November 28, 2015

GARFIELD AND FRIENDS

For the regular version, click here.

GARFIELD AND FRIENDS
(CBS, September 17, 1988-December 10, 1994)


Film Roman, Paws, Inc., United Features Syndicate



MAIN CAST:
Lorenzo MusicGarfield, Bertie Buddy Bear, Charlie
Thom HugeJon Arbuckle, Roy, Binky the Clown, Bobby Buddy Bear, Gort, various
Gregg BergerOdie, Orson, Herman Post, Billy Buddy Bear, Irving Burnside, Rudy, Moe the Cat Burglar, Madman Murray, the Weasel, the Wolf, various
Desiree GoyetteNermal, various
Frank WelkerBo, Booker, Sheldon, Dr. Garbanzo Bean, Mort, Fred Duck, Edward R. Furrow, Plato, various

Gary Owens – Introduction, various






















EPISODE GUIDE:
Season 1:
“Quickie / Peace and Quiet / Quickie / Wanted: Wade / Quickie / Garfield Goes Hawaiian” (9/17/88) – Garfield makes fun of Odie’s sweater until he gets his own outdoor outfit. / After watching TV all night, all Garfield wants to do is sleep—and Binky won’t let him. / Bo shows Wade a bug he found. / Wade rips the tag off of a couch and believes he’s now a fugitive. / Garfield ends up squashing more than a spider. / Garfield contracts Hawaiian Cat Flu and goes into a hula whenever someone mentions something related to Hawaii.

“Quickie / Box O’ Fun / Quickie / Unidentified Flying Orson / Quickie / School Daze” (9/14/88) – Garfield dresses as a giant bee in order to enjoy some flowers. / Garfield uses his imagination in Jon’s box. / Lanolin and Roy get into a screaming match. / After reading a book, Orson’s imagination runs away with him over a prank by Roy. / Garfield hangs out on the screen door waiting for something to happen. / Jon sends Garfield to obedience school.

“Quickie / Nighty Nightmare / Quickie / Banana Nose / Quickie / Ode to Odie” (10/1/88) – Jon is too tired to let the pets out. / Garfield gets a nightmare from devouring Jon’s entire pizza. / Wade plants some dangerous mystery seeds. / Fed up with his practical jokes, the animals call Roy banana nose, causing him to leave the farm. / Jon discovers Garfield’s habit of sticking food to the ceiling. / Garfield raps about Odie.

“Quickie / Fraidy Cat / Quickie / Shell Shocked Sheldon / Quickie / Nothing to Sneeze At” (10/8/88) - Jon tries to trick Garfield into jogging. / The electricity goes out during a horror movie leading the pets to think Jon’s been captured by a monster. / A game of tag on the farm. / Orson tries to hatch Sheldon, leading to the fox abducting him. / Jon tasks Garfield to learn something new every day. / Jon uses Garfield’s sneeze to get a date with Liz.

“Quickie / Garfield’s Moving Experience / Quickie / Wade: You’re Afraid / Quickie / Good Mousekeeping” (10/15/88) – Garfield tries to get Odie to dive into his water bowl. / Garfield leaves Jon to live with a rich girl. / Orson and Booker try to get the tractor started. / Garfield accidentally eats Jon’s sweat socks. / When mice learn Garfield doesn’t eat mice they invade his house.

“Quickie / Identity Crisis / Quickie / The Bad Sport / Up a Tree” (10/22/88) – Garfield thinks Odie is sleeping in his bed. / Garfield’s dog impression puts him at odds with the dogcatcher. / Roy helps Wade become tough to stand up to Lanolin. / Roy replaces the rules to a new game with his own. / Garfield climbs a tree to get away from Nermal and gets stuck.

“Quickie / Weighty Problem / Quickie / The Worm Turns / Quickie / Good Cat, Bad Cat” (10/29/88) – Garfield stops Odie’s howling. / Garfield tampers with Jon’s new scale. / The animals ask Orson to read them a scary story. / Orson tells the viewers why Booker stopped chasing worms. / Garfield plays fetch with Odie. / Garfield is conflicted when Jon asks him to leave the mailman alone.

“Quickie / Cabin Fever / Quickie / Return of Power Pig / Fair Exchange” (11/5/88) – Jon teaches the pets fire safety. / Garfield and Odie get snowed in at a cabin. / Booker and Orson try to rescue Sheldon from being Lanolin’s yo-yo. / Sheldon’s fright from Orson’s story leads to rumors around the farm. / Garfield and Jon dream they live each other’s lives.

“Quickie / The Binky Show / Quickie / Keeping Cool / Quickie / Don’t Move” (11/12/88) – Odie loses party invitation in the wind. / Garfield goes on a Binky-hosted game show to win Jon a birthday present. / Orson gives horsie rides. / Orson’s brothers visit the farm. / Garfield chases after food-themed trucks. / Garfield stopping for some fish leads to Odie being captured by the dogcatcher.

“Quickie / Magic Mutt / Short Story / Quickie / Monday Misery” (11/19/88) – Odie locks himself in the car. / Garfield gets into it with a dog at a magic shop. / Booker saves the others from Orson’s brothers. / Garfield disguises himself as a bird bath. / Garfield tries to avoid the usual Monday bad luck.

“Quickie / Best of Breed / National Tapioca Pudding Day / All About Odie” (11/26/88) – Garfield ridicules Odie until his antics get him food. / Garfield enters a talent show to show-up Nermal’s awards. / Roy invents a holiday as part of his spring-loaded tapioca pudding box prank. / Garfield teaches a university class on Odie.

“Quickie / Caped Avenger / Quickie / Shy Fly Guy / Quickie / Green Thumbs Down” (12/3/88) – Garfield and Odie put in a swimming pool. / While Jon’s cartoons are reviewed, The Caped Avenger searches for a missing Pooky. / Detective Pig investigates the dark side of the barn. / Wade vows to fly when his brother makes fun of his inability to. / Jon installs a plastic flower garden. / Jon decides to save money by growing his own food.

“Quickie / Forget Me Not / Quickie / I Like Having You Around! / Quickie / Quickie / Sales Resistance” (12/10/88) – The Caped Avenger rides Odie. / Garfield contracts amnesia and a reversed personality. / Booker follows the worm into his hole. / Bo leaves the farm after a fight with Lanolin. / Garfield questions his love of the first snow of the year. / Jon ran out of Garfield’s regular cat food. / Jon threatens Garfield with no more lasagna if he continues to buy useless junk from infomercials.

Season 2:
“Quickie / Pest of a Guest / Quickie / The Impractical Joker / Fat and Furry” (9/16/89) – Garfield uses charades to tell Jon something. / Garfield is determined to get rid of a cat Jon takes in for the winter. / Booker mistakes Orson’s tail for the worm. / Orson fires Roy. / Garfield wins the lottery and they end up on Lifestyles of the Fat and Furry.

 “Quickie / Rip Van Kitty / Quickie / Grabbity / The Big Catnap / Quickie” (9/16/89) – Garfield shows up Jon’s physique. / Jon allows Garfield to sleep all he wants, and he ends up sleeping for 20 years. / Orson and Roy help Booker and Sheldon play teeter totter / Roy pranks Wade when he wonders what would happen if the law of grabbity was repealed. / Jon tries to hide his mother’s cookies from Garfield. / Garfield and Odie come in out of the rain.

“Quickie / The Great Getaway / Quickie / Scrambled Eggs / Hansel and Garfield” (9/23/89) – Garfield disguises himself as a bird house. / Garfield follows Jon on his NYC vacation. / A weed turns out to be connected to a magic rabbit. / Orson relates how Sheldon was mistaken for a turtle’s egg. / Garfield tells Nermal a twisted version of Hansel and Gretel.

“Quickie / The Sludge Monster / Quickie / Fortune Kooky / Heatwave Holiday / Quickie” (9/23/89) – Garfield makes like a fountain to wake up Jon. / When they end up stranded in a hotel, Jon tells Garfield and Odie a scary story. / The animals plan to dress up for a parade. / Fortune cookies make Wade superstitious. / Beating the heat with cold thoughts ends up spreading throughout the town. / Garfield sees what happens when he puts all the money into a soda machine at once.

“Quickie / One Good Fern Deserves Another / Quickie / Goody-Go-Round / The Black Book” (9/30/89) – Garfield and Jon have an eating contest. / Jon is accidentally sold a meat-eating fern. / Sheldon and Booker invite Wade swimming. / Orson sets out to get Bo a record player. / Jon has Garfield hide his black book.

“Quickie / The Legend of the Lake / Quickie / Double oh Orson / Health Feud” (9/30/89) – Garfield performs stand-up on the fence. / Garfield gives a tour of the National Cat Museum. / Orson warns Roy about eating corn close to a warm stove. / Orson reads a spy story, turning him into “Double-oh-Orson.” / When Jon becomes obsessed with a fitness show, Garfield sets out to destroy it.

“Quickie / Binky Gets Cancelled! / Quickie / Show Stoppers / Cutie and the Beast” (10/7/89) – Jon proclaims everything is normal to his mother. / Garfield tells the audience about Binky’s cancellation. / Wade sings “Home on the Range” and the lyrics come true. / A talent show on the farm gets plagued by bouts of stage fright. / Garfield’s prank causes Nermal to think he’s ugly and run away.

“Quickie / The Lasagna Zone / Quickie / Sleepytime Pig / Quickie / Yojumbo” (10/7/89) – Garfield uses lookalikes to appear everywhere. / Garfield spills lasagna on the new satellite dish and is transported into the TV shows. / Orson teaches Booker and Sheldon about imagination. / Orson needs a nap, and everyone’s help ends up more of a hindrance. / Garfield wonders what it’d be like to be a zoo animal. / Jon takes karate lessons after a run-in with a bully.

“Quickie / Pros and Cons / Quickie / Rooster Revenge / Lights! Camera! Garfield!” (10/14/89) – Garfield fights boredom by creating his own country club. / Odie is cheated out of grocery money by an alley cat. / The animals have a race. / Roy worries Orson will retaliate with his own prank. / Garfield takes a job as a stunt double.

“Quickie / Polecat Flats / Quickie / Hogcules / Brain Boy” (10/14/89) – Garfield gives Jon not-quite-food. / Jon takes Garfield to a dude ranch. / Roy enjoys his work. / Orson dreams about being Hercules. / Garfield is framed for misdeeds by Jon’s seemingly-innocent second cousin.

“Quickie / Maine Course / No Laughing Matter / Screaming with Binky / Attack of the Mutant Guppies / Quickie” (10/21/89) – Garfield entertains Jon as he eats all the apples. / Jon and the pets befriend a lobster they were sent. / Anti-joke aliens invade the farm. / Binky scares a diamond cutter. / Garfield tries to set Nermal’s mind at ease over a scary story he told him. / Wade wants to make a wish in the well.

“Quickie / Robodie / Quickie / First Aid Wade / Video Victim” (10/21/89) – Garfield unravels the world’s largest ball of twine. / Odie is kidnapped to be a model for robot toys. / Power Pig tries to rescue Booker, who learns voice throwing. / Wade fears Roy and Orson will operate on his hurt leg. / Jon bets Garfield he’ll stop using the vacuum if Garfield can swear off TV for 24 hours.

“Quickie / Curse of Klopman / Quickie / Mud Sweet Mud / Quickie / Rainy Day Dreams” (10/28/89) – Indiana Garfield ends up in quicksand. / Garfield inherits the cursed Klopman Diamond. / The worm beats up Booker. / Orson explains the sentiment behind his waller. / Odie and Garfield have an animal-sound contest. / A rainy day has Jon dating at home and Garfield and Odie using their imaginations.

“Quickie / Basket Brawl / Quickie / Origin of Power Pig / Cactus Jake Rides Again” (10/28/89) – Garfield gets caught in the window shade. / Mice watch as the others try to load a picnic basket without Garfield eating the food first. / Orson helps Wade change his life with a book. / Orson tells Wade the origin of Power Pig as his brothers plot a crop theft. / Jon and the pets regret inviting Cactus Jake to stay with them while he’s in town.

“Quickie / Binky Goes Bad! / Quickie / Barn of Fear / Screaming with Binky / Mini-Mall Matters” (11/4/89) – Jon wonders why Garfield is so destructive. / Binky is framed for theft. / Snowtime fun on the farm. / The animals stay at an abandoned barn where Orson’s brothers have some fun. / Binky scares a brain surgeon at work. / Garfield educates viewers about mini-malls.

“Quickie / Attention-Getting Garfield / Quickie / Swine Trek / Quickie / It Must be True!” (11/4/89) – Jon forgets his pants. / Garfield tries to win back some attention from Odie. / Wade is struck by lightning. / While sick, Orson dreams he and the others are the crew of Swine Trek. / Garfield reads Odie the ingredients of his food. / Garfield hosts a show where everything said on television has to be true.

“Quickie / Arrivaderci, Odie! / Quickie / Gort Goes Good / Screaming with Binky / Feeling Feline” (11/11/89) – Garfield kills Jon’s plant. / Garfield believes he got Jon to kick Odie out. / Orson has a bad cold. / Gort claims to have turned over a new leaf, but Wade’s not so sure. / Binky interrupts the world record for standing on each other’s shoulders. / Jon and Garfield dismiss the notion that owners become like their pets.

“Quickie / The Bear Facts / Nothing to be Afraid Of / The Big Talker” (11/11/89) – Jon tries to get a cookie while Garfield is sleeping. / A dancing bear shows up during a camping trip. / The animals try to find something Wade isn’t afraid of. / Garfield gets revenge on a TV host that hates cats.

“Cactus Makes Perfect / Hogcules II / Crime and Nourishment” (11/18/89) – Cactus Jake recounts encountering a cat similar to Garfield. / Orson daydreams about being Hogcules while cleaning up a grain mess. / Garfield tracks down a stolen picnic basket and finds a race of small creatures.

“T.V. of Tomorrow / Little Red Riding Egg / Well-Fed Feline” (11/18/89) – TV shopping yields some bizarre results. / Orson finds a video camera and films a production of Little Red Riding Hood. / An activist forces Jon to feed Garfield as much as he wants.

“Invasion of the Big Robots / Shelf Esteem / Housebreak Hotel” (11/25/89) – Garfield wakes up to find himself in the wrong cartoon. / Orson cleans up his library and Roy and Lanolin bet if he’ll finish in the same day. / Jon puts the pets in a kennel that keeps them all in cages and neglects them.

“First Class Feline / Hamelot / How to be Funny!” (11/25/89) – Jon decides to teach Garfield a lesson about sending Nermal to Abu Dhabi. / Retrieving a bucket causes Orson to fall and dream he was in Camelot. / Garfield lectures on humor.

“Mystic Manor / Flop Goes the Weasel / The Legend of Long Jon” (12/2/89) – Garfield tries to retrieve Odie from Mystic Manor. / Fame goes to Wade’s head when he’s heralded as a hero for accidentally stopping the weasel. / Jon discovers he has a pirate ancestor.

“China Cat / Cock-a-Doodle Dandy / Beach Blanket Bonzo” (12/2/89) – A Chinese legend features a bad luck cat resembling Garfield. / Roy tries to figure out how to give his wake-up call without disturbing a bear. / Love hits the beach for Jon and Garfield.

“Lemon-Aid / Hog Noon / Video Airlines” (12/16/89) – Jon gets conned into buying a lemon car by Al Swindler. / Orson prepares for his old bully to visit the farm. / Jon and the pets try to find a movie to watch.

“The Mail Animal / Peanut-Brained Rooster / Mummy Dearest” (12/16/89) – Garfield tries to help the mailman get his job back. / Roy becomes obsessed with peanuts and Orson’s brothers steal the crop. / Garfield gets knocked out in a museum and dreams he’s in ancient Egypt.

Season 3:
“Skyway Robbery / The Bunny Rabbits is Coming! / Close Encounters of the Garfield Kind” (9/15/90) – Al Swindler gets Jon a deal on a flight to Miami. / Everyone is confused over a message about rabbits coming. / Jon lets a cute alien stay with them.

“Astrocat / Cock-a-Doodle Duel / Cinderella Cat” (9/15/90) – Garfield tells Odie about his uncle, the first cat in space / A new rooster causes Roy to leave the farm. / Garfield gains a dishonest fairy godfather.

“Ship Shape / Barn of Fear II / Break-a-Leg” (9/22/90) – Garfield finds ways to avoid the captain of a cruise ship. / Orson plans a harvest party while his brothers plan to steal the harvest. / Jon has to prove to a girl that  he’s a great skier.

“Twice Told Tale / Orson Goes on Vacation / Wedding Bell Blues” (9/22/90) – Jon and Garfield recount how the house got filled with yogurt. / Orson goes on vacation and leaves Wade in charge. / Jon’s cousin Marian is getting married and Garfield thinks it’s to Jon.

“Clean Sweep / Secrets of the Animated Cartoon / How the West was Lost” (9/29/90) – Jon buys a machine to give Odie a bath. / Orson explains cartoon physics. / Jon tries to find Cactus Jake a new job.

“Binky Gets Cancelled Again! / Orson’s Diner / Flat Tired” (9/29/90) – Lack of educational material gets Binky replaced by the Buddy Bears. / Roy takes advantage of Orson’s promotion for his new restaurant. / Garfield is tired, so Odie fills in for a cartoon.

“Return of the Buddy Bears / Much Ado About Lanolin / Reigning Cats and Dogs” (10/6/90) – The Buddy Bears show up to give Garfield a solution on how to clean the house. / Orson puts on an imaginary play of The Taming of the Shrew. / Garfield explains why cats are better than dogs.

“Fit for a King / Ben Hog / Dessert in the Desert” (10/6/90) – A duke provides a fat cat as a king’s food taster in a kingdom where the king’s weight determines how much gold he’ll get. / Orson’s brothers distract him from guard duty with a copy of Ben-Hur. / Garfield and Odie get lost in the desert.

“Hound of the Arbuckles / Read Alert / Urban Arbuckle” (10/13/90) – Garfield plays Watson in a dream sequence set in The Hound of the Baskervilles. / Orson’s imagination goes awry and wrangles in Roy and Wade. / Cactus Jake fixes up Jon with his daughter.

“Odielocks and the Three Cats / Quack to the Future / Beddy Buy” (10/13/90) – Garfield tells Odie a story while waiting for his lasagna to cool. / After yelling at Wade Orson dreams he has a time machine that will let him see the future. / Garfield goes bed shopping with Jon.

“Count Lasagna / Mystery Guest / Rodent Rampage” (10/20/90) – Jon pitches a comic about Dracula’s cat. / Roy hosts a gameshow for a new tractor, which Orson’s brothers want to steal. / Floyd’s cousin visits.

“The Feline Felon / The Legal Eagle / The Cactus Saga” (10/20/90) – Garfield steals a charity pie Jon baked. / Orson asks Roy to uphold the farm laws he discovered. / Cactus Jake explains the origins of his name.

“D.J. Jon / Cornfinger / Five Minute Warning” (10/27/90) – Jon becomes a radio DJ. / Double-oh-Orson investigates the missing hay. / Jon bets Garfield can’t go without food for 5 minutes.

“Wonderful World / The Orson Awards / The Garfield Workouts” (10/27/90) – Jon takes the pets to an amusement park run by Al Swindler. / Orson’s brothers and Roy want to win something at the 32nd Annual Orson Awards. / Garfield hosts an exercise program.

“All Things Fat and Small / Robin Hog / Hare Replacement” (11/5/90) – Garfield encounters animal thieves on a camping trip. / A walnut bump causes Orson to fantasize about being Robin Hog. / Garfield becomes the replacement bunny in Jon’s magic act.

“Stick to It / Orson in Wonderland / For Cats Only” (11/10/90) – Garfield throws a stick as far as he can to get rid of Odie. / Fetching a croquet ball causes Orson to dream he’s in Wonderland. / Garfield reveals cats were once aliens bent on world domination.

“Mistakes Will Happen / The Well Dweller / The Wise Man” (11/17/90) – Garfield tries to convince viewers his show doesn’t have any mistakes. / Orson discovers strange creatures while drilling for water. / Jon takes in a Maharishi for peace and tranquility.

“Star Struck / Election Daze / Dirty Business” (11/17/90) – Garfield writes his own episode. / The weasel tricks Roy into taking over the farm from Orson. / Things tend to disappear in Jon’s cousin’s store.

Season 4:
“Moo Cow Mutt / Big Bad Buddy Bird / Angel Puss” (9/14/91) – Garfield tricks Odie into thinking he’s a cow. / Roy quits the show and joins the Buddy Bears. / An angel tries to get Odie and Garfield to get along.

“Trial and Error / An Egg-Citing Story / Supermarket Mania” (9/14/91) – Mice steal Garfield’s pie and he accuses Odie. / Orson gives the origin of Sheldon. / A new supermarket steals all the customers from the small neighborhood market.

“The Legend of Cactus Jupiter / Birthday Boy Roy / Jukebox Jon” (9/21/91) – Cactus Jake tells Garfield how to see the future in fire. / Roy’s pocket watch present is one of many items to go missing. / Jon has to quit nail-biting for a job and tries a hypnosis record.

“Squeak Previews / Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Wade / A Tall Tale” (9/21/91) – Two mice review a movie about mice. / Wade hypnotizes himself into turning into a monster. / Nermal tells his version of Paul Bunyan.

“Frankenstein Feline / Weatherman Wade / Fill-in Feline” (9/28/91) – Jon dreams about an insatiable Frankenstein monster cat. / Wade seemingly stops the rain with a wish. / Nermal fills in for a sick Garfield.

“Polar Pussycat / Over the Rainbow / Remote Possibilities” (9/28/91) – A napping Garfield ends up on a plane to the South Pole. / Roy finds out the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow needs to be won on a gameshow. / Garfield ends up with an experimental remote.

“Night of the Living Laundromat / Fast Food / Cash and Carry” (10/5/91) – Jon ends up with a clothes-eating washing machine. / Roy creates a fast food restaurant to counter Bo’s slow cooking. / Jon gives up his credit cards and goes cash-only.

“Speed Trap / Flights of Fantasy / Castaway Cat” (10/5/91) – Jon gets a speeding ticket from a shady cop. / Orson convinces Wade to use his imagination. / Garfield becomes engrossed in Robinson Crusoe.

“Mind Over Matter / Orson at the Bat / The Multiple Choice Cartoon” (10/12/91) – Jon is taken by a fortune teller. / Orson is hit by a baseball and dreams he’s in Casey at the Bat. / Garfield lets the audience direct the cartoon.

“Galactic Gamesman Garfield / Sly Spy Guy / The Thing That Stayed…Forever!” (10/12/91) – Garfield gets hooked on video games. / Double-oh-Orson searches for the missing spy novel. / Jon’s uncle Ed stays with them and takes over.

“Bouncing Baby Blues / The Ugly Duckling / Learning Lessons” (10/19/91) – Garfield and Odie accidentally bring a baby home from the market. / Orson tells the story of The Ugly Duckling. / The Buddy Bears are assigned to give educational information about anything Garfield says.

“Robodie II / For Butter or Worse / Annoying Things” (10/19/91) – A giant robot of Odie is accidentally made. / Orson becomes Power Pig to prove Roy stole all the butter. / Garfield is pressured by a dog not to say anything mean about dogs.

“Guaranteed Trouble / Fan Clubbing / A Jarring Experience” (10/26/91) – Jon buys a new TV from Madman Murray. / Roy and Wade fight to have the barn for their fan club. / A mouse believes Garfield is to blame for his missing mother.

“The Idol of Id / Bedtime Story Blues / Mamma Manicotti” (11/2/91) – Garfield and Odie’s brains are swapped by an idol. / Booker and Sheldon keep making changes while Orson reads them Cinderella. / Jon and the pets help make Mamma Manicotti famous.

“The Pizza Patrol / The Son Also Rises / Rolling Romance” (11/9/91) – Garfield takes advantage of a pizza promotion. / Wade tries to be brave for his father’s visit. / Jon’s new computerized car is attracted to him.

“The Automated, Animated Adventure / It’s A Wonderful Wade / Truckin’ Odie” (11/9/91) – Garfield is used in a demonstration of computer animation. / A guardian angel shows Wade what the farm would be like without him. / Garfield sings about Odie’s adventures with trucker Billy Bob.

Season 5:
“Home Away From Home / Rainy Day Robot / Odie the Amazing” (9/19/92) – Garfield runs away and gets smothered by his new owner. / Roy buys a weather-controlling robot. / Odie finds a magic wand he and Garfield believe is a stick.

“Taste Makes Waist / The Wolf Who Cried Boy / Day of Doom” (9/19/92) – Jon buys a phony health food meal package. / Roy constantly gives false alarms about a wolf. / Garfield wishes Mondays away.

“Home Sweet Swindler / Forget-Me-Not Newton / The Great Inventor” (9/26/92) – Al Swindler cheats Jon out of his house. / Wade’s forgetful cousin comes to the farm for work. / Garfield tells the story of the Roman cat who invented lasagna.

“Country Cousin / The Name Game / The Carnival Cruise” (9/26/92) – Jon hires his cousin to do repairs on the house. / The animals make changes to Rumpelstiltskin as Orson reads it to them. / Garfield is cursed by a fortune teller he has busted.

“The First Annual Garfield Watchers Test / Stark Raven Mad / The Record Breaker” (10/3/92) – Garfield hosts a quiz show. / Orson tells his own version of The Raven while his brothers steal the crops. / Jon has to find a new record player for his date.

“Renewed Terror / Badtime Story / Tooth or Dare” (10/3/92) – Jon is stalked by a salesman to renew his magazine subscription. / The others read Booker and Sheldon Chicken Little when Orson is sick. / A sabre-toothed tiger trades places with Garfield.

“The Kitty Council / The Bo Show / Bad Neighbor Policy” (10/10/92) – Garfield is put on trial for being a poor cat. / Bo has to save the episode when the others are captured by Orson’s brothers. / Garfield’s neighbor goes to court over his antics.

“Canvas Black Cat / Make Believe Moon / The Creature That Lived in the Refrigerator, Behind the Mayonnaise, Next to the Ketchup and to the Left of the Coleslaw” (10/10/92) – The Masked Mauler challenges Jon to a wrestling match. / Two weasels raid the farm while Orson imagines he, Wade and Roy are on the moon. / A creature attacks Jon and the pets.

“Cute for Loot / The Caverns of Cocoa / Dream Date” (10/17/92) – Garfield uses Nermal to get food. / Wade, Roy and Orson discover a chocolate mine. / Jon goes on a rigged dating show and Garfield tries to ruin the date.

“The Worst Pizza in the History of Mankind / Jack II: The Rest of the Story / The Garfield Opera” (10/24/92) – Garfield tells the story of a terrible pizza maker. / Booker, Sheldon, Wade and Roy try to fix Jack and the Beanstalk.  / A musical about Garfield’s eating habits.

“Airborne Odie / Once Upon a Time Warp / Bride and Broom” (10/24/92) – Odie finds a magic lamp and wishes to fly. / Orson helps Wade reclaim his $5 from Roy. / A witch wants Jon as her husband.

“The Cartoon Cat Conspiracy / Who Done It? / The Picnic Panic” (10/31/92) – Garfield makes his own animated feature about cats. / Three dogs named Who, What and Where work on the farm. / Garfield tries to save the picnic from ants.

“Sound Judgement / Gross Encounters / The Peril of Penelope” (10/31/92) – Garfield puts Odie in charge of sound effects. / The wolf plays on everyone’s interest in aliens to get at the chickens. / Penelope dumps Brick for Garfield, and Brick threatens Garfield.

“Ghost of a Chance / Roy Gets Sacked / Revenge of the Living Lunch” (11/7/92) – A ghost has to scare Garfield. / Roy quits again and goes back to The Buddy Bears. / A meteor lands on Earth and finds its way to the Arbuckle house.

“Supersonic Seymour / A Mildly Mental Mix-Up / The Garfield Rap” (11/7/92) – To get organized, Jon hires a salesman to get him to work faster. / Psychiatrist badger Edward R. Furrow counsels Wade while the wolf gets rid of Roy. / Garfield sends in a music video to Meow TV.

Season 6:
“A Vacation From His Senses / The Incredibly Stupid Swamp Monster / Dread Giveaway” (9/18/93) – Garfield tricks Jon out of his vacation until he’s forced to participate in housework. / A giant robot falls into the mud while the weasel tries for the chickens. / Nermal dreams Garfield is giving him away on TV.

“The Wright Stuff / Orson Express / Safe at Home” (9/18/93) – Garfield reveals the real origin of the airplane. / Orson and Booker have to deliver a package to a reclusive hermit. / A security system keeps Jon and the pets out of their house.

“Jon the Barbarian / Uncle Roy to the Rescue / The Kitten and the Council” (9/25/93) – Garfield tells a story about Jon being in love with another warriors wife. / Roy prefers to date than to spend time with his visiting niece. / Nermal is charged with being too cute.

“Next-Door Nuisance / What’s It All About, Wade? / Bigfeetz” (9/25/93) – The Arbuckles get a new neighbor who constantly sings. / Orson and Roy bring Wade to an expert about his phobias. / Jon takes the pets on the hunt for Bigfeetz for a reward.

“Canine Conspiracy / Snow Wade and the 77 Dwarfs (Part 1) / The Genuine Article” (10/2/93) – Odie is framed for stealing a purse. / Orson casts the farm in a retelling of Snow White. / Garfield meets his double.

“The Best Policy / Snow Wade and the 77 Dwarfs (Part 2) / Fishy Feline” (10/2/93) – Jon gets scammed after his car is wrecked. / Everyone argues over who has to kiss Snow Wade. / Garfield is stuck in a dream a s acatfish.

“The Pie-Eyed Piper / Fine-Feathered Funny Man / Sweet Tweet Treat” (10/9/93) – Garfield spins his own version of The Pied Piper. / Roy gives up joking. / Garfield feels guilty about eating a bird.

“The Floyd Story / How Now, Stolen Cow? / The Second Penelope Episode” (10/9/93) – Floyd’s wife wants him to get more airtime while Garfield deals with Jon’s aunt. / Orson and Bo look for the missing cow. / Penelope becomes jealous of Garfield’s new girlfriend.

“Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse / Payday Mayday / How to Drive Humans Crazy” (10/16/93) – Garfield’s version of the story starring a mouse. / A fox swindles everyone out of their pay. / Garfield teaches kittens how to drive people crazy.

“Date of Disaster / A Little Time-Off / The Longest Doze” (10/16/93) – Monica asks Jon out in revenge against her father. / Orson treats Lanolin to a pretend vacation. / Garfield tries to get the title of world’s longest nap.

“Stairway to Stardom / Return of the Incredibly Stupid Swamp Monster / The Life and Times of the Lasagna Kid” (10/23/93) – Garfield recounts his time as part of a comedy team. / The swamp monster returns as its owner looks for it. / Old West hero The Lasgna Kid has to save a damsel.

“Magic, Monsters and Manicotti / The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere’s Duck / Unreal Estate” (10/23/93) – Jon dreams about playing a game. / Roy uses Wade’s perceived higher profile to get himself some more attention with a poem. / Jon ends up buying a haunted vacation house.

“Lost and Foundling / Winter Wonderland / Films and Felines” (10/30/93) – Odie finds a girl who wants a dog. / Orson uses his imagination to keep warm. / Garfield talks about cats in films.

“The Garfield Musical / Mind Over Melvin / Madman Meets His Match” (10/30/93) – Penelope falls in love with a rock star cat. / An alien gives Orson mental powers. / Demented Dave and Madman Murray battle over who will sell to Jon.

“Knights and Daze / Holiday Happening / Jailbird Jon” (11/6/93) – Jon sends a letter for tickets an ends up accidentally challenging a knight to a duel. / Wade creates a holiday to get revenge on Roy. / A prison inmate switches places with Jon.

“The Third Penelope Episode / Hare Force / Garfield’s Garbage Can and Tin Pan Alley Revue” (11/6/93) – Garfield and Penelope imagine married life. / Orson, Booker and Sheldon come-up with a sci-fi version of The Tortoise and the Hare. / Jon is kept awake by Garfield’s revue show.

Season 7:
“The Legend of Johnny Ragweedseed / Grape Expectations (Part 1) / Catch as Cats Can’t” (9/17/94) – Jon plants ragweed. / With the big Cock-A-Doodle coming to check on Roy, he becomes panicked when grapes he’s guarding get eaten. / Garfield must save Ludlow from another cat.

“A Matter of Conscience / Grape Expectations (Part 2) / Top Ten” (9/17/94) – A cricket serves as Garfield’s conscience. / Roy is put on trial over a missing grape. / Jon heads out for a date and a robber sacks the house.

“Change of Mind / Temp Trouble / The Perfect Match” (9/24/94) – Nermal and Garfield switch personalities. / Orson puts his cousin in charge of the farm. / Jon finds his ideal match—or does he?

“My Fair Feline / Double Trouble Talk / Half-Baked Alaska” (9/24/94) - Garfield gets kicked out and ends up as part of a bet to be trained. / Roy buys a CD to help him get around doing work. / Garfield and Odie hire the conscience cricket to give Jon bad advice about his new job.

“Puss in High-Tops / Egg Over Easy (Part 1) / The Beast From Beyond” (10/1/94) – Garfield gives his take on the classic tale. / Wade becomes inspired by Sheldon to live in a shell. / A dinosaur plots to take over the present through TV.

“Model Behavior / Egg Over Easy (Part 2) / Another Ant Episode” (10/1/94) – Jon’s date really wants Garfield. / Wade ends up captured by the weasel. / The singing ants invade Garfield’s house.

“The Guy of Her Dreams / The Discount of Monte Cristo / The Fairy Dogmother” (10/8/94) – Penelope imagines Garfield as the perfect guy. / Orson’s cousin warns The Count of Monte Cristo is an expensive story. / Odie’s fairy dogmother grants his wish to attend a ball.

“The Stand-Up Mouse / Daydream Doctor / Happy Garfield Day” (10/8/94) – A new mouse in the house uses Garfield as comedy material. / Orson thinks he’s spending too much time reading books. / The world reminds Jon about Garfield’s birthday.

“Sit On It / Kiddie Korner / Brainwave Broadcast” (10/15/94) – Garfield refuses to get off of Jon’s book. / The Network forces the animals to perform nursery rhymes. / Garfield explains how pets communicate with humans.

“Suburban Jungle / The Thing in the Box / The Feline Philosopher” (10/22/94) – Jon’s niece sneaks off to the mall. / Everyone wonders what’s in Bo’s box. / A feline philosopher talks Garfield into stealing a pie.

“Thoroughly Mixed-Up Mouse / The Old Man of the Mountain / Food Fighter” (10/29/94) – Garfield makes Floyd’s friend think he’s a cat. / Wade needs advice to get Gort out of his bed. / Jon is hired as the cook for a boxer.

“The Jelly Roger / The Farmyard Feline Philosopher / Dogmother 2” (11/5/94) – A pirate steals food. / The Feline Philosopher gives Orson, Roy, Wade and the weasel advice. / The dogmother forgets what wish she was to grant, so she just grants every wish the Arbuckle house makes.

“Alley Katta and the 40 Thieves / If It’s Tuesday This Must Be Alpha Centauri / Clash of the Titans” (11/19/94) – Garfield gives his own twist on the tale. / The animals take an imaginary trip through space while Orson’s brothers lurk about. / Garfield ends up in the wrong cartoon again.

“Canned Laughter / Déjà vu / The Man Who Hated Cats” (11/26/94) – Jon’s comedy robot goes nuts. / Déjà vu runs rampant on the farm and Wade can’t pronounce the weasel’s name. / Garfield tries to find out why their new neighbor hates cats.

“The Horror Hostess (Part 1) / Newsworthy Wade / The Horror Hostess (Part 2)” (12/3/94) – Garfield and Odie set Jon up with a horror movie hostess. / Wade appears on the TV news. / Garfield and Odie have to rescue Jon from Vivacia.


“Arbuckle the Invincible / The Monster Who Couldn’t Scare Anybody / The Ocean Blue” (12/10/94) – An alien force field device ends up in Jon’s pocket. / Orson tells Booker and Sheldon about a monster who couldn’t scare anyone. / A vacation to the beach turns into shark trouble.

November 22, 2015

MORNING FUNNIES CEREAL

MORNING FUNNIES


Ralston

In late 1988, Ralston took on its most ambitious licensed-cereal. Partnering with King Features Syndicate, they brought several of the comic strips they represented to breakfast with Morning Funnies.



The cereal’s name came from the term “the funny papers,” which was often shortened to “the funnies,” describing the comics section of the newspaper. The cereal itself consisted of large smiley faces of various colors. In keeping with the name, the front of the box was designed to resemble the panels of a comic strip featuring characters from Marvin, Tiger, Dennis the Menace, The Family Circus, Hi and Lois, Beetle Bailey, What a Guy! and Luann.

The front and back of the 1st edition box.

But, it didn't stop there. The most unique aspect of the cereal was the back of the box. Ralston took it to the next level by making it able to open up like an actual newspaper into several pages for a total of eight different comic strips. The strips themselves were reminiscent of their Sunday editions; featuring more than one line of panels and in brilliant color. However, unlike the newspapers, the comic strips weren’t updated with the same frequency. When they were it was indicated in a word balloon on the front with what number “edition” the box was part of. The 9th edition of the cereal saw the addition of Popeye, Hagar the Horrible and Funky Winkerbean to the line-up. Some editions also featured a subscription for Young American, “America’s newspaper for kids.”

Comic book ad for the cereal.

While Morning Funnies’ box earned an award for innovative packaging, the cereal itself proved to be a flop. Not only was the cereal a failure as far as taste, Ralston overestimated the appeal of comic strips to their targeted juvenile demographic. Not to mention the time between new content on each box defeated the purpose of giving diners something to read as they ate. By 1989, the cereal was off the shelves. 














Ad and coupon for the cereal.

November 21, 2015

THE NEW ADVENTURES OF FLASH GORDON

THE NEW ADVENTURES OF FLASH GORDON
(NBC, September 22, 1979-November 6, 1982)


Filmation Associates, King Features Syndicate


When space-faring hero Buck Rogers turned into a commercial success, King Features Syndicate wanted to try and duplicate that with their own space hero. Initially, they tried to purchase the rights to Edgar Rice BurroughsJohn Carter of Mars series, but failed to reach an agreement. King turned to staff artist Alex Raymond to come up with an original concept, and eventually gained Flash Gordon with the help of ghostwriter Don Moore.

The first Flash Gordon run alongside Raymond's other strip, Jungle Jim.

The strip centered on the titular character who was a polo player and Yale University graduate. After rescuing Dale Arden from a plane crash, he was abducted with her by the half-mad scientist Dr. Hans Zarkov and taken aboard the spaceship he created in order to stop the rogue planet Mongo from hitting the Earth. They crashed on the planet and became embroiled in a constant battle with Mongo’s sinister ruler, Ming the Merciless. 

Flash is captured by Ming.

Mongo was an Earth-like planet with a number of diverse kingdoms and races inhabiting it; all either deathly loyal to Ming or playing at loyalty for their own survival. Ming ruled the planet from Nascent City, a sprawling metropolis near the planet’s equator. Beneath it were the Power Men, a group of electrical engineers run by Ergon, and in the sewers the Freeman, a group of rebels led by the one-eyed Count Bulok. Other areas included The Land of the Lion Men run by King Thun; Kala’s City of the Shark Men ruled by King Kala; the underwater kingdom of Coralia led by Queen Undina; the airborne Sky City of the Hawk Men governed by Vultan; the forest kingdom of Arboria ruled by Prince Barin; the frozen kingdom of Frigia ruled by Queen Fria; and others of varying creatures, climates and topographies. 

Flash Gordon artists through the years.

The strip debuted on January 7, 1934 and became a hit with readers, comparable to Buck Rogers. With that popularity came a merchandising blitz that included books and toys. By 1936, Flash made the jump to cinema with the first of four serials by Universal Studios, all starring Buster Crabbe in the title role. By the end of the 1930s, Flash was read in 130 newspapers around the world with a readership of 50 million people. Flash’s distribution and readership went into a bit of a decline as World War II broke out across Europe, resulting in the strip’s circulation being reduced or ended entirely in different nations. Upon the end of the war, Flash’s international popularity resurged as it returned to former markets and gained new ones.



In 1954, after Universal had allowed their film rights to the series to lapse, former Universal executives Edward Gruskin and Matty Fox secured the rights from King to produce a television series. The events of the series were set in the year 3203 where Flash (Steve Holland), Dale (Irene Champlin) and Zarkov (Joseph Nash) worked for the Galactic Bureau of Investigation and battled galactic threats on various planets. The series lasted a single year. In 1972, Flash made his first transition to animation as part of the one-hour film Popeye Meets the Man Who Hated Laughter, which aired as part of The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie series and featured a variety of King characters uniting.



The successful release of Star Wars in 1977 led to a new interest in space properties. Filmation’s Lou Scheimer, a fan of the original strip, acquired the film rights and began production on a live-action television film written by former Star Trek scribe Samuel A. Peeples for NBC. Deemed too complex to film live, Filmation planned to change it to an animated movie. However, when they ran into budgetary issues involving the computers used to render the spaceship effects; one of the first uses of a computer in traditional animation. Dino De Laurentiis, who wanted the live-action film rights to the property, came to an agreement with Filmation to provide funding to Filmation for their animated adaptation in exchange for the live-action rights. De Laurentiss’ film ended up being 1980’s Flash Gordon.

Zarkov, Flash and Dale upon arrival on Mongo.

Filmation’s film came to be regarded by critics as the most faithful adaptation to the original material yet. Of course, that’s not to say that Filmation didn’t take some liberties. The setting was updated to WWII where Flash (Robert Ridgely) was part of the war effort and received a message from a fallen comrade for Zarkov (Alan Oppenheimer). Dale (Diane Pershing) was also given the profession of being a reporter on her way to interview Zarkov, putting her on the plane with Flash where they met. Zarkov was also made more sympathetic by instead of his abducting the pair he saved them from the resulting meteor shower caused by Mongo’s approach. Ming (Oppenheimer) was also helping the Nazis by supplying Mongo’s advanced weaponry to Adolf Hitler

Ming takes Dale for his own.

When NBC received the finished product, they were so impressed by it they decided to hold off on the release of the film and instead transform it into an animated series. Filmation took the general story and expanded it while also making additional changes. The WWII setting and connections to Hitler were dropped in favor of the present-day and focusing more on adventures on Mongo. They also had to tone down a lot of the content for Saturday morning, such as the more risqué costumes for female characters, depicted weaponry, and references to death. And while the movie conclusively stated Flash and his friends were trapped on Mongo, the series left a return to Earth a possibility. As part of Filmation’s tendency to cost-cut, many scenes were recycled from the film that could be useable for the series, resulting in one of their finest animated efforts (there was an extensive use of rotoscoping, as well as the ship models for the aforementioned computerized camera). Most of the actors from the film reprised their roles for the series.

Prince Barin tries to win over Princess Aura.

The New Adventures of Flash Gordon debuted on NBC on September 22, 1979 and largely followed the established Flash Gordon mythos; taking on a serialized format throughout its first season written by Peebles and Ted Pedersen. Ming served as the primary villain, although others were encountered, until his eventual defeat in the season finale. While officially the show was known as Flash Gordon, to distinguish it from other productions it had received the distinctive title of The New Adventures of Flash Gordon. The theme was composed by Ray Ellis and Norm Prescott and featured a narration by Ridgely informing the viewers of the background of the series. The closing credits incorrectly spelled both Oppenheimer and Allan Melvin’s first names as “Allen.”

Gremlin, the plucky sidekick.

The series wasn’t the tremendous hit NBC expected, but they were already committed to another season (even though they would announce the series as being cancelled that May). However, they demanded some changes. The serial format was dropped in favor of episodic stories in order to make the program easier to rerun however they wished (more popular episodes would get played more often), and a cute pet dragon named Gremlin was introduced. Gremlin was an artist with the smoke he blew from his mouth, molding it into various shapes, and often times led to trouble for Flash and his crew. And the already minor instances of violence were further toned down, as was the design of female characters. Writers for the season included Dan DiStefano, Paul Dini, Ria Parody, Michael Reaves and Tom Ruegger.

The film title card.

The changes, coupled with its being scheduled later in the day and often against sports programming, resulted in a dramatic drop in the ratings. The final episode wouldn’t even be aired until two years after the last broadcast. That same year, Filmation also reassembled the film and released it as Flash Gordon: The Greatest Adventure of All. It featured Ted Cassidy’s final performance before his death. The show would later air on Sci-Fi Channel as part of their Sci Fi Cartoon Quest programming block.

The DVD cover.


While the movie that prompted the series has yet to see any kind of official release, the series itself has had several. In 2005, Delta Home Entertainment released the complete series to DVD in the United Kingdom. The following year, BCI Eclipse LLC released it in North America. When the set fell out of print in 2009 following BCI’s closing, Mill Creek Entertainment acquired the rights to the series and released the first 14 episodes of season 1 as The Adventures of Flash Gordon. In 2013, Consolidated re-released the series in the UK in individual collections.

EPISODE GUIDE:
Season 1:
“A Planet in Peril” (9/22/79) – Flash, Dale and Zarkov crash on Mongo and are taken prisoner by Ming.

“The Monsters of Mongo” (9/29/70) – Flash and Thun escape Ming’s mines and end up in Prince Barin’s kingdom.

“Vultan – King of the Hawkmen” (10/6/79) – King Vultan captures Flash, Thun, Barin and Aura, prompting an attack on his kingdom by Ming.

“To Save Earth” (10/13/79) – Flash has to break-up Ming’s wedding to Dale and stop Mongo’s approach to Earth.

“The Beast Men’s Prey” (10/20/79) – Flash, Dale and Zarkov escape but are quickly recaptured by a primitive tribe.

“Into the Water World” (10/27/79) – Flash, Dale and Zarkov help defend the undersea kingdom of Coralia.

“Adventures in Arboria” (11/3/79) – Flash and Dale deal with a forest fire in Arboria while Zarkov is bitten by a poisonous creature.

“The Frozen World” (11/10/79) – Flash heads to Frigida to negotiate for a rare ore they need to battle Ming.

“Monster of the Glacier” (11/17/79) – Flash and Queen Fria have to free their friends from the ice giants.

“Blue Magic” (11/24/79) – An underground witch queen believes Flash is her long-lost love.

“King Flash” (12/1/79) – The witch queen Azura brainwashes Flash into believing he’s her king.

“Tournament of Death” (12/8/79) – Flash is captured and put in Ming’s Tournament of Death.

“Castaways in Tropica” (12/15/79) – Flash and friends crash on Tropica in the middle of a coup.

“The Desert Hawk” (12/22/79) – Flash helps Queen Desira regain the throne of Tropica.

“Revolt of the Power Men” (12/29/79) – Ming kidnaps Dale and Aura while Flash helps fight a battle to retake Vultan’s sky city.

“Ming’s Last Battle” (1/5/80) – The sky city is used for the final assault on Mingo City.

Season 2:
“Gremlin the Dragon” (9/13/80) – Flash rescues Gremlin from the Beast Men.

“Royal Wedding” (9/20/80) – Ming sends a robot to interrupt Aura’s wedding to Barin.

“Sir Gremlin” (9/27/80) – Azura kidnaps Dale to force Flash into marriage.

“Deadly Double” (10/4/80) – Ming uses a robot duplicate of Gremlin to capture Flash.

“The Game” (10/11/80) – Flash, Dale and Gremlin are taken underground to fight in deadly arena games.

“The Seed” (10/18/80) – Ming sends a giant creature to destroy Arborea.

“Witch Woman” (10/25/80) – Aura, Flash, Dale and Thun hunt down a creature created by Ming.

“Micro Menace” (11/1/80) – Ming shrinks Flash and his friends.

“Flash Back” (11/8/80) – Flash is sent to another dimension and an evil duplicate wants to take his place.

“The Warrior” (11/15/80) – A warrior hunts Flash, Dale and Ming.

“The Freedom Balloon” (11/22/80) – Flash, Dale and Gremlin are captured on a rescue mission.

“Sacrifice of the Volcano Men” (11/29/80) – The Volcano Men plan to sacrifice Thun.

“Beware of Gifts” (12/6/80) – Ming’s peace offering turns out to be his latest weapon to destroy Arborea.

“The Memory Bank of Ming” (12/13/80) – Arborea’s computer reverts to Ming’s original programming.

“Survival Game” (12/20/80) – Flash and the bounty hunter that captured him must work together to escape an island.

“Gremlin’s Finest Hour” (11/6/82) – Lizard people worship Gremlin as the reincarnation of their god.


Originally posted in 2015. Updated in 2020.