Today marks 36 years since a certain lasagna-loving cat first appeared on the funny pages in not-very-many newspapers. I didn't see it because the L.A. Times was not among them. I didn't become aware of Jim Davis's creation until the first paperback collection came out a year or two later, by which time a few hundred other newspapers had picked it up.
The L.A. Times was still not among them but I had that first collection and then another and another. I thought it was a cute strip and in 1987 when I was asked to get involved in writing the character for television, I said, "Sure." I've been involved ever since. In fact, I have to stop posting stuff here today and instead work on a script that we're recording next Monday.
This job has put me in a great position to understand how beloved Garfield is around the world. He really is. Here are 36 of the best things he's said. None of these came from me.