Jim Davis
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.
“There is never a need to outrun anything you can outwit.”
“Great chefs know it's the appearance of food that counts...but great eaters know its the amount of food that counts”
“Jon: Our only thought is to entertain you!Garfield: Feed me.”
“I never met a lasagna I didn't like”
“It's amazing what one can accomplish when one doesn't know what one can't do.”
“In my head, the sky is blue, the grass is green and cats are orange.”
“Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.”
“Don't eat fruits or nuts. You are what you eat.”
“An imagination is a powerful tool. It can tint memories of the past, shade perceptions of the present, or paint a future so vivid that it can entice... or terrify, all depending upon how we conduct ourselves today. ”
“When in doubt, pig out!”
“If you are patient...and wait long enough...Nothing will happen ”
“Life is like a hot bath. It feels good while you're in it, but the longer you stay, the more wrinkled you get.”
“Deep fry that sucker! - Garfield”
“He who fills His pockets with the Rocks of Misdeeds shall surely sink in the River of Good Fortune.”