Leah Mousseri - Week 3 - Garfield vs. Heathcliff: Battle of the Felines

     Most people who know me know I love my son, Garfield, and recently it has come to my attention that some people believe he is a knockoff. Another loveable orange cat named Heathcliff is seen by some as the original orange cartoon cat considering he was born five years before Garfield and has a similar design. On the other hand, Heathcliff is often called a knockoff due to his unpopularity compared to Garfield. After doing "extensive" research on both felines I have reached a decision on who is the better orange tabby.

    In order to understand who these kitties are we need to look at their backstories. Heathcliff was born to criminal parents who went to jail when he was a young kitten, leaving him to fend for himself. Growing up in a bad part of town caused him to be mean until he was adopted by the Nutmegs where he was treated with love and kindness. The Heathcliff comics, written by George Gately, follow the mischievous acts that Heathcliff causes and the fun adventures he goes on. As for Garfield, he is a sarcastic, fat, and lazy orange cat with an appetite for lasagna which he may have picked up from his birthplace, Mamma Leoni’s Italian Restaurant. After being sold to a pet shop, Garfield was adopted by Jon Arbuckle and has lived a comfortable life with him watching TV, messing with Odie, and spending time with neighborhood "friends" such as Nermal. 

    As for both cats' personalities, they're both lovable characters with humorous traits and adorable designs (it's kind of hard to not make a cat cute). However, as far as comics, shows, and other media, Garfield seems to me as the more enjoyable and likable character considering his jokes and relatability. In the Garfield comics, Garfield is seen as relatable due to his hate for exercise and Mondays along with his love for coffee and food. Garfield's owner, Jon, is also used in jokes since many people can find his failures in life amusing such as his terrible charisma with women and low intelligence. The Heathcliff comics mostly consist of Heathcliff annoying the people of Westfinster or making extreme efforts to get food. I feel as though he's more of a bratty kid rather than a misbehaving cat which makes him more annoying rather than funny or likeable. I also feel that the Garfield and Friends show is better than the Heathcliff and the Catillac Cats for many of the same reasons. Garfield in his show is expressive despite his little to no use of his mouth when speaking and his personality is perfectly integrated into each episode while still fitting the episode's theme/plot. Heathcliff and the Catillac Cats doesn't have many jokes that are funny, to me at least, and uses the same plot lines or humor as any other animated series in the 80s.

    So who is the poser? Well, I don't believe that Garfield is a rip-off since his personality is unique to him and the only things in common between the two are their breed and love for food. So nobody is a knockoff? It can't possibly be Heathcliff since he came first, right? Heathcliff may not be a Garfield copycat (pun definitely intended), but his comic/show does have a character that bears quite the resemblance to another well-known animal. Most people know Tom and Jerry, the animated show about a cat and mouse, and in that show is a bulldog named Spike. What other show has a bulldog with a spiked collar and strong muscles? Heathcliff of course. Both bulldogs are enemies to the cats, they have similar designs and personalities, and they both play about the same role in their franchises. Keep in mind that Tom and Jerry debuted in 1940, over 40 years before Heathcliff. So who's the real poser here? 

*The last paragraph was mostly a joke and I don't actually believe Spike the Bulldog was copied from Tom and Jerry, though it is a possibility. 

Who won the feline war in your heart?