is a cute poodle who walks by him and says "Urf," as her only spoken word. And Odie looks lovestruck. Garfield tells him, "Don't fall in love Odie. You already act stupid enough."

Nunzio

Nunzio appears in the Garfield Show as Vito's cousin. While Vito thinks he's lazy, Nunzio is actually a good guy. He creates a scheme called the 'Lasagna Tree' (see Garfield in the Lasagna Tree, Part 1-4) where he publicizes the Lasagna Tree and helps his aunt to share her lasagna recipe with the world. This allows Nunzio's aunt (Vito's mama) to share the recipe with Mama Meaney (who actually is a man and someone who wants to put every Italian restaurant out of business) while Garfield makes him broadcast to the world that his food is junk and overpriced.