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Jim Davis knows Garfield so well, he lets him run loose. One week a month, the cartoonist sits in his office and creates enough comic strips for about six weeks.

For Davis, who created a character beloved across the world, Garfield does all the work while his creator visualizes the fat cat kicking Odie or making fun of his owner, Jon Arbuckle. Meanwhile, in his mind, Davis just sits back and watches the action.

“And when he makes me laugh, when he does something funny, I back up three frames and cut it off,” Davis said. “In essence, Garfield writes the strip. I just edit.”

The working relationship between feline and creator has been going on for 210 cat years or about 30 human years.

During those 30 years, Davis has created 10,950 comic strips, two movies, 133 television shows and specials, and sold 135 million books. Currently, Paws is working on three direct-to-video movies and 26 new television shows.

In an interview on Ball State University’s campus Wednesday, Davis, a 1967 Ball State graduate, said because the character is always evolving, it feels more like 30 minutes have passed instead of 30 years.

Throughout the 30 years of the strip, it’s evolved from when Garfield would cough up a hairball to threatening to cut Jon’s lips off with his claws. The strips continue to show Garfield as fat and lazy but also tries to show different variations of those traits.

“I’m still, I guess, going for that one gag that makes the whole world laugh,” Davis said. “That gets me out of bed every morning.”

Co-Art Director Tom Howard said Garfield’s 30^th birthday reminds him of the days where he first started at Paws, Inc. in the mid-1980s.

He started working in a three bedroom ranch house, which has been replaced by a 36,000-square-foot two-story complex that includes a gym and cafeteria.

Just as Davis knows Garfield, the Paws artists also try to understand Davis’ humor.

“We want to think like Jim thinks.”

Click on the following links for classic and current Garfield comic strips

June 19, 1978

July 11, 1978

March 4, 2008

March 20, 2008

April 8, 2008

May 3, 2008

Interview with Garfield creator Jim Davis by Newslink reporter Joe Cermak

Question 1: How did Garfield get started?

Click for Davis' response.

Question 2: What does Garfield's 30th birthday mean to you?

Click for Davis' response.

Question 3: Could you describe your creative process?

Click for Davis' response.

Question 4: Is Garfield's personality based on cats or humans?

Click for Davis' response.

Question 5: Why did you make Garfield like lasagna?

Click for Davis' response.

Question 6: What is Odie's purpose in the comics?

Click for Davis' response.